One of the most successful sports in India yet not that trendy among the people is Indian Kabaddi. Since the sport is associated normally with villages and mud game, the popularity among youngsters is much less than accepted sports in India such as cricket. Despite all this our Indian Kabaddi players put up their best show and time and again prove that they are unsurpassed players. This has certainly helped gain attractiveness towards the game. India has been part of four Asian Games in Kabaddi and emerged victorious in all of them. Indeed, they are the finest.
India bags the title
Four times Asian Games champions, India bagged the title of Kabaddi World Cup in the tournament played against Pakistan in the men’s final in Punjab on Saturday. In the women’s final also Indian eves defeated New Zealand. The Indian men’s Kabaddi team had also won the gold medal in World Cup in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011. They went ahead winning the Asian Indoor Games in 2007 and 2009. The men’s team made a remarkable show at SAF Games and bagged gold medal in 1985, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2006 and 2010. Whereas the Indian women’s Kabaddi team won the World cup twice (2012 and 2013). They also won the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014.
The Indian Kabaddi team also won the Kabaddi World Championship in 2007 defeating Iran 29-19. It is also a proud thing for India that it is the first host to World’s Kabaddi League this year. The discovery of great talent and Kabaddi as a sport was well recognized and a league for them was started which is based on Formula 1 touring sports format. It is played across four continents. The league was played from August to December this year.
The hard work of Indian Kabaddi players paid them well as this year seemed to be a year of immense exposure for them. From the Asian Games 2014 to the introduction of Pro-Kabaddi League, it all went well leading to more popularity of the game. According to Rakesh Kumar, captain, Indian national Kabaddi team, the league helped players gain more exposure and learn some more tricks related to agility and movement which is an important part of the game. Sharing the platform with players from different parts of the world was also an experience and a learning process for the players. The above list of achievements clearly proves that Indian Kabaddi team, without any doubt is the most thriving team at the world level.
World Kabaddi League
With their successful wins, Indian Kabaddi has been able to change their image to an extent in the minds of people. It’s not truly an only-village sport. The World Kabaddi League showcased the talent of players well along with the glitz and glamour of sports personalities and Bollywood celebrities. The broadcasters brought the game to every house making the game more popular.
Now, Kabaddi’s popularity is not limited to rural India. It has moved on to popularity at the national level. There are many championships, at national as well as international events, being organized for the Indian Kabaddi players to provide more exposure to the already-honed team. It all started with the opening of Federation Cup Kabaadi matches in year 1981. Then 2004 proved to be another landmark for the sport when the Kabaddi World Cup was hosted on Indian soil. Our team also won the World Cup. We have a number of talented players who never fail to bring glory to our country.
Kabaddi in the curriculum
It was a breakthrough for Indian Kabaadi in 1961 when the Indian University Sports Control Board incorporated Kabaddi in the curriculum and also as a sports discipline. This helped the game a great deal and gradually Kabaddi was introduced in their school by the School Games Federation of in 1962. This resulted in Indian names being seen at state and national level tournaments which were structured by the SGFI. In 1971, a great development for Kabddi shaped up as the National Institute of Sports (NIS) incorporated Kabaddi in the curriculum, regular diploma courses.
Kabaddi, the story
Kabaddi gained the national status in 1918 in India. Maharashtra had a bigger role the development of the game and bringing it to a national stage. In 1923 the rules and regulations of Kabaddi were printed and an All India tournament was conducted at Baroda where the players firmly followed all the rules and regulations laid out.
Since then the recognition of the game augmented and the game was introduced to the 1938 Indian Olympic Games in Kolkata which brought international recognition to Indian Kabaddi. In 1950 the All India Kabaddi Federation (AIKF) was founded in order to develop the sport. Since then, the body kept working towards the improvement of Indian Kabaddi and its standard. To make that possible the AIKF kept organizing national level championships since 1952.
The initial men’s national tournament was organized in Chennai, whereas the women’s national were conducted in Kolkata in 1955. In 1973 the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was formed to make Kabaddi popular in India as wells as in the neighboring countries and to conduct national level tournaments.
Kabaddi is an inexpensive game
Kabaddi, as we all know, is a very undemanding and inexpensive game as far as the equipments are concerned. It doesn’t require any fancy equipment for the players to come on field. It doesn’t even demand of a very spacious playing area. Kabaddi as a sport is given to the world by India. Perhaps, the reason that its such a simple game is the reason why it became popular among rural India and moved onto being a recognized sport with the hard work and dedication of players towards the game. Of course, federations and leagues that were formed have helped uplift the sport to a higher standard.
Four types of Kabaddi in India
Kabaddi is called a team-contact sport where two teams take up opposite halves and then take turns sending a player to the other half to win points by wresting players of the opponents. The player who goes into the other side then tries his best to return back to his own half where his rest of the players stand at the same time as holding his breath and saying kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi throughout the whole attack.
There are four types of Kabaddi in India – Amar, Gaminee, Suranjeevi and Huttuttoo. Amar, a form of Kabaddi, is played in Punjab, Haryana, America, Canada and many parts of the world by Punjabis. Suranjeevi is played in India and other parts of world and is the most played form. This form is also played in Asian Games and international matches. Another form of Kabaddi, Huttuttoo was popular in Maharastra and played by men.
Related Information:
Season 2 of Pro Kabaddi League 2015
Lessons from the Kabaddi League event held in India
The Awakening of Indian Sports: Boom Time for Leagues
Marketing Turns Sports into a Big Business in India
