Kabaddi in India

The game of Kabaddi is played across the length and breadth of India. This popularity can be ascribed to the simplicity of the game and the fact that it requires no sophisticated equipment. Since Kabaddi is an Indian game, India has been at the forefront of promoting the game at the international stage. India played a pivotal role in laying down standard rules and procedures for Kabaddi in the 1950s. The Indian Amateur Kabaddi Federation president Janardhan Singh Gehlot was instrumental in establishing the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) in 2004 and he was elected the first president of IKF.

India's efforts to popularize Kabaddi has paid rich dividends as the country has won all the Asian Games gold medals, since the game was introduced in the 1990 Beijing Games. Talking about the techniques of the game, there are two teams that occupy the opposite halves of a field. In turns, one team sends a 'raider' into the other half, in order to win points. The raider, who goes inside has to touch any one of the teammates from the other team and immediately run back to his line, without even once letting off his breath during the whole raid and chanting the word "kabaddi". On the other hand, the members of the other team have to grab the raider down before he reaches his line.