Kabaddi is a wrestling sport originating from very early Indian civilization. The word Kabaddi is derived from a Tamil word Kai-pidi , literally meaning “(let’s) Hold Hands”, which is indeed the crucial aspect of play. It is the national game of Bangladesh, and the state game of Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh in India. The national kabaddi champion in India is the famous Peter Singh Virk.
Modern Kabaddi is a synthesis of the game which is played in various forms under different names. Kabaddi received international exposure during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, demonstrated by Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, Amaravati, Maharashtra. The game was introduced in the Indian Olympic Games at Calcutta in 1938. In 1950 the All India Kabaddi Federation came into existence and compiled standard rules. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) was founded in 1973. After formation of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, the first men’s nationals were held in Madras (re-named Chennai), while the women’s were in Calcutta (renamed Kolkata) in 1955.The AKFI has given new shape to the rules and has the right to modify them. The Asian Kabaddi Federation was founded under the chairmanship of Mr. Janardan Singh Gehlot.
The first men’s kabaddi nationals championship on Mat and indoor Stadium were held in Pune and this championship Organized by Badami Haud Sangh in Pune. Kabaddi was introduced and popularized in Japan in 1979. The Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation sent Prof. Sundar Ram of India to tour Japan for two months to introduce the game. In 1979, a return test between Bangladesh and India was held at different places of India including Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Punjab. The Asian Kabaddi Championship was arranged in 1980 and India emerged as champion and Bangladesh runner-up. Bangladesh became runner-up again in 1985 in the Asian Kabaddi Championship held in Jaipur, India. The other teams in the tournament were Nepal, Malaysia and Japan. The game was included for the first time in the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990. India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh took part. India won the gold medal and has also won gold at the following six Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994, Bangkok in 1998, Busan in 2002, Doha in 2006 and Guangzhou in 2010. In the 1998 Asian games the Indian Kabaddi team defeated Pakistan in a thrilling final match at Bangkok (Thailand). The chief coach of the team was former kabaddi player and coach Flt. Lt. S P Singh. Kabaddi is one of the most popular games which are played in villages. In this game two teams occupy opposite halves of a field and take turns sending a raider into the other half, in order to win points by tackling members of the opposing team, the raider then tries to return to his own half, holding his breath and chanting the word Kabaddi during the whole raid. The raider must not cross the lobby unless he touches any of his opponents. If he does so then he will be declared as out. In the international team version of kabaddi, two teams of seven members each occupy opposite halves of a field of 10 m 13 m in case of men and 8 m 12 m in case of women. Each has three supplementary players held in reserve. The game is of two halves 20-minutes each and a fiveminute
halftime break during which the teams exchange sides.
Teams take turns sending a raider to the opposite team’s half, where the goal of the raider is to touch the members of the opposite team before returning to the home half. The members which are touched by the raider are out and temporarily sent off the field.
The goal of the defenders is to stop the raider from returning to the home side before taking a breath.If any of the seven players cross the lobby without touching the raider he will be declared as out.
The raider is sent off the field if:
• the raider takes a breath before returning
• the raider crosses boundary line
• a part of the raider’s body touches the ground outside the boundary (except during a struggle with an opposing team member).
Each time when a player is out, the opposing team earns a point. A team scores a bonus of two points, called a lona, if the entire opposing team is declared out. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins.
Matches are categorized based on age and weight. Six officials supervise a match: one referee, two umpires, a scorer and two assistant.
