INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
History
The exact origins of Kabaddi are unclear. Although there is
no solid proof, theories from religious believers state that
Kabaddi originated from either the Vedic period of ancient
India, or the Sistan region of present-day Iran. The game was
said to have been popular among the Yadava people;
an abhang by Tukaram stated that the god Krishna played
the game in his youth, while the Mahabharata contains an
account of Arjuna being able to sneak into hostile areas also
take out enemies unscathed, which they are claiming that
parallels the gameplay of kabaddi.
There are also accounts of Gautama Buddha having played
the game recreationally.
Despite these conflicting claims, India has been credited
with having helped to popularize kabaddi as a competitive
sport, with the first organized competitions occurring in the
1920s, their introduction to the programme of the Indian
Olympic Games in 1938, the establishment of the All-India
Kabaddi Federation in 1950, and it being played as
a demonstration sport at the inaugural 1951 Asian
Games in New Delhi. These developments helped to
formalize the sport, which had traditionally been played in
villages, for legitimate international competition.
After being demonstrated again at the 1982 Asian Games in
Delhi, Kabaddi was added to the Asian Games' programme
beginning in 1990.
Variations of Kabaddi
Circle style
Women's Kabaddi
Challenge
Women’s Kabaddi Challenge is a women's kabaddi league.
The first season was played from 28 June to 31 July 2016
and was broadcast by Star Sports in India. Three teams took
part and the league played across seven cities in India. The
final was played alongside the men’s version on 31 July. The
Storm Queens produced a last-second turnaround to defeat
the Fire Birds 24-23.
Asian Kabaddi Championship
AKC's tenth season was played in Gorgan, Iran in 2017 in
which India won 10th gold by defeating Pakistan in the finals.
Kabaddi Masters
The inaugural edition of the Kabaddi Masters was held in
Dubai from 22 to 30 June 2018. It was the first Kabaddi
tournament to be held in the UAE. It featured 6 teams. India
won the tournament by defeating Iran in the final with a
scoreline of 44-26, with the Indian Defense out performing
the Iran Defense
Popularity
Kabaddi is a popular sport in the subcontinent. The Kabaddi
Federation of India (KFI) was founded in 1950, and it
compiled a standard set of rules. The governing body for
Kabaddi in Pakistan is Pakistan Kabaddi Federation.
In Bangladesh, there is a variation of Kabaddi called Ha-du-
du, going back to ancient times. Ha-du-du has no definite
rules and is played with different rules in different areas.
Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh, given official
status in 1972.[2] The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of
Bangladesh was formed in 1973.
In Iran, the Community of Kabaddi was formed in 1996 (the
same year they joined the Asian Kabaddi Federation) and in
2001 they joined the International Kabaddi Federation. The
Iran Amateur Kabaddi Federation was formed in 2004.
Kabaddi is one of the national sports of Nepal. Kabaddi is
played and taught at a very early age in most primary
schools beginning in the third grade or so in most Nepali
schools. Kabaddi was also played by the British Army for fun,
to keep fit and as an enticement to recruit soldiers from the
British Asian community. Kabaddi was brought to the United
Kingdom by Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani immigrants.
The governing body for Kabaddi in the United Kingdom is
the England Kabaddi Federation UK.