Kabbadi
 Video explanation of the rules of Kabaddi, Starsports (2016) |
Kabaddi is a contact team sport that originated in ancient India, in Tamil nadu. It is popular in South Asia and is the national sport of Bangladesh.
Two teams compete, each occupying its own half of the court. They take turns sending a "raider" into the opposing team's half and earn points if the raider manages to touch opposing team members and return to the home half, all while taking only a single breath. If however the raider is tackled and prevented from returning, the opposing team earns the point.
It is known by its regional names in different parts of the subcontinent, such as Kapaddi or "Chadukudu" in Tamil Nadu, Kabaddi in Karnataka and Telangana, hadudu in Bangladesh, bhavatik in Maldives, kauddi in the Punjab region and chedugudu in Andhra Pradesh.
Kabaddi is an ancient game originating in Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state and is played in many parts of India. The word kabaddi is derived from the Tamil word "Kai-pidi"(கைபிடி) meaning "to hold hands". Generally, raiders are considered as bulls who play against the defenders. The essence of the game is the holding of the raiders by the defenders. Though variations emerged and rules were framed, the game’s principal objective remained unchanged.
Modern kabaddi is a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different names. Kabaddi received international exposure during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, demonstrated by India. The game was introduced in the Indian National Games at Calcutta in 1938. In 1950 the All India Kabaddi Federation (AIKF) came into existence and framed the rules. The AIKF was reconstituted as The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) in 1972 and the first national tournament for men was held in Chennai.
Kabaddi was introduced to and popularised in Japan in 1979 by Sundar Ram of India, who toured Japan on behalf of Asian Amateur Kabaddi Federation for two months to introduce the game. In 1979, matches between Bangladesh and India were held across India. The first Asian Kabaddi Championship was held in 1980 and India emerged as champion, beating Bangladesh in the final. 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 where seven teams took part.
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