Kabaddi is a contact sport that originated in ancient India, in the Tamil Nadu Region.

It is
known by its regional names in different parts of the subcontinent, such as Kapaddi or
"Chadukudu" in Tamil Nadu,[1][2] Kabaddi in Karnataka, Telangana, hadudu in Bangladesh,
bhavatik in Maldives, kauddi in the Punjab region and chedugudu in Andhra Pradesh.
Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh.[3]

Contents

1 History

2 Variations
o 2.1 International
o 2.2 Indian

3 Notable competitions
o 3.1 Asian Games
o 3.2 Asia Kabaddi Cup
o 3.3 Kabaddi World Cup
o 3.4 Women's World Cup
o 3.5 Pro Kabaddi League
o 3.6 UK Kabaddi Cup
o 3.7 World Kabaddi League

4 Popularity

5 In popular culture

6 References

7 External links

History

women playing kabaddi in Tamil Nadu

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"()
meaning "to hold hands".[4][5][6][7][8][9] 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.
[10][11][12]
Though variations emerged and rules were framed, the games principal objective
remained unchanged.[13]
Modern kabaddi is therefore a synthesis of the game played in various forms under different
names.[14] 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.[15]
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.[16] 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.

Variations
International

A kabaddi court
External video
Video explanation of the rules of

Kabaddi, Starsports (2016)

In the international team version of kabaddi, two teams of seven members each occupy
opposite halves of a field of 10 by 13 metres (33 ft 43 ft) in case of men and 8 by 12 metres
(26 ft 39 ft) in case of women.[17] Each has three supplementary players held in reserve. The
game is played with 20-minute halves and a five-minute halftime break during which the
teams exchange sides.
The teams take turns sending a "raider" into the other half. To win a point, the raider must
take a breath, run into the opposing half, tag one or more members of the opposite team, then
return to their home half before inhaling again.[14] The raider will chant "kabaddi, kabaddi"
with their exhaling breath to show the referee they have not inhaled.[14] The raider will be
declared "out" and will not gain the point if they inhale before returning to their side, or
returns without touching an opponent.[14] The tagged defender(s) will be "out" if they do not
succeed in catching the raider who tagged them.[14] Wrestling the raider to the ground can
prevent them escaping before they need to inhale.[14]
Defenders may not cross the centre line (the "lobby") of the field and the raider may not cross
the boundary lines. However, there is one bonus line which can grant extra points for the
raider if he manages to touch it and return successfully. Players who are out are temporarily
sent off the field. Each time 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 categorised based on age and
weight. Six officials supervise a match: one referee, two umpires, a scorer and two assistant
scorers.

Indian

Circle Kabaddi
There are four major forms of kabaddi played in India which are recognised by the amateur
federation. In Sanjeevani Kabaddi, one player is revived against one player of the opposite
team who is out one out. The game is played over 40 minutes with a five-minute break
between halves. There are seven players on each side and the team that outs all the players on
the opponent's side scores four extra points. In Gaminee style, seven players play on either
side and a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that
is successful in ousting all the players of the opponent's side secures a point. The game
continues until five or seven such points are secured and has no fixed time duration. Amar
style resembles the Sanjeevani form in the time frame rule. But, a player who is declared out
doesnt leave the court, but instead stays inside, and the play goes along. For every player of

the opposition touched out, a team earns a point.[18] Punjabi Kabaddi is a variation that is
played on a circular pitch of a diameter of 22 metres (72 ft).[19]

Notable competitions
Asian Games

Pictogram of kabaddi
Main article: Kabaddi at the Asian Games
Kabaddi has been played at the Asian Games since 1990. The Indian team has won all seven
Gold medals. The next most successful team is Bangladesh,

Asia Kabaddi Cup

The Asia Kabaddi Cup has been held twice in consecutive years. The inaugural tournament
was held in 2011 in Iran. In 2012, the Asia Kabaddi Cup was held in Lahore (Pakistan) from
1 to 5 November. In the 2012 ASIA Kabaddi Cup, Pakistan won against India with a technical
win after Indian team forfeited the match following a dispute.

Kabaddi World Cup

Kabaddi World Cup was first played in 2004, then in 2007 and then annually from 2010
onwards. A circle format is followed from 2010 World Cup onwards.[20][21] India is the
unbeaten champion winning every edition held so far. The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup
contested from 7 to 22 October 2016 in Ahmedabad, India, with twelve countries competing
in the tournament was won by team India under the captaincy of Anup Kumar. India defeated
Iran with