July 26, 2020
Let’s start with the fact that the Pro Kabaddi League was the most-watched sports event in India right behind the IPL. With that in mind, you can understand how popular and important kabaddi is to Indian viewers and fans worldwide. However, not many people are familiar with the origins of kabaddi as the sport that illustrates India's spirit.
Keep reading to learn some captivating facts about kabaddi.
Different Formats
As you might know, there are two different formats of kabaddi — Kabaddi Standard Style and Kabaddi Circle Style. Although the essence of the game is the same, the rules vary depending on the format. The first difference is in the field, as Kabaddi Standard Style is played on a 13x10 m rectangular court, while Kabaddi Circle Style, as the name suggests, is played on a circular field.
Both of these formats have their own World Cups — both called Kabaddi World Cup.
Moreover, the modern style of kabaddi we watch today has been modified from three common kabaddi styles that originated in India — Amar, Sanjeevani, and Gaminee.
Presentation of Kabaddi to the World
The world first got introduced to kabaddi at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Kabaddi was not an official sport at those Olympics, but The Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, a premier institute in India for physical training, demonstrated the sport for the first time. Unfortunately, kabaddi is still not considered an Olympic sport.
After that, kabaddi was presented at the Indian National Games in Calcutta in 1938. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India was formed in 1972, which subsequently introduced national competitions for junior levels.
The introduction of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi in 2014 resulted in a rapid expansion of kabaddi beyond India. This league put kabaddi on the map, and teams from Pakistan, Kenya, Iran, Poland, and South Korea have enjoyed participating in this re-invented game.
Over the years, kabaddi has become the official game in several Indian states — Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Punjab.
Women in Kabaddi
Although kabaddi is believed to be over 4,000 years old, women were included into the sport only in 1995. The first chance for women to compete in kabaddi was at a kabaddi event in Calcutta, India. However, this was solely presented as an exhibition game, and women weren’t actually allowed to play kabaddi competitively until 2010.
Once women kabaddi teams were introduced, women players proved to be as strong as their male counterparts. The Indian women’s kabaddi team won first place and gold medals in Guangzhou in 2010 and Incheon in 2014. Asian Games have proven successful for the women’s kabaddi team, while the team brought three first prizes from the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup since 2012.
Origins of Kabaddi
As kabaddi is thousands of years old, the origin of the name is not clear. Kabaddi fans believe that the name came from the word kai-pidi, which means “to hold hands.” There might be some truth behind this name as kabaddi is the only sport where players do not need any equipment. Moreover, Indian historians believe that the sport itself came from Tamil Nadu.
Interestingly, kabaddi has many different names. Players in South India call the sport Chedugudu, while North Indians, refer to the sport as Kaunbada. If you go to the west of India, you’ll hear people call it Ha-Do-Do, while in the east it’s named Hu-Tu-Tu.
However, the whole country refers to kabaddi as the “game of the masses” since anyone can play the game, and it has a large fan base regardless of the competition level.