India to host the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup
India will host 12 teams from around the world for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in October, according to a news release from the International Kabaddi Federation. India won the last cup in 2014 against Pakistan in a final match: 45 – 42.
A mix of tag and Greco-Roman wrestling, the ancient Indian game, kabaddi, requires players called raiders attempt to tag opponents and get back to their own side of the court without being tackled. If they succeed, the tagged players are out and the raider’s team gets a point. The catch: raiders have to hold their breath the whole time they are in enemy territory sprinting around trying to tag players. To prove they are not inhaling, raiders repeatedly say “kabaddi.”
In 1990, Kabaddi found a global audience as part of the Asian Games and India has since ranked top in that competition, according to the International Kabaddi Federation.
In recent years, the sport has seen players from Korea, Iran, Japan and China take part in an Indian league, known as Pro Kabaddi – now in its fourth season and televised on Star TV, owned by 21st
Century Fox Inc, earlier a part of the Wall Street Journal owner News Corp.
Iran’s Hadi Oshtorak, Abolfazel Maghsodlo and Fazel Atrachali play in the men’s category for Patna
Pirates, a league team owned by India’s steel and heavy machinery manufacturer Mukand Ltd. Korea’s Jang Kun Lee and Tae Deok Eom represent the Bengal Warriors and Jaipur Pink Panthers teams respectively in the league.
In 2016, India will be competing with other countries like the U.S., U.K., Australia, Iran and Japan for the World Cup title as it hosts the competition for the third time.
Final Update
For the Third Successive time in a row , India has beaten Iran in the Kabaddi World Cup by 38-29