30 Mind Blowing Facts About Kabaddi

Facts About Kabaddi: Kabaddi is a collective sport, played mainly in the Indian subcontinent and also in India in particular. The name Kabaddi is commonly used in North India, while the game is also known as Chedugudu in South India and Hu Tu Tu in East India. The game is equally popular in India's neighbors Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

Kabaddi is a sport played in South Asia, which is a sport with full physical fitness. The word kabaddi is derived from a Tamil word meaning 'holding hands'. The game originated in India. The game is known by different names in different regions of India due to its popularity and has been played for many years. This game is three to four thousand years old.

Kabaddi is played in India in three different ways:

Gaminee: There is no time limit in this game. The game ends naturally when all the players are declared out.

Surjeevani: This form of game has been developed by the Indian Kabaddi Committee based on the rules governing the KFI.

Amar: In this form of the game, whenever the player gets stuck with the opponent, the player does not have to leave the field but the opponent is given a point. The game is played here at a fixed time.

Each competition in this game is played based on the age and weight of the players. This indicates that the physical ability of another player should not overwhelm another player.

Cool Facts About Kabaddi

• 34 countries will be represented in the second season of PKL.
• It is believed that Kabaddi was played in India as far back as 4000 years!
• Kabaddi can be played anywhere and by anybody. All it requires is a ground and a whistle!
• The lively sport is also played in countries such as Italy, Spain, Argentina, Denmark, USA and Belgium.
• The Pro Kabaddi League inaugural season was the second-most viewed sports tournament on Indian TV in 2014 after the IPL!
• Kabaddi is the only sport in which the Indian team, both men and women, have won all the world cups since its conception.
• Kabaddi is a sport that anyone can play. The best thing about it is that it requires no equipment other than the ground and a referee.
• The Kabaddi World Cup was first played in 2004. It was followed by 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2016. So far India has been the winner in all.
• While the origins of the game are still not clear, many believe the sport was invented by Abhimanyu during the Mahabharata battle at Kurukshetra.
• India dominates the field when it comes to kabaddi. Both men and women Indian national team representatives have won most of the kabaddi world cups so far.
• It was only in 1995 that the first women’s kabaddi event was held in India. That was at Calcutta. Then in 2010, women's kabaddi was included in the Asian Games at Guangzhou.

Historical Facts About Kabaddi

• Many people instantly think of India when they hear the word “kabaddi.” Although kabaddi is indeed popular all over India, it is actually Bangladesh that chose the game as their national sport.
• Pro Kabaddi League’s first season was watched by 435 million people! That's a really impressive number considering the Cricket World Cup this year with a viewership of 635 million was the most watched event in the history of Indian TV!
• India demonstrated kabaddi to the international audience at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Until then, the sport was only known to Asian countries, mainly to the Indian subcontinent. In 1950, the All India Kabaddi Federation was formed and took over the worldwide representation of kabaddi.
• India has been indomitable at all the notable international kabaddi tournaments. The Indian men’s team has grabbed all the titles in the Asian Games and the World Cup till now. With seven World Cup titles and as many Asian Games gold medals, the Indian men's national team is at the pinnacle of the sport.
• The Telugu and the Kannada industries, too, have had their share of kabaddi-based films like Okkadu in 2003 and Ajay in 2006 respectively. Bollywood also joined the bandwagon with the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pardes in 1997, Hu Tu Tu in 1999, Yuva in 2004, Badlapur Boys in 2014 and Tevar, as recently as 2015.
• There are many theories behind the name “kabaddi.” Yet, no one can tell for sure where the name of this amusing sport comes from. Some kabaddi lovers assume that the name of the sport originated in Tamil, from a word kai-pidi that means “to hold hands.” Moreover, some Indian people claim that the sport itself came from Tamil Nadu.

Interesting Facts About Kabaddi

• Kabaddi has ingrained itself into the popular Indian culture and has found a place in numerous films over the years. As early as 1962, the Tamil movie Kudumba Thalaivan depicted the sport to great dramatic effect. Over the years, the Tamil film industry has included it in many of its films such as Ghilli in 2004 and Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu in 2009.
• The Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has contributed significantly to the sport’s current sky-high popularity. The first season of this league got instant fame and stardom and was only surpassed by the Indian Premier League (IPL) in terms of viewership in 2014. As many as 435 million people tuned in to watch this beloved indigenous sport in its all-new glitzy format.
• Every year, and in every sport, there is some new name that takes the title of the best player. In a poll regarding this title, the majority of kabaddi fans voted for Pardeep Narwal, calling him a “Record-Breaker.” Pardeep Narwal is a highly appreciated kabaddi player due to the ability to “score big,” which he keeps continuously displaying season after season.
• The Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has not only given a lucrative opportunity to the homegrown players to shine, but it has also brought in exceptionally talented international exponents of this sport to India. The league has 26 foreigners from 13 countries participating in its third edition. Players from Pakistan, Kenya, Iran, Poland and South Korea have given this tournament a true international flavour.
• Although India’s premier cricket competition still holds the leading position on the list of most-watched sports in the country, kabaddi is slowly climbing to the top. The Pro Kabaddi League has even surpassed one of the world’s greatest sports events — the Soccer World Cup. Almost half a million people followed The Pro Kabaddi League premiere, thus making kabaddi the second most-watched sport on Indian TV.

Fun Facts About Kabaddi

• There are two main formats of kabaddi – the 'International Rules Kabaddi' and the 'Circle-style Kabaddi'. Despite the essence of the sport remaining the same in both, the rules vary in the two formats. For International Rules kabaddi a rectangular court of 13×10 metres is required, while Circle-style kabaddi is played on a circular pitch that has a radius of 11 metres. Both these styles have their separate World Cups. The three styles that were prevalent in India over the ages were Amar, Sanjeevani and Gaminee. Modern day kabaddi is a synthesis of all these styles with a few modifications in rules and regulations.
• Kabaddi features many different name variations across India. In South India, the sport is referred to as Chedugudu, while it is called Kaunbada in some parts of the North. People living in East India named the sport Ha-Do-Do, and the residents of the Western part believe it should be called Hu-Tu-Tu. Along with all these names, kabaddi has acquired a more common nickname that can be heard everywhere in India. Namely, kabaddi was named the “game of the masses” for two reasons. First, the game is so simple that literally anyone can play it, which makes it suitable for “the masses.” Another reason is the enormous fan base, as kabaddi attracts lots of spectators regardless of the competition level. 
• Even though Indian people believe that kabaddi is 4,000 years old, it took the nation quite a lot of time to include women in the sport. Women got their first chance to participate in a kabaddi event in Calcutta, India, in 1995. After the inaugural appearance, the Asian Games took 15 more years before finally allowing female kabaddi players to take part in the tournament. However, the Indian women’s team took the matter seriously and proved that they are as good as their male counterparts. Like men, women kabaddi players from India hold the standard of winning at the Asian Games. They collected gold in both Guangzhou in 2010 and Incheon in 2014. Apparently, they managed to stay in good shape by regularly winning global meets at the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup.

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