(Newswire.net — October 23, 2018) –A true sports fan is someone who knows that there is a world outside of soccer and rugby, baseball and football, or boxing and UFC. It’s someone who appreciates all sports and is always happy to watch and learn about something new.
If that sounds like you, then I have a great sport for you: Kabaddi. This under-appreciated sport is practically unheard of in the United States, and pretty much anywhere outside of India and Bangladesh. But it’s growing, and it could be one of the best contact sports you didn’t know about.
In his guide we’ll see what Kabaddi is all about and hopefully entice you into watching it yourself.
What is Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a contact sport played between two teams that originate from Ancient India. It is still big in India and it is also the national sport of Bangladesh, but the rest of the world has yet to be introduced to this sport.
Kabaddi was first given global attention during the controversial 1936 Olympics in Berlin, before it developed its own league by the 1950s. It’s mostly played in India and Bangladesh, as mentioned already, but it is also played in a handful of other countries, including Japan. It was popularised in Japan after an Indian player showcased the game there in the 1970s, and there are actually Japanese Kabaddi teams.
During the first Kabaddi Asian Championships, where India beat Bangladesh in the final, Japan, Malaysia and Nepal also entered teams. It also made it into the Asian Games in 1990 and has continued to be played during these games.
In Asia, Kabaddi is more well known than it is in North American and Europe. They don’t always play it, but they know about it and in many countries they also watch it. But once you venture away from that continent it becomes a different matter, which is a huge shame when you consider how quickly western sports fans typically take to this game.
Kabaddi Rules
Kabaddi is played by two teams of 7, and for someone in the west it can be considered to be an amalgamation of rugby, wrestling, and competitive tag, with an emphasis on the latter. The two teams stand on a small court that is split down the centre, with the teams on either side. The goal is for one player to “raid” the other team, tag a player, and then escape back over the line, but they need to do this without being wrestled to the floor.
Points are scored for takedowns and tags, and it’s also possible to be “Revived”. Right now, Kabaddi has been picked up by a few major broadcasters who initially had the goal of showing this sport to Indians worldwide, such as in the UK. It was then picked up by non-Indians who are turning to the sport in their droves, with many Europeans enjoying the fact that it is possible to bet on Kabaddi.
To learn more about this game yourself, and to find out how you can stake money on it, take a look at this top Kabaddi betting site.