The ancient Indian sport of kabaddi has the right stuff to be an Olympic sport, but does it deserve to be in the Olympics?
Every year someone in the kabaddi hierarchy would make a statement claiming that the sport was headed towards Olympic recognition.
But, the fact of the matter is that kabaddi is a long way off the Olympic track.
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For more than a decade I have heard and read numerous statements on the so called giant steps kabaddi has taken towards Olympicdom.
Kabaddi is so far off tangent that the sport has yet to be recognised by the International Olympic Council (IOC).
Being recognised by the IOC is seen as a precursor to being included in the official Olympics roster.
There are some who may laugh at the thought of kabaddi being mentioned in the same vein as the Olympics. But the Olympics has had its fair share of non mainstream sports including Basque Pelota, Roque and Jeu de paume.
Bsque Pelota, a type of racquet sports is among the sports that are no longer in the Olympic roster but are recognised by the IOC.
Bandy, Korfball, Life Saving, Sumo, Dancesport, Boules, and the Chinese martial arts of Wushu are among the IOC recognized sports.
Just because kabaddi is in the Asian Games programme does not guarantee the sports elevation. Let’s face the facts as it is. Kabaddi is in the Asian Games, Asian Indoor Games and the Asian Beach Games because the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) secretary is an Indian and was instrumental for its continued presence at the Games.
No more than six countries have taken part in any one Asian Games competition since its inception at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games. The 2006 Doha Asian Games almost spelt the end of kabaddi in the Asian Games because of lack of participating teams. Kabaddi only made it to Doha because the expenses of one team were fully paid for by the Indian authorities.
The international effort to promote kabaddi at a more professional and productive manner is somewhat lacking. First and foremost, there is a need decide as to which form of kabaddi is better suited for the task – the National Style as played at the Asian Games or the Circle Style.
During the 1936 Olympics, kabaddi was demonstrated, albeit not as an official programme, by the Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal from Amaravati, Maharashtra in Berlin.
The form of kabaddi better suited for Olympic is not the only issue here. It is imperative for the game to be modernised as well as to chart better directions in making the Olympic recognition a reality.
The earliest edition of Olympics where kabaddi can be included would be the 2024 Games.
That is a almost 15 years away. The type of sports to be included up to the 2016 Olympics has already been decided. Golf and rugby were included into the Olympics programme by the IOC at their meeting last year.
Inclusion of new sports into the Olympics are made seven years in advance and the inclusion of new sports for the 2020 Olympics would be made in 2013 at the IOC meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
Mathematically, kabaddi can fight for inclusion for the 2020 Olympics but that is highly improbable because no groundwork has been done by the international bodies.
All we hear are mere political statements designed for the feel good factor.
Kabaddi at the international level needs an upheaval. IOC regulation stipulates that there must be a minimum of 50 countries from three continents playing the game as one of the preconditions to be a member of the IOC.
Kabaddi, for all we know is still an Asian dominated game and worst for it still a game predominantly played only in South Asia.
The sport does the sport have regular continental championships even in Asia. Absolutely no continental championships are held outside of Asia.
These are just two of the setbacks for kabaddi in its quest for Olympic status. Many of us may not live to the day when kabaddi gains Olympic recognition.
If serious planning and execution is not done with immediate effect, it would take several more decades before the sport gains a wider international appeal and ultimately the Olympic recognition.
