Ever since the inception of the Kabaddi World Cup in 2004, India has gone on to win all the seven editions of the event. Now, India has the opportunity to better its own record and go for another title when the eighth edition of the Kabaddi World Cup gets under way in Ahmedabad on October 7.
Twelve teams will participate in the event which will be held at Ahmedabad's brand new stadium, The Arena. India has been placed in Group A alongside Bangladesh, South Korea, Australia, England and Argentina, while Group B consists of Iran, Thailand, Japan, USA, Poland and Kenya.
The semifinals of the tournament will be held on October 21 with the summit clash slated for the next day. Union sports minister Vijay Goel announced the schedule and also unveiled the logo of the tournament - the Asiatic Lion, during an event held in the Capital.
Goel used the occasion to congratulate the Indian paralympians who have put up a stellar show and won four medals. “This announcement could not have come on a better day. We are winning a number of medals at the Paralympic Games. When the Rio Games were going on, I used to be a bit scared coming on to the stage. Our Olympians did well and gave their best at the Rio Olympics, but luck wasn't on our side. Sending a contingent of 119 athletes is itself an achievement. But in the Paralympics we did very well. It's a matter of pride that we have won four medals. We will felicitate our paralympians once they return,” Goel said.
International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) president Janardan Singh Gehlot, meanwhile, said their aim now was to take the sport to the Olympics. “We already took kabaddi to Asiad, but now we want to take it to the Olympics. We want people to play kabaddi all across the world,” he said.
