A South Asian team sport in which a raider holds breath while tagging defenders and returns home to score points.
Origin and rules
Kabaddi is referenced in Indian texts more than 4000 years old and was codified in the 1920s when the All India Kabaddi Federation set match rules. The International Kabaddi Federation now sanctions World Cups across Standard and Circle formats.
How it plays
A raider crosses the centre line into the opposing half chanting “kabaddi, kabaddi” without inhaling. The raider tries to tag defenders and return to their own half within the same breath. Points are awarded for successful tags and for defenders stopping the raid.
Competition
The Pro Kabaddi League in India is the world’s most-watched kabaddi competition. The Kabaddi World Cup and Asian Games are the top international events, dominated by India, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Korea. Kabaddi is not on the Olympic programme.
Find more sports by letter
Kabaddi starts with K and ends with I. Browse other sports along the same letter.
Sports that contain a letter from "Kabaddi":