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Singapore kabaddi enthusiasts eye spot in 2022 Asian Games

SINGAPORE — Picture 14 men in a 13-metre by 10-metre court, playing what looks like a grown-up version of the childhood game of “catching” with a touch of rugby. That, in essence, is what the contact sport of kabaddi is about.

SINGAPORE — Picture 14 men in a 13-metre by 10-metre court, playing what looks like a grown-up version of the childhood game of “catching” with a touch of rugby. That, in essence, is what the contact sport of kabaddi is about.

Originating from Tamil Nadu, India, the ancient game now boasts its own professional league, whose inaugural season in India in 2014 was watched by some 435 million viewers, national players hero-worshipped by fans, and its own annual World Cup.

The sport is played by two teams of seven members who occupy opposite halves of a field, with the teams taking turns to send a raider into their opponent’s half.

To win a point, the raider must take a breath, run into the opposing half and tag one or more members of the rival side and then return home before inhaling again — all this while chanting “kabaddi, kabaddi”.

The opposing team will try to prevent the raider from scoring a point by wrestling him to the ground.

Here in Singapore, however, kabaddi players often get curious stares and quizzical looks when they are in action.

While little is known about the sport here, kabaddi enthusiasts Sivanessan Kitnasamy and Mohamed Salman Naufal are hoping that will change in the future.

The duo are planning to set up a national sports association (NSA) for kabaddi by 2020, to help promote and grow the sport in Singapore, as well as assemble a national squad to compete at the 2022 Asian Games and future editions of the World Cup.

“When you speak to the older generation from the kampungs, people used to gather and play kabaddi,” said Kitnasamy.

“It’s like sepak takraw. The Malays play sepak takraw, while the Indians play kabaddi. It is a very exciting sport, and even though many people have not heard of it, it is very rich in skills.

“In Singapore, there is not much awareness of kabaddi. We want to create awareness and get more locals to play it.”

Driven by their passion for kabaddi, Kitnasamy, who works as a branding manager, and software consultant Salman came up with the concept, Culture through Kabaddi, and set up a company, Vislas Academy and Vislas Productions, to promote the sport.

In 2014, they organised a clinic and competition for some 100 Indian youths from 11 teams, including schools such as Raffles Institution, Victoria School, and Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road).

However, the two friends felt that more needed to be done. Said Kitnasamy: “This is our passion. We want to push the sport further, and there was recently a call from the community to start something concrete.

“It’s going to be a tough journey moving forward, but we’ll be okay as long as we get like-minded people in our committee. We are a long way away (from becoming an NSA) but we are taking baby steps into a marathon journey.”

Added Salman: “So far, all the people we’ve spoken to — be it grassroots or youth leaders — they have been very supportive.”

According to Kitnasamy and Salman, they have been in contact with national sports governing body Sport Singapore on their plans to start the NSA. They will need to put together a committee, register with the Registry of Societies, as well as draft two-year plans for the sport to recruit more players, referees and coaches.

They are also seeking advice from the Johor kabaddi federation for their NSA, and plan to have their athletes participate in some inter-state tournaments in Malaysia.

While kabaddi is associated as an Indian sport, there are plans to recruit players from other races. Six local schools will also compete in the kabaddi competition at today’s Manulife-Flash X-Country Run 2017 at the Bedok Reservoir as part of their efforts to reach out to more people, and educate others about their sport.

They are also looking into forming a national squad comprising some 50 players across the different age groups, including the national senior team, Under-23, U-21 and youth teams. Getting the sport into schools as a co-curricular activity (CCA) is also one of the long-term goals.

A debut at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, could also be on the cards, said Kitnasamy.

“The next landmark event is the Asian Games. (But) 2018 is too close, so we are trying for 2022,” he said.

“There are almost 30 kabaddi associations around the world, but only about 12 go to the World Cup, and eight to the Asian Games. (So) there is a better opportunity to win a medal.”

While only two South-east Asian nations — Malaysia and Thailand — are currently playing the sport, Kitnasamy is hopeful that kabaddi could feature in the SEA Games roster in the future. “Singapore is poised to bring changes in South-east Asia, as we could be the third association to start the sport (and bring it to the SEA Games),” he said.

Find out more about kabaddi at today’s Manulife-Flash X-Country Run 2017 at the Bedok Reservoir. Aside from the cross country races, the all-day event (8am-7pm) will also feature waterski and wakeboard competitions, lifestyle stores, and food and beverage options.

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