When it comes to the exhilarating sport of kabaddi at the Asian Games, there’s one nation that has consistently stood head and shoulders above the rest—India. With a rich history dating back 4000 years, kabaddi is deeply rooted in the Indian subcontinent, and it’s a game that demands a unique blend of agility, strength, and strategic brilliance.
Believed to have been played recreationally by Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, kabaddi has come a long way since its ancient origins. It made its first global appearance on the international stage in 1936 when it was showcased as an exhibition sport before the commencement of the Berlin Olympics. Over the past century, kabaddi has rapidly gained popularity, particularly in Asia, and was included as a demonstration sport at the 1951 and 1982 Asian Games.
However, it wasn’t until 1990 that kabaddi received the recognition it truly deserved on the international stage when it was officially included in the Asian Games program for its 1990 edition in Beijing, China. Since then, kabaddi has been an integral part of all subsequent Asian Games. Originally, kabaddi at the Asian Games was exclusively a men’s competition. But in 2010, the women’s kabaddi event was introduced, and it has been a permanent fixture in all Asian Games programs since then.
When it comes to kabaddi, India’s performance at the Asian Games has been nothing short of spectacular. In the 1990 Asian Games, an unbeaten Indian men’s team secured the gold medal after competing with five other teams in a single round-robin format. The next three editions of the Asian Games followed the same format, with India clinching gold in each of them without losing a single game.
Even when the format shifted to knockout fixtures after the league stage in the 2006-2014 editions, it made no difference to the Indian juggernaut. They continued their winning streak, capturing gold without a single loss.
However, India’s stranglehold on the gold in kabaddi was finally challenged in 2018 when Iran, the only other country apart from India to have claimed gold in kabaddi at the Asian Games, upset the kabaddi heavyweights in the semi-finals. This stunning upset relegated India to a bronze medal finish in the 2018 Asian Games.
In the women’s kabaddi event, India has been a force to be reckoned with, winning two out of three editions in 2010 and 2014. The 2018 edition saw India ceding the gold to Iran, marking a rare moment of defeat in an otherwise dominant performance.
In conclusion, kabaddi holds a special place in India’s sporting heritage, and its journey at the Asian Games is a testament to the country’s unwavering commitment to excellence in this traditional sport. While the competition has grown fiercer over the years, India’s kabaddi teams, both men and women, continue to inspire with their unmatched skill, dedication, and determination on the Asian Games stage.
Asian Games kabaddi winners list men
Asian Games kabaddi winners list women
