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On Sunday, the Windsor park in Ontario, Canada will play host to a significant occasion in Windsor’s sporting past. That’s because a professional kabaddi competition will be held in the city for the first time.
When witnessing a kabbadi match up, the sport resembles a mixture of rugby and tag. Two squads of players, often each with seven players, alternately dispatch a “raider” towards the opposing team’s half.
The raider’s objective is to contact with or tag, as many opponents as they can before making a secure 30-second comeback to their own half. To demonstrate that they are not inhaling, the raider needs to hold their breath while chanting “kabbadi” repeatedly.
The defenders are tackling and holding back the raider in an effort to halt them.Since the defensive team must attempt to take on the raid while simultaneously denying any opportunities for the raider to get to them, there is some strategy involved.
In accordance with the number of defenders that were tagged, the raider’s team receives points if they successfully return to their half. If the raider is stopped before scoring, the defending team wins.
The club is sending seven teams of elite players from all around the world to McHugh Park on Sunday for Windsor’s inaugural kabaddi event. There will be food, regional vendors, as well as a “fun section” for children during the free event. The competition on Sunday is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. lasting all day, culminating at 8:30 p.m. with the final match.
Dhaliwal, the tournament’s organiser, claims that because cricket has more robust international promotion behind it, kabaddi has not been able to rival cricket in terms of global appeal.
According to him, kabaddi has mostly remained an Indian sport while cricket originated in England and has since spread to many nations. But Dhaliwal thinks that can change with the help of competitions such as the Windsor Kabaddi Cup.
He said, “Kabaddi can be as big as cricket one day. There is no doubt about it. The sport came out in Punjab. With Punjabis all around the world now, kabaddi is going all around the world now as well.”