'Kabaddi World Cup

A worlD Cup for the ancient Indian game, Kabaddi! An unthinkable but an exciting idea. For a game, which is dying in the overwhelming shadow of other modern games, including cricket, the idea of hosting a world cup means so much. First, it means that the game has traversed the boundaries of its place of birth and secondly, it has caught the imagination of sportspersons from other nations of the world and third, this means that there is a chance of the game surviving not only in the land of its birth but also elsewhere in the world. For a game, which has not even been included in the Olympic Games calender and which was once introduced as an exhibition game in the Asian Games, the holding of a World Cup is a happy augery. India is playing host to the Kabaddi World Cup which is now under way in Mumbai.

What is heartening about this year’s Kabaddi World Cup is that developed countries like the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Russia, China are among the 12 participating teams, besides the Asian countries, where the game is traditionally played. The fact that there is Rs 21 lakh at stake as prize money, is something unheard of. The fact that Air India has agreed to transport the teams from abroad free of cost and RCF has pitched in with a contribution Rs. five lakhs, is also a welcome help from the country’s corporate world. Is this an indication that efforts are being made at the highest level to revive the traditional games and sports in the country? If that be the case then it is a welcome happening.

The Indian Kabaddi Federation should not rest content with hosting the World Cup. It has to go much beyond if the game is to make any meaningful impact internationally. It has to undertake regular tours abroad, raise the level of international interest and simultaneously raise the standard of the game within the country. All this activity will of course need money. And here comes the role of voluntary monetary help. By way of marketing the game may not promise a moon to the sponsors as games like cricket, soccer of tennis do. But it is worthwhile to help the game in making it a truly international sporting event. The Indian games require minuscule monetary help and this much the Indian corporate world can afford.

In this connection the observation of Union Sports Minister Mr. Sunil Dutt is significant. He has said that with a pittance of a budget for promoting sports not much can be achieved. Hence he has stressed a bigger role for the corporate world in this vital human development area. Apart from seeking help from the corporate houses, it is essential that it should be made mandatory for educational institutions in the country to take steps to promote traditional Indian sports, which neither require big infrastructure nor big money. The primary responsibility for promotion of traditional sports should rest with educational institutions as part of curriculum as a serious sporting activity and arrest its decay.