Pakistan untagged from Kabaddi World Cup

NEW DELHI: The 12-nation Kabaddi World Cup kicks off this week in India, with a row over a decision to bar arch-rivals Pakistan from competing threatening to overshadow

Published on: Oct 6, 2016, 06:27:34 IST

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NEW DELHI: The 12-nation Kabaddi World Cup kicks off this week in India, with a row over a decision to bar arch-rivals Pakistan from competing threatening to overshadow the tag-wrestling sport’s showcase event. Formidable Iran clash with newcomers the United States in Friday’s opening round of the competition that also includes top sides from Australia, South Korea, England, Poland, Kenya and Argentina.

With the World Cup last staged nine years ago, teams are relishing the chance to compete in the two-week event being held in India’s western city of Ahmedabad.

But the traditional South Asian sport that mixes tag and wrestling and is growing in popularity has been hit with controversy over a decision to exclude highly fancied Pakistan. International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) chief Deoraj Chaturvedi, who is from India, said Pakistan has been denied entry because of a spike in tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. “This is not the right time to engage with Pakistan,” Chaturvedi.

Pakistan accused the IKF of unfairly targeting the country, saying both rival nations should have been excluded. “Let me tell you that a Kabaddi World Cup is no world cup without Pakistan,” said Pakistan kabaddi body secretary, Rana Muhammad Sarwar.

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