Following India's Asian Games disappointment Kabaddi to undergo big change

Following India's Asian Games disappointment Kabaddi to undergo big change

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Post the flop show in Jakarta, the Indian Kabaddi men’s and women’s team are scheduled to go through some major changes as national players will need to prove their worth against players who were not selected. Delhi HC-appointed administrator, Justice SP Garg, will oversee the selection matches.

Though it was a highly successful outing for India, who bagged an overall-high of 69 medals across all competitions, the Indian Kabaddi national teams endured stunning defeats in their quest for gold. The men’s team failed to win gold for the first time in the competition’s history and had to settle for a bronze medal. In addition to that, the women’s team could only bag a silver as they lost the finals to Iran.

Things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse, as far as Indian kabaddi is concerned. The Delhi High Court-appointed administrators and sports ministry officials who would oversee the election of the men’s and women’s team players on Saturday, who have been slated to battle it out against the national team players who won for bronze and silver in Jakarta.

Even before the team left for Jakarta, questions had been raised over the selection of the players, and the Delhi High Court had asked for transparency in trials. Though the players finally set sail after the sports ministry’s three-member panel selected the team, questions remained about the preparedness of the Jakarta-bound team.

After the dismal performance in the Asiad, men’s team skipper Ajay Thakur had quickly blamed the loss on the selection mess, and launched a scathing attack on the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI). As per Delhi High court’s order, amateur kabaddi players from all around India would appear for trials and court-appointed, Justice SP Garg (retired), will overlook the selection process along with sports ministry officials.

This would be the first time in the history of Indian kabaddi that the national teams would have to prove their worth against players who were not selected. The Asian games saw the traditional Indian bastion fall as the Indian men’s team lost it decades-long supremacy. It’s difficult to predict the outcome of the contest whenever it takes place, but things don’t look good for the sport of kabaddi if things continue to be this way.

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