On the eve of the inaugural day of the Bangabandhu Cup 2024, the whole Kenya kabaddi team were found in the spectators’ seats of Mirpur indoor stadium’s gallery, chatting with each other while keeping eyes on the rehearsal of the cultural events of the opening ceremony.
There was only one woman in the group. She was sitting on the edge of the small gathering.
The rest of the western stand was empty. Her vibrant presence seemed to have kept the troops upbeat.
She was talking to one, then another, and at the same time cheering at the tidbits of the rehearsal, the musical resonance of which turned the whole venue almost deafening.
The sports tracksuits under dazzling dreadlocks made her look like an athlete who was waiting patiently for the game to start.
Albeit, Laventer Oguta was a rugby player but over the past 10 years, she has taken her flight as the key figure in Kenya’s kabaddi, from forming the team alone to spreading it beyond the border.
Upon request for an interview of the extraordinary kabaddi official, the team captain Daniel Omondi led this correspondent to her.
It turned out to be an interesting conversation with the lady in red and green suit who revealed an astonishing story that summarized Kenya’s kabaddi.
“I, being a rugby player, watched kabaddi on youtube. Kabaddi looks like rugby in terms of contact (when raider runs away for point). I became more interested in kabaddi because it also requires smaller ground with no gear,” Laventer told Dhaka Tribune.
“The agility, the beauty of the field, fans chanting, low breathing make the game beautiful,” she added.
Kabaddi was not familiar in Africa but Laventer wanted to try it on the field.
She invited many to join her but only one responded on the first day and three the next. It increased by one after another with each passing day.
“When I was walking on the road if I saw any boy play, I showed them video on youtube that I downloaded. I asked them to come and play. I invited them to join training ground on Sundays,” she said.
Laventer continued: “They asked me why kabaddi and what changes it will bring to their life. I said to them, kabaddi is a new sport, if they play they could get more chances in the team than say football, athletics and rugby. The game is also physical. You have to be very quick and agile. It worked out.”
She formed the game’s governing body, Kenya Kabaddi Union, in 2014.
Within two years, she prepared a team that competed in the World Cup in Ahmedabad, India.
In the first match, they beat Poland in a hard-fought contest before pocketing big-margin win over Japan and USA to finish third in the group comprising six teams.
Laventer too featured in media for breaking stereotypes and gender divide.
“The World Cup motivated many players. They got a reason to play kabaddi. They found an opportunity to represent the country,” said Laventer.
Kabaddi in Kenya lifted to a new height. Players started playing in the Indian Pro Kabaddi League.
Current skipper Daniel is among the ones who took part in the latest edition.
Bangabandhu Cup is the biggest international kabaddi competition that has been taking place on regular basis after the 2016 World Cup. Kenya participated in all three previous editions.
Last year, Kabaddi league was introduced in the African nation, the outcome of which can be seen in this year’s Bangabandhu Cup where Kenya reached the semi-finals in dominant fashion, winning all five group encounters to top the points table.
The semi-final clash, that saw Kenya lose narrowly to Nepal, was the most competitive match of the meet.
The full time ended 50-50 before extra raid out in tiebreaker decided the winner.
A tough start followed by a long passage of patience and hard work, Laventer is now happy with how kabaddi has progressed over the years.
“It was difficult at the beginning but right now, there is no challenge. We don’t have sponsor but we manage it from our pocket,” she said.
“From last year, we have a league every Saturday. There are 14 men’s teams and two women’s teams. They play nine matches every week.”
The African Kabaddi Championship is starting on June 25 with the participation of 12 teams.
Kenya are one of the favorites but Laventer drew her goal beyond that.
The magnificent lady in kabaddi wants to see the game in the Olympics and Commonwealth Games and guide Kenya in many more tournaments in future.
