World Kabaddi, a separate governing body from the widely-recognized International Kabaddi Federation, is set to organize the Kabaddi World Cup 2025 in the UK without Bangladesh among the participants, raising questions in the sports arena.
Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh and one of the country’s top traditional games.
It is particularly popular in rural areas, where it has been played for generations.
Commonly known by two names — kabaddi and ha-du-du — it has been practiced with different rules in various parts of the country, though the essence of the game remains the same.
Some rules differ between the IKF and World Kabaddi.
For example, IKF matches feature two halves, while WK games are played in four quarters.
Bangladesh has participated in all four World Cups organized by the IKF since 2004.
The country has also won medals in consecutive editions of the Asian Games, where the IKF is recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia, since kabaddi’s inclusion in the 1990 Beijing Games.
The Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation is affiliated with the IKF and cannot participate in any competition organized by World Kabaddi, said BKF general secretary SM Nawaz Shohag to Dhaka Tribune.
He added that participating in World Kabaddi events would require the establishment of a separate governing body.
When contacted, World Kabaddi secretary general ST Arasu told Dhaka Tribune that they had not received any formal request from Bangladesh to become a member of their organization.
According to Arasu and the World Kabaddi website, the WK’s World Cup 2025 is scheduled to take place in West Midlands, England, from March 17-23.
The men’s tournament will feature 16 teams, while the women’s tournament will include eight sides.
India, England, and Kenya are among the countries participating in both draws.
These countries are affiliated with both the International Kabaddi Federation and World Kabaddi, having separate governing bodies for each affiliation.
India won both competitions when they were first held in Malaysia in 2019.
Bangladesh currently has a governing body that participates in IKF competitions but is not eligible to take part in events organized by World Kabaddi, which has focused on expanding the sport beyond Asia, particularly in Africa and Europe, over the past seven years.
"IKF used to focus on Asia, whereas we aim to spread the game to the rest of the world," said Arasu to Dhaka Tribune.
The IKF includes member countries primarily from Asia but also from Europe, Africa, South America, North America, and Oceania.
When contacted, IKF secretary Sathasivam Munisamy declined to comment on World Kabaddi or the World Cup in England, stating" "That is not under IKF. It is a different body."
World Kabaddi’s secretary general further explained: “Essentially, there are two different international organizations. Bangladesh is only affiliated with IKF. If they join us, they can participate in our tournament. But currently, they are not affiliated with us.”
The BKF’s general secretary confirmed that Bangladesh is a member only of the IKF and the Asian Kabaddi Federation and is under a "strict" obligation from the IKF not to join any other international kabaddi organization or participate in their competitions which are not recognized by the IKF.
Meanwhile, the IKF World Cup is also expected to be held later this year, possibly in Bangladesh.
