Covid restrictions damaged Kabaddi badly: Sarwar

KARACHI: Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) secretary Mohammad Sarwar on Saturday said that restrictions due to Covid-19 have inflicted an unprecedented damage on the sport of kabaddi.

“The pandemic and its related restrictions have damaged the sport,” Sarwar told ‘The News’ in an interview. Although restrictions have been lifted for the non-contact and some other sports, full body-contact sports, including kabaddi, are still waiting for the green signal.

The last 16 months have been tough for Pakistan’s kabaddi. Pakistan won the World Cup in February 2020 at their own backyard at Lahore, beating India in the final. According to sources, the event recorded a historic viewership and it could leave a more positive impact on the most sought-after sport of the country.

However, the outbreak of Covid-19 soon after the World Cup created a big question mark on the future of kabaddi in Pakistan and the rest of the region.

“We had a great chance to develop kabaddi after World Cup. We had gained people’s interest through that high-profile event. We had to hold several more events and sponsors were eager to join us but we could not do anything because of the restrictions,” said Sarwar, a former Pakistan captain.

“Look, we have planned several events but we are waiting for the restrictions to be lifted. Officially we have organised no event since the pandemic started affecting human life,” Sarwar said.

Asked why PKF does not go for holding a local event in a biosecure bubble, Sarwar said it was not possible. “It is a resource-intensive exercise,” said Sarwar, also secretary of Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF).

Sarwar is also worried for his players who faced huge financial issues during the last 16 months. “Yes, they are suffering. There are no events and foreign leagues are also suspended and so it’s a sad situation. Some people say that another spike is going to come in the near future and it’s really a strange situation; we don’t know how things will occur in future,” Sarwar said.

He said that they plan to immediately start a camp once they get a green signal from the state authorities. “We are desperately waiting as our players have not got any event and I don’t think they are in a good shape. Although they individually try to keep themselves fit it is very important for them to train properly and it will only be possible when the restrictions are lifted,” Sarwar said.

About the next year’s Asian Games and kabaddi future, Sarwar said: “It is not yet certain whether Asian Games will be held next year or not but if things go in right direction then certainly we will need hard work to bring our players back in top shape. It’s a tricky situation.”

It has been learnt that in some rural areas silently minor kabaddi events are being held but there is no sign of any return of kabaddi at the mainstream level.