Kabaddi, the traditional game of the Punjab, has grown in stature over the years. The version of the sport played in the villages of the Punjab is also called circle kabaddi to differentiate it from the one which has been part of the Asian Games since 1990; the latter is known as court kabaddi or Asian style Kabaddi.

The traditional or circle kabaddi, a full-contact sport unlike the court version, is a far more thrilling and action packed spectacle. It combines elements of tug of war, rugby and wrestling. Many regard it as the most complete sport for developing speed, stamina and strength.

Pakistani athletes ruled Asia in the 1950s and early 1960s with some even achieving world standards: Abdul Khaliq was twice winner of the Asiad 100 metres and ranked among the top seven sprinters of the world.

Ghulam Raziq was Commonwealth and Asian champion in 110 metres hurdles. M Iqbal was Commonwealth and Asian champion in hammer throw and was ranked among top 10 in the world. The Asian record of javelin thrower M Nawaz stood for more than 20 years. He was ranked among the world’s top 12. Mubarak Shah achieved double of 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the 1962 Asian games, both with new continental records.

All five were kabaddi players in their respective villages in the Potohar area of Punjab, prior to joining army.

Roger Coombs, the Welsh coach of Pakistan’s national rugby team, opined in an interview, “I find that kabaddi shares similarities with my game. Like rugby, it also involves sprinting, and grabbing the opponent as well as dodging and running away from the opponent. Hence, I intend picking kabaddi players for rugby.”

The Punjabis from the other side of the divide, especially the Sikhs, have preserved the language and traditions in whatever part of the world they have immigrated to. Kabaddi regarded as part of the Punjabi culture has also benefited from their resolve.

In Canada, UK and the US, kabaddi is played professionally with the season running for months. Players from different parts of the world come to play for various teams in a number of tournaments. Reportedly, a top pro in Canada earns $50,000 to $60,000 in a season.

The kabaddi World Cup, initiated in 2010, has been held regularly every year and the fourth edition starts from Sunday (today) in the Indian Punjab, which has hosted all the previous editions.

Staged in various cities of the province, with a lot of fanfare, the premier world event attracts national teams from all parts of the world. There will be 12 men’s and eight women’s teams in action this time.

It is pertinent to mention that players of Indian Punjab make most of the men’s national teams. India has won all the three World Cups without losing a single match.

In two of the finals (2010 & 2012), India defeated Pakistan, with a big margin. In 2011, Pakistan were surprisingly eliminated in the semifinal by Canada, and settled for the third position. All the matches attract big crowds and the last year’s Indo-Pak final was watched by more than 35,000 fans.

The kabaddi World Cup carries very lucrative prize money. Last year, the winners got a cheque of 20 million Indian rupees and the runnersup received Rs 10 million. Even more is expected this year.

The opening ceremony has always been a glittering event with Bollywood flavour. The 2012 edition saw Shahrukh Khan performing; this time Priyanka Chopra will make an appearance.

The month-long training camp of the Pakistani squad for the World Cup, conducted at the Punjab Stadium, Lahore, was supervised by Ghulam Abbas Butt.

A great name of his time, Butt represented Pakistan from 1997 to 2011. A much sought after player, he appeared in the professional leagues of Canada and England in no less than 15 seasons.

“The team is better prepared this time for several reasons,” he said. “Last year, the training camp was held for only two weeks and the players’ attitude was also very casual. Some even didn’t bother to report in time and joined late.”

However, for the preparatory camp for the 2013 World Cup, we have made no compromise on discipline. All the trainees reported in time and they have been put through regular rigorous training sessions. Evening practice was done under floodlights. The Punjab Sports Board has been very cooperative and the camp ran well. Players were given excellent diet; in a full contact and physically demanding sport like kabaddi, its importance can’t be over emphasised. We also watched the videos of the last World Cup’s matches to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of our boys as well as those of the opponents.”

He admitted that India had been a better side so far. “There are reasons for that. Kabaddi is very widely played in the Indian Punjab as it is not restricted to the village fields. It is a big participation sport in schools and colleges. Then there are tournaments all the year,” he said.

The Punjabi diaspora has popularised Kabaddi in many other countries. There are leagues even in Spain and Italy. The players from India move from one country to another appearing in different tournaments. For Pakistani players, there is also the problemof visa. Presently, only around half a dozen boys appear in foreign leagues, all in the UK.

“I am quite confident that with the sort of preparation we had this time, Pakistan will give a better performance at this World Cup and are confident of giving Indians a real fight.”

Aslam Gujjar, who was part of the Pakistani team at the last World Cup, sounded even more optimistic. “After this camp, I think Pakistan should be taking Indians on an equal footing,” he said.

Pakistan kabaddi is set to break new ground at the 2013 World Cup with the national women kabaddi team making its first international appearance.

The coach Ghulam Abbas Butt said, “We had to start from scratch as there were no female kabaddi players in Pakistan. The girls were picked from among athletes and weight lifters but they have learned the new sport very quickly.”

The World Cup is to be telecast live in India, Pakistan, Canada, USA and UK.