Olympics is but a dream.....for now

During the 1936 Olympics, kabaddi was demonstrated by the Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal from Amaravati, Maharashtra in Berlin.

While kabaddi enthusiast, still claim that it was part of the Olympics, you would not find it in the official list of demonstration sports at the Games.

Ever since kabaddi was included as a medal sports at the Beijing Asian Games in 1990, there has been numerous statements from the international kabaddi officials that kabaddi would be in the Olympics before long

The irony is that the form of kabaddi demonstrated in Berlin was circle kabaddi and the form played at the Asian Games is the national style kabaddi.

But is kabaddi really heading in the right direction towards Olympics recognition.

The earliest edition of Olympics where kabaddi can be included would be the 2024 Games.

That is a almost a quarter of a century away. The type of sports to be included up to the 2016 Olympics have already been decided. Golf and rugby were included into the Olympics programme by the International Olympic Council at their meeting last year.

Inclusion of new sports into the Olympics are made seven years in advance. The inclusion of newer sports for the 2020 Olympics would be made in 2013 at the IOC meeting in Rio de Janeiro.

Mathematically, kabaddi can fight for inclusion for the 2020 Olympics but that is highly improbable because no groundwork has been done by the international bodies.

All we hear are mere political statements designed for the feel good factor.

Despite recognition at the Asiad, kabaddi is still a long way off from being recognised by the IOC.

For starters, regional sports like wushu, sepaktakraw and even silat are in better position to gain an Olympic spot.

Kabaddi at the international level needs an upheaval. IOC regulations stipulates that there must be a minimum of 50 countries from three continents playing the game as one of the preconditions to be a member of the IOC.

Kabaddi, for all we know is still an Asian dominated game and worst for it still a game predominantly played only in South Asia.

Kabaddi, despite being in the Asian Games, is not in any of the other regional games in Asia with the exception of South Asian Games. The East Asian Games or the South East Asian Games do not have kabaddi in their programme.

Neither does the sport have regular continental championships even in Asia. Absolutely no continental championships is held outside of Asia.

These are just two of the setbacks for kabaddi in its quest for Olympic status. Many of us may not live to the day when kabaddi gains Olympic recognition.

But if serious planning and execution of an Olympic programme is not done with immediate effect, it would take several more decades before the sport gains a wider international appeal.