CITY DAY DRAW

Sri Devi Dragons, comprising of several Kuala Lumpur players, would start off as the favourites in the inaugural City Day Kabaddi Championships at the Astaka, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa on Sunday.

The championships, held as part of the Federal Territory Day celebrations, has attracted nine teams.

The experienced Sri Devi Dragons will feature several players who played prominent role in Kuala Lumpur’s runners-up effort at the International Inter City Kabaddi Championships last month.

Skipper Siva Krishnan, who was picked as the best player at the Inter City tournament, will lead the strong Sri Devi Dragons squad.

The club will face the challenge of two teams of unknown pedigree in Group A. They have been drawn together with Pasum Ponn, who are made up of Indian expatriates, and Bheeman Johor.

The Kg Pandan Lions are the favourites in Group B and they have Sri Murugan and MIG Sentosa.

Kg Pandan is also expected to feature several players who played at the Inter City tournament.

In Group C, another KL-based team – Tamilan Kabaddi – is the seeded team. They have Sri Devi Tigers and Star Banting for company.
The winners of the three groups together with the best loser would qualify for the semi-finals.


GROUPINGS
Group A: Sri Devi Dragons, Pasum Ponn, Bheeman Johor
Group B: Kg Pandan Lions, Sri Murugan, MIG Sentosa
Group C: Tamilan Kabaddi, Sri Devi Tigers, Star Banting


THE MATCH SCHEDULE

9.00am: Pasum Ponn vs Beeman Johor
9.30am: Sri Murugan vs MIG Sentosa
10.00am: Sri Devi Tigers vs Star Banting
10.30am: Sri Devi Dragons vs Beeman Johor
11.00am: Kg Pandan vs MIG Sentosa
11.30am: Tamilan Kabaddi vs Star Banting

12.30pm: Sri Devi Dragons vs Pasum Ponn
1.00pm: Kg Pandan vs Sri Murugan
1.30pm: Tamilan Kabaddi vs Sri Devi Tigers

2.30pm: Semi-final 1
3.00pm: Semi-final 2
4.00pm: Third Placing
5.00pm: Final

Movie with kabaddi theme

This is the trailer from the Tamil movie Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu. The kabaddi sequences look good.

GONG XI FA CAI

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step!
May every step you take in the New Year.......
Lead you to Hapiness, Good Health and Prosperity
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
From the Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur

VIP Guests

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who would be launching the City Day Celebrations at the Astaka, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, is expected to be among the VIP's to witness the opening match of the City Day Kabaddi Championships on February 1, 2009.

KAKL has been asked to ensure that the first match starts as soon as the opening ceremony was over as the Prime Minister has been scheduled to come by the kabaddi grounds to witness the match.

The City Day kabaddi championships is expected to see a maximum of 16 teams participating. Among the teams that has already confirmed their entry are defending KL Open champion Sri Devi as well as several other KL based clubs including Kg Pandan, Budiman Rovers and Sri Murugan.

Clubs from other states are also expected to take part in the tournament. Matches would be held on international approved mats, the first time in more than four years that an open kabaddi tournament was being held such.

Players get a chance to understand the rules

The Technical Course in session


The participants at the KAKL Technical Course



The first KAKL Technical Course also turned out to be a chance for the state players to understand the rules of the game much better.

State players were invited to attend the course to ensure that they were also equipped with the knowledge on the duties of a Technical Official as well as to get an in-depth insight into the Rules of the Game.

While it was a new experience for the players, for approximately 10 others, this will be a stepping stone for them to be full fledged Technical Officials.

The course was conducted by KAKL president S.T. Arasu, who is a qualified international Technical Course Conductor. He has conducted such courses in Malaysia as well as during past Asian Championships and also South Asian Games.

KAKL Technical Committee Chairman L. Anbarasu and former national Technical Committee Chairman V. Chandran were among those who also turned up to assist in the course.

The course will continue until Sunday.

News that we don't need

These are stories that we can ill afford as we develop the sport of kabaddi.

The first is a story on a Terengganu Sukma kabaddi player, who was promised RM600 training allowance, but has yet to receive it. It seems that the player has been unable to contact neither the coach nor the officials of the state association.

Read about it here.

Atlet kabaddi tuntut elaun Sukma XI.

The second is a story of the president of the National Federation of Kabaddi in the UK, who has been jailed for attacking a security guard, while under the influence of alcohol, during a kabaddi tournament.

Read about it here.

Sports boss is jailed for sword attack on bouncer.

CITY DAY KABADDI TOURNAMENT

TOURNAMENT RULES
CITY DAY KABADDI CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009

Organised by: Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur



1. EVENTS
Event Venue Date
Men Open Taman Tasik Titiwangsa Sunday Feb 1, 2009

2. Eligibility and Registration
a. Participation is open to all kabaddi teams in good standing with the KAKL.
b. Entry of teams will be at the discretion of the organising committee.
c. A minimum of 8 teams and a maximum of 16 teams would be entered.
d. Entry fees for each team will be RM 100.
e. Each team must provide one official to assist in the running of the competition.
f. Each team must register a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 players for the competition.
g. The weight category for all competition will be open weight.
h. Players registered for one team cannot play for another team.
i. The list of names of each player must be submitted to the organisers before the closing date of January 25, 2009.
j. Players may be called to identify themselves if deemed necessary.


3. Rules
a. The tournament would follow the rules set out by the Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur (KAKL).
b. The tournament will be played on the following modified format
i. Reduced Time (10 minutes per half with no breaks) for the first round robin matches.
ii. Time would be increased for the knockout stages.

c. All matches will be played on EVA foam mats.
d. All players must wear uniform jersey and shorts for all matches. All jerseys must be numbered.


4. Tournament Format
a. Competition will be played on league or knockout basis depending on the number of participating teams.
b. Incomplete matches which may occur due to unavoidable circumstances shall be played at the earliest possible time.


5. Manager’s meeting
a. The manager’s meeting will be held on January 30th, 2009 at 7pm at a place to be confirmed.

6. Jury of Appeal
a. The Jury of Appeal will be made of three members. The Chief Referee, the Competition Chairman and the KAKL Disciplinary Committee Chairman.
b. The Jury will be responsible to mete out disciplinary action against any player, official or team that contravenes the Rules of the game or act in a manner which brings disrepute or disrupt any aspect of the tournament.
c. Such disciplinary actions may include suspension or fine.

7. General conditions
a. The tournament shall be conducted in accordance with the KAKL rules.
b. Umpires/Referees/Scorers/Assistant Scorers will be provided for all matches where possible.
c. Competitors play at their own risk. The KAKL, organisers and sponsors will not be held responsible for any personal injury or loss of any other mishaps during the tournament.
d. Teams are advised to bring their own basic medical kits.
e. Lunch will be provided to all participating teams.
f. In all aspects, the decision of the Competition Chairman shall be final.
g. The Organising Committee reserves the right to alter the above conditions and the programmes in any way it deems fit.
h. All appeals/objections in writing together with a fee of RM200/- shall be lodged with the Competition Chairman not later than 15 minutes after the conclusion of the said game. The decision of the Appeal Committee is final and not subject to any further. If the appeal is rejected the fee will be retained by the organisers.
i. Team managers of each team shall submit their starting line-up to the officer in charge at least 20 minutes before the start of each of their matches. No change shall be allowed thereafter.


8. Prize

Men
Champion: Medals and RM 500
Runners-up: Medals and RM 300
Third: Medals and RM 200


Best Player: Medal and RM 50
Best Raider: Medal and RM 50
Best Defence: Medal and RM 50

MEMORIES OF THE IIKC 2008

KL and Putrajaya players and officials


Punjab won the men's title at the inaugural IIKC


KL officials with the team captain


Punjab team won the women's title


Part of the spectators at the IIKC


Punjab's Vijay Kumar picked the Best Raider award for his efforts


KL's Siva was adjudged as the Best Player for his exploits


IIKC women's champions Punjab


KL raider foiled by the Triconmalee defence

MEDIA RELEASE

The Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur (KAKL) will kick off the new year with two new tournaments – the KAKL Premier League Kabaddi Championship and the City Day Kabaddi Championship.

Both tournaments are designed to maintain Kuala Lumpur’s status as the number one ranked team in the country.

KL are the reigning President’s Cup and Sukma champions.

Last month the KAKL successfully hosted the inaugural International Inter City Kabaddi Championship with the hosts finishing a creditable second behind India’s Punjab side and ahead of favourites Colombo.

KAKL honorary secretary R. Balamurugan said that the two new tournaments would greatly benefit the state players.

“One way to promote as well as develop the sport is by having more competitions and we want to lead the way in organising more competitions,” said Balamurugan.

The other local tournaments in the pipeline for the KAKL this year includes the KL Open, KL Closed and the Putrajaya Open.

The City Day Kabaddi Championships would be held on February 1st at the Taman Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur. The championships held in conjunction with the City Day would be held under the auspices of the KL City Hall.

The competition, conducted on mat, would be open to all interested teams.

“Not many of our local players have experience playing on mat and this tournament would give them the necessary exposure,” said Balamurugan.

Entries would be limited to a maximum of 16 teams in the men’s competition. The top three winners would receive medals as well as cash prizes.

As for the KAKL Premier League, it is an ambitious programme that is expected to see the participating teams playing matches every fortnight.

“We anticipate that the League would last for a good six months and will take the teams on a tour of the various locations in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya,” said Balamurugan.

The total prize money being offered for the KAKL Premier League Kabaddi will be well over RM12,000 making it the richest kabaddi tournament in the country.

“We hope to see a minimum of eight teams in the League for the first year and build on it in the coming years,” said Balamurugan.

Several KL based teams including the Sri Devi Kabaddi Club, Kg Pandan Kabaddi Club, Sri Murugan Kabaddi Club and Budiman Rovers have already expressed interest in the league.

For entry forms and further information on the KAKL Premier League Kabaddi and the KAKL City Day Kabaddi Championships, please contact R. Balamurugan at 012 217 9577 or Mogan Kumar Raju at 016 215 3312 or log on to http://kabaddicity.blogspot.com

KAKL Level One Technical Course

The KAKL Level One Technical Course would be conducted from January 16-18 in an effort to produce state level qualified Technical Officials.

The decision was made by the Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur to ensure that state level tournaments are not affected by lack of qualified Technical Officials.

Entry is open to only KL based participants. The course would be conducted from 7-10pm on January 16 and 17 and from 3 pm to 8pm on January 18.

Entry fees of RM 15 per person is payable and only covers the cost of course materials.

The Level One Technical Course would include

1. Rules, Regulations and Interpretations
2. Qualities of a good official
3. Mechanism of officiating
4. Preparation of play field and markings
5. Use of signals - giving decisions - coordination in officiating


To ensure that state players are also updated with the rules, the KAKL has made it compulsory for all state players to attend the course. However, the players need not pay the entry fees.

KAKL president S.T. Arasu, who has conducted national and international level Technical Courses, would be the chief lecturer for the course and he will be assisted by another qualified Technical Official L. Anbarasu and R. Balamurugan.

It should be noted that the current Kabaddi Rules Book used by the national and international bodies was drafted in its entirety by S.T. Arasu and former national coach Dr. Ishwar Angadi.

For further information on the Technical Course please contact the KAKL secretariat.

Premier League Kabaddi to start this month

The Kabaddi Association of Kuala Lumpur is taking another giant step in making the sport more popular in the Federal Territory by launching the inaugural Premier League Kabaddi (PLK)later this month.

The PLK will see teams fighting it out for the highest prize money ever awarded in Malaysian kabaddi history. More than RM15,000 would be up for grabs in the league that would feature both men’s and women’s competitions.

Matches would take place every fortnight and among the venues identified for the league includes Putrajaya, Kg Pandan, Dataran Merdeka, Puchong, Batu Caves and Sg Besi.

Matches would be played both indoors and outdoors at these venues. Some venues are also likely to see the matches being played under floodlights.

Competition would be played on a double round robin format.

Teams participating in the tournament would also be playing in a special knockout competition for the KAKL Cup.

Participation is open to all kabaddi teams in good standing with the KAKL. Entry is now open and interested teams can contact KAKL for entry forms.

Top Kuala Lumpur clubs like Sri Devi Kabaddi Club and Kg Pandan Kabaddi Club have already confirmed their participation. The other clubs that have also indicated their willingness to participate are Sri Murugan Kabaddi Club and Budiman Rovers Kabaddi Club.

Articles from the Times UK

Article from the The Times UK.


Britain's kabaddi skill might mean we finally beat India at their own game
Army seeks to conquer all at kabaddi


In 1954 a cricket team from the fledgeling nation of Pakistan beat England at Old Trafford, inaugurating an era in which England would be thrashed at the various sports it had invented.

Now, the Army is engaged in an ambitious programme to master an ancient Indian sport in what appears to be a subtle attempt to strike back.

At a gymnasium in Larkhill, Wiltshire, a small squad meets to practise kabaddi, a game as old as the Hindu scriptures, the sport of Indian princes and - according to literature - a pastime of the Buddha himself.

First introduced to these isles by Channel 4, which showed it on Sunday mornings in the early 1990s, the sport gained a small but devoted following. It appears to be a violent form of tag combining rugby and Graeco-Roman wrestling in which one man regularly takes on seven opponents while holding his breath and chanting kabaddi-kabaddi-kabaddi - ideally suited, perhaps, to the Army.

Ashok Das, the Army’s team coach, believes that his players will form the nucleus of an English national team that will challenge India’s dominance.

He made this prediction on Indian national television, during the team’s debut tour, during which it narrowly lost to an Indian Army team filled with international players.

“Everyone was praising them,” he said. “They were worried that England will start beating India. They said to me, ‘You are Indian, aren’t you ashamed to do this to your country?’ I said, ‘I was Indian, now I am British. I have to pay back my country. They are not winning at football, now they will win at kabaddi’.”

He has remained a brilliant optimist ever since, despite setbacks that would have levelled lesser men. “The problem is, sometimes the players get sent off to Iraq or Afghanistan,” he said.

The team was first assembled in July 2007, after Das persuaded army recruitment officers that a kabaddi team could be a powerful recruitment tool in British Asian communities.

Colonel Paul Farrar, deputy head of Army Recruiting, saw “a really good game . . . something the British Army ought to look at seriously”. It also needs no equipment, so can be played wherever troops are deployed.

Orders to form a team landed on the desk of Second Lieutenant Nick Burdick, at 14 Regiment, the Royal Artillery, in Larkhill. He thinks it might have been easier to recruit a team “if it had a different name, like Murderball or Bulldog”, but in the end he walked out of his office, picked up a group of soldiers and told them they were going to be in a kabaddi team.

Last summer, the team beat Italy. A return match will take place in Aldershot next month, while overtures have arrived from the Indian Border Security Force, to play the Army next year.

Colonel Farrar believes the momentum of the team is growing, with the Army Physical Training Corps taking an interest in its martial qualities. He recently met a soldier from India, recruited via the Army’s Foreign and Commonwealth scheme, who said that the kabaddi team had convinced him to join up. “It is definitely helping recruitment among British Asian communities too,” he said.

“I have been in the Army for 35 years and never heard of kabaddi,” he said. “Perhaps in another 30 years we will look back on these 18 months and say, ‘This was when it all started’.”