Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: While kabaddi is a traditionally male dominated game, Pakistan is embracing the growth of the sport for women as well. It is also the first time that the country is witnessing their first-ever Kabaddi league, despite the sport being one of the region’s original, it is for the men. And the Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) secretary Muhammad Sarwar believes that having a women’s match, even an exhibition one, is the need of the hour. And so it happened, when two teams – Strawberry Dreams and Strawberry Ambition – played an exhibition match at the Super Kabaddi League where the latter won the match 33-31 after a close fight on Tuesday evening. “We could not have ignored it,” Sarwar said Thursday. “Gender equality is something that needs to be followed. Kabaddi has been a men’s sport all these years, there is no doubt about that, but we have to adapt. The International Olympic Council has pushed it too, and we are following it; it is true that we never thought of a women’s match before that.”

Pakistan women’s national team made their debut in 2013, while they also competed in South Asian Games and have had their limited international experience, but so far there has not been a league arranged for the women. “If we have enough players for kabaddi, we can have a league in the future for women too,” added Sarwar.

Published in Daily Times, May 11^th 2018.