Kabaddi

Kabaddi is a contact sport played between two teams of seven players each. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. Though it is more popular in Asia, it is played in several countries across the world. Although evidences of a sport similar to modern kabaddi is found in ancient Indian texts, the rules of modern kabaddi were framed in the 1920s in India and the game was popularised as a competitive sport in the late 20th century. Kabaddi is the national sport of Bangladesh and state sport of several Indian states. There are several variations of the sport though the two major forms are the standard style, played on a rectangular court, that is part of international competitions such as the Asian Games, and the Punjabi kabaddi, also called circle style, played on a circular field. During the game, a lone member of one team ("raider") enters the opposite half of the court and tries to tag members of the opposition team ("defenders") without being tackled. In a single raid, often lasting a maximum 30 seconds, points are awarded for successful tags if the raider does not get out, while defenders earn a point if the raider is tackled, goes out of bounds or timed out. Tagged or tackled players temporarily step out of the game and can be revived when the team scores points. Raids alternate between the teams throughout the game.