World Kabaddi are a legally registered governing body for the sport of kabaddi with 56 national federation members from around the globe and five continental governing bodies.
World Kabaddi has organized numerous international tournaments around the world including the 2019 World Cup, several European, African championships. We are also planning to host both the Asia-Oceania and the Pan American Championships later this year as well as the African Women Championships in Tunisia.
The kabaddi world has also been celebrating the World Kabaddi Day on March 24 since 2019. The March 24th day coincides with the date of formation of the World Kabaddi.
The just concluded Kabaddi World Cup in the West Midlands is a legitimate elite tournament under the World Kabaddi banner. The tournament is conducted for our own membership and is not under the supervision or authority of any other organization except for World Kabaddi. And it especially has nothing to do with the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF).
World Kabaddi finds the statement made by the rival organization that the Kabaddi World Cup was illegitimate and illegal totally irresponsible, petty, frivolous and made with pure malice.
This is especially so, as their president Mr Vinod Tiwari is a Deputy Director of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and should be more aware of the international sporting norms and regulations.
The IKF’s ignorance in the matter is telling as there are no international law that dictates that there can be only one governing body for the sport.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport had in August 2020 had made this clear in deciding on the legitimacy of the dual governing body for the sport of stand-up paddle – International Surfing Federation (ISA) and International Canoe Federation (ICF).
This is evident in the conduct of other sports with multiple international governing bodies including for sport like taekwondo, dodgeball and mixed martial arts.
The sport of kabaddi is not recognized by the International Olympic Association (IOC) and the IKF cannot claim IOC recognition, despite the sport being competed at the Asian Games.
There are numerous international governing bodies registered in India including the IKF, World Kabaddi Federation (WKF), International Amateur Kabaddi Federation (IAKF) and World Amateur Kabaddi Federation (WAKF). World Kabaddi is the only organization registered outside of India.
These other organizations had organized and are continuing to stage numerous internationals including their own World Cups and the IKF had never bothered to assert their so-called superiority at their own backyard with them.                                                                                                                                   Â
Poland, who are also members of the IKF, were given special permission by the World Kabaddi to participate in the just concluded tournament. The IKF, without any locus standi, is threatening legal action against several Indian players when they have been surprisingly quiet about players from other countries taking part in either World Kabaddi or other international kabaddi bodies.
We believe this is because the IKF had always believed that they hold a stranglehold on the sport in India gives them self-proclaimed legitimacy, and the huge response to the Kabaddi World Cup, which was aired live in the Indian sub-continent had bruised their ego.
So much so that Vinod had even abused his position in the OCA by compelling the Olympic Channel from not promoting the event.
Instead of questioning the legitimacy of World Kabaddi, Vinod and the IKF should look into their own affairs, considering that the Supreme Court of India had on 4th February 2025, directed the Director of the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to suggest an investigative mechanism for effective domestic and international probe, with the assistance of international Investigating Agencies, including the Interpol into their affairs.
The World Kabaddi as part of its transparent and proper governance conducted its elections in December where Dr Osama Said, the president of the Eqyptian Kabaddi Federation (EKF), who are affiliated to the Egyptian Olympic Committee, was elected as the World Kabaddi president.
In contrast, the IKF conducted their last elections, attended by only 17 countries, elected Vinod as tits president after steamrolling the approval of the Kuwait Kabaddi Association (KKA) as a member on the same meeting.
The Kuwait Olympic Committee has no national kabaddi association registered with them. And Vinod claims he is the president of the KKA, despite not holding a Kuwaiti citizenship. Surprisingly, he also holds the position as the president of the Esports Federation of India. This itself puts a question mark on the legitimacy of the IKF as India does not allow dual citizenship.
World Kabaddi is disturbed by the continuous interference by the IKF into our matters and will look into further legal action against the IKF after discussing the matter with our legal partners and our Central Board. The World Kabaddi had in the past tried to engage with the IKF to see how both bodies can work hand-in-hand to promote the sports more effectively, but for all the goodwill we had shown, the IKF had only been spiteful, resentful and bitter.
In the meanwhile, promoting more global events line the just concluded Kabaddi World Cup in the West Midlands is our top priority. The positive impact of the tournament is evident on the support globally for the tournament on social media as well as viewers on the various broadcast channels around the globe.
It was telecast live on the BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom, DD Sports and Waves India (India), Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (Fiji), TVRI (Indonesia), Mauritius Broadcasting (Mauritius), Sri Lanka Ruphavani Corporation, The Papare 1 (Sri Lanka), Azam TV (Tanzania), Zee Punjabi (UK and Europe) and globally through talkSportKabaddi and Olympic Channel.
The IKF’s vindictive reaction to the positivity of the Kabaddi World Cup that is breaking barriers everywhere, is designed not only to discredit the World Kabaddi but also designed to stop the sport from growing internationally.
The entire kabaddi fraternity were aware of the hosting of the Kabaddi World Cup in the United Kingdom since last year but the IKF had timed their false allegations against the tournament in the midst of competition, thinking it would inflict the most damage.
It certainly did not, and World Kabaddi has even taken the big step of announcing the next World Cup in 2027 to be hosted by the Pan America Kabaddi Association, the first time the event is going to the continent.
World Kabaddi will continue to spread positivity through more activities around the world in line with our theme for the year: Teamwork makes our Dream Work.
As we celebrate World Kabaddi Day yesterday, World Kabaddi membership around the world stands united in bringing the sport to the mainstream.
There is nothing illegal or illegitimate about the Kabaddi World Kabaddi. Only the IKF barking up the wrong tree.
S.T. ARASU
SECRETARY GENERAL, WORLD KABADDI