Pakistan prepares for its first-ever women’s kabaddi championship

More than seven clubs, at least 84 players expected to feature in two-day event

KARACHI: Pakistan will be holding its first-ever women’s kabaddi national championship from December 14 in Lahore with more than seven clubs expected to participate in the event, revealed Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) Secretary Muhammad Sarwar.

The four provincial teams, Islamabad, WAPDA, HEC and Army will be participating in the event while more teams are expected to join them in the inaugural championship.

Sarwar, who believes that the championship is a huge step forward, is hoping that the event will encourage women to pursue the sport.

“The event is a huge step forward. We want to encourage girls to develop an interest in the sport and even represent the national side in the future,” he said. “We will be making selections for the national side based on the performances in this championship and hopefully this will give us a larger pool to select from.”

Meanwhile, national captain Khazeema Saeed believes that the sport has come a long way since she, along with her national teammates, started playing the sport last year.

“I’m extremely excited about the start of this championship,” Khazeema told The Express Tribune. “Since last year, the sport has really picked up with an increase in the number of girls trying out for the national side. I’m sure this championship would further increase the interest in the sport.”



Khazeema, 19, was also part of the U19 squad that first went on a training tour in Iran. She then competed at the South Asian Games and again went back to Iran for a tournament where the team bagged bronze.



“It has been a learning experience as the various tours taught each and every one of us a lot,” she said. “We are thrilled to be part of something big because when people say kabaddi, they imagine a bunch of men playing the sport. We want to change that and this championship will certainly help.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2016.

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