Kabaddi is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players, originating in ancient India. The objective of the game is for a single player on offence, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their players as possible, and return to their own half of the court, all without being tackled by the defenders in 30 seconds. Points are scored for each player tagged by the raider, while the opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider. Players are taken out of the game if they are touched or tackled, but return to the game after each point scored by their team from a tag or tackle.
Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country. Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation is the governing body for the sport of field hockey in Pakistan. It is affiliated with the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) & Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).
Association football and basketball are the most popular sports in Asia. Cricket is the third most popular sport in Asia, and is most popular in South Asia. Other popular sports in Asia include baseball, badminton and table tennis among others. There are also some traditional sports that are popular in certain regions of Asia, such as the South Asian sports kabaddi and kho-kho, and sepak takraw in Southeast Asia. Top sporting nations/regions in Asia include China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) is the rugby union governing body in Pakistan. It is in charge of the Pakistan national team. Also among the Union's chief activities are conferences, organising international matches, and educating and training players and officials.
The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) is the apex body of athletics in Pakistan. It was formed in 1951. Major General (R) Muhammad Akram Sahi is the current President.
The Pakistan Cycling Federation is the national governing body of cycle racing in Pakistan. It was established in 1947 and is currently based in Peshawar.
The Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) is the governing body of amateur boxing in Pakistan. The Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation (PBF) organizes all amateur matches countrywide. It is also responsible for scouting and raising boxers from Pakistan to compete on a worldwide level.
Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) is the governing body of tennis in Pakistan founded in 1947. It has played a vital role in the development of domestic, national and international tennis in Pakistan, producing a number of young talented players. It also governs teams such as the Pakistan Fed Cup team and the Pakistan Davis Cup team.
The National Games of Pakistan is a multi-sport event held in Pakistan. It comprises various disciplines in which sportsmen from the provinces and departments of Pakistan compete against each other. The games are organized by Pakistan Sports Board, Pakistan Olympic Association, and the host province.
Kabaddi, is a contact sport, native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the most popular sports in India, played mainly among people in villages. India has taken part in four Asian Games in kabaddi, and won gold in all of them. Four forms of kabaddi played in India are Amar, Suranjeevi, huttuttoo, and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, Haryana, the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world, mostly by Punjabi sportsmen. Suranjeevi is the most played form of kabaddi in India and the world. This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian Games. Huttuttoo was played by men in Maharashtra. In Gaminee style, seven players play on each side and a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that is successful in outing all the players of the opponent's side secures a point. The game continues until five or seven such points are secured and has no fixed time duration.
The Pakistan Swimming Federation is the governing body of swimming in Pakistan. The Federation was formed in 1948 with its headquarters in Lahore. It has been a member of International Swimming Federation (FINA) since 1948, and was one of the founding members of the Asian Amateur Swimming Federation in 1978.
The Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) is the governing body for the sport of badminton in Pakistan. It was formed in 1953 to promote badminton in country. Nawab Iftikhar Mamdot became the first President and Sultan F. Hussain was the first Secretary General of the Federation.
The National Rifle Association of Pakistan is the governing body to develop and promote the sport of shooting in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Sailing Federation is the national governing body of the sport of sailing in Pakistan. Affiliated with World Sailing and the Asian Sailing Federation, it has its headquarters at the National Sailing Centre in Clifton, Karachi.
The Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) is the national governing body to develop and promote the sport of Taekwondo in the Pakistan. The federation is headquartered in Rawalpindi.
The Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) is the national governing body of wrestling in Pakistan. It is responsible for overseeing the freestyle, Greco-Roman, pankration, beach, and belt styles of wrestling. Women's wrestling is also overseen by the PWF.
The Pakistan Archery Federation is the governing body to develop and promote the game of archery in Pakistan. It is based in Lahore, Pakistan, and was founded in 1996. It was admitted into the World Archery Federation in 2005.
The Equestrian Federation of Pakistan (EFP) is the national governing body to promote and develop equestrian sports in Pakistan.
Super Kabaddi League (SKL) is a professional-level kabaddi league in Pakistan. Its inaugural season was played from May 1 to 10, 2018 in Lahore. This league follows a city-based franchise model. More than a 100 Kabaddi players from Pakistan and abroad were presented in the players' draft, which took place on 23 April 2018 in Lahore. International players from Sri Lanka, Iran, Bangladesh and Malaysia participated in the inaugural edition.
