Kabaddi at Asian Games 1990: A glimpse into India's historic gold medal run

Kabaddi went global at the 1990 Asian Games held in Beijing, China.

Kabaddi, a contact sport, is one of the most-watched sports in the world, especially in South Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.

It is one of the oldest games, with various forms originating in India around 4,000 years ago. However, the modern style of this sport was popularised in the 20th century.

Kabaddi was included as an exhibition sport for the first time at the inaugural Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1951. It was showcased again as an exhibition sport in 1982, and finally, at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, it was included as an official medal event for the first time.

Later, the sport underwent significant changes with the shift from playing on mud to mats and the advent of the Pro Kabaddi League. Along with this, several rules were also modified—such as the 30-second raid limit, the ‘do-or-die’ raid, and so on.

Despite these developments, the most prestigious international Kabaddi competitions remain the World Cup and the Asian Games. On that note, let’s take a look at an overview of Kabaddi at the 1990 Asian Games.

India clinched gold after winning all 5 matches

For the first time, Kabaddi was played at the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, China. The event was contested by six teams and was held from September 23 to 28 at the Teachers College of Physical Education.

The winner of the event was decided through a round-robin format, meaning the team finishing at the top of the table won the gold medal. The six nations that participated in the event were India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, and Japan.

The Indian team finished at the top of the table, winning all five of their matches and hence securing the gold medal. However, Bangladesh and Pakistan were tied on points, having won three games each, and a playoff match was played to decide the silver medalist.

Bangladesh won the silver medal by defeating Pakistan 19-18, while Pakistan had to settle for the bronze. The remaining teams, China, Nepal, and Japan, won one match each.

Indian legends laid the foundation for Kabaddi’s success

The Indian team, led by Arjun Award (1990) winner Hardeep Singh, featured some prominent names of that era, including Ashok Shinde, who received the Arjuna Award in 1994 for his contribution to the sport.

Randhir Singh, who was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1997 and is also a Bharat Gaurav awardee; Ashan Kumar, one of the few Kabaddi personalities to have won both the Arjuna Award (1998) and the Dronacharya Award; and Krishan Kumar, who is also a Dronacharya Award recipient.

These players became part of the first Indian team to bring home the Asian Games gold medal in Kabaddi. At the 1990 Asian Games, the Indian contingent did not win a gold medal in any sport other than Kabaddi, highlighting the dominance and significance of this sport in the country at that time.

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