BELLARY: Several prominent kabaddi players from the men's and women's sections, including Naveen Kumar, Pawan Sehrawat, Arjun Deshwal and Sonali Vishnu Shingate, will take part in a high-performance strength and conditioning camp for probable athletes ahead of the Asian Games in Japan later this year.
The camp, scheduled from March 27 to April 2, aims to strengthen India’s kabaddi ecosystem, with a focused approach to athlete development, fitness optimisation, and long-term performance excellence.
India has long been a powerhouse in the sport, dominating at the continental level in both the men’s and women’s sections for decades. They are the defending champions in both men's and women's kabaddi at the Asian Games.
"Naveen Kumar, Arjun Deshwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Aslam Inamdar, Sunil Kumar, Ashu Malik, and Bharat Hooda are part of the camp (in the men's section). From the women’s contingent, leading athletes include members of the Indian squad that won the Women’s Kabaddi World Cup, such as skipper Ritu Negi, as well as Sonali Vishnu Shingate, Pushpa Rana, Champa Thakur, Pinki Roy, Priya and Karthika R," said Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) in a release.
The camp will be hosted at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Bellary.
"This initiative is an important step in our preparations as we continue to raise the standard of kabaddi in India," said Vibhor Vineet Jain, president, AKFI.
"Since we are working with 45 probables in each group, the benefits of this camp will extend to many more athletes beyond the final Indian kabaddi squads for the Asian Games," said Anupam Goswami, Pro Kabaddi League commissioner.