“You will see a lot of countries participating in this tournament"
Pakistan will not be competing in the 2026 Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad after the Pakistani government refused to allow the side to travel to India.
Tejasvi Gehlot, General Secretary of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), stated that organisers had completed the necessary paperwork before being informed that the athletes would not attend.
Gehlot said: “The Pakistani government hasn’t allowed their athletes to travel to our country.
“I don’t know the reason, but our government permitted, and we sent them all the paperwork. However, we got an intimation that they won’t be able to come.”
The decision comes ahead of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, which will bring together 13 nations for nine days of men’s and women’s competition from October 23 to 31, 2026.
The tournament will be held at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex and is intended to strengthen kabaddi’s international standing, with organisers seeking to secure its inclusion as a medal sport at future Commonwealth Games.
Gehlot explained why Ahmedabad was chosen to host the competition, linking the event to the city’s status as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
He said: “You will see a lot of countries participating in this tournament here.
“Because Ahmedabad is a Commonwealth host city, it was the perfect venue for us to come back and hold the Commonwealth Championship here.
“So, to get included as a medal event for the next games, we needed to come to Ahmedabad.
“This is the first-ever Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, and the reason for doing it is that, you know, there are five criteria that we have to fulfil to include any sport or game in CWG.”
Organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) with IKF approval, the championship will feature 23 squads and more than 400 athletes across 62 matches.
The schedule includes 39 men’s matches and 23 women’s matches, with the tournament crowning the first Commonwealth champions in both categories.
The participating nations are India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Uganda, England, Scotland and Australia.
India’s men’s team will be captained by Surjeet Singh, with Naveen Kumar serving as vice-captain. Nidhi Sharma will lead the women’s team, supported by vice-captain Ritu Mitharwal.
The official jersey, team captains, anthem, logo and mascot were unveiled at a curtain-raiser press conference ahead of the competition.
The semifinals in both categories will take place on October 30, followed by the finals on October 31.
Jitendra Pran Singh Thakur, General Secretary of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, said:
“It is a proud moment for Indian kabaddi to host the first Commonwealth Championship in Ahmedabad.”
“We look forward to welcoming the participating teams and showcasing the spirit, skill and competitive intensity of the sport on an international stage.”
Gehlot also highlighted the championship’s potential to expand the sport’s reach beyond its established audiences.
He said: “The inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship marks an important step in expanding kabaddi’s international presence.
“Bringing national teams from across the Commonwealth together will give athletes a new platform to showcase their abilities and introduce the sport to a wider global audience.
“The championship will be held under the theme ‘One Breath. One Raid. One Commonwealth’.”
With Ahmedabad preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the championship will also provide an opportunity to demonstrate the city’s capacity to stage international sporting events.
Organisers hope the competition will help raise kabaddi’s profile across Commonwealth nations and strengthen its case for inclusion as a medal event at future Games.
