Asian kabaddi championship: the most interesting is only to come
The Asian kabaddi championship in Iranian Gurgen gathered the strongest teams from ten countries in the region.
This game - in ancient times popular fun, which amused both adults and children - nowadays has acquired the status of a sport discipline that is rapidly gaining popularity on all continents of the planet.
At the Iranian championship of Asia - both men's and women's national kabiddi teams are represented. True, Afghanistan exhibited exclusively the men's team. However, gender parity will not be violated, since the Chinese Taipei, in turn, sent only women's national team to Gurgen.
Teams are divided into two groups. Turkmenistan in the men's section (luckily for their fans) got into the second group, avoiding at an early stage of the championship meeting with the team of India - the historic homeland, according to experts, of this interesting game. India is also the parent of the strongest team in the world today,as well as for yesterday and, most likely, for tomorrow too.
It is expected that in the first group the most stubborn resistance to the Indian team will be the Pakistanis - it is quite obvious that the confrontation of politicians in the international arena will be projected by the kabaddists and on their small sports ground.
Their rivals in the group tournament turned out to be far from weak Japan and Iraq, as well as gradually recovering after severe hard times Afghanistan. But it is still predicted that in the first group the main struggle for reaching the semi-final will unfold between the kabaddists of two eternal rivals from the Hindustan peninsula, who will converge in the last meeting of the group tournament. So the intrigue will persist until the very end.
Although the team of Turkmenistan managed to avoid a catastrophic meeting with India, the team leader of the world kabaddi, thanks to the lot, in the second group it is awaited with hard trials. First of all, with the hostess of the championship - the Iranian national team. And not only because worldly wisdom says that houses and walls help. The Iranian team is well staffed, the athletes are experienced enough, full of ambitions to prove to their fans that they are worthy to occupy the middle ground on the podium.
Another clear favorite in the second group is the South Korean team. However, both Thailand and Chinese Taipei, too, is not a gift - teams from those countries where varieties of modern kabaddi were spread even in times far from us.
The least experienced, but at the same time rapidly gaining mastery, is the team of Turkmenistan. And it can not only resist the grandees of the world kabaddi, but also present surprises. Especially on the day of the first game - November 24 - in a meeting with the national team of Sri Lanka.
The hardest tests - both physically and psychologically - are waiting for the Turkmen kabaddists in the second day of the competition, on November 25. Our team will meet with the most formidable opponents in the group - Iran and the Republic of Korea.
For the Iranians the problem of reaching the semifinals can be solved on the first day of the championship in meetings with Thailand and Korea.
This all is about our male level ...
As for the female half, the situation there is much less predictable. As, in general, it always is for this part of humanity. Any of the women's teams can take the first place, as however, with same success has every opportunity to slide down to the bottom line of the standings.
Semifinals will be held on November 26 before lunch, and the final duel, which will announce the name of the champion of the Asian continent - after lunch.
So the most interesting is yet to come!
