Kabaddi World Cup 2016: Pakistan conspicuous by its absence; India face tough opponents in South Korea in opening match

Kabaddi World Cup 2016: Pakistan conspicuous by its absence; India face tough opponents in South Korea in opening match Follow @merinews

Sarandeep Singh

15 September, 2016

In the official schedule of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup announced yesterday, the most notable thing was the absence of Pakistan. Strangely, Pakistan's participation had been confirmed when the event was announced a couple of months back at the end of PKL Season 4.

The International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) is yet to commit to the participation of Pakistan in the event. Deoraj Chaturvedi, Chief Operating Officer of IKF said, "It's still in a wait and watch phase right now. In the next few days we will probably have a better view and understanding on their participation."

Notably, Pakistan team had not participated in the inaugural World Cup in 2004 and its second edition in 2007, both hosted in Mumbai. What is even more surprising is that Pakistan team had participated in the South Asian Games, held in Guwahati in February this year.

Mounting tensions between the neighbouring countries often results in visa related problems. In the first season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League in 2014, a number of Pakistani players had been denied visas.

In the meanwhile, seven-time champions and hosts India will meet South Korea in their opening encounter of the Kabaddi World Cup 2016. Koreans are a tricky team and include players like Jan Kun Lee and Tae Deok Eom, who have made their mark in India in the Pro Kabaddi League.

The match between India and South Korea will take place on October 7, 2016. In another encounter on the same day, USA will take on Iran. All matches of the Kabaddi World Cup will be played out at The Arena, a state-of-the-art stadium constructed by TransIndia. The final match of the 2016 edition of the Kabaddi World Cup will be held on October 22. Star Sports Network will telecast all matches of the Kabaddi World Cup 2016. Tickets of the matches are already up for grabs and available at Bookmyshow.com.