Kabaddi makes it to Guinness World Record on March 24, World Kabaddi day

Gurugram , March 24, 2024 – The World Kabaddi Day is being celebrated every year on March 24, since the year 2019.   This year the World Kabaddi Day was celebrated in India and the venue chosen for the same was Tau Devi Lal Indoor Stadium, Panchkula, Haryana. HIPSA(Holistic International Pravasi Sports Association), along with organisation named World Kabaddi ,  jointly organized this years event. An MOU recently signed between HIPSA and the Government of Haryana, for the promotion of Kabaddi, globally, was one of the main reasons to choose India as a venue and Haryana in particular, for the event.

The Guinness World Record attempt was for ‘Most players  in a Kabaddi exhibition match’.  While Guinness had set the record benchmark for 84 players to break the record, the organizers had challenged an attempt for 154 players . The attempt began at 11 am on March 24, in the presence of adjudicators from the Guinness team, and after three hours of continuous play, the record was finally broken at 2 pm with a participation of 128 players as declared by the Guinness adjudicator, Mr Swapnil Dangarikar.

The Governor of Haryana, Sh Bandaru Dattatreya was the Chief Guest and the Guinness World record certificate was presented to the Governor by the Guinness team. The Governor then handed over the coveted certificate to the President of HIPSA, Smt Kanthi D Suresh, and the President of World Kabaddi, Shree Ashok Das.

A charged up venue at the Tau Devilal Stadium saw Team Arjuna and Team Abhimanyu jointly break this World Record. The technical rules for the Guinness Record attempt have been designed together by the Guinness team and members of World Kabaddi. Most of the rules are the standardized rules followed World over except for rules regarding the time length of the match and number of substitutions allowed in a standard match. Qualified witnesses and referees are some of the mandatory requirements laid down by the Guinness World Records team.

Foreign delegates from different member countries of World Kabaddi made their presence at the event, who were honoured to be felicitated by The Governor Sh Dattatreya in his speech was appreciative of the efforts of Ms Kanthi D Suresh, President HIPSA, who played a crucial role in the vision of the event. He spoke about the importance of Kabaddi as a sport for India and a desire to make it an Olympic Sport. Dignitaries from the Haryana Government including the Deputy Commissioner Panchkula, Sushil Sarwan, and Dr D Suresh, Principle Secretary HRD, and Principle Resident Commissioner, Haryana Bhawan, were present at the event. Ms Kanthi, President HIPSA, later spoke to the media and said that it was a proud moment for all and with India keen to host the Olympics in 2036, this Guinness Record is an initiative  to get the sport of Kabaddi on the World map.

Indian government’s support for Kabaddi has been instrumental in elevating the sport’s profile both domestically and internationally. India’s advocacy for indigenous sports and promotion of healthy lifestyles have contributed to Kabaddi’s continued growth and popularity. Breaking a Guinness World Record requires dedication, preparation, and perseverance. The “Officially Amazing” slogan is associated with Guinness World Records. It serves as a tagline for Guinness World Records, highlighting the incredible and extraordinary achievements recognized by the organization. The Guinness World Record ‘Officially Amazing’ certificate for the most players in a Kabaddi exhibition match was presented to HIPSA and World Kabaddi, at Panchkula, Haryana on 24 March 2024.