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Pakistan and Iran will step up their preparations for next month’s Asian Games when Iran’s men’s kabaddi team arrives in Islamabad on Thursday for a joint training camp.
The camp, arranged by the Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF), will give both sides valuable match practice before the Asian Games in Japan, scheduled for September 19 to October 4.
PKF Secretary General Mohammad Sarwar thanked the Iran Kabaddi Federation for sending its team and said the camp would benefit both squads.
“We are very much thankful to the Iran Kabaddi Federation for sending their team. It will help both sides prepare well for the Asiad,” Sarwar told The Express Tribune on Wednesday.
The teams will hold joint training sessions and play practice matches during the camp. The PKF is also considering staging several matches as a Test series.
Iran have established themselves as one of Asia’s leading kabaddi teams in recent years.
They won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia after defeating South Korea in the final. The victory marked a major breakthrough for Iran in a sport traditionally dominated by India and Pakistan.
Iran also won silver at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Iran again reached the final but lost to India and finished with silver. Pakistan claimed bronze at both the 2018 and 2023 editions.
Pakistan previously won silver medals at the 1998 and 2006 Asian Games. However, the team has struggled to regain its earlier dominance in Asian-style and circle-style kabaddi.
The upcoming Asian Games kabaddi camp will give Pakistan’s emerging players an opportunity to test themselves against one of the continent’s strongest sides.
Sarwar said the rise of Iran and South Korea had changed the competitive balance in Asian kabaddi.
“There was a time when both India and Pakistan ruled supreme in kabaddi,” he said.
He added that Iran and South Korea had made significant progress and could now challenge India.
Pakistan have selected a 16-member squad after trials, the national championship and the previous National Games.
Only two players from the squad represented Pakistan at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Sarwar said the younger squad could provide the energy needed to rebuild the national team.
“Young players have the spark and if you want to develop you will need energetic resources,” he said.
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The PKF hopes the new-look squad can help Pakistan challenge for the gold medal in Japan.
“We never returned empty-handed from Asiad and we are trying hard to revive our team so that we could fight for the gold,” Sarwar said.
The Iranian team will stay at a hotel in Islamabad until August 27.
Training sessions will take place at Rodham Hall in the Pakistan Sports Complex.
Rahat Maqsood, Mohammad Arshad and Hamid Mukhtar will oversee Pakistan’s players during the camp.
Sarwar, a former Pakistan captain, said the national team’s preparations had progressed well.
“Our training has been good and hopefully it will be a good Asian Games for us,” he said.
For Pakistan, the camp provides an important test for a largely new squad before the Asian Games. Facing Iran will give the young players valuable experience against a team that has consistently challenged India at the continental level.
For Iran, the visit offers another opportunity to sharpen its preparations against a traditional regional rival as the 2018 champions look to reclaim the Asian Games title.
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