Pakistan have beaten India at the Asian Kabaddi championships near Islamabad late Friday, retaining its title and bringing a rare example of an international tournament held in militancy-wracked Pakistan to a successful end.
In the final match of the tournament, in which Iran, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal also participated, Pakistan defeated arch rivals India by 50-31.
The tournament, part of Indian and Pakistani attempts to revive the traditional circle form of kabaddi, was watched by thousands of spectators who braved security checks to reach the ground inside the Wah cantonment, a military town which is a hub for ordnance factories near the capital Islamabad.
"It's a great feeling to win the Asian title at our home surface. This happened because Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) provided us enough training facilities," said Musharraf Janjua, one of Pakistan's best players.
"It's good that our traditional circle style Kabaddi is being revived. I would request the government to provide more funds to the federation to enable it to organise more international championships in Pakistan and promote this traditional sport," he added after the final match.
