LAHORE: According to The Express Tribune, Pakistan Kabaddi Federation secretary general and former national captain Mohammad Sarwar admitted the team had returned from the Asian Games without a medal for the first time in four decades.
Pakistan opened with wins over Malaysia (65-22) and Nepal (58-43), but defeats by Thailand (48-45) and Iran (51-30) ended their semi-final hopes. Sarwar said the side had led Thailand by 14 points before losing the match in the last seven minutes.
He blamed a lack of international exposure. The team usually trains in Iran, he said, but the US-Iran conflict made that impossible this time. Sarwar also acknowledged that circle-style kabaddi gets priority at home, while the mat format played at the Asian Games needs far more attention.
The report says the federation now plans to hire an Iranian coach and revive the Super Kabaddi League, held a few years ago, to give players competitive matches and financial security. Its next target is the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Riyadh from December 11 to 21.
Pakistan had previously won seven bronze and two silver kabaddi medals at the Asian Games. This time India won both the men's and women's titles, beating Iran in both finals.
More on The Express Tribune.