With it being the first time that the competition was staged outside Asia and events held in venues across the West Midlands, a global audience of millions watched as India beat England in the men's and women's finals of the Kabaddi World Cup.
Held in Wolverhampton, the final, held at WV Active Aldersley in the city was a sell out with Scotland men's team beating Wales in the battle for bronze. England's women were unable to overcome defending champions India, losing 57-34, with the men also being beaten by India 44-41, in a closely contested end of the tournament.
Sponsored by Paddy Power, with additional funding of £500,000 from the UK Government's Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund, Prem Singh, chief executive officer of the British Kabaddi League, said: “It was an ambitious challenge to bring the World Cup to the region, but I was pleased that they managed it.”
The tournament, which stems from an ancient Indian sport dating back more than 4,000 years, kicked off on 17 March with England men taking on Hungary at WV Active, with venues also in Birmingham, Coventry and Walsall hosted almost 50 matches. Broadcast to nine television channels around the world including in India, Malaysia, the US and Africa male and female competitors from across Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe took part in the tournament.
