A group of young South Australian kabaddi players are gearing up to compete at the 2025 Australian Sikh Games in Sydney this Easter weekend.
Juniors are allowed to compete at the event, known as the “mini Sikh Olympics”, for the first time in the competition’s 37-year history.
Kabaddi is a main sport for the games, which are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators and participants over three days.
Players of the sport described kabaddi as a mix between wrestling, tag and rugby, and compared it to AFL in its athleticism.
Playing kabaddi involves strength, agility and tactics. (ABC Riverland: Shannon Pearce)
“It’s almost like a mix of everything because you’re running, you need strength,” one young player said.
“You need skills. You need to use your brain.”
‘It’s our mother sport’
Kabaddi has an ancient history, originating in India thousands of years ago.
The game is made up of two opposing sides: “stoppers” and “raiders”.
The raiders each take turns to approach a group of three to four stoppers on one side of the court, tag one and run back to their side.
It is the second most popular sport in India and growing in popularity around the world.
The Riverland Punjabi Sports Club has a team of 20 players aged seven-16 heading to the 2025 Australian Sikh Games in Sydney. (ABC Riverland: Shannon Pearce)
The Riverland Punjabi Sports Club plays the Punjabi style of kabaddi, though different variations of the sport exist around the world.
The club hosts players aged seven to 16.
Parent Mandi Singh said the sport had been a way for the young players to connect with their culture.
“Not only has it been about being able to get in touch with their culture again, it’s a traditional sport for them,” she said.
“They’re also speaking the Punjabi language more so it’s keeping the culture alive, even though they’re in Australia.“
Kabaddi has been a source of connection to community and culture for the club. (ABC Riverland: Shannon Pearce)
Ms Singh said the game offered her son a link to his family’s history.
“I know in my husband’s side of the family, it’s been in their blood,” she said.
“A lot of their family plays it to the point where his sister went internationally.
“My son can look up to her as well and look back upon my grandparents [who] played this game.”
It is a sentiment shared by under-15s player Satkirat Singh Sran.
“It’s our mother sport,” the 14-year-old said.
“It’s quite special for us now.”
Satkirat says he wants more young people in the region to join their team. (ABC Riverland: Shannon Pearce)
Big opportunity
The opportunity to take junior players to the national games is a proud moment for the team.
“It’s a proud moment as a parent, but it’s a proud moment for the community that they’re recognising the little ones now,” Ms Singh said.
“For us to be able to take a junior team there and to be able to play in front of hundreds of thousands of people, it’s such a big opportunity for these kids.“
Mandi Singh says the sport is great because the players work as a team but they also get a chance to challenge themselves individually. (ABC Riverland: Shannon Pearce)
Club president Harmeet Singh said kabaddi had given the players a sense of community while other kids their age were occupied with technology.
“Since we started this, they improved a lot,” Mr Singh said.
“Even their normal skills, personality improvement as well, because they come out here, they talk to each other, a bit of bonding.”
Player Anant Singh Dhillon, 14, said he had felt a boost in his confidence from the game too.
“It’s a bit different to other sports because you have to take your T-shirt off and you probably need a bit of confidence to do that,” he said.
“We learn a lot of new skills during kabaddi, and it helps us during life.”