Kabaddi trophy up for grabs
10 December 2014
KAWERAU’S Davina Thompson is in India competing in the Kabaddi World Cup.
The tournament runs until December 20 and Thompson will be part of the 14-women New Zealand team, who will face England, Mexico and Pakistan in pool play.
The traditional Indian sport has teams trying to earn points be entering by entering a zone and then escaping from the defenders, or blockers. The full field is a 30-metre diameter circle, with a gate in the middle. Raiders have 30 seconds to enter the semi-circle, tag and opponent and return to the gate they came through. If they are successful they score a point for the team, while the defending team score by preventing it. The defenders can tackle, use leg take downs and scrag the raider.
Earlier this year Thompson and Stacey Waaka competed at a Bay of Plenty tournament in Tauranga, where Waaka was the top raider.
Unlike most sports, funding is not one of the major issues.
The trips and tournaments are bankrolled by the Indian moguls, leading to zero costs for the athletes.
Source: Whakatane Beacon