Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 15 (ANI): The Indian males’s kabaddi crew head coach Balwan Singh pressured that the crew is heading into the Asian Games 2026 with full preparations but additionally highlighted the necessity to not underestimate any opposition.
The Indian males’s and ladies’s kabaddi groups, on Tuesday, departed for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with either side aiming to convey house gold medals. The Games will run from September 19 to October 4.
Speaking to ANI, Balwan Singh mentioned the Indian males’s crew is totally ready for the Asian Games in Japan after finishing coaching camps in Bengaluru and Ballari. He additionally pressured that each opponent is powerful and that constant apply and preparation can be key to success.
‘We are heading to Japan for the Asian Games. Our preparations are full. We started with camps in India-three in Bengaluru and one on the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) in Ballari-followed by the ultimate camp. There are 10 groups in whole. If we win all six matches, we are going to safe the gold medal,’ he mentioned.
“We should never underestimate our opponents. Every team is strong. If we practice well, we are the strongest. It all comes down to practice; nobody is inherently strong,” he added.
The Indian males’s crew captain Sunil Malik mentioned profitable gold on the Asian Games stays his main objective. After securing gold within the earlier version, he’s decided to repeat the achievement for India. He additionally famous that competitors is turning into more durable as the game good points recognition and extra international locations enhance their requirements.
‘For any participant, profitable a gold medal on the Asian Games is a serious objective. That is strictly what I’m aiming for. I competed within the earlier Asian Games and received gold there as properly; the mindset and the objective stay the identical this time-to win gold for India once more. The competitors is intensifying. This is partly as a result of India’s influence-competition is rising throughout varied nations. It is definitely useful for the game that completely different international locations are taking part in, and the extent of competitors is rising,’ he mentioned.
Meanwhile, the ladies’s crew captain Pushpa Rana mentioned the crew is well-prepared for the competitors. She recognized Chinese Taipei and Iran as their hardest rivals, whereas highlighting the rising world recognition of Kabaddi and the precious function of worldwide publicity in growing the game.
‘Our preparation has been glorious… While all of the competing groups are good, those which have challenged us over the past 2-3 years are Chinese Taipei and Iran… Players and coaches from overseas take part within the males’s league; once they return house, they take that data again and develop the game there. We are thrilled to see Kabaddi rising like this and that gamers are getting such a fantastic platform,’ she mentioned.
India’s males’s and ladies’s kabaddi groups will start their Asian Games 2026 campaigns in Japan on September 21, aiming to defend their gold medals from the 2022 Hangzhou Games. (ANI)