AHMEDABAD: If nothing, Argentina were high on energy. Playing their first ever competitive kabaddi match against Korea, a team that had shocked hosts India on the opening day, Argentina embraced the stage and sport with vigour. After a poor first half, they finished with a score of 42-68 during the group A clash of the Kabaddi World Cup at Ahmedabad’s The Arena on Sunday.
Argentina, the football superpower, has steadily risen in other team sports too, like rugby and hockey. And are keen to take on the ancient Indian sport. “It is simple, does not need equipment,” says coach Ricardo Acuna, also the Argentine kabaddi federation chief. “It is the most popular alternative, non-Olympic sport in Argentina.”
Acuna introduced the sport in the country in the early 2000s after first seeing a group of expat Indians playing the game in Vancouver, Canada. A proponent of alternative sports in the land of the Albiceleste, Acuna says it met the brief perfectly.
“It is not expensive and it can be explained in five minutes,” adds Acuna. “Argentines love their football, they already have great footwork and very strong lower body.”
He introduced it first as a training drill in some of the rugby clubs in the country and then got Physical Education Teachers (PET) and students hooked on to it. In the squad of 14, presently playing in India, ten of them are PETs. The captain, Sebastian Desocio, also trains prison wardens and raider Mariano Pascual trains and tames horses at his family farm.
“Kabaddi requires so many skills,” says Desocio, who also trains in martial arts. “You need to catch, throw, tackle, run. It’s great for the all-round development of athletes.”
While some of Argentina’s advanced tackles and deep raids may have seemed reckless, it’s a team that believes in motoring on. Tactical polish will come with time. The half-empty stadium on Sunday instantly warmed up to their energy. Their Argentine heroes based more in football — Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi — than kabaddi, the fans gleefully supported the newbies.
Argentina were down 11-43 at halftime and it looked like another ruthlessly one-sided affair. But Argentina didn’t let down their rich sporting tradition, fighting back to a respectable loss.
deeptipatwardhan@newindianexpress.com