Elite kabaddi players complete Asian Games training camp at Inspire Institute in Bellary
India's Asian Games kabaddi preparations took a significant step forward this week as 90 elite athletes completed a week long training camp at the Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary. The camp, which ran from March 27 to April 2, was organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India in partnership with Mashal Sports.
India's top raiders and defenders involved
The men's group included some of the biggest names in Pro Kabaddi: Naveen Kumar, Arjun Deshwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Aslam Inamdar, Sunil Kumar, Ashu Malik, and Bharat Hooda all took part. On the women's side, the squad featured Ritu Negi, who captained India to the Women's Kabaddi World Cup title, alongside Sonali Vishnu Shingate, Pushpa Rana, Champa Thakur, and Pinki Roy.
More than just mat sessions
The programme at the world-class Bellary facility went well beyond standard kabaddi drills. Athletes went through structured strength and conditioning work, kabaddi-specific technical sessions, and recovery protocols including pool sessions, sauna, and ice baths. The camp opened with scientific assessments like the Yo-Yo test and detailed physical screening to establish baseline fitness levels.
Educational workshops covered anti-doping rules, nutrition, female health awareness, and physiology. The idea was to give athletes a complete high-performance experience rather than just physical training.
Asian Games squad still to be finalised
The AKFI has also announced an extended list of probables for the Indian women's kabaddi team, with a training camp underway to whittle the group down to the final 14-member squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. The men's squad will go through a similar process in the coming weeks.
India have dominated kabaddi at the Asian Games for decades, winning gold at every edition from 2002 to 2014 in the men's event. The 2022 edition in Hangzhou saw India reclaim gold after a shock semi-final exit at the 2018 Jakarta Games nearly derailed that run.
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