[Video provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

The "Exciting Hangzhou" 2023 National Kabaddi Championship kicked off at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre on June 1. It is the first national-level kabaddi event hosted by China.

The Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre is the venue for the kabaddi event of the Hangzhou Asian Games. This competition strictly followed the International Kabaddi Federation's latest competition rules and regulations and will consist of two events, namely men's kabaddi (below 85kg) and women's kabaddi (below 75kg), with a total of two gold medals on offer.

The rules of kabaddi are similar to those of the folk game "eagle catches chicks". It is one of the few sports where the number of players in each team is not equal: one attacking player may face off against up to seven defensive players simultaneously, making the sport exciting and entertaining.

Kabaddi originated in Asia more than 4,000 years ago and is popular in West Asia and South Asia. It made its debut as a performance sport at the 11th Olympic Games in 1936 in Berlin.