Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Ancient Indian sport builds bridges across cultures in Hong Kong

Ancient Indian sport builds bridges across cultures in Hong Kong

Overlooked by high-rises on the outskirts of Hong Kong, a group of students practice body-slam tackles and vicious ankle-wrenches at weekly training for an unlikely sport: the ancient Indian game of kabaddi.
Though its professional league has a huge following in India and surrounding nations, kabaddi -- a highly physical game where the object is to tag the rival team, often by brute force -- is relatively unknown outside the region.

But eight years ago, two Chinese anthropologists set up a Hong Kong team to encourage integration in a city which, despite its status as an international hub, can be less than inclusive, especially when it comes to non-white and non-Chinese residents.

"We often hear Hong Kong is Asia's world city, but we really don't have much chance to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds," Wyman Tang, one of the anthropologists, told AFP.

"We live in the same neighborhood, but it's like we are living in a parallel world."

Their project -- Kabaddi United Hong Kong (KUHK) -- began as a one-off workshop at a local university. It has now spread to nearly 80 schools and social organizations and has had more than 8,000 participants.

Royal Sunar, a coach at KUHK, was shocked to find the game of his childhood being taught in Hong Kong.

"Kabaddi was one of my interests," said the Hong Kong-born Nepali.

"Somehow local Chinese people also like the sport."

Kabaddi is said to date back 5,000 years with roots in Indian mythology, although similar versions of the game have appeared throughout Asia over the centuries, including in Iran, which also claims to be its birthplace.

Teams collect points by sending a "raider" to the rival side, who tries to quickly tag an opponent and then run back to their own half.

Defending teams try to prevent the raider escaping, which often involves full-team pile-ons.

Nepali immigrant Rojit Sharma joined KUHK in 2019.

For him, kabaddi offered a gateway to making Chinese friends for the first time, and to practice Cantonese.

"(There is) an emotional connection in kabaddi because we hold hands and then we know more about each other," he said.

But the 22-year-old said that off the pitch, ethnic minorities in Hong Kong have to fight to be recognized as "local".

He is no stranger to blatant discrimination.

"When I arrived in Hong Kong, whenever I would travel on public buses or public transport, and when I'd try to sit down, the person next to the seat would just move away," he told AFP.

Advocacy groups say his experience is the norm.

"I think there are significant issues in Hong Kong related to race," said Shalini Mahtani, the CEO of one such group, the Zubin Foundation.

She said South Asians face daily discrimination in Hong Kong, giving examples of people being told their skin is too dark at job interviews or being blocked from renting apartments.

"They are the wrong color in a place that is very color sensitive," she added.

The coronavirus pandemic has deepened discrimination.

Critics pointed out that the same could easily be said of Cantonese culture -- or the many raucous bars filled with white-collar "expat" foreign workers.

Mahtani partly blames the issue on the education system.

"The truth is many Hong Kong Chinese will never have had the experience of engaging with ethnic minorities," she said.

That was true for Christy Tai, a final-year university student, until she joined her kabaddi group after trying it out and liking its "team spirit".

She said sport is an effective way to get over language barriers.

"We need to talk to each member in the team... When we talk, we cannot only talk about a sport, but we talk about our life, our habits, or whatever," she said.

Hong Kong still has a long way to go to begin a professional kabaddi league, but founder Tang is pleased how much the game has caught on in the city.

"As long as you follow the same sets of rules, then you can enjoy the game," Tang said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×