“There are some big guys who can lift weights but they can’t play. If you see a player getting slapped and going down you wonder how he’ll get up.”

The Blue Peter Club on Belgrave Road, Leicester, is an unlikely venue to be the nerve centre of English Kabaddi, but it is here that the imposing figure of Piara Singh Randhawa combines his roles as restaurateur, President of Leicester Kabaddi Club and Senior Vice-President of the England Kabaddi Federation.

Randhawa is an elder statesman of the Kabaddi scene and after thirty-five years involvement his devotion to the sport is evident as he gears up for a major tournament to be staged in Leicester later this summer.

“I am looking forward to it and we hope to have plenty of spectators for a good competition with some great teams taking part.”

As well as leading Leicester to domestic success, Randhawa is proud of having guided teams abroad for international competitions. The most notable successes came in the 1980’s when teams touring Canada returned victorious. These achievements resulted in participation in Kabaddi’s World Cup.

Although the sport briefly developed a cult following of early risers when it was screened on Channel 4 in the early 1990’s, it is not recognised by the mainstream media. Nevertheless, Kabaddi’s devotees continue to persevere.  The sport is in good health with around twenty events held in England each year.

Whilst explaining the rules and objectives of Kabaddi, Randhawa’s enthusiasm and knowledge is obvious. For the unversed of us, two teams of ten take turns to send a man known as a ‘raider’ into the opponent’s half, where his aim is to touch a defender or ‘blocker’ and return to his own half within a 30 second time limit, thus scoring a point for his team.

The defending side must attempt to stop the raider returning to his half by holding him until the thirty seconds is up. Matters are further complicated by the rule which requires raiders to hold their breath and chant ‘Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi’.

Kabaddi is not a sport for the faint hearted and serious dedication is required to reach a competitive level. This makes it difficult for hard working amateurs to compete with those who dedicate their lives to an intense training regime, having played at a high level since their youth.

“It’s simple,” explains Randhawa, “The more matches you play, the better you get, but we can’t play in the winter. In India, they play for nine or ten months of the year so have more stamina and skill.”

Kabaddi is one of numerous sports hoping to be granted Olympic status and the sport’s governing bodies have taken steps to increase levels of professionalism, particularly regarding the use of banned substances.

As a result, players are developing alternative methods of gaining the upper hand. However, these too have been subject to scrutiny. Players have been known to shower, cover themselves in oil and shower again to become slippery and difficult to hold. This is forbidden, yet shaving is allowed.

“Not just for tactical reasons, but shaving helps us to look good! We are planning on getting Kabaddi into the Olympics but it is going to take time. The sport is more professional now as people are paid big money and all they do is play Kabbadi.”

The dream will be a step closer if Kabaddi’s inclusion in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as a demonstration sport, in New Delhi, proves to be a success. Randhawa is hopeful that England will be admitted to the event.

Whilst a more professional approach increases the intensity of the competition, it offers new challenges to Randhawa and other provincial teams in England  with limited budgets. The problems faced by Kabaddi mirror those of more mainstream sports.

“We used to have all Leicester boys playing for us, not guys from India, America or Canada, but things have changed.”

The sentiments in his remarks are strikingly similar to those espoused by followers of our country’s major sports; that it would be good to return to the days when our football, cricket and rugby teams were made up of local boys rising through the ranks to represent the first team.

“We have a lot of youngsters playing in England and in Leicester itself, but teams with money have started paying players from other countries. These players grew up training for three hours in the morning and then train again at night. It is impossible for someone working for eight hours a day to do the same.”

One thing is for sure though. As long as there are men like Piara Singh Randhawa, who are prepared to devote time and money to organise teams and events, then this fascinating sport will play an integral part in the lives of those who have grown to love it. As for Sky or the BBC battling for exclusive television rights, I wouldn’t hold your breath.

For more information on Piara and Leicester Kabaddi contact Soar on 0116 2616 892 or hello@soarmagazine.co.uk.