The Asian Games 2026 are set to begin later this month, with the continental multisport event starting on September 19 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. As athletes across Asia step up preparations for the Games, Iran’s women’s kabaddi team is taking an unconventional route, turning to India for valuable match practice and exposure.
The Iranian side’s preparations have been severely disrupted by the war, with training time lost and a largely new squad now preparing for the challenge in Japan. A six-day camp in Sonepat has therefore become an important part of Iran’s rebuild, while also giving India’s emerging players a chance to test themselves against international opposition.
Iran rebuilds with a young squad
Iran have been among the strongest women’s kabaddi teams in Asia, winning medals at each of the last four Asian Games.
Their record includes bronze in Guangzhou in 2010, silver in Incheon in 2014, gold in Jakarta in 2018 and another bronze in Hangzhou in 2023.
However, the squad heading to Aichi-Nagoya will be considerably different from the team that competed in Hangzhou.
Head coach Gholamreza Mazandarani said the team has undergone a major transition, with more than 80 per cent of the squad changing since the previous Asian Games. The Sonepat camp has therefore given the younger players an opportunity to gain experience against quality opposition while also allowing the coaching staff to work on tactics.
Mazandarani believes the six-day stint has been particularly useful because the team can improve its game through regular practice matches rather than relying solely on training sessions.
He said the ultimate objective is to take a better and more competitive Iranian side to the Asian Games.
India offers a different level of competition
The choice of India for the camp was significant because of the country’s enormous kabaddi-playing base and the number of competitive opportunities available to its athletes.
Iran’s players trained at the SAI centre and faced India’s women’s team as well as local opposition, giving them exposure to different styles and approaches.
The experience was equally beneficial for India’s emerging players. India coach Naveen Kumar said the junior members of his squad were able to learn by facing an international team, particularly by observing how Iran approaches matches.
He also felt that the Iranian side’s physical attributes provided a useful challenge for India’s youngsters.
According to Naveen, the Iranian players’ fitness, strength and explosive power stood out, while their intensity and commitment offered further lessons for the younger Indian athletes.
The camp consequently became a two-way learning experience, with Iran gaining competitive preparation and India’s emerging players getting an opportunity to test themselves against international opposition.
India’s depth is a major advantage
For Mazandarani, the biggest difference between Iran and India is the depth of the domestic kabaddi system.
He estimates that Iran has around 3,000 to 4,000 male and female kabaddi players. India, meanwhile, has a much larger pool of players competing across different levels and tournaments.
That creates a significant difference in match exposure.
Mazandarani believes an Indian player can potentially play more than 50 or 60 matches in a year, giving them repeated opportunities to develop their skills under competitive pressure.
Iran player Zahra Karimi, who has visited India three times, also pointed to the lack of similar opportunities in Iran. She said India’s larger number of players and teams allows its athletes to face different opponents regularly, while Iran has fewer players and fewer domestic competitions.
That competitive variety is one of the main reasons Iranian players and coaches see value in travelling to India.
The base of kabaddi is in India
Mazandarani’s familiarity with Indian kabaddi also gives him a clear understanding of the country’s competitive environment. Before taking charge of Iran’s women’s national team, he coached Pro Kabaddi League side U Mumba.
He considers India the centre of the sport and believes players and coaches looking to reach the highest level can benefit from spending time in the country.
The Iranian coach also hopes future exchanges can go beyond short training camps.
He suggested that a longer stay of two or three months could allow Iran to develop its tactics, improve its players and play more regularly against local teams and some of India’s best players.
For Mazandarani, such exchanges could ultimately contribute to the wider development of kabaddi internationally.
A crucial test before Aichi-Nagoya
The Sonepat camp has provided Iran with an important building block ahead of the Asian Games.
With a largely new squad, the immediate challenge is to turn promising young players into a cohesive international team. Regular competition against different opponents will be crucial to that process.
For India, the camp has offered another opportunity to assess emerging players against a side with a proven Asian Games pedigree.
Iran’s four-medal record shows that the country has the ability to challenge for honours. The task now is to develop another generation capable of maintaining that tradition.
India’s deep domestic ecosystem could play an important role in that process, providing the young Iranian squad with the match exposure and competitive variety its coaches believe are essential before the Asian Games begin.
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