Kabaddi in Canada

Kabaddi (particularly circle kabaddi)^[1] is a sport mainly played by the South Asian community in Canada. A number of club competitions take place in Canada,^[2] some of which attract players from countries such as India.^[3]

History

Kabaddi is noted for being particularly popular amongst the Punjabi community in Canada.^[4] It has become a popular high school sport in some parts of Surrey.^[5][6][7] Millions of dollars have been invested into kabaddi stadiums in Brampton and Surrey.^[8][9][10]

Kabaddi tournaments receive support from local businesses,^[11] as well as politicians who use them to obtain Punjabi votes.^[4] The tournaments have also been used to incentivize South Asians to avoid gang involvement.^[12][13][14]

Controversy

Kabaddi has been alleged to have ties to gangsterism; for example, the National Kabaddi Association President, Kamaljit Singh 'Neetu' Kang, was targeted in a drive-by shooting in 2023.^[1] Other allegations include links to people-smuggling and drug abuse; of the 261 Indian kabaddi players who entered Canada between 2014 and 2017, only about half returned to India.^[4][15]

Canadians involved in kabaddi have also been alleged to have been involved in drug-related crimes in India.^[16]