IKF General Secretary Tejasvi Gehlot said Pakistan's government did not allow its athletes to travel to Ahmedabad, leaving 13 nations in the men's event that starts on 23 October.
Pakistan will not take part in the first Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in Ahmedabad after their government refused permission for the team to travel to India, International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) General Secretary Tejasvi Gehlot confirmed. The decision leaves the men’s competition with 13 nations when the tournament opens at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex on Friday, 23 October.
According to Khel Now, 14 countries were originally set to compete in the men’s event before Pakistan withdrew at the last minute. Their absence removes one of the more experienced kabaddi nations from a field built largely around emerging teams.
Gehlot made it clear that the hold-up did not come from the Indian side. “The Pakistani government hasn’t allowed their athletes to travel to our country. I don’t know the reason, but our government permitted, and we sent them all the paperwork. However, we got an intimation that they won’t be able to come,” he said.
The IKF official did not give any further explanation for the refusal, and no statement from Pakistani officials appeared in the reports available.
Khel Now linked the withdrawal to the ongoing political tensions between the two countries, pointing to the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor as moments that strained relations further. The outlet noted that Pakistan also stayed away when India hosted the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016, a tournament India won by beating Iran in the final. It added that Pakistan did not travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026 and played their matches in Sri Lanka instead, while India have likewise declined to travel to Pakistan for tournaments.
The sporting cost for Pakistan could be significant. Khel Now reported that Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the men’s kabaddi event at the Asian Games 2026, the first time they had left the competition without at least a bronze medal. With Iran and Chinese Taipei not in the Ahmedabad field, the outlet argued that the Commonwealth event had offered Pakistan a realistic chance to return to the podium at a major international tournament.
India, by contrast, arrive in strong form. Khel Now noted that the Indian men’s and women’s teams both won gold at the Asian Games 2026 and are now targeting the inaugural Commonwealth titles.
The championship, organised by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), runs from 23 to 31 October and will feature 23 squads and more than 400 athletes across men’s and women’s competitions. The Brampton Guardian reported that 13 teams will contest the men’s title and 10 the women’s. According to a Sandesh report cited by Urban Acres, the tournament will have 62 matches and is being staged under the theme “One Breath, One Raid, One Championship”.
The participating nations are India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Uganda, England, Scotland and Australia.
Ahmedabad’s status as a Commonwealth host city made it the natural venue, with the event intended to strengthen kabaddi’s case for inclusion as a medal sport at future Commonwealth Games. Bobby Dhillon, chair of Canada Kabaddi Alliance and president of Kabaddi Pan-America and World Kabaddi, told the Brampton Guardian that the purpose of the tournament is to showcase the sport ahead of its potential debut at the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.
“We are here to establish the game,” Dhillon said. “Without the government support, it’s not that easy.”
Canada’s squad includes four players from Brampton and one from Caledon, reflecting the sport’s growth in that part of Ontario. Urban Acres reported that organisers have begun preparations for the arrival of international teams, security arrangements and spectator entry.
The tournament gets under way on Friday, 23 October and will be broadcast on Star Sports. Canada open their campaign against Bangladesh at 11:30 AM IST on Saturday, 24 October. The semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, 30 October, with the men’s and women’s finals on Saturday, 31 October, when the first Commonwealth kabaddi champions will be crowned.
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