Springbok coach Erasmus introduces 'hybrid player' Esterhuizen
Herbalife India's podcast features table tennis star Manika Batra discussing her Olympic journey, mental resilience, and personal growth, sharing insights on training, nutrition, and overcoming challenges in sports and life.
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Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Kabaddi goes global: A new league draws up an international playbook with Olympic goals—but can it last?
Mumbai: Kabaddi's global leap is getting a new push, and this time it's not from a broadcaster or a federation but from an entrepreneur betting on scale, structure, and sports entertainment. Sambhav Jain, founder of SJ Uplift Kabaddi Pvt. Ltd, is preparing to launch the World Super Kabaddi League (WSKL) in February-March in Dubai. The franchise-based league is backed by the International Kabaddi Federation and more than 20 national federations, and has ambitions of pushing kabaddi towards Olympic recognition. 'Getting kabaddi into the Olympics requires at least 40 to 50 active participating nations. We are starting with 30 countries already engaged and building from there," Jain told Mint. The league has secured commercial rights from the South Asian Kabaddi Federation and plans to structure WSKL not as a seasonal tournament but as a year-round league with academies, international talent scouting, and regional fan engagement. This isn't the first time kabaddi has been dressed in modern formats and thrust on a bigger stage. But the question remains: Can a sport rooted in rural India sustain global attention beyond an opening-week buzz? WSKL believes its differentiator is its player composition and location strategy. Unlike the Pro Kabaddi League, where 90% of the roster is Indian, WSKL is flipping the ratio, with 60-70% foreign players and 30-40% Indian athletes in its first season. Over the next 2-3 years, Jain plans to lower Indian representation in WSKL to about 20% to make room for global talent. The league will operate with eight franchises and a total player purse of ₹48 crore, fully funded by the franchise owners. Negotiations are underway with owners from the US, Canada, and South Korea. 'We are targeting sports investors who understand risk, return and fan-building, not just short-term exposure," Jain said. Before going global, Jain tested the waters with the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League—a regional, franchise-based league launched by his company 1X Sportz in partnership with the UP Kabaddi Association. The inaugural season last year featured eight teams and combined grassroots scouting with a professional auction format. The Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League drew encouraging early traction, including broadcast deals and brand partnerships, which Jain calls the 'proof of concept" for his bigger ambitions. 'UPKL gave us the operational playbook and showed there's appetite for kabaddi as structured IP (intellectual property)," he said. WSKL's real test WSKL franchisees will be offered a central revenue share via media rights, sponsorships, and merchandise, with a projected return on investments in 2-3 seasons. Dubai was chosen as the host city because of its strategic visibility and access to diaspora audiences, Jain said, adding that talks are ongoing with broadcasters in India and overseas. A non-exclusive, multi-region syndication strategy is on the cards, he said. Confirmed participating nations include Iran, South Korea, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, and the US. Jain is financing the venture himself and has no immediate plans to dilute equity or raise funds. 'We have seen what happens when leagues get bloated too early. We are staying lean, focused, and structured for sustainability," he said. Still, the sports entertainment market is littered with cautionary tales. From the Pro Volleyball League's legal tussles to the Indian Super League's uneven football franchise economics and table tennis struggling for consistent traction, non-cricket leagues in India have had mixed fates. Jain believes WSKL is learning from those failures. 'We are not copying the IPL (the popular Indian Premier League 20-over-a-side cricket format)," he said. 'We are adapting its best practices but keeping kabaddi's cultural and commercial reality in mind. You can't build a global league with just flash—you need foundation." Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company ACG Group, too, plans to avoid the IPL format for its recently announced professional basketball league. GMR Sports—which owns the UP Yoddhas team in the Pro Kabaddi League, the Telugu Yoddhas team in Ultimate Kho Kho, and a 50% stake in the Delhi Capitals IPL team—is preparing to launch the Rugby Premier League. The World Super Kabaddi League hopes to build credibility through institutional alignment. 'We are officially sanctioned by IKF and have 20 federations onboard, which gives us legitimacy. But now it's about execution," he added. For all its ambition, WSKL's real test will be fan retention, franchise patience, and its ability to turn kabaddi into a 12-month commercial asset. The format may be ready, but the world and the market will need convincing.
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Business Standard
3 hours ago
- Business Standard
Who will be the next sprint king? Gout is front-runner; here's how
In a world that has long awaited the next sprint sensation, 17-year-old Australian athlete Gout Gout is making an early claim to the throne once occupied by Usain Bolt. Gout recently clocked a blistering 20.02 seconds in the 200m at the prestigious Ostrava Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic—his first major outing on European soil. The performance not only shattered his own national record but also confirmed his growing reputation as a future global track star. With South Sudanese roots and a hunger for speed, the teenager from Queensland is turning heads not just for his times, but for a finishing burst reminiscent of Bolt in his prime. Gout's journey so far has been defined by hard work, raw talent and rising expectations. A Record-Breaking Start Born in Ipswich, near Brisbane, Gout is the son of South Sudanese immigrants who settled in Australia in 2005. His breakout moment came in December last year when, as a 16-year-old, he ran 200m in 20.04 seconds at the national high school championships—breaking a record that had stood since 1968. That run etched his name alongside Peter Norman, an Olympic silver medallist, and made the athletics world take notice. The following year, Gout won silver at the U20 World Championships in Lima, Peru, clocking 20.60 seconds. That performance earned him a contract with Adidas and a spot among the most-watched young sprinters in the world. Bolt Comparisons and Sub-20 Firepower Though comparisons with Usain Bolt may seem premature, Gout has already achieved what the Jamaican legend hadn't at the same age. Bolt's best U18 time for 200m was 20.13s—a mark Gout has surpassed. He even recorded a wind-assisted 19.84s earlier this year, along with a 9.99s in the 100m—though both were deemed ineligible due to excessive tailwind. Observers have noted that Gout's greatest asset is his surge in the final stretch of the 200m, often overtaking competitors after the bend. Speaking to media, Gout reportedly acknowledged that his top-end speed gives him confidence, even when others start faster. The Name That Caught On While his athletic feats dominate headlines, his name has also stirred curiosity. Gout's father explained that the correct pronunciation is 'Guot', but a bureaucratic error altered the spelling. The family remains uncomfortable with the association to a disease, yet the name—ironically—has become a talking point in global athletics. Balancing School and Stardom Despite his growing fame, Gout is still a school student, carefully planning races around his academic schedule. His current European tour aligns with school holidays, and he is expected to return home before competing at the World Championships in Tokyo later this year.
Deccan Herald
4 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
India's Euro implosion
Riding in with momentum, the squad entered the tournament as back-to-back Olympic bronze medallists (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), firmly planted among the world's top five teams.
