Community arts weekend kicks off Kabaddi World Cup

A celebration of culture and creativity will kick off the Kabaddi World Cup, which is being held in the West Midlands – the first time it has been hosted outside Asia.

Community workshops have been held across the region, and activities, including drumming, flag and banner-making, are taking place at Wolverhampton Art Gallery this weekend.

The workshops have been billed as a celebration of the World Cup, and the popular combative team sport, with "something for everyone to enjoy".

The opening ceremony on Monday, which starts the week-long event, will include performances from Wolverhampton Music Service and a Bollywood dance troupe at the Aldersley Stadium.

There will also be a grand athlete procession led by representatives from Wolverhampton Wrestling Club.

Event organisers said that more than 2,700 students have taken part in community workshops held at schools and cultural hubs so far.

The gallery's community weekend is planned to bring communities together, centred around a South Asian market installation by artist Daya Bhatti.

A spokesman said the programme had created "a lasting impact" and a "platform for cultural exchange and inclusion", that showed the power of sport and the arts could "unite communities, spark creativity and leave a lasting legacy."

The game of Kabaddi involves teams of seven players that take turns sending a "raider" into the enemy's territory. The raider has to tag as many opponents as possible while chanting "kabaddi, kabaddi", without stopping.

Kabaddi World Cup West Midlands 2025 runs from 17 to 23 March and is set to feature men's and women's teams from across the world, including from India, Iran and Pakistan.

Home nation teams from England and Scotland are also competing.

Thousands of fans have bought tickets for the competition over seven days with more than 60 matches to be held across Birmingham, Coventry, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Events are expected to reach a TV audience of more than 250 million people across Europe.

The tournament features men's and women's teams for only the second time - after the first took place in Malaysia in 2019, when India won both competitions.

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