The gold medal Kabaddi showdown between India and Iran at the Asian Games 2023 took an unexpected turn when a contentious raid involving Indian captain Pawan Sehrawat led to a temporary suspension of the match. In the closing moments of the highly charged final, the situation became so tense that the final was suspended for more than an hour, with referee and match officials seemingly at sea with consistent protests from both sides. The drama began with less than 90 seconds left on the clock and the scores level at 28-28, as Pawan Sehrawat embarked on a do-or-die raid.
During his raid, Pawan ventured out of bounds into the lobby without making contact with any Iranian defender. His move into the lobby triggered confusion as four Iranian defenders attempted to dash him. Initially, Iran was awarded a point as Pawan went out of bounds, but the Indian team vehemently protested this decision. Subsequently, a review was conducted, involving both TV umpires and the on-court umpire, which ultimately ruled in favor of India. The decision granted four points to India and one to Iran. The Iranian team, then, reacted strongly to this ruling, leading to a tense situation on the court.
This turn of events injected a significant dose of controversy and drama into the already intense gold medal match between the two powerhouse Kabaddi teams.
The ruling
IKF rule (Rule 28 of the IKF rulebook): If a defender or defenders who has/have touched the ground outside the boundary (as per rule 5), hold a raider, the raider will be declared NOT OUT. The defender or defenders who have gone out of bounds only will be declared out.
PKL rule: If a raider steps into the lobby, then the raid ends there and the raider is eliminated. One point awarded to the defending team unless one of their defenders also goes off the mat.
What happened eventually?
The referee found himself in a perplexing situation following Iran’s protests, as he returned to the judge’s desk to review additional replays of the contentious raid. Despite these repeated reviews, there was still uncertainty regarding which rule should be applied. Umpires were seen pacing around the court, attempting to decipher the situation, while the players remained on the mat.
India’s coach E Bhaskaran questioned why the referee changed the decision after India’s review if the new rule was indeed being applied. After further deliberation, the officials returned with a decision that favored Iran once more. Indian coach, then, instructed his players to stop playing and sit on the mat in protest. The situation took an unsavory turn as Pawan and the entire Indian bench confronted the referees. More officials were summoned, and the secretary general of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India reviewed the replays, stating that one point should be awarded to each team. However, this decision was met with fervent protests from the Indian side again.
In a puzzling turn of events, the officials appeared to change their stance again, awarding three points to India. This decision prompted the Iranian team to cry foul and stage a protest by sitting on the mat. The drama continued until the officials ultimately ruled in India’s favor, and the game resumed. After two raids and another minute of play, India secured their eighth gold medal in men’s kabaddi at the Asian Games.
