Asian Games 2023: High-voltage drama, numerous reviews, and a sit-in protest are what led up to India's gold medal victory in Kabaddi

 Asian Games 2023: High-voltage drama, numerous reviews, and a sit-in protest are what led up to India's gold medal victory in Kabaddi

Asian Games 2023: Before India won its historic gold medal in Kabaddi on Saturday, there was a sit-in protest, a number of reviews, a heated discussion, and a lot of drama.

The match was temporarily suspended following a contentious raid involving Indian captain Pawan Shehrawat. After nearly an hour of arguments and deliberations, the last match of the competition could finally resume. 

Senior officials, such as the referee, continued to try to resolve the issue despite persistent protestations from both sides. 

How the final 90 seconds of the game caused an hour-long break

With less than 90 seconds remaining and the score tied at 28, Pawan Sehrawat launched a last-ditch raid that would decide the game.

Pawan entered the lobby during his raid without coming into contact with any of his adversaries. His entrance into the lobby, however, caused commotion as four Iranian adversaries sought to block him. 

As soon as Pawan crossed the line, Iran was given a point. The decision, however, did not sit well with Indian Kabaddi players, who passionately disagreed with it.

Later, both the on-court umpire and the TV umpire participated in a review. After a review, the verdict was made in favor of team India, who received four points. The Iranian squad, however, harshly criticized the choice.

In the event's final match, the fervent protests by both sides created a tense atmosphere.

According to the lobby regulation, if a raider crosses the line and a defense follows him into the lobby area, both of them are disqualified.

"Under International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) standards, the Indian team was receiving four points and Iran one point, but the officiating officials gave just one point each," Kavitha stated.

India next requested a video review, which they eventually won after several minutes. However, chaos soon ensued as the Iranians took it in turn to voice their displeasure with the refs, who once more overturned the outcome.

After that, the Indians sat on the mat and prevented play for about one hour.

Finally, with one minute remaining in the game, we scored four points and Iran only one. At that point, the score was 28-28," she continued.

When the score changed from 28–28 to 32–29, the game was restarted and the final minute was played.

India scored one point in the final minute to win the match 33-29 and take home the gold. The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) eliminated this lobby rule last season, therefore a defense who follows a raider into the lobby is no longer eliminated. Just the raider is left standing.