A Duel of Power, Pride and Respect

The Indo Pak Kushti World Championship attracts huge interest around the world from Indian and Pakistan audiences keen to see their heroes battling it out.
The Championship brings two nations together supporting a traditional sport with modern heroes in a world class setting.
The first edition of the Championship in 2017 brought over 6,000 captivated spectators in the Hamdan Sports Complex, excitedly cheering on the wrestlers in close fought duels.
A further 3,000,000 live views on social media, brought the pride of nations into the reach of millions across the world.

Why is the Indo-Pak Kushti World Championship Important

Kushti is growing in popularity as it moves from villages and towns to big cities and sports arenas.
Kushti is exciting to watch live and broadcast. It attracts enthusiastic audiences worldwide. Recent high profile movies have also captured new followers keen to know more about the sport and its heroes.
Kushti wrestlers are gaining popularity and becoming heroes on social media, as fans want to know more about their champions.
Indo-Pak Kushti World Championship engages nations, and fans passionate for traditional sports with modern heroes.

Indo Pak Kushti World Championship Reaches the World

Kushti Wrestling is spreading across the globe in popularity as a traditional sport is brought to 21st century arenas and modern media platforms.
Wherever, Indian and Pakistan expatriates settle across the globe, interest in Kushti is spreading. Its practise as a sport is being taken to new countries and developing into a worldwide movement. The UAE with 2.8 million expatriates from India and 1.2 million from Pakistan, is a key centre for the modern sport of Kushti. The vast populations of India, 1.324 billion and 200,813 million in Pakistan offer enormous potential for growth of this much loved sport.
The Indo-Pak Kushti World Championship brings this global Kushti wrestling community together supporting new heroes and champions.

Mission

The Indo Pak Kushti Championship aims to bring a traditional and ancient sport popular in India and Pakistan to the big arena and to the community at large. The Indo Pak Kushti Championship takes Kushti into the modern age with mass appeal. It also encourages sports tourism as Kushti is highly popular across the region.

Rules

Traditionally wrestling competitions, known as Dangal or Kushti, are held in villages where competition rules are variable and flexible. The match area is either a circular or square shape, measuring at least fourteen feet across. Rather than using modern mats, Kushti wrestlers train and compete on dirt floors. Before training, the floor is raked of any pebbles or stones. Buttermilk, oil, and red ochre are sprinkled to the ground, giving the dirt its red hue. Water is added every few days to keep it at the right consistency; soft enough to avoid injury but hard enough so as not to impede the wrestlers’ movements. Every match is preceded by the wrestlers throwing a few handfuls of dirt from the floor onto themselves and their opponent as a form of blessing. Despite the marked boundaries of the arena, competitors may go outside the ring during a match with no penalty. There are no rounds, but the length of every bout is specified beforehand, usually about 25–30 minutes. If both competitors agree, the length of the match may be extended. Match extensions are typically around 10–15 minutes.

Competition Format

Kushti Wrestling is divided into categories based upon the weight of the Pahelwans.

The weight categories for men:

• 60 - 64 kg
• 65 - 74 kg
• 75 - 84 kg
• 85 - 94 kg
• 95 - 104 kg
• 105 kg plus

The weight categories for women:

• 55 - 59 kg
• 60 - 64 kg
• 65 - 74 kg
• 75 - 84 kg

Scoring

A win is achieved by pinning the opponent’s shoulders and hips to the ground simultaneously, although victory by knockout, stoppage or submission is also possible. In some variations of the rules, only pinning the shoulders down is enough. Bouts are overseen by a referee inside the ring and a panel of two judges watching from the outside.

Kushti Titles

The official titles awarded to Kushti Champions are as follows:

Rustam-i-Hind -Champion of India. Previous Winners :- Dara Singh from Punjab, Krishan Kumar from Haryana, Muhammad Buta Pehlwan, Imam Baksh Pehlwan, Hamida Pehlwan, Dadu Chaugle and Harishchandra Birajdar from Maharashtra, and Pehlwan Shamsher Singh (Punjab Police) held the Rustam-I-Hind title in the past.

Rustam-e-Panjaab - Champion of Punjab. Previous Winners: – Pehlwan Shamsher Singh (Punjab Police) Pehlwan Salwinder Singh Shinda was a six time Rustam-e-Panjab.

Rustam-i-Zamana- World Champion. The Great Gama became known as Rustam-I-Zamana when he defeated Stanislaus Zbyszko in 1910.

Bharat-Kesari- Best Heavyweight Wrestler. Recent winners include Krishan Kumar (1986), Rajeev Tomar (Railways), Pehlwan Shamsher Singh (Punjab Police) and Palwinder Singh Cheema (Punjab police).

Maharashtra Kesari -Highest title of Kushti in Maharashtra. It was started in 1961 (2014s Winner is Vijay Chaudhri from Ahemadnagar)

Hind Kesari -Highest title in Indian Kushti is Lion of India. The competition for the title has been organized by the All India Wrestling Federation (Indian style) since 1958. (2014s Winner is Sunil Salunkhe from Maharashtra)