Bellary (Karnataka) [India], March 27 (ANI): The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), in collaboration with Mashal Sports, will commence a high-performance Strength & Conditioning Camp at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Bellary, bringing together the country's leading men's and women's kabaddi probable athletes for the Asian Games 2026.

The camp, scheduled from March 27 to April 2, marks a significant step in strengthening India's kabaddi ecosystem, with a focused approach towards athlete development, fitness optimisation, and long-term performance excellence, as per a press release.

This initiative reinforces Mashal Sports and AKFI's shared commitment to the holistic development and well-being of kabaddi athletes, while continuing to build a strong pipeline of talent for India ahead of major international competitions, including the Asian Games

Vibhor Vineet Jain, President, Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), said, as per the release, 'This initiative is an important step in our preparations as we continue to raise the standard of kabaddi in India. By collaborating with Mashal Sports, we are ensuring that our players benefit from modern training methodologies, scientific support systems, and a professional high-performance environment that is essential for success at the international level.'

Anupam Goswami, Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) League Commissioner and Business Head of Mashal Sports, said, 'Mashal and its PKL teams are passionately committed to enabling our country's kabaddi player pool to continuously improve their athletic capacity and performance, both for PKL and for representing Team India.'

'In the year of the Asian Games, we take pride in collaborating with the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India to organise a strength and conditioning camp for the senior men's and senior women's probables for kabaddi at the Asian Games, which will be held in Japan later this year. Since we are working with 45 probables in each group, the benefits of this camp will extend to many more athletes beyond the final Indian kabaddi squads for the Asian Games,' he added.

The camp will be hosted at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Bellary; a world-class high-performance training facility offering cutting-edge infrastructure and a multidisciplinary sports science ecosystem to prepare athletes for elite international competition, with specialised programmes tailored to contact-driven demands of kabaddi. IIS has also supported the Pre-season training of a few PKL teams in the past, further reinforcing its expertise in developing top-tier kabaddi athletes.

Several prominent Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) stars - Naveen Kumar, Arjun Deshwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Aslam Inamdar, Sunil Kumar, Ashu Malik, and Bharat Hooda - are part of the camp, reflecting the league's strong talent pool.

From the women's contingent, leading athletes include members of the Indian squad that won the Women's Kabaddi World Cup, such as skipper Ritu Negi, as well as Sonali Vishnu Shingate, Pushpa Rana, Champa Thakur, Pinki Roy, Priya and Karthika R, reflecting a strong mix of experienced internationals and emerging talent from across the domestic circuit. (ANI)