Taiwan Eyes Top Spot at East Asian Men's Kabaddi Championship in Taipei

As the East Asian Men’s Kabaddi Championship unfolds in New Taipei, Team Taiwan is pushing hard to claim the top spot.

Transcript

00:01Fans of the sport of Kabadi in Taiwan are in for a treat,

00:05with the country's first East Asian Men's Kabadi Championships being held in New Taipei.

00:10Kabadi is a team sport which combines tag, wrestling and strategy.

00:15Two teams take turns raiding the other side, trying to tag their opponents and return safely,

00:21while holding their breath and chanting, Kabadi.

00:24This year, teams from Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan

00:31are competing over the weekend at a local sports centre.

00:40Representing Taiwan at the tournament is the country's 2026 Nagoya Asian Games training squad,

00:45which is competing under the name Chinese Taipei.

00:48The team says they have been putting in intense training for this event.

00:52I think the most difficult is to train.

00:55Because this exercise needs to be able to have speed and strength,

00:59and a strong resistance, and a strong resistance.

01:02We need to be able to give more confidence.

01:06We need to have a strong resistance,

01:08and to have a strong resistance,

01:10and to have strong resistance and strength.

01:13We need to be able to have strong strong body.

01:15Coach Lin Weihong says he has high hopes for the team.

01:19I think that our team is playing with new people in the past year.

01:26I think that our team is going to be a strong resistance,

01:28and that's a great support for the team.

01:31Though Kabadi is not a common sport in Taiwan,

01:34the country's national teams have already made a mark on the world stage.

01:38They put an effort, more training, more development side, they put an effort, they will get better than other teams.

01:50So now I think one of the best teams in the Asian region.

01:54In 2022, Taiwan's players delivered strong performances at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in China.

02:00The women's team bagged silver, while the men's team claimed bronze,

02:04marking a significant milestone in the nation's Kabat-i journey.

02:08With the tournaments underway this weekend, Team Taiwan is determined to raid their way to victory

02:13and keep that Kabat-i glory in the country.

02:20So it looks like I won.

02:22Ryan Wu and Sanichi in New Taipei for Taiwan Plus.