From zero to podium: The rise of kabaddi in Thailand

When Thailand entered the Asian Games kabaddi competition, it had never won a medal in the men's category. After a strong run that saw the team reach the semi‑finals, they defeated the United Arab Emirates in the bronze‑playoff to claim the historic third‑place finish. The breakthrough came after three years of systematic coaching by Indian expert Ravindra Shetty, who started the program with no prior infrastructure. Today, the sport is being taught in schools and is part of regular youth festivals, creating a pipeline of talent for future international events.