Ravi Shetty named competition director of SEA Games Kabaddi

Photo: Ravi ShettyHaveri: The Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee appointed Ravi Shetty, Thailand national kabaddi head coach, as competition director for the kabaddi championship at the upcoming SEA Games. Shetty, a Kannadiga resident of Byadagi, in Haveri district, coached in the Pro Kabaddi League for 9 seasons.He brings extensive expertise, technical development, and international kabaddi operations. His leadership contributed significantly to the rapid growth of the sport in Thailand and Southeast Asian region. This historic appointment reflects Thailand's rising status in the regional kabaddi landscape, increasing professional standards of SEA Games kabaddi competitions, and recognition of Shetty's expertise, integrity, and long-standing contribution to the sport.Since taking charge, he focused on developing structured training systems, improving technical skills, and raising the competitive standards of Thai kabaddi on the international stage. The impact was remarkable. At the SEA Games level, kabaddi is now contested for 3 goldss in the men's category, and 3 goldss in the women's category.These formats received official approval from the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), marking a significant milestone in the sport's evolution in Southeast Asia."Kabaddi was a new sport for many Southeast Asian countries. I travelled across several smaller nations with the objective of developing the game at the grassroots and national levels. Recognising this effort, the Southeast Asian Countries Kabaddi Federation nominated me as head coach, a responsibility that came with significant challenges," shared Ravi Shetty.He further said his core vision was strategic: if every participating country could secure at least 1 medal, their govts and sports authorities would naturally begin to recognise and invest in kabaddi. With this long-term development goal, he began implementing innovative formats tailored to the region. "After extensive work and experimentation, I introduced 2 new formats — Kabaddi Three Star and Kabaddi Super Five. These versions require fewer players, is played for a shorter duration, and demand higher technical skills, making them ideal for emerging kabaddi nations and multi-sport events," Shetty claimed.Shivanand Mallanagoudra, secretary of Haveri District Amateur Kabaddi Association, expressed his happiness, saying it was a matter of pride for Haveri district that Ravi Shetty was appointed as the competition director for the kabaddi championship at the upcoming SEA Games. "It will help to encourage our desi sports kabaddi globally," he hoped.