The hugely popular South Asian sport of kabaddi is making history from 17th to 23rd March as its World Cup comes to the West Midlands, UK – the first edition to take place outside Asia.

The South Asian sport’s journey to the global stage has been a long time in the making.

Ashok Das, President of World Kabaddi grew up in India before settling in the UK. “We started Kabaddi in the British Army, in universities, and dreamed of the big one: the World Cup. Today the dream is coming true, of hosting the first ever Kabaddi World Cup outside Asia, in the West Midlands,” he said.

The host region has invested from its Commonwealth Games legacy fund for the event.

“The Commonwealth Games was a launchpad for a golden decade of major events. We wanted to deliver events that have purpose and impact,” said Joel Lavery, Strategic Lead Major Sporting Events for the West Midlands Growth Company.

“We’re a region that is very diverse and we want to make sure that we host events that represent the communities that we want to celebrate and inspire.”

Kabaddi aims for the Games

The ultimate goal for many sports is to get on the programme of a major multi-sport event like the Olympic or Commonwealth Games, and kabaddi is no exception.

“Kabaddi is more than 4,000 years old, and we carry the dream of getting the sport into the Commonwealth and then the Olympic Games,” said Das.

The next Commonwealth Games takes place in Glasgow in 2026 with a streamlined and sustainable format.

“For us to do something positive in 2026 is very important,” said Prem Singh, CEO, British Kabaddi League and founder member of Scottish Kabaddi. “We’re hoping we can bring a little bit of vibrancy with hosting a kabaddi event at the Commonwealth Games, hopefully in partnership with 2026. If that’s not possible, we’ll still be doing something there and inviting teams from the Commonwealth.”

Global growth

The organisers hope this will be the first of many World Cups to take place in new regions. “We’re doing this World Cup to give confidence to other nations that they can also host major events and promote their own communities,” said Singh.

“It’s a giant step for kabaddi kind! We hope to inspire America, Canada and right across the world – that’s one of our major goals. And I wouldn’t be surprised if in next five years a major championship will go to the Arab world.”

World Kabaddi is also developing an East African kabaddi league and a European super league. “Our whole goal is about setting the scene for future development,” said Singh.

“China gave entry to kabaddi in the Asian games in 1992,” said Das. “We are getting more young people from China involved.”

“TV advert to the world”

The media coverage that a major international event brings is vital for hosts and rightsholders alike.

“The media abroad, and also western media, can help us to promote kabaddi across the community,” said Das.

The Pro Kabaddi League final in Pune had a TV audience of 250 million people. “Those numbers are mind-blowing compared to UK audiences,” said Lavery. “We want more people to know about the West Midlands, to visit the West Midlands – this is our TV advert to the world.”

The Paddy Power Kabaddi World Cup 2025  will be screened on BBC iPlayer, Olympic Channel, DD Sports and Willow TV, with talkSPORT and sponsor Paddy Power will also provide coverage.

“Paddy Power coming on board will be lifting kabaddi onto a different level,” said Das, highlighting the betting company’s investments in community programmes.

“It’s not just about the event; it’s about setting up infrastructure in schools, colleges and universities,” said Singh. “It’s going to inspire an awful lot of people and to be the catalyst to hoping that people from South Asian communities will take a greater interest in sport, physical activity and going to watch matches.”

[Source: SportAccord] The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 wrapped up yesterday after an inspirational week that will shape the future of sport and leave a transformative legacy in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

More than 1,700 attendees from 65 different countries travelled to the UK from across the globe for a packed agenda of high-level meetings, conferences, exhibitions, networking, and social events at the International Convention Centre.

Against the backdrop of what many described as the busiest SportAccord exhibition ever, high-calibre participants in the conference programme included Olympic champions and leading industry figures such as Epic Games Vice President and Co-Founder Mark Rein; UK Sport Chair Dame Katherine Grainger; Olympic Broadcasting Services CEO Yannis Exarchos; Rob Alberino, Vice-President of Content and Production, Kansas City Chiefs; Wayne Barnes,  Former Rugby World Cup referee and many more. Topics of discussion and debate ranged from sustainability, innovative technology, fan engagement and new event models to governance, esports and athlete wellbeing.

Important items during the official meetings included the election of the next Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) President Ingmar De Vos, and presentations from the Organising Committees for Paris 2024 and Milano Cortina 2026.

“On behalf of SportAccord, I would like to express our sincere thanks to our hosts for delivering a superb event bringing the international sports family back together in the heart of their vibrant and diverse city,” SportAccord President Prof Dr Uğur Erdener said.

“An engaging agenda of networking events, supported by the passion of the local volunteers in a state-of-the-art venue in a region steeped in sporting heritage, provided a perfect platform for forging connections, strengthening relationships and exploring new ideas.

“Birmingham and the West Midlands have given sport an ideal platform for gathering International Federations, the International Olympic Committee, rights holders, businesses, cities, and regions – the whole sporting family.”

SportAccord has been supported by the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund (CWGLEF), administered by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). In addition to the WMCA, SportAccord’s regional delivery partners include Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Growth Company.

Neil Rami, Chief Executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, said: “SportAccord has been a triumph for the West Midlands – this is about return on influence for us, as well as return on investment. This was the natural next step from the success of the Commonwealth Games, as we brought world leaders of sport together in Birmingham at SportAccord to enhance our reputation across the global sports industry and forge crucial relationships with sporting federations.

“Significant announcements made at SportAccord included the release of the government’s official report of £1.2 billion economic impact of the Commonwealth Games, to Tom Wagner’s investment in Birmingham City Football Club and the purchase of Bordesley Park, as well as the creation of the Sports Quarter which is expected to generate 3,000 local jobs. 

“There’s been no better endorsement than when SportAccord President Prof Dr Uğur Erdener has congratulated us and hailed Birmingham as the best SportAccord ever.”

Host City: It’s great to be here in Birmingham for SportAccord. How important was hosting the Commonwealth Games for the city and the West Midlands region?

Joel Lavery: We hit the high note with the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The city came alive with sport, and we recognised the power and the impact of an event like the Commonwealth Games. That led us to think about what comes after the Commonwealth Games. We wanted to see if we could attract more events that have purpose, and to know what impact they're going to have.

Host City: How is hosting SportAccord helping to attract more events?

Joel Lavery: SportAccord is one of the events that sits as part of that portfolio that is being paid for by the underspend of £70 million from the Commonwealth Games and the £6 million invested into the major events fund. What better audience could we have than 1,500 world leaders of sport? And so this week it's about meeting people and starting off some of those conversations that we hope will lead to us landing a pipeline of opportunities.

Host City: What activities have you got in the pipeline?

Joel Lavery: We've talked about the Golden Decade of Sport from the Commonwealth Games. In 2026 we'll have the European Athletics Championships and alongside that, we'll have the IWG Women in Sport Global Conference that's happening in this very same venue in two years.  We've also got events like the Kabaddi World Cup, the Urban Sports World Championships, Esports and Judo happening.

Tom Wagner made the announcement here that they've purchased a large piece of land in the east of Birmingham where there's going to be a new development, a new Birmingham City stadium and sports quarter.  I think that's an exciting announcement, when we're talking about the power of sport to transform cities and showcasing the West Midlands’ place at the heart of sport in the UK.

For more information on the West Midlands' sporting offer, please go to: www.meetbirmingham.com/sportingevents #HeartofSport

[Source: West Midlands Growth Company] Birmingham and the West Midlands’ sporting offer and major events hosting expertise will be thrust back into the global spotlight from 7-11 April when it welcomes the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit at ICC Birmingham.

Nearly two years on from hosting the biggest-ever Commonwealth Games, the West Midlands will roll out the red carpet for more than 1,500 international delegates from 120 sporting federations to showcase why it is at the heart of sport in the UK.

From basketball, bobsleigh and bodybuilding to tennis, triathlon and taekwondo, presidents and CEOs from global sporting organisations will visit Birmingham and the West Midlands for SportAccord’s conference programme, which includes specialist streams CityAccord, HealthAccord, LawAccord and MediaAccord. The summit will also feature panel events, evening networking sessions and a keynote speech during the event’s opening ceremony from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, ahead of the year’s biggest sporting celebration, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit offers a huge opportunity for the West Midlands’ people, venues and suppliers to come together and put on a great show for international sports leaders, continuing the positive buzz and legacy of the Commonwealth Games.

“Our region has world-class sporting infrastructure, unrivalled connectivity and a passion and knowledge for hosting major events. We will be showing visiting officials and senior delegates why the West Midlands deserves to sit at sport’s top table when they are picking the destination for their next championships, conference or business event, which will provide a welcome boost for our local businesses and communities.”

With less than two months to go until “sport’s most influential industry gathering”, final touches are being made to the summit’s event programme focusing on this year’s theme, the ‘power of sport’, and speaker list. The programme already includes Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman MBE; Secretary General of the World Union of Olympic Cities, Melanie Duparc; and CEO of Global Esports Federation, Paul Foster.

The West Midlands’ cultural, tourism and sporting credentials will also be on show for SportAccord delegates as part of an excursion programme, which will include the region’s Industrial Revolution story at Black Country Living Museum and Ironbridge Gorge; and its arts and literary heritage at Shakespeare’s Birthplace and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The region’s instrumental role in shaping Britain’s sporting tradition – having invented rugby, lawn tennis and the Football League, and hosted the forerunner to the Olympic Games in Much Wenlock – will be covered during a sporting tour, to include Villa Park and Edgbaston Stadium.

Cllr John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The SportAccord Summit 2024 is a fantastic opportunity for Birmingham to showcase the city and provides the chance to bring people together.

“The city has world-class sporting facilities, which have hosted some fantastic events including the Commonwealth Games, IBSA World Games and the FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships, plus with our famous reputation as a friendly city, we can guarantee a warm Birmingham welcome to all visiting delegates.”

The West Midlands has recently hosted some of global sport’s biggest spectacles, including the Rugby World Cup, The Ashes and the FIG World Trampoline Championships. The ESL One – Dota II esports tournament in Solihull (26-28 April); the European Judo Union Junior Cup in Walsall (15-19 June); and the Kabaddi World Cup (24-31 March 2025) are a snapshot of the sporting fixtures taking place in the West Midlands in the next 12 months, thanks to the region’s Major Events Fund.

SportAccord 2024 will also present opportunities for companies, brands, products, services and destinations to showcase their offer as part of a dedicated exhibition, running in parallel with the summit at ICC Birmingham. Companies and individuals, which provide cutting-edge governance, research, advisory services, sports tech, insurance and fan engagement across the business of sport are encouraged to contact the West Midlands Growth Company to receive more information about getting involved: partners@wmgrowth.com. 

Interested parties can visit the official website here to register their interest in attending.

The economic benefits of hosting major sporting events

When BBC News interviewed an Australian tourist in the heart of Birmingham city centre during the 2022 Commonwealth Games and received the response…

“It is totally different to how I expected it. I expected it to be industrial and horrible buildings. And it is amazing. I didn’t expect it to be so multi-cultural. I’ve loved it.”

…in one soundbite, it perfectly hammered home the importance of hosting major sporting events. They change perceptions, they get people talking about an area, and they encourage visitors to explore and enjoy a destination, and return.

Just as importantly, though, is the fact that big domestic and international major sporting events and championships equal big business for a city and region. You only have to look at a 2021 report ‘The impact of major events on London’s economy’ by London & Partners and Hatch to appreciate the huge benefits that sporting spectacles can bring.

Between 2017-20, England’s capital city hosted 757 events, including 305 sporting events, which brought an injection of £2.51billion into its economy, including £2.27 billion in visitor expenditure on items such as accommodation and food and drink.

Sport overall is a significant player in the UK economy. It contributed £48.9billlion gross value added (GVA) pre-pandemic, accounting for 2.6% of the UK total (source: The Power of Events).

The role of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Business and Tourism Programme 

The wonderful celebration of sport and culture served up by the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games played a huge role in stimulating the West Midlands’ visitor economy as well as the sports economy and supply chains. 

It is not just about sports events and tourism, of course. The success of Birmingham 2022 and the results of the Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) – the first of its kind to be aligned to a Commonwealth Games – demonstrate that there is a much broader impact of hosting major sporting events on business growth, inward investment, jobs and skills.

In the 2022/23 financial year, the West Midlands attracted more foreign direct investment projects than Scotland and Wales combined, and bucked the national trend of a decline in FDI-related jobs.

Soft power

As the post-pandemic race to attract more major sporting events hots up, we are increasingly seeing evidence of ‘soft power’ playing a major part. The notion of a region’s ability to win sporting bids not through coercion or payment, but through the attraction of its culture, initiatives, values and policies, has the potential to boost the UK’s economy by at least £4billion by 2030.

That’s according to EY’s ‘The impact of major sport events: Study of soft power, trade and investment impacts’ report, which used Birmingham 2022 as a case study to highlight the event’s wider benefits for the West Midlands and UK.

The Games showcased “the UK as a leading economy and player within the Commonwealth that is open for business post-Brexit” and promoted “important agendas such as equality and sustainability”. The event also helped to build, leverage and reinforce vital relationships on a regional, national and international scale to “showcase industry and commitment to air quality”, “capitalise on Commonwealth connections”, “generate the feel-good factor seen at London 2012 and Glasgow 2014” and “work with embassies, DIT (now DBT) and VisitBritain (to deliver international tourism)”.

The French novelist Marcel Proust once wrote “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes” and hosting the Commonwealth Games has given the West Midlands and its people a new-found confidence and can-do attitude.

We told a story of welcome, inclusion and rebirth, which helped to change our self-perception of what we can achieve. We were – and continue to be – driven by purpose and impact, and are guided by our values to be innovative, youthful, inclusive, diverse and collaborative.

We have always said that last summer’s sporting spectacular must represent a starting point and not the finish line, and we are starting to build from that strong foundation in 2022 to create an exciting decade of opportunity. That means capitalising on the West Midlands’ venues and infrastructure – which, when combined, rival any city region in the world.

These range from shining new venues like Sandwell Aquatics Centre to Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium. The region also boasts iconic sporting settings like The Belfry and Edgbaston Stadium, and world-class arenas such as the NEC, Resorts World Arena and Utilita Arena. Its Premier League and EFL stadiums Molineux, Villa Park, St Andrew’s, The Hawthorns, Coventry Arena and the Bescot Stadium regularly host domestic and international football fixtures.

Across the West Midlands region, not only do we have the infrastructure, we have the passion, knowledge, experience and expertise to welcome and host events of any size or duration, and our efforts are starting to gain recognition.

Having appeared for the first time in the prestigious BCW Ranking of Sports Cities in 2022, Birmingham has improved its ranking to 33^rd this year. In a new report by Quantum Consultancy and Durham University Business School, Birmingham is the top English sporting destination for event hosting – highlighting the attention that the city has gained from athletes, fans and sports organisations on a global scale.

The SportAccord summit

Winning the right to host the prestigious SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit at the ICC next April – bringing together senior policy and decision makers from the top tier of world sport – has the potential to increase the West Midlands’ ranking among global major sporting event destinations even higher.

You only have to look at the numbers. We anticipate more than 1,500 international sports leaders and key decision makers to come together for six days in Birmingham and across the West Midlands, and it’s crucial that we put on a show for organisers and delegates.

In the lead up to, during and after hosting the summit, we will have direct access to the unique network of global sporting organisations that SportAccord represents – from the highest levels of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through to 15,000 individual sporting federations and an estimated 50,000 event properties.

The most successful previous hosts of SportAccord – including the Gold Coast in 2019, which is now set to play a key role in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games – have leveraged this network and developed new relationships to build a strong pipeline of future hosting opportunities.

By showcasing the visitor experience for athletes, coaches, teams, spectators and fans – and promoting our great West Midlands venues, connectivity and expertise – we plan to make the maximum impact to provide a springboard for our future. It is an event, which will generate valuable opportunities for towns and cities across our region.

Walsall will seek to build on the town’s status as the home of British Judo by attracting other martial arts governing bodies, while Wolverhampton will aim to add to its rollcall of sporting fixtures, which currently includes boxing, darts and snooker. Solihull’s esports credentials and Sandwell’s state-of-the-art Aquatics Centre will also be on show as our destinations work towards bringing more high-profile sporting events to the region.

The West Midlands’ sporting calendar

To coin a sporting phrase, we have already put points on the board in our efforts to maintain momentum following the 2022 Games and keep the West Midlands in the global sporting spotlight.

We have an enviable platform, on which to build. Our sporting calendar includes the British Basketball League Trophy Finals, the Netball Super League, the All England Open Badminton Championships, Esports and gaming, Horse of the Year Show, World Indoor Athletics, snooker’s Players Championship, European judo and the International Blind Sport Federation (IBSA) World Games. This summer, more than 100,000 fans packed into Edgbaston Stadium for the thrilling first Test of the Ashes.

Looking ahead, the World Trampoline Championships in November, the first Kabaddi World Cup outside Asia in 2025 and the 2026 European Athletics Championships will entice even more sports tourists to enjoy the region’s offer.

If you also include the International Working Group (IWG) World Conference on Women & Sport 2026, and the launch of our £6million major events fund to attract more major events for the West Midlands, then we are already reaping tangible rewards.

The West Midlands is starting to wake up to its massive potential as a major sporting events host. Its distinctive history has already set the pace – from inventing lawn tennis and rugby to the creation of the Football League and forerunner of the modern Olympic Games.

Now, more than a century on, with world-class ‘ready to go’ facilities, multi-billion-pound advances to its infrastructure and a young, diverse population ready to embrace the region’s next big championships, the West Midlands is set to make the cut, step up to the plate and mix it with the established global sporting destination heavyweights.

[Source: West Midlands Growth Company] Coventry Building Society Arena (CBS Arena) will host the second double-header of the Arnold Clark Cup on February 19, headlined by defending champions England taking on Italy. 

Belgium will take on South Korea in the second match of the double-header, with fans able to see both matches on the same ticket. Tickets can be purchased here and start from just £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

The double-header at CBS Arena will take place between match days at Stadium MK (Milton Keynes) on 16 February and Ashton Gate Stadium (Bristol) on 22 February, with more than 30,000 tickets already sold across the two venues. 

As one of the last opportunities to see England ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, tickets for CBS Arena are also expected to be snapped up quickly. 

Paul Michael, Commercial Director at CBS Arena, said:

“We are thrilled to be hosting this major international tournament at a time when women’s football continues to go from strength to strength – as the impact of the Lionesses’ triumph last summer continues to be felt far and wide.

“Attracting the Arnold Clark Cup underlines CBS Arena’s credentials as one of the UK’s leading sporting venues, and we can’t wait to welcome players and fans for two great matches.”

England fans will be able to watch every match live across ITV, and can follow tournament updates at: @arnoldclarkcup / #arnoldclarkcup