Twelve teams competed in the tournament.[1]Pakistan was originally scheduled to participate in the tournament, but was removed due to increased
tensions between India and Pakistan. The International Kabaddi Federation argued that it was "not the right time to engage with Pakistan". The Pakistani team criticized the move, arguing that it was comparable to holding a
FIFA World Cup without
Brazil.[2]
Venue
The tournament was hosted at
The Arena (currently known as The Arena by TransStadia, pending the sale of official
naming rights), a newly constructed convertible stadium in Ahmedabad. In its standard configuration, it operates as an outdoor football pitch capable of seating 20,000. The venue utilizes technology licensed from the British firm StadiArena, which allows a portion of the field to be partitioned into a 4,000-seat indoor arena, which is used for the tournament. The venue is a
public-private partnership with India's
Department of Tourism[3][4]
Marketing
Emblem
The official emblem of the tournament was unveiled on 14 September 2016 by
Minister of Youth Affairs and SportsVijay Goel. It incorporates a stylized lion, representing the
Asiatic lions of
Girnar. The use of a lion symbolizes the "ferocity of a Kabaddi defender and the agility of a raider", while its striped mane represents the worldwide participation in the tournament.[5][6]
ESPN3;[9] on 8 August 2017,
ESPNU carried an encore of the final as part of its programming
stunt "
ESPN8: The Ocho"—a marathon of obscure and unconventional sporting events.[10][11]