Coach of the 'unofficial' Indian team which travelled to Pakistan for Kabaddi Championship clears air on controversy 

What’s the story?

The "unofficial" kabbadi team that travelled to Pakistan are back home after losing the final to the hosts in the "unauthorised" World Cup. Their coach Harpreet Singh, however, has said that the team wasn’t ‘unofficial’ and if it was, they would have been questioned by authorities in Pakistan or by the Indian authorities after returning home. He further said that the team did not represent India or any India federation, but went to Pakistan in their individual capacity.

In case you didn’t know...

Last week, The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) expressed its surprise over the news of a Kabaddi team from India reaching Pakistan to take part in the World Championship. IOA chief Narinder Batra had said that the team had not been approved by the federation.

The heart of the matter

Investigation into the team that travelled to Pakistan has been on but India’s coach has cleared the air saying that the team travelled in their individual capacity.

"If we defied the laws, Indian authorities might question us on our arrival. Nobody asked us about any illegal act we did or on our visit," coach Harpreet Singh Baba told IANS.

"We have not represented India. The team members participate in various tournaments across the world. They went to Pakistan in their individual capacity, not representing any particular federation," he added.

What’s next?

With the championship over and the coach having cleared the air, it is unlikely that this matter will be dragged any further.