Asian Games 2023: Why was India vs Iran in men's kabaddi suspended?

The men's kabaddi final between India and Iran was suspended on Saturday at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in controversial and dramatic circumstances. With a minute to go, India's aim for a gold medal was halted amid uncertainty over a rule interpretation.Here is how things unfolded at the Xiaoshan Guali Sports Centre:1. With just over a minute to go, at 29-29 in the gold medal match, Pawan Sehrawat went in for a for a do-or-die raid2. During his raid, Pawan went outside the lobby, without making contact with any Iranian defenders3. In an attempt at pushing him out, Iran's Amirhossein Bastami and three other Iranian defenders rushed towards him4. This is where the confusion began. It was unclear whether Pawan had been successfully tackled or not5. Initially, Iran were awarded a solitary point for their successful defence6. Indian contingent, officials and players, began arguing with the referees over the points awarded7. After further review, the officials decided to award four points to India. The argument being Pawan touched four Iranian defenders before going out into the lobby[caption id="attachment_13216152" align="alignnone" width="640"] Iran players protested, as did Indian team, during the men's kabaddi final at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Image: Screenshot/SonyLiv[/caption]8. This decision led to a protest by the Iranian team9. The final decision appears to be contentious based on whether the old rules or new rules are applied in this case. As per the old rule, India are slated to get four (or five) points while the new rule would give both teams a point each as Bastami had gone out into the lobby as well10. After a lengthy delay that lasted over an hour, India were awarded three points under the new International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) rule and Iran got one to take a 31-29 lead with under a minute to go[caption id="attachment_13216142" align="alignnone" width="640"] India vs Iran in men's kabaddi got underway after an hour's delay at the Asian Games. Image: Screenshot/SonyLiv[/caption]11. In the final minute of play, India collected two more points with successful defence and raid to win the gold medal.