Taiwan women's kabaddi team reaches World Cup final in Bangladesh

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) The Taiwan women's kabaddi team defeated host Bangladesh in the World Cup semifinals on Sunday to advance to the gold medal match against India.

Played by two teams of seven, kabaddi is a fast-paced contact sport in which players try to tag opponents and return to their side without being tackled. Matches consist of two 20-minute halves with a five-minute break, during which the teams switch sides.

On Sunday, Taiwan got off to a strong start against Bangladesh and held a narrow 9-8 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Taiwanese players used strong defensive tactics to repeatedly tackle their opponents, gradually extending their lead, before finishing with a 25-18 win.

Taiwan coach Tsai Wei-yang (蔡威暘) praised his team's defense, saying they made almost no major errors and often scored through defense to weaken their opponents' morale.

"We aimed to build momentum in the five minutes before the game, and we did well," Tsai said. He said the team appeared slightly cautious when they had a numerical advantage, often waiting instead of pressing the attack.

The Taiwanese team will next face India in the final on Monday.

The two teams previously faced off in the kabaddi final at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, with Taiwan losing by just one point to take silver.

The 2025 Women's Kabaddi World Cup is being held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from Nov. 17 to 24.