The Indian Kalaripayattu Federation has accused the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) of “relegating” the martial art to the demonstration section of the event.

The Indian Kalaripayattu Federation has appealed to the Prime Minister’s Office more than once to include the event in the competition section. It had also held meetings with the IOA.

Kerala’s martial art form Kalaripayattu has become a bone of contention ahead of the 38th edition of the National Games which is scheduled to commence from January 28 in Uttarakhand.

The Indian Kalaripayattu Federation has accused the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) of “relegating” the martial art to the demonstration section of the event. In the 37th edition of the National Games, which was held in Goa in 2023, Kalaripayattu was part of the competition section. This year, the art form has been included in the list of events for demonstration, dampening the medal hopes of around 200 Kalaripayattu athletes from 18 states who were planning to participate in the competition, the Federation said.

IOA president P T Usha said in Kerala that the association will decide on the fate of Kalaripayattu within a week, based on the Delhi High Court order. The Delhi HC had on January 15 ordered that “a suitable decision shall be taken for reinstating Kalaripayattu as a competitive sport in the 38th National Games”. The court’s order was based on a writ petition filed by a Kalaripayattu student Harshita Yadav.

“In the 35th National Games which was held in Kerala, Kalari was a demonstration event. It was the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who insisted on promoting indigenous art forms, that led to the inclusion of Kalaripayattu in the competition section in the 37th Games. It is unfortunate that the IOA has undone this vision and relegated Kalaripayattu to the margins,” P B Sumesh, Vice President of Indian Kalaripayattu Federation, told The Indian Express. The federation represents Kalaripayattu students in 18 states. The martial art form has been a competitive event in the under-17 Khelo India Games thrice, Sumesh said.

PT Usha had then said, “The inclusion of demonstration sports like Kalaripayattu, Yogasana, Mallakhambh and Rafting reflects our commitment to honouring India’s rich heritage while encouraging new opportunities for athletes.”  However, of these four events, Yogasana and Mallakhambh were later included in the competitive section.  According to the federation, Kalaripayattu has been “demoted” to the demonstration section because the IOA is “not interested” in giving medals to its practitioners.

In the 2023 National Games, Kalaripayattu athletes from Kerala had won 22 medals, including 19 gold medals. Since Kalaripayattu is included in the demonstration section, athletes who want to participate in the event might not even get travel and kit assistance from their respective state governments. “The young Kalari athletes are dependent on financial assistance from the state as the tour will cost them at least Rs 30,000.”

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