"Mitti Se Mat Tak" - How Gravolite is revolutionizing the game with their Top-notch mats.

Legend has it that kabaddi originated in Tamil Nadu over 4,000 years ago. Past fans include the Buddha and the princes who played to display their strength and win their brides. Kabaddi was being played at a competitive level internationally. The sport became part of the Beijing Asian Games in 1990.

In 2002, in the build-up of the Busan Asian Games, kabaddi faced a threat of being excluded from the event as there was no space to host the event.  E Prasad Rao, now the technical director of the International Kabaddi Federation acquired two basketball courts in a local university to host kabaddi, got in touch with a local South Korean company to work on the mat.

Understanding the player's reservations about the new surface, Rao didn’t make it mandatory to play with shoes during the 2002 Asian Games. So, some played with the shoes available at the time, while some played bare feet.

“The games went very well. But the astonishing result was that the players who wore shoes performed better than those who played without them. So, it convinced the players that kabaddi is playable on the mat, even better with the shoes. That is how the mat got introduced in the sport.

For any event to succeed you always need a group of people, who will help you to run the event smoothly. When K7 was still in the development stage the important thing was to get partners on board who have a similar mindset, approach on how to do things, hunger, desire, passion for the sport, and with whom we can build trust and a long-term partnership.

We were lucky enough to get some fantastic partners on board like FanCode as our Broadcasting Partner, AOSM  as our Orthopaedic & Physio Partner, Future Fighters Kabaddi Academy, Gurugram as our Venue Partner, and last but not the least Gravolite as our Associate Sponsor.
"Gravolite played an important role than just being a sponsor. They provided the mat for the event an integral part of the game and it would have a major impact on how the games would proceed"
     

To date, there were no standards in the kabaddi industry as to what should be the base specifications for a kabaddi mat. Gravolite has been working rigorously with the sports authorities, national coaches, and senior players of the fraternity to set the standards for kabaddi mats. They believe that if we have to take this game to an international level, then we will have to provide and present this sport in the best possible and the quality of the mat is crucial for that.

Gravolite developed its mats with extensive research and development done by their world-class in-house team, the team constantly kept working on what better they can offer. The gathered intel was based on the usage of mats from the players and coaches from all over the country. 

The mats made by Gravolite are the perfect amalgamation of various qualities. They worked on the different aspects needed for a good mat like:-
The groove length of the design on top
They scientifically curated the top layer of the mat on both sides to provide both abilities of movement and grip to the players. 
They corrected the density for the mat to provide fall protection to players minimizing the chances of injury and providing a sturdy ground for the game. 
Every produced batch goes through a rigorous international level quality check of the products. The mat is cut down into pieces, and each layer is tested separately so that a uniform product is delivered to the end consumer.     

The tournament was one of a kind, young enthusiastic players had the opportunity to play on a world-class surface, which had a major impact on the number of injuries reduced to a bare minimum. The players had fantastic feedback about the mat, without having to worry about anything they could give their all out there. They never had such an experience, the mat quality was top-notch, with perfect cushioning, grip, and strength. Some of the players even went on to share their inner desire to play regularly in these kinds of mats in the future as well.

In Gravolite's own words -  "we combine the science of gameplay and conventional expertise from root users to provide the Industry's best sports infrastructure"

We hope they keep up their good work, keep improving on their own standards to make this game faster, better and safer for the players.