Sports Cockpit · Combat & Mat · IKA International Rules · Asian Games 2026

Kurash — throws, weight classes, weigh-in & the Asian Games

Q: How is kurash different from judo?

Kurash is standing only: there are no chokes, no arm-locks and no grabbing of the trousers, and a fall on the side already scores. The jacket is a blue or green yakhtak with white trousers and a red belt, and there is no repechage — lose once and you are out.

Q: Will kurash get me a government job?

Not through the central sports quota today — kurash is not on the DoPT list of 65 sports, and the 2026 Railways and CRPF notices had no kurash posts. Medals at the Asian Games or the World and Asian Kurash Championships bring cash awards instead.

Governed by International Kurash Association (IKA) · national kurash federation in India ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 18 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's kurash map in simple words: how a bout is won with a throw, the scores and the three-step penalty ladder, the gilam (mat), the weight classes from children to veterans, the weigh-in, the uniform rules that can disqualify you, the Asian Games and the cash awards — and the honest job picture.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap IKA — International rules of Kurash competitions kurash-ika.org

Senior weight classes: 8 men · 8 women [1][2]
Bout time (senior): 4 minutes men · 3 minutes women [1]
Weigh-in: 2 hours before, lasts at most 1 hour [1]
Asian Games: Yes — on the 2026 programme [3]

01 Core rules & weight class divisions

How a kurash bout is won

Kurash is a standing wrestling sport from Central Asia. Both players wear a jacket called a yakhtak and try to throw the opponent on the back. Grabbing the trousers, chokes and arm-locks are all forbidden, so the whole fight is about throws. [1]

IKA scores — what each one means [1]

IKA scores — what each one means
Score	How you get it
Khalol — clean win, bout ends	The opponent lands on the back (both shoulder blades); or two Yonbosh; or a Yonbosh when the opponent already has a Dakki; or the opponent gets Girrom
Yonbosh	A strong, sharp throw that lands the opponent on the side; also given when the opponent gets Dakki
Chala	A throw onto the buttocks or belly, but slow or with errors; also given when the opponent gets Tanbekh. Many Chalas never add up to a Yonbosh

If the scores are level, the player with the last score wins. A score always beats a penalty.
Jazo: if nobody has a score or a penalty by half-time, the referee stops the bout. Both players grip each other's belt, chests touching, and restart — whoever lets go of the belt to escape a throw gets a Tanbekh.
A throw that starts inside the gilam and finishes outside the line still counts.
Three referees decide by majority. Draws are knock-out with no repechage; the two losing semi-finalists get bronze. With 5 or fewer players in a class, everyone fights everyone. [1]

Senior weight classes (kg) — IKA, from 2025 [1][2]

Senior weight classes (kg) — IKA, from 2025
Group	Classes
Men (17–35)	60 · 66 · 73 · 81 · 90 · 100 · 120 · +120
Women (over 17)	48 · 52 · 57 · 63 · 70 · 78 · 87 · +87

Bout time (pure fighting time) [1]

Bout time (pure fighting time)
Age	Men	Women
4 to 11	2 minutes	2 minutes
11 to 16	3 minutes	2 minutes
16 to 35	4 minutes	3 minutes
35 to 56	3 minutes	2 minutes
56 and above	2 minutes	2 minutes

The gilam (competition mat) [1]

The gilam (competition mat)
Part	Size
Whole gilam	At least 10 × 10 m, at most 16 × 16 m
Safe zone (the fight area, inside the 'dangerous line')	8 × 8 m to 14 × 14 m
Safety area beyond the red line	3 m wide
Mat pieces	200 × 100 or 100 × 100 cm, 4 or 5 cm thick; blue and green are compulsory at all Games

02 Institutional & global recognition

Asian Games — and the cash that follows a medal

Kurash is on the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games programme. It is not in the LA28 Olympic sports list and not at The World Games. [3][4][5]

Government cash award for a senior medal (₹ lakh) [7]

Government cash award for a senior medal (₹ lakh)
Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Asian Games	30	20	10
World Kurash Championship (every 2 years)	20	14	8
Asian Kurash Championship (every 2 years)	7.5	5	2.5

Outside the Asian Games, the full award is paid only when at least 12 countries took part (or the most the event allows). The coach of an individual medallist gets a share; apply within six months. [7]

03 Physical benchmarks & anti-doping

Weigh-in, age groups and anti-doping

Everyone in one class is weighed on the same day, on the same scales, 2 hours before the competition. The weigh-in lasts no more than 1 hour.
Bring your identification card. You are weighed in shorts or swimming trunks only.
No weigh-in, no fight. You may fight in only one weight class (plus the open 'absolute' class if the Chief Referee allows).
Youths of 16–17 may enter adult events with the Chief Referee's permission. [1]

Age groups for 2026 (by year of birth) [1]

Age groups for 2026 (by year of birth)
Group	Ages	Boys / men (kg)	Girls / women (kg)
Children	12–13	33 to 70, +70	30 to 57, +57
Cadets	14–15	38 · 42 · 46 · 50 · 55 · 60 · 65 · 71 · 77 · 83 · +83	33 · 36 · 40 · 44 · 48 · 52 · 57 · 63 · +63
Juniors	16–17	42 · 46 · 50 · 55 · 60 · 65 · 71 · 77 · 83 · 90 · +90	36 · 40 · 44 · 48 · 52 · 57 · 63 · 70 · +70
Veterans (men)	36 and over	60 to 95, +95	No veteran classes listed

IKA follows the WADA rules: anything on the Prohibited List is banned, and you may not refuse a doping test at an IKA event. [1]

In India you must be available for testing, check every medicine against the Prohibited List, and apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [8]

04 Grassroots-to-elite pipeline

From the club gilam to the Asian Games

1Grassroots & local entry From 4
2State to national breakthrough Cadet 14–15 · junior 16–17
3Asian & World Championships Senior
4Asian Games Senior

The full Kurash roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap

05 Training centres & cities

Where kurash players train

Kurash is not among the sports at SAI's National Centres of Excellence or Training Centres. Players train at clubs of their state kurash association; a club needs a proper gilam with blue and green mats. [9][1]

06 Costume overheads, equipment & who pays

The yakhtak, the belt — and who pays

Kit the rules ask for [1]

Kit the rules ask for
Item	Rule
Yakhtak (jacket)	Two — dark blue and green (the first player called wears blue). Cotton, not too stiff; 15–20 cm above the knees; sleeves must not cover the wrist
Trousers	White, down to the feet, 15–20 cm loose around the leg
Belt	Red, 4–5 cm wide, with at least 20 cm left after two turns and a knot
Women	A white short-sleeved sports shirt under the yakhtak, tucked in
Feet	Barefoot; nails cut short

Only these markings are allowed: the state emblem (up to 10 × 10 cm), the maker's mark (3 × 3 cm), shoulder marks and a back patch (25 × 25 cm). Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — IKA publishes none. [1]

Who pays [10]

Who pays
Stage	Paid by	What you get
Elite prospect	TOPS Core Group	₹50,000 a month + approved training plan
Athlete in hardship	PDU National Welfare Fund	Up to ₹2.50 lakh

Kurash is not a Khelo India Games sport, so the ₹6.28 lakh Khelo India athlete grant does not apply. [6][10]

07 Earning channels & central job quotas

The honest job picture

Kurash is not on the DoPT list of 65 sports for central Group C sports-quota posts, and the 2026 Western Railway and CRPF notices had no kurash posts.
The money is in medals: Asian Games and World or Asian Kurash Championship medals earn the cash awards above. [11][12][13][7]

08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that cost a kurash player the bout

The penalty ladder [1]

The penalty ladder
Penalty	When	Opponent gets
Tanbekh	First minor foul	Chala
Dakki	A medium foul, or a foul after a Tanbekh	Yonbosh
Girrom — you lose	A foul after a Dakki, or a serious act	Khalol (the bout)

Tanbekh fouls: blocking without attacking for 10–15 seconds, false attacks, stepping or pushing out with no technique, grabbing the trousers, bending fingers, chokes, arm-locks, kicking or hitting, talking to the referee or opponent, undoing your yakhtak without permission.
Straight to Girrom: a non-standard yakhtak (it is your own duty), a head dive, drinking during the bout, wearing any hard object, misbehaving with referees or opponents, or injuring the opponent by your fault.
Not reaching the gilam within 3 minutes of your call gives the opponent Khalol. Dirty or smelly kit, or long nails, can cost you the right to compete. [1]

09 Real-world player doubts

Straight answers

How is kurash different from judo?

Kurash is standing only: there are no chokes, no arm-locks and no grabbing of the trousers, and a fall on the side already scores. The jacket is a blue or green yakhtak with white trousers and a red belt, and there is no repechage — lose once and you are out. [1]

Will kurash get me a government job?

Not through the central sports quota today — kurash is not on the DoPT list of 65 sports, and the 2026 Railways and CRPF notices had no kurash posts. Medals at the Asian Games or the World and Asian Kurash Championships bring cash awards instead. [11][12][13][7]

10 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 18 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

International Kurash Association — International rules of organization and holding of Kurash competitions (opens in a new tab) Scores (Khalol, Yonbosh, Chala), Jazo, penalties (Tanbekh, Dakki, Girrom), gilam sizes, uniform, weigh-in, 2026 age and weight categories, bout times, knock-out format, WADA rules · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
International Kurash Association — Official announcement: additional men's 120 kg category (17 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Senior classes raised from 15 to 16 (men -60 to +120 kg, women unchanged) · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — Sports (opens in a new tab) Kurash at the 2026 Asian Games · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
LA28 — 2028 Olympic Games Plan (sports list) (opens in a new tab) LA28 sports list (kurash not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
International World Games Association — The World Games 2025, Chengdu (opens in a new tab) World Games sport list (kurash not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
Khelo India Youth Games 2025 (Bihar) — official site (opens in a new tab) KIYG sport list (kurash not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Award amounts; Asian Games all disciplines; Kurash — World and Asian Kurash Championships (biennial); 12-country rule · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) NCOE and STC sport lists (kurash not included) · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) 65-sport list (kurash not included) · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) 2026-27 sports-quota posts (kurash not included); recognised-federation rule · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 2026 sports-quota disciplines (kurash not included); recognised-federation rule · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
DoPT Office Memorandum, 4 March 2024 — Incentive for Sportspersons (opens in a new tab) Khelo India Games, Junior Nationals and SGFI medallists added · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and Education Margdarshan will update it.