Bullock Cart Racing Chases League Dream, Seeking Lessons from Kabaddi

Bullock cart racing is a very old sport in India where two bulls or buffaloes pull a small wooden cart as fast as they can through muddy fields.

People in villages in places like Maharashtra and Karnataka love watching it, and some racers become local heroes.

One racer, Srinivasa Gowda, became famous all over India in 2020, but the sport itself never grew into a big business like cricket or kabaddi.

Kabaddi and other old Indian games now have big leagues where players are paid like professional athletes.

Bullock cart racing does not have one big organization, clear rules, or a person who sells the sport to television, so racers cannot build careers.

Keeping race bulls is also very expensive, since a good pair can cost more than ten lakh rupees.

The Supreme Court stopped the races in 2014 because people worried the animals were being hurt, but many states made new laws and the court later allowed the sport again with rules.

The article says the sport could become big if people organize it well, like camel racing in the UAE and Qatar, which even uses robot jockeys.

Or it could simply become a famous tourist attraction, because the races take place in beautiful green farmlands.