Mallakhamb competition software and live scoring

Mallakhamb grew out of the training of wrestlers in western and central India, and today it is a competitive sport in its own right, practised in schools, clubs and academies. Its name joins the words for wrestler and pole. Athletes perform continuous routines of climbs, holds, balances, twists and drops, building strength, flexibility and control in the process.

Competitions are built around three forms of the apparatus: the fixed pole, the hanging pole and the rope. Each tests the athlete differently, with its own grips, transitions and risks, and each is usually judged as a separate event, with its own entries and results within every age group. Athletes often specialise in one form while training on the others.

Competition rules are set by the governing bodies, and they differ between levels and between school, state and national events, from the length of a routine to the elements each age group may attempt. Zeetius treats the apparatus offered, the age bands and the way scores are combined as settings for each championship.

• Pole mallakhamb. A fixed, upright wooden pole on which athletes climb, grip and balance through their routine.
• Hanging mallakhamb. A shorter pole suspended from above, which moves under the athlete and demands extra control.
• Rope mallakhamb. A hanging cotton rope around which athletes wrap, hold and balance in a series of positions.

Mallakhamb is decided by judges rather than by a scoreboard. A panel watches each routine and scores it against the rules in use, generally considering the difficulty of the elements, how they are combined, the quality of execution and the overall presentation. Scores from the panel are combined into the athlete's mark for that apparatus.

Marks on each apparatus then build into the wider results. Many championships award placings for each apparatus, an all-round result for athletes who compete on more than one, and a team result that brings together the best marks of each team's members. How those totals are calculated varies between rule books.

Mallakhamb is scored live on Zeetius. The judges' panel and table officials enter the marks on the Zeetius multi-sport scoresheet, which is set up for the championship's apparatus, routines and scoring rules, and each routine appears on the public live score page at zeetius.com/live/livescore, filterable by sport. Athletes, coaches, parents and team managers can follow the marks as they are entered, from the hall or from home.

When the judges confirm their marks, the live record becomes the official result. Placings for each apparatus, all-round results and team results are built from the same confirmed marks, and they flow straight into the rank lists the association prepares in Zeetius Federation and the certificates generated in bulk for every participant at the end of the championship.

Mallakhamb associations at national, state and district level manage athletes, clubs, schools and judges who renew every season. Zeetius Federation keeps one record for each member, with registration, renewals, transfers and membership cards, and gives districts and clubs their own logins to look after their own people.

Sanctioned championships are planned in the same system, so entries can be limited to registered members. When a championship ends, apparatus, all-round and team placings flow into rank lists for each category, and certificates are generated in bulk for every participant straight from the results.

Automatic email and SMS tell members about renewals, entries and results, and online payments record every fee against the right athlete or club. Over several seasons, the records show how participation is growing in each district and age group, which helps associations plan their calendar and their development work.