Kho Kho players will soon shine like cricketers!
Ranvir Singh
New Delhi : Kho Kho as a sport is taking giant leaps and is going global with the inaugural World Cup set to take place in Delhi from 13-19th January, 2025. A total of 24 countries and 41 teams will be featuring in the competition.
The journey from ‘mitti to mat’ has been fascinating and interesting one. With certain tweaks and favourable additions, the sport has become more intense, exciting, entertaining. Imagine, India gets gold in both the categories (Men’s and women’s teams), the Kho Kho players may get a chance to be seen shining in advertisements and great endorsement packages.
The innovations and technologies adopted by the Federation have significantly elevated the sport’s appeal, strategic depth, and international prospects. For instance, the introduction of ‘Wazir’ gives a distinguished touch to the game. The number of players have also been reduced to seven from nine for better audience appeal. As per international standards, the game has review and replay system.
While the first-ever World Cup will be taking place in 2025, Kho Kho was played in 1936 Olympics as a demo game. The International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF) is aiming to have Kho Kho as a part of 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games and 2030 Asian Games.
Kho Kho opens wide range of opportunities
Kho Kho is played in over 600 districts across the country. It is also a popular sport among women who have been given equal opportunity to participate in various state and national teams.
Various state Governments have given Kho Kho players representing the state job opportunities. As of now, over 3000 jobs have been provided.
The sport requires a lot of agility, endurance and stamina and to maintain all these factors, the players need to follow strict diet and fitness regime which eventually helps them lead a healthy and wholesome life. The federation as part of its training program educates the players on their diet regime.
The Government of India has been promoting the ‘Fit India’ campaign and Kho Kho too has been recognised as a sport in the ‘Khelo India’ program.