Kho kho in India

Country|  India
Governing body| Kho Kho Federation of India
National team(s)| India national team

Club competitions

Ultimate Kho Kho (2022–present)

International competitions

* Kho Kho World Cup
* Asian Kho Kho Championship
* South Asian Games

Kho kho is a popular traditional Indian game that is a variation of tag.[1] Within India, it is played between states in the National Games of India and between franchise teams in the Ultimate Kho Kho league, which has the backing of the Kho Kho Federation of India.[2][3] At the international level, India plays kho kho in the South Asian Games.[4]

## History

[edit]

Main article: Kho kho § History

Kho kho has been played for thousands of years within India, having been originally played by players on chariots (which were called raths) and been known as rathera. The game's rules were standardised in 1914, and it was demonstrated at the 1936 Summer Olympics. It was first introduced to the South Asian Games in the 2016 edition.[4] In 2022, an Indian franchise league known as Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) began, in which several rules of kho kho are modified.[3]

## Performance record

[edit]

### Men's team

[edit]

#### Kho Kho World Cup

[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Runners-up  | 3rd Place

|
|
|

2025 Details |  |  |

#### South Asian Games

[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Runners-up  | 3rd Place

|
|
|

2016 Details |  India |  Bangladesh |  Nepal
2019 Details |  India |  Bangladesh |  Nepal

### Women's team

[edit]

#### Kho Kho World Cup

[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Runners-up  | 3rd Place

|
|
|

2025 Details |  |  |

#### South Asian Games

[edit]

Year  | Winner  | Runners-up  | 3rd Place

|
|
|

2016 Details |  India |  Bangladesh |  Nepal
2019 Details |  India |  Nepal |  Bangladesh

## Federation

[edit]

The Kho Kho Federation of India administers kho kho within India.[5]

## National award recipients

[edit]

Year  | Recipient  | Award  | Gender

|
|
|

1970  | Sudhir B. Parab | Arjuna Award | Male
1971  | Achala Suberao Devra | Arjuna Award | Male
1973  | Bhavna H. Parikh | Arjuna Award | Female
1974  | N. C. Sarolkar | Arjuna Award | Female
1975  | Shreerang J. Inamdar | Arjuna Award | Male
1975  | Usha Vasant Nagarkar | Arjuna Award | Female
1976  | S. R. Dharwadkar | Arjuna Award | Male
1981  | Sushma Sarolkar | Arjuna Award | Female
1981  | H. M. Takalkar | Arjuna Award | Male
1983  | Veena Narayan Parab | Arjuna Award | Female
1984  | S. Prakash | Arjuna Award | Male
1985  | S. B. Kulkarni | Arjuna Award | Female
1998  | Shobha Narayan | Arjuna Award | Female
2020  | Kale Sarika Sudhakar | Arjuna Award | Female
2000  | Gopal Purushottam Phadke | Dronacharya Award | Male

## See also

[edit]

* Kabaddi in India

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Kho-kho | Indian sport | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
2. ^ History of National Games: India’s homespun Olympics! Olympics.com
3. ^ a b Imtiaz, Md (2019-08-08). "Ultimate Kho Kho league: The age-old sport set for an IPL-style revamp". thebridge.in. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
4. ^ a b "Kho Kho, a kabaddi-like sport linked with Indian epic Mahabharata - know all about it" Olympics.com
5. ^ "South Asian Games 2019: India bag two golds in kho-kho". Zee News. Retrieved 2023-03-15.