In a historic first for the game, Kho Kho gamers will be a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to partake within the Independence Day ceremony on the Crimson Fort on August 15.
Celebrating the burgeoning progress of an indigenous sport, PM Modi has invited 30 of India’s finest Kho Kho gamers, contemporary off the nation’s triumph within the maiden World Cup held in January 2025 in New Delhi, as per a launch from UKK.
The inclusion of Kho Kho at such a big nationwide gathering additionally highlights how the federal government is elevating indigenous video games. Sports activities Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has explicitly advocated for Kho Kho’s inclusion within the Asian Video games and the 2036 Olympics, calling it a “collective effort” involving gamers, federations, and the Sports activities Ministry to spice up its worldwide footprint.
The celebration additionally aligns with India’s 2036 Olympic bid and the pitch to return Kho Kho to the Video games precisely a century after its 1936 Berlin demonstration look.
Fifteen of those 30 gamers shall be a part of the participant draft of the brand new season of Final Kho Kho (UKK) starting November 29. Since its inception in 2022, UKK with collaboration with Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) has offered a structured skilled platform for Kho Kho, giving gamers common high-level competitors and entry to higher coaching assets. Its fashionable format, sooner gameplay, and nationwide telecast have helped rekindle public curiosity within the sport whereas inspiring a brand new era of gamers throughout the nation. In season 3, for the primary time, the league will function worldwide gamers, underscoring the game’s rising world footprint.
Talking on the event, Pratik Waikar stated, “Being invited to the Crimson Fort for Independence Day is without doubt one of the proudest moments of my life. Successful the World Cup earlier this yr was historic for us, however this honour from the nation exhibits that Kho Kho is lastly getting the popularity it deserves. With the game now reaching audiences internationally and worldwide gamers set to hitch us in UKK Season 3, it appears like Kho Kho is stepping onto the worldwide stage in a approach we have all dreamed of,” as quoted from a launch by UKK.
Amongst these honoured are the World Cup-winning gamers Pratik Waikar, Ramji Kashyap, Sachin Bhargo, Suyash Gargate, Gowtham M Ok, Rokeson Khuman, Nikhil B, Pabani Sabar, Akash Baliyan, Aditya Ganpule, Siva Reddy, Subramani, Mehul, Aniket Pote and Sumon Barman, whose performances have energised the game’s momentum at residence and overseas.
With its quick tempo, strategic depth, and deep cultural roots, Kho Kho has developed from a schoolyard favorite to an expert sport with a rising worldwide fanbase. UKK’s enlargement to incorporate international gamers this season is seen as a vital step in positioning the game for each industrial progress and Olympic recognition.
