The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) officially released the logo for the upcoming inaugural Kho Kho World Cup, set to take place in 2025, at the Tyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) and the International Kho Kho Federation have announced that the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup will take place in India in 2025. The event will witness the participation of 24 countries from 6 continents and will feature 16 men’s and as many as women’s teams.
The tournament, set to take place across January 13-19 of 2025, will feature a week-long series of matches, with top-tier athletes from across the globe.
An inaugural speech from Sudhanshu Mittal, President of the Kho Kho Federation of India, followed, where he emphasised the importance of India gaining the oppotunity to host the World Cup of an indigenous sport that has now become recognised worldwide.
“Today, Kho Kho is played in 54 countries across the world. I am audacious to announce that by the end of 2025, we would have covered 90 countries across the globe. We are there in all the continents across the globe,” stated Mittal.
“We have always played games which have come from outside. So, it a sheer delight to see our game being played all across the world now.”
Mittal also announced the KKFI’s plans of promoting Kho Kho by taking the sport to 200 schools across 10 cities. He stated that the membership drive for school students who play the game will be launched with the aim of registering at least 50 lakh players ahead of the mega tournament.
Mittal’s speech was then followed by a demo game between the Men’s Teams of Maharastra and Rest of India, in roder to showcase the exciting sport to the world.
In a nail-biter of a game, which went down to dying seconds, it was ultimately Team Maharashtra who clinched a narrow 26-24 win over ROI, and put up a display of some high-flying athleticism with skydives galore.
Next up, a walk of honour for the Indian Women’s Kho Kho team followed, celebrating the team’s success at the 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship in 2023.
Finally, the moment of revelation arrives as esteemed members of the KKFI such as Mittal and General Secretary M.S Tyagi, graced with the presence of gidnitaries such as Rohit Haldania, General Secretary of the International Kho Kho Federation and Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Nikhil Kadse, all unveiled the official logo for the much-anticipated Kho Kho World Cup 2025.
The Kho Kho World Cup will be held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex in New Delhi from January 13–19, 2025.
Teams Participating in Men’s Tournament:
Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, South Korea, England, Netherlands, USA, Canada, Brazil, Australia.
Teams Participating in Women’s Tournament:
Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Bhutan, India, Iran, Sri Lanka, Poland, Germany, Peru, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, South Korea, England, New Zealand.
