Kho kho in India
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]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]
India's performance in international competitions
[edit]Men's team
[edit]South Asian Games
[edit]| Year | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd Place |
| 2016 |  India
|
 Bangladesh |
 Nepal |
| 2019 | India
|
Bangladesh |
Nepal |
Women's team
[edit]South Asian Games
[edit]| Year | Winner | Runner-up | 3rd Place |
| 2016 | India
|
Bangladesh |
Nepal |
| 2019 | India
|
Nepal |
Bangladesh |
Federation
[edit]The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) administers kho kho within India.
List of National Sports award recipients in Kho Kho, showing the year, award, and gender
[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]References
[edit]- ^ "Kho-kho | Indian sport | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
- ^ History of National Games: India’s homespun Olympics! Olympics.com
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Kho Kho, a kabaddi-like sport linked with Indian epic Mahabharata - know all about it" Olympics.com
- ^ a b "South Asian Games 2019: India bag two golds in kho-kho". Zee News. Retrieved 2023-03-15.