21st December, 2024: India will be hosting the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup from 13-19th January, 2025 in New Delhi and the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) is leaving no stone unturned to provide the best possible facilities and training to the players
KKFI in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) is conducting an intensive training camp at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which comprises of 60 male and as many female players taking part in it. 30 players out of these 60 would be shortlisted for the probable list and a 15-member squad will be formed eventually.
Kho Kho which has roots in India is now going global and the players are pretty excited to feature in the competition. While it would be an honour for them don the Indian jersey and represent the country at the highest level, the sport has certainly given a lot more security and self belief to the players.
Most of them come from very humble backgrounds and have been able to get stable jobs through sports quota in different sectors of state and central Government including the Railways which has eventually helped them have financial stability. Each player of the team that wins the nationals gets INR 7 lakh in the price money. Moreover, there are state awards that add to the positives. For instance, the Shiv Chhatrapati Award is a prestigious annual sports award given by the Government of Maharashtra to recognize the achievements of athletes and sports contributors in the state.
The training camp, a crucial step in selecting the national team for the Kho Kho World Cup, has brought together talented players from various states, including Maharashtra, Puducherry, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Assam, Goa, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Telangana, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir.
The selection process for the World Cup team involves a thorough evaluation of players’ performance during the training camp. The female team consists of players aged 18-26 years, while the male team comprises players aged 18-34 years.
Players who have excelled in Junior National Championships (under-18 years) and Senior National Championships have been given preference for selection.
Some of the standout players in the male category include Prateek Waikar, Ramji, Ankit Potte, Dilip Khandui, Suyash Gargate, Dipesh More, Aditya Ganpule, and Akshay Ganpule.
In the female category, notable players are Priyanka Ingle, Reshm Rathore, Nasreen, Nirmal, Muskan, Meenu, Magai, and Chetra Madhu.
The Kho Kho World Cup organising committee is committed to providing top-notch facilities, high-intensity training sessions and recovery programs to ensure the Indian team gets the gold.
ABOUT KHO KHO FEDERATION OF INDIA
The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) is the national governing body for Kho-Kho in India with Shri Sudhanshu Mittal as the President of the organisation. All the state associations are affiliated to the National Federation which conducts the National championship for Men, Women and Junior classes every year. Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK), a franchise-based Indian Kho-Kho league, is hosted in collaboration with KKFI each year.