Non-Olympic
What BCCI can learn from Kho Kho Federation of India
It should be noted that India lifted the men’s and women’s inaugural Kho Kho World Cup titles on Sunday. Instead of the players going on a long vacation, they have been asked to represent their respective states in the National Games this month
Khurram Habib
21 Jan, 2025
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may have been reluctant in forcing India stars into playing domestic cricket but there has been no let-up from the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) for its World Cup-winning stars.
It should be noted that India lifted the men’s and women’s inaugural Kho Kho World Cup titles on Sunday. Instead of the players going on a long vacation, they have been asked to represent their respective states in the National Games which begin on January 28 and run till February 14. There is just a nine-day gap from India’s finals and the start of the Games.
“All the international players [who won the World Cup] will have to participate in the National Games. Players becoming bigger than the game is not a great thing for the sport,” said Sudhanshu Mittal, the President of the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) in a post-tournament press conference held in New Delhi on Monday.
Mittal also announced that the International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF) has decided that the next World Cup will be held in Birmingham, England, in 2027.
“The Kho Kho federation of England has decided to play host to the next World Cup in 2027 in Birmingham,” he said.
Mittal also said that successful completion of the Kho Kho World Cup will give a fillip to their bid to expand the sport to different parts of the globe.
“Different associations will be formed. We are forming the European kho kho association. Africa already has 10 nations playing it. We have will have a governing body for every continent, one for Europe, one for Africa and likewise one for the Americas,” he said.
The plans for this and also the road to the next four years for the sport will be decided during the International Kho Kho Congress scheduled for April 17 next year, added Mittal.
The KKFI President reiterated his plans to take the sport to the Olympics and Asian Games in future.
He is eyeing the 2030 Asian Games and the 2032 Olympics. While having the sport in the Asian Games looks possible, there will have to be rapid strides across the world to take it to the Olympics.
Tags : BCCI, Kho Kho federation, National Games, Sudhanshu Mittal, World Cup, Birmingham, England, New Delhi