National capital Delhi gears up for first-ever Kho Kho World Cup

Delhi: In a watershed moment for the sport of Kho Kho, the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup trophy was unveiled by the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) on Friday.

Under the aegis of the Sports Authority Of India (SAI), the tournament will showcase 21 men's and 20 women's teams from 24 countries across six continents at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

The Federation also introduced the mascots, ‘Tejas’ and ‘Tara,’ a dynamic duo of gazelle embodying the sport's core attributes of speed, agility, and teamwork.

"We are very grateful to all our stakeholders who will support the inaugural edition of the Kho Kho World Cup 2025," said Sudhanshu Mittal, President of the Kho Kho Federation of India.

"The World Cup will be live streamed free on Disney+ Hotstar and broadcast for free on DD Sports as well, in what is a massive boost to a sport indigenous to India. This World Cup is the first step towards taking the sport to the Olympics, and with the help of all our partners, we hope to show the world the beauty of Kho Kho. Our mascots Tejas and Tara symbolize the sport's core attributes of speed, agility, and teamwork. And the trophies -- blue for the men's tournament and green for the women's trophy -- is a mark of unity and harmony, and will set new standards of excellence at a global stage," he added.

The tournament is expected to play an important role in the promotion of the sport across the world as the stakeholders plan to take the sport to the Olympics in the future.

Kho Kho is one of the sports that traces its roots back to India but hasn't been recognised well in the country or at the global level. However, KKFI Sudhanshu Mittal believes that this World Cup will change that notion,

"The best part is that we will have teams from all over the world. Their teams will be represented by players who are native to the country rather than the South Asian diaspora. It shows that Kho Kho is popular among everyone," Mittal told The Bridge in an exclusive conversation.

With the squads expected to be announced on 8th January, the excitement is building up for the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup.