Kho Kho (India)

Kho Kho is a traditional sport from the Indian subcontinent. This sport appeared long ago in Pune Gymkhana the state Maharashtra. Together with kabbadi, it’s one of the two most popular traditional sports in South Asia.

It was played on chariots called Rath. In its ancient form, the game was known as Rathera.
It was a very popular sport, and for many years practiced in an informal way. In order to popularize the game club, Deccan Gymkhana from Pune tried to formalize its rules.
The present appearance of the game was an adoption about the time of World War I in 1914. But at that time, there were neither any dimensions of the playground nor the poles which demarcate the central lane.

Kho Kho is a tag game, it could also be called Game of hunting. Kho Kho is a traditional game played in India. Its origins are ancient, with strategies and tactics likely derived from the epic ‘Mahabharata’. On the 13th day of the war, the Kaurava General Guru Dronacharya created the ‘Chakravyuha’ a special military defensive circle which was eventually penetrated by the renowned warrior Abhimanyu. He was killed eventually by having to fight alone against 7 other warriors but he inflicted heavy casualties in return. His style of fighting reflects the concept of ‘ring play’ – a defensive tactic in Kho Kho. There are many other similarities. It has gradually become a favorite game of children and for many centuries served as entertainment.

Deccan Gymkhana Pune, a club created by the Indian leader Lokmanya Tilak, formalized the rules of the game for the first time. This initial stage marked the limitation of the playground and yet sadly lacked the poles demarking the central lane in the field. Instead, less experienced players were posted squatting at the ends of the latter and chasers ran around them to return to the midfield. In 1919, the Kho Kho game area was limited to 44 yards of the central lane length and 17 yards of the ellipse width.

The years 1923-24 saw the foundation of the Inter School Sports Organization and Kho Kho was introduced to develop at the grassroots and consequently popularize the sport.
Those efforts can be compared to those of Deccan Gymkhana and Hind Vijay Gmykhan. Other popular games like Langdi and Atya-Patya, allowed to practice similar skills as Kho Kho. Especially the latter game requires special mention, because it was well known, and important for Kho Kho, because it developed defense skills.

Akhil Maharashtra Sharirik Shikshan Mandal (Institute of Physical Education) was founded in 1928 when Dr. Abasahib Natu Pune, Mahabal Guruji from Nasik, Karmarkar Vaidya from Miraj and Dr. Mirajkar Bombaju, in cooperation with Kho-Kho experts, formulated the rules and regulations of the game, which differed somewhat from the Federation regulations of nowadays.

Hind Vijay Gymkhana, Baroda and Deccan Gymkhana, Pune had their own rules that differed too. In 1933, experts from around sixty Gymkhanas gathered and developed a code of principles called Akhil Maharashtra Sharirik Shikshan Mandal which was acknowledged in 1935.

Over the years the rules have changed. Firstly, in 1914, 10 points were scored for each opponent and the round lasted nine minutes. In 1919, the score was reduced to 5 and the match lasted eight minutes. In the following years, points were also given as an early ending bonus. Further changes concerned the playing field, which was changed into a rectangle instead of an ellipse. The distance between the two ends was shortened to 27 yards, a free zone was created beyond the ends of the game rectangle 27 yards x 5 yards, also known as zone "D". In this zone, the hunter could move in any direction, regardless of the direction change.

Kho Kho was first presented in Berlin during the Olympic Games in 1936. The first national championship of India Kho-Kho was played in Vijay Wada, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in 1959/60 under the auspices of the Federation of India Kho-Kho. The team lead from Bombay area won the competition. Rajabhau Jeste who led it was a champion of this game, an expert and commentator. First women’s championships were held in 1960/61.

In 1982, Kho-Kho was incorporated into the Indian Olympic Association and a few years later, in 1989 a show was held during the 'Asian Games' Festival. At that time, several changes were made to the game, accepted and included by the Asian Federation. The pillars were moved to a distance of 23.50 meters, and the square of the game was increased in width to 16 meters. The duration of the rounds was set at nine minutes.
First International Championships were organized in Kolkata in 1982.

Kho-Kho can develop many desirable traits – sports competition, teamwork, loyalty, self-confidence, speed, agility, strategical thinking. Kho Kho is not only a sport with a lot of running and crouching, but it's also a great school of teamwork. Players must watch each other closely, cooperate, recognize situations and take decisions quickly. This sport has also a strategic dimension. Not only it shapes the body but also sharpens the mind