The inaugural edition of the Kho Kho World Cup began on Monday in New Delhi with an eye-catching opening ceremony at the Indira Gandhi Stadium. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya attended the star-studded opening ceremony.
Mandaviya addressed the gathering at the ceremony. “On the occasion of the inauguration of the Kho Kho World Cup, I would like to thank the honourable Vice President, respected Manoj Sharma, Vinai Saxena, Kho Kho Federation of India President Sudhanshu Mittal, IOA president PT Usha and every sports lover present. I am extremely happy that the Kho Kho World Cup is taking place in India. Sudhanshu was right, this is our sport. The one who plays stays healthy,” he said.
“Kho Kho has been part of our lives and tradition. We are very happy that this sport has been played in over 50 countries. I am happy that the World Cup is being held in India. I have written a letter to the Asian Games Council to include Kho Kho in the Asian Games. We are also wanting to host the 2036 Olympics and if we get to do that, we will try to include our games in the Olympics. I extend my best wishes to all the players, thank you,” Mandaviya concluded.
Among the high-profile personalities that were present at the event were Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, IOA President PT Usha, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi and India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma.
India play Nepal in their opening match of the tournament on Monday. A total of 20 men’s teams and 19 women’s teams will be looking to become champions in their respective categories.
India are placed in Group A alongside Nepal, Peru, Brazil and Bhutan. Group B features South Africa, Ghana, Argentina, Netherlands and Iran. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Republic of Korea, the United States of America and Poland form Group C, while England, Germany, Malaysia, Australia and Kenya are in Group D.
The women’s edition features 19 teams. Hosts India, Iran, Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea are in Group A. England, Australia, Kenya, Uganda, and the Netherlands are in Group B. Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Bangladesh are in Group C, while South Africa, New Zealand, Poland, Peru, and Indonesia are in Group D.
