Kho kho is a traditional Indian sport that dates to ancient India. Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing team (attacking team) are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three runners from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched or caught. Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field.
In the game, one player from the chasing team (the "active chaser" or "attacker") may run around the court to tag (touch) members of the defending team. Each successful tag earns one point, and tagged defenders must leave the field. However, the active chaser is restricted from crossing the central lane to access the other half of the court and cannot change direction once they begin running toward either pole. These restrictions can be bypassed if the active chaser either switches roles with a sitting teammate — by touching them on the back while saying "Kho" — who is facing the other half of the court, or by running behind either pole to switch direction or halves. Each team alternates between scoring and defending, with two turns for each role. Each turn lasts nine minutes, and the team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.
The sport is widely played across South Asia, and also has a presence in other regions with a significant South Asian diaspora, such as South Africa and England. It is played most often by school children, and is also a competitive sport. The first franchise league for the sport, Ultimate Kho Kho, was unveiled in India in August 2022, and the inaugural World Cup was held in 2025.
Etymology
The name comes from (), the word kho is an onomatopoeia of the sound invoked while playing the game.
History
Kho kho has been played since at least the fourth century BC. Certain aspects of kho kho's gameplay may have been mentioned in the Mahabharata. In pre-modern times, it is believed that a version of kho kho known as Rathera was played on chariots (ratha meaning "chariot" in Sanskrit). The game was also known in ancient times as "Kho Dhwani Krida", translating as "a game where the sound 'kho' is made". Kho-kho was demonstrated at the 1936 Berlin Olympics alongside other traditional Indian games. Within South Asia, it has been accepted into major sports events such as Khelo India and the National Games of India, with its growth supported by its simplicity and affordability. In the future, Indian officials have targeted adding kho kho to the Asian Games and 2036 Olympics. June 30 is celebrated annually as International Kho Kho Day.
left|thumb|India vs Nepal at the [[2023 Asian Kho Kho Championship]]
Kho kho's rules and appearance have changed over time; it was generally played on muddy surfaces in the past, but today is often professionally played on matted surfaces. This transition has altered the game, as more energy is required to run on a matted surface, with injuries also increasing to some extent. Various other aspects of the game, such as the poles and the dimensions of the playing field, were also added over time. In the early 21st century, a shortened format of the game was invented, aiming to increase spectator appeal. In 2025, a kho kho ground was inaugurated in Australia with the innovative feature of removable poles, which allows other sports to take place on the field when desired.
Several major kho kho developments have taken place in India. In July 2022, the player draft for Ultimate Kho Kho was completed, which is a six-team franchise-based Indian kho kho tournament. Its inaugural season ran from August 14 to September 4, 2022. The Kho Kho Federation of India conducts the National Championships for men, women and juniors every year. India was also the host and winner of the inaugural 2025 Kho Kho World Cup.
Rules
Field
The field is , with a distance of between the two poles, and the central lane having a width of . Each of the cross lanes (which pass through the sitting areas that the chasers sit in, and go from one side of the court to the other) has a width of , with adjacent cross lanes apart, and a separation of between each pole and its adjacent cross lane. Each pole is high and in diameter. The poles are smooth and round, with no sharp edges. There are -long extensions of the court behind each of the poles known as "free zones", in which there are no restrictions on chasers' movements.
Gameplay
thumb|A depiction of the start of the game: the active chaser (far right arrow) stands next to the pole in the free zone, with the eight other chasers sitting in the central lane, and the three defenders (in blue) scattered throughout the field.
At the start of play, the active chaser starts off in one of the free zones, and can run into either half of the court to tag the three defenders. Once all three defenders have been tagged out or otherwise "dismissed", the next "batch" of three defenders comes onto the court. The IKKF distinguishes between two main formats of kho kho: the standard "test format" and a seven-a-side "fast format", with the latter being used for the World Cup. It aims to expand the game to over 90 countries to meet the prerequisites for Olympic inclusion.
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Participating Countries
!Country
!Association
!National Teams
!IKKF affiliation
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |Africa
|-
|Ghana
|Ghana Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|Kenya
|Kenya Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|Mali
|Federation Malienne De Kho Kho
|M & W
|
|-
|South Africa
|Kho Kho Association of South Africa
|M & W
|
|-
|Uganda
|Uganda Khokho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |Americas
|-
|Argentina
|
|M & W
|
|-
|Brazil
|Brazil Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|Canada
|Kho Kho Canada
|M & W
|
|-
|Peru
|Peruvian Kho kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|United States
|USA Kho Kho Association
|M & W
|
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |Asia
|-
! colspan="4" |Asian Kho Kho Federation
|-
|Bangladesh
|Bangladesh Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|Bhutan
|Bhutan Kho Kho Club
|M & W
|
|-
|Indonesia
|Indonesia Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|India
|Kho Kho Federation of India
|M & W
|
|-
|Iran
|Kho Kho Association of Iran
|M & W
|
|-
|Malaysia
|Kho Kho Association of Malaysia
|M & W
|
|-
|Nepal
|Nepal Kho Kho Association
|M & W
|
|-
|Pakistan
|Pakistan Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|South Korea
|Korea Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|Sri Lanka
|Sri Lanka Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |Europe
|-
|England
|Kho Kho Federation of England
|M & W
|
|-
|Germany
|Kho Kho Federation of Germany
|M & W
|
|-
|Netherlands
|Dutch Kho Kho Federation
|M & W
|
|-
|Poland
|Kho Kho Poland
|M & W
|
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |Oceania
|-
|Australia
|Kho Kho Australia
|M & W
|
|-
|New Zealand
|Kho Kho Federation of New Zealand
|M & W
|
|}
Other international kho kho competitions, such as the Asian Kho Kho Championship, have been held with the collaboration of organisations such as the Kho Kho Federation of India and the Kho Kho Federation of England.
Variations
Seven-a-side
Unofficial variants
Shortest time wins
In one variation of kho kho, a team is no longer allowed to chase once it has tagged all the players on the other team. The team that tags all of its opponents in the shortest amount of time wins.
Circle kho-kho
In this variant, the field is modified so that it is simply a inner circle and a outer circle, with the outer circle acting as the boundary of the field. Instead of sitting, eight of the nine chasers stand in positions evenly spaced around the perimeter of the inner circle, with each alternate chaser facing into or away from the inner circle; when a chaser is given a kho, they can only run in the inside or outside of the inner circle depending on which way they were facing while inactive.
Standing kho-kho
Khokad
Each team has seven or more players, with all players from the defensive team standing in the central lane between the sitting chasers. The captain of the chasing team aims to tag the defenders, who are allowed to jump out of the central lane temporarily to avoid being tagged, without any help from a teammate. Once a defender is dismissed, the captain can, upon reaching one of the free zones, say "khok" along with the name of any of the sitting chasers, which results in that player becoming the active chaser. Once all defenders have been dismissed, the teams switch roles.
Competitions
International competitions
Kho kho had been due to debut as a demonstration sport at the 2020 Asian Beach Games until that event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Full integration with the Commonwealth Games is being aimed for by 2030.
Kho Kho World Cup
Domestic competitions
Ultimate Kho Kho
See also
- Duck, duck, goose (a related Western game)