View source for Kho kho

{{Short description|Traditional Indian tag game played in teams}}
{{About|the sport||Kho-Kho (disambiguation){{!}}Kho-Kho}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox sport
| image =Kho Kho game at a Government school in Haryana, India.jpg
| imagesize=300 px
| caption= Kho kho game in progress at a government school in [[Haryana]], India
| first=India
| first team=
| contact= Permitted
| team=15 players per side, 12 in the field in 4 batches and 3 extra
| category=
|equipment=None (except the two poles on the court)|region=[[Indian subcontinent]]|mgender=No|nicknames=* Kho-kho
* Chhoyan-chhuyin ([[Bengali language|Bengali]])|olympic=[[Demonstration sport]]: [[Indian sports at the 1936 Summer Olympics|1936]]|glossary=[[Glossary of kho kho terms]]|name=Kho Kho|world=[[Kho Kho World Cup]]|union=[[International Kho Kho Federation]]}}
'''Kho kho''' is a [[Traditional games of South Asia|traditional South Asian sport]] that dates to [[Ancient india|ancient India]].<ref>Hard Bound Lab Manual Health and Physical Education, p. 41</ref><ref name=":4" /> It is the second-most popular traditional [[Tag (game)|tag game]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]] after [[kabaddi]].<ref name="Hastie20102">{{cite book|author=Peter A Hastie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dZzRrg49nBAC&pg=PA52|title=Student-Designed Games: Strategies for Promoting Creativity, Cooperation, and Skill Development | publisher=[[Human Kinetics]]|year=2010|isbn=978-0-7360-8590-8|page=52}}</ref> Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are 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.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=kho-kho {{!}} Indian sport {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/kho-kho |access-date=2022-07-16 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
At any time, one player from the chasing team (the 'active chaser'/'attacker') may run around the court to attempt to tag (touch) members of the defending team, with one point scored per tag, and each tagged defender required to leave the field; however, the active chaser cannot cross the central lane to access the other half of the field, and cannot change direction once they start running toward either pole. The chasing team can get around these restrictions 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 and therefore has access to it, or runs to the area behind either pole and then switches direction/half. Each team has two turns to score and two turns to defend, with each turn lasting nine minutes. The team that scores the most points by the end of the game wins.<ref name=":0">Nag, Utathya (24 June 2022). [https://olympics.com/en/news/kho-kho-history-rules-how-to-play "Kho Kho, a kabaddi-like sport linked with Indian epic Mahabharata - know all about it".] ''Olympics.com''</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=ahmed|first=usman|date=14 August 2011|title=Trip down memory lane: The games we play…|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/227684/trip-down-memory-lane-the-games-we-play/|access-date=4 June 2020|website=The Express Tribune}}</ref> The first franchise league for the sport, [[Ultimate Kho Kho]], was unveiled in India in August 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Scroll Staff |title=Ultimate Kho Kho: Squads, format, fixtures – all you need to know about latest Indian sports league |url=https://scroll.in/field/1030441/ultimate-kho-kho-squads-format-fixtures-all-you-need-to-know-about-latest-indian-sports-league |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Etymology ==
The name comes from {{langx|mr|खोखो}} ({{transliteration|mr|khō-khō}}),<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/kho-kho |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025020646/https://www.lexico.com/definition/kho-kho |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 October 2020 |title=kho-kho |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> the word ''kho'' is an [[onomatopoeia]] of the sound invoked while playing the game.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Molesworth |first1=J. T. (James Thomas) |title=A dictionary, Marathi and English. 2d ed., rev. and enl |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/molesworth_query.py?page=215 |website=dsal.uchicago.edu |access-date=27 April 2020 |date=1857}}</ref>
==History==
[[File:Stone chariot in Hampi,Karnataka,India July2019 DSC 7847.jpg|thumb|A depiction of an [[Ratha|Indian chariot]] from ancient times. Kho-kho was first played on chariot before transitioning to its modern form.]]
Kho kho has been played since at least the fourth century BC.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-30 |title=The Evolution of Kho Kho Mats in India: A Historical Overview |url=https://english.jagran.com/sports/the-evolution-of-kho-kho-mats-in-india-a-historical-overview-10080405 |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=English Jagran |language=en}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Satyam |first=Amitabh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AflmEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT100 |title=The Games India Plays: Indian Sports Simplified |last2=Goswami |first2=Sangeeta |date=2022-04-18 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-93-5435-256-0 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Modern era ===
The modern form of the game was standardised in 1914, with its rules and formalised structure being given by Pune's [[Deccan Gymkhana Ground|Deccan Gymkhana club]]. The first rule book of Kho-kho was written by [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nair |first=Abhijit |date=2021-01-14 |title=History of Kho-Kho in India: How Mahabharata shaped the sport |url=https://thebridge.in/featured/history-kho-kho-india-mahabharata-shaped-sport/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=thebridge.in |language=en}}</ref> Kho-kho was [[Indian sports at the 1936 Summer Olympics|demonstrated]] at the [[1936 Berlin Olympics]] alongside other traditional Indian games.<ref name=":0" />
It is now a medal sport in the [[South Asian Games]], having first been played in the [[2016 South Asian Games|2016 edition]]. The sport has also been spread overseas to the United Kingdom and South Africa by the [[South Asian diaspora]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-30 |title=British Indians fall in love with ‘Kho Kho’, reconnect with roots |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/british-indians-fall-in-love-with-kho-reconnect-with-roots-4498120/ |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Seven traditional games |url=https://www.news24.com/news24/seven-traditional-games-20150429 |work=News24}}</ref> Within South Asia, it has been accepted into major sports events such as [[Khelo India]] and the [[National Games of India]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kalpana |first=Kommi |last2=Cherian |first2=Keren Susan |last3=Khanna |first3=Gulshan Lal |date=2022-08-30 |title=Energy availability and RED-S risk assessment among Kho-Kho players in India |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11332-022-00996-z |journal=Sport Sciences for Health |language=en |doi=10.1007/s11332-022-00996-z |issn=1824-7490 |pmc=9425793 |pmid=36061453}}</ref> with its growth supported by its simplicity and affordability.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bandhopadhyay |first=Nita |title=THE STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECT OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL GAME KHO-KHO IN WEST BENGAL |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353600182_THE_STATUS_AND_FUTURE_PROSPECT_OF_INDIAN_TRADITIONAL_GAME_KHO-KHO_IN_WEST_BENGAL |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=researchgate.net}}</ref> In the future, Indian officials have targeted adding kho kho to the Asian Games and [[2036 Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Indian official targets kho kho's inclusion at 2026 Asian Games |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1092435/asian-games-2026-kho-kho-inclusion |work=InsideTheGames}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-21 |title=In 2036 Olympics bid, India to pitch for inclusion of yoga, kabaddi and kho kho |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/india-olympics-2036-bid-yoga-kabaddi-kho-kho-9405799/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Glipmse of India vs Iran Match during 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship.jpg|left|thumb|India vs Iran 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Taneja |first=Nidhima |date=2023-01-27 |title=Pro kabaddi, kho-kho leagues chase IPL viewership. India rediscovering regional sports |url=https://theprint.in/feature/pro-kabaddi-kho-kho-leagues-chase-ipl-viewership-india-rediscovering-regional-sports/1337725/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-30 |title=The Evolution Of Kho Kho Mats In India: A Historical Overview |url=https://english.jagran.com/sports/the-evolution-of-kho-kho-mats-in-india-a-historical-overview-10080405 |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=English Jagran |language=en}}</ref> This transition has altered the game, as more energy is required to run on a matted surface, with injuries also increasing to some extent.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-24 |title=Ground reality: Change of turf threatens to put Indian kho kho on the mat |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/ground-reality-change-of-turf-threatens-to-put-indian-kho-kho-on-the-mat-6232373/ |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-30 |title=Kho Kho, the backyard game, set to get modern twist with technology, new rules, and slick packaging |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/kho-kho-the-backyard-game-set-to-get-modern-twist-with-technology-new-rules-and-slick-packaging-7081061.html |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=Firstpost |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-09 |title=Kho Kho gets a league of its own |url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com//news/big-story/kho-kho-gets-a-league-of-its-own-111662721302738.html |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=Mintlounge |language=en}}</ref> Various other aspects of the game, such as the poles and the dimensions of the playing field, were also added over time.<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338395357_EFFECT_OF_DIFFERENT_INTENSITY_INTERVAL_TRAINING_ON_ANAEROBIC_EFFICIENCY_OF_STATE_LEVEL_MALE_KHO-KHO_PLAYERS EFFECT OF DIFFERENT INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING ON ANAEROBIC EFFICIENCY OF STATE LEVEL MALE KHO-KHO PLAYERS] https://www.researchgate.net/ Mrinal Das</ref>
Several major kho kho developments have [[Kho kho in India|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=143 players picked in the Ultimate Kho Kho Season 1 players draft |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/143-players-picked-in-the-ultimate-kho-kho-season-1-players-draft-article-92891487 |access-date=2022-07-15 |website=TimesNow |language=en}}</ref> The [[Kho Kho Federation of India]] conducts the National Championships for men, women and juniors every year. The latest (56th) edition, the [[2024 National Kho Kho Championship (India)|2024 National kho kho championship]], concluded in Delhi on 1 April 2024 with Maharashtra winning both the men's and women's National titles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kukalyekar |first=Aditya |date=2024-04-01 |title=Kho-Kho is India's homegrown sport and we need to take it to international level: Rajat Sharma |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/sports/other/kho-kho-is-india-s-homegrown-sport-and-we-need-to-take-it-to-international-level-rajat-sharma-2024-04-01-924168 |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=www.indiatvnews.com |language=}}</ref>
== Rules ==
=== Field ===
The field is {{Convert|27 by 16|m}}, with a distance of {{Convert|24|m}} between the two poles, and the central lane having a width of {{Convert|30|cm}}. 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 {{Convert|35|cm}}, with adjacent cross lanes {{Convert|2.3|m}} apart, and a separation of {{Convert|2.55|m}} between each pole and its adjacent cross lane. Each pole is {{Convert|120 to 125|cm}} high and {{Convert|9 to 10|cm}} in diameter. The poles are smooth and round, with no sharp edges. There are {{Convert|1.5|m|abbr=on}}-long extensions of the court behind each of the poles known as "free zones", in which there are no restrictions on chasers' movements.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Ultimate Kho Kho: Rules and Regulations |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IPH86qv3lt83qKmrKD6MzZ6c0ImMQPDc/view?usp=embed_facebook |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=Google Docs}}</ref>
=== Gameplay ===
[[File:Kho Kho field 1.jpg|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.<ref name=":6" />
The active chaser can switch roles with a sitting teammate by touching them on the back and shouting "kho"; this is known as the active chaser "giving a kho" to the sitting teammate. One kho must be given by the active chaser upon the dismissal of a batch before the chasing team can tag any players in the next batch.<ref name=":0" /> For the kho to be valid, it must be given before the active chaser has gone past the cross lane that the teammate is sitting within, with the sitting teammate not moving/rising before receiving the kho. Once a sitting chaser becomes active, they may only enter the half of the court which they were facing while they were sitting; additionally, once the newly active chaser steps to the left or right of the cross lane they were sitting in (or turns in such a way that their shoulders face towards either pole), they must continue in that direction until they have reached the free zone. Also, once the newly active chaser steps out of the central lane, they cannot step back into the central lane while tagging a defender.<ref name=":6" />
Violating any of these rules results in a "foul", in which case the chasing team can no longer attempt to tag any defenders. In order to clear the foul, the active chaser must move in the opposite direction of the one they were running in (i.e. away from the defenders they were chasing) until they have either given a kho to a teammate, or reached the appropriate free zone.<ref name=":6" />
The chasing team scores points each time a defender is ruled "out" (dismissed), which happens either when a chaser tags a defender without breaking any rules, when a defender steps out of the court (with no part of the body remaining grounded within), or when a defender is late to enter the court as part of a new batch after the dismissal of the previous batch.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chhabria |first=Vinay |title=Scoring, fouls & more - All the rules of Kho Kho you need to know before Ultimate Kho Kho 2022 |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/sports/scoring-fouls-all-rules-kho-kho-need-know-ultimate-kho-kho-2022 |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=www.sportskeeda.com |language=en-us}}</ref>
{{Anchor|Tiebreaker}}
In the case of a tie, some matches have a tiebreaker known as a "minimum chase", in which each team is allotted an additional turn to score. Each team's turn ends once they have scored one point, with the team that is faster at scoring a point during their minimum chase turn winning the match.<ref name=":6" />
== Governance ==
The International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF) administers kho kho at the global level, and is planning to host the inaugural 2025 [[Kho Kho World Cup]] in collaboration with the [[Kho Kho Federation of India]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bharat |first=E. T. V. |date=2024-10-02 |title=First-ever Kho Kho World Cup To Take Place In India |url=https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!sports/india-to-host-first-kho-kho-world-cup-in-2025-kho-kho-federation-of-india-kkfi-announced-on-october-2-enn24100201908 |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=ETV Bharat News |language=en}}</ref> The IKKF distinguishes between two main formats of kho kho: the standard "test format" and a seven-a-side "[[Kho kho#Seven-a-side|fast format]]", with the latter being used for the World Cup.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General 4 |url=https://www.khokho.net/the-game |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=International Kho Kho Federation |language=en-GB}}</ref>
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]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Padmadeo |first=Vinayak |title=Indigenous kho kho goes international |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/sports/news-detail-634616 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=tribuneindia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Karmakar |first=Rahul |date=2023-03-23 |title=Indian men, women bag 4th Asian Kho Kho titles |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/indian-men-women-bag-4th-asian-kho-kho-titles/article66653371.ece |access-date=2023-10-06 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
== Variations ==
=== 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kho Kho: How to Play and Rules |url=https://goneoutdoors.com/play-kho-kho-2203290.html |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=Gone Outdoors {{!}} Your Adventure Awaits |language=en}}</ref>
=== Seven-a-side ===
{{Excerpt|Ultimate Kho Kho#Rules}}
=== Circle kho-kho ===
In this variant, the field is modified so that it is simply a {{Convert|5|m|abbr=on}} inner circle and a {{Convert|7|m|abbr=on}} 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.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Nl3NWFilE0C&pg=PA50 |title=Enjoy Health and Physical Education Text Cum Workbook Std.3 |publisher=Jeevandeep Prakashan Pvt Ltd |isbn=978-81-7744-543-5 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Standing kho-kho ===
{{Excerpt|Tag (game)|Elbow tag}}
== Competitions ==
=== International competitions ===
==== Kho Kho World Cup ====
{{Excerpt|Kho kho World Cup|paragraphs=1-2|templates=0|references=0}}
=== Domestic competitions ===
==== Ultimate Kho Kho ====
[[File:Ultimate kho kho logo.jpg|thumb|Logo of Ultimate Kho Kho]]{{Excerpt|Ultimate Kho Kho|paragraphs=1}}
==OTHERS==
* [[Atya patya|Atya Patya]]
* [[Langdi (sport)]]
* [[Duck, duck, goose]] (a related Western game)
{{Portal|Sports}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}{{Notelist}}{{Outdoor games}}{{Team sports}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kho Kho}}
[[Category:Kho-Kho| ]]
[[Category:Sports originating in South Asia]]
[[Category:Traditional sports of Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Traditional sports of India]]
[[Category:Traditional sports of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Tag variants]]