Kho kho is a traditional South Asian sport that dates to ancient India.[1][2] It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi.[3] 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.[2] Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
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 the tagged defender 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.[4]
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.[5] The first franchise league for the sport, Ultimate Kho Kho, was unveiled in India in August 2022.[6]
Etymology
The name comes from Marathi: खोखो (khō-khō),[7] the word kho is an onomatopoeia of the sound invoked while playing the game.[8]
History
A depiction of an 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.[9] 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".[10]
It is now a medal sport in the South Asian Games, having first been played in the 2016 edition. The sport has also been spread overseas to the United Kingdom and South Africa by the South Asian diaspora.[12][13] Within South Asia, it has been accepted into major sports events such as Khelo India and the National Games of India,[14] with its growth supported by its simplicity and affordability.[15] In the future, Indian officials have targeted adding kho kho to the Asian Games and 2036 Olympics.[16][17] 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.[18]
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.[19][20] This transition has altered the game, as more energy is required to run on a matted surface, with injuries also increasing to some extent.[21][22][23] Various other aspects of the game, such as the poles and the dimensions of the playing field, were also added over time.[24] In the 21st century, a shortened format of the game has been invented, aiming to increase spectator appeal.[a][18]
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.[25] 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, concluded in Delhi on 1 April 2024 with Maharashtra winning both the men's and women's National titles.[26]
Rules
Field
The field is 27 by 16 metres (89 by 52 ft), with a distance of 24 metres (79 ft) between the two poles, and the central lane having a width of 30 centimetres (12 in). 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 35 centimetres (14 in), with adjacent cross lanes 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in) apart, and a separation of 2.55 metres (8 ft 4 in) between each pole and its adjacent cross lane. Each pole is 120 to 125 centimetres (47 to 49 in) high and 9 to 10 centimetres (3.5 to 3.9 in) in diameter. The poles are smooth and round, with no sharp edges. There are 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)-long extensions of the court behind each of the poles known as "free zones", in which there are no restrictions on chasers' movements.[4][27]
Gameplay
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.[27]
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.[4] 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.[27]
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.[27]
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.[27][28]
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.[27]
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.[33]
UKK uses a modified set of rules referred to by the International Kho Kho Federation as the "fast format", as opposed to the standard "test format".[34] The following modifications apply:[35][36][37]
Only 7 players from the attacking (chasing) team are on the field.[38][39][40]
The playing field is only 22 meters long and 16 meters wide.[38][39][40]
A 30-second break is taken between the dismissal of one batch and the entry of the next batch.[42][b]
If a batch of defenders can avoid being completely dismissed for at least 3 minutes (known as a "Dream Run"), they earn 1 point, and then an extra point for every 30 seconds survived afterwards.[43][44]
One attacking player (known as the wazir) may run in any direction when acting as the active attacker.[35][36][37]
The attacking team can take a powerplay in each of their attacking turns during which they have two wazirs. Each powerplay lasts until all 3 defenders of the current batch are out.[38][39][40]
Each team's turn to score/defend lasts 7 minutes, with the break time between turns also shortened.[35][36][37]
Tiebreaker (named "Minimum Chase"): Each team gets one additional turn to score (with the powerplay being active), and the team that scores its first point the fastest wins.[42]
Circle kho-kho
In this variant, the field is modified so that it is simply a 5 m (16 ft) inner circle and a 7 m (23 ft) 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.[45]
This variant is played on a circular field, with an inner circle and outer boundary being demarcated. At the start of the game, two of the players become a cat and mouse respectively, with all other players becoming pitchers. All of the pitchers pair off and stand around the perimeter of the inner circle, with each pair holding each other by the elbow. The cat's goal is to tag the mouse; if the mouse links their elbow with one of the pitchers, then the pitcher who is not connected to the mouse disconnects from the pairing and swaps roles with the mouse. If the cat catches the mouse, then they swap roles.[46][47]
In one variation of elbow tag, when a mouse links their elbow with one of the pitchers, the pitcher who disconnects from the pairing becomes a cat, and the previous cat becomes a mouse.[48]
The same game is known as 'standing kho-kho' in South Asia, a variation of the Indian tag variant kho-kho.[49] In the 'standing kho-kho' variant, players simply stand in front of or behind each other as opposed to hooking their elbows together.[50][51]
The first Kho Kho World Cup will take place in New Delhi, India from 13 to 19 January 2025. It will witness the participation of 23 countries from six continents, featuring 20 men’s and 19 women’s teams. It will be played under the seven-a-side fast format, which is used for Ultimate Kho Kho.
^For example, standing up incorrectly no longer counts as a foul, so long as the player’s hands and feet remain on the ground. The penalty for “early rising" and strict penalties associated with crossing the centre line and have also been removed.
^The attacking team can select any of its on-court players to be the active attacker at the start of the new batch. A kho does not need to be given by the attacker after the break.
