Around 70 teams from 26 states & six UTs to participate in Junior National Kho Kho in Karnataka

New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) Around 35 boys’ and as many girls’ teams are expected to participate in the 44th Junior National Kho Kho Championship 2025-26, scheduled from Dec 31 to January 4 at Gunjur, Bengaluru.

Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and Delhi are the Union Territories participating in the Championship. Apart from States, teams representing recognised Kho Kho Associations like Kolhapur, Vidarbha, and Madhya Bharat will also battle it out for the title in the Championship, which will be on the league-cum-knockout basis.

All eyes would be on Maharashtra, which won both the boys’ and girls’ titles in the 43rd Junior National Kho Kho Championship held at Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, in 2024.

The pre-quarterfinal matches in both boys and girls categories will be held in the morning, while quarterfinal matches will be held in the afternoon on January 3. On January 4, the semifinals would be conducted in the morning and the finals after that. Both boys’ and girls’ teams have been divided into 8 groups each, the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) informed in a release onFriday.

“Other than referees, as many as 25 officials, including technical officials, coaches, and officials from the association, have been deployed for the preparations and smooth conduct of the Championship. Arrangements for the boarding and lodging of players have been made within a 3-4 km vicinity of the stadium, and 10 buses have been deployed for their conveyance,” said Lokeshwara, President of Karnataka State Kho Kho Association.

The Championship is being held at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Gunjur.

“It is a festival of Kho Kho in which young talents from all across the country compete for the title. It is also a platform for junior talents to showcase their skills. Identification of the talent and its recognition plays an important role in promoting sport and sportspersons as we religiously aim for Kho Kho’s inclusion in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Olympics,” said Sudhanshu Mittal, President, Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI).

General Secretary, KKFI, Upkar Singh Virk said, “All preparations are in place for the smooth conduct of the Championship. Our focus is on the development of athletes and infrastructure.”

M.S. Tyagi, Chairman, Administration & Organisation, KKFI, said, “Watching these young athletes compete fills me with hope. Our role is to guide and support them in all possible ways.”

India will host the first Commonwealth Kho Kho Championship from March 9-14, 2026, the 58th Senior National Kho Kho Championship (Men & Women) 2025-26 from January 11-15, 2026, in Kazipet, Telangana, and the 35th Sub-Junior National Kho Kho Championship (Boys & Girls) 2025-26 in Kurukshetra, Haryana, from January 31, 2026, to February 4, 2026.

–IANS

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