Breaking Ground: Australia’s first Kho Kho Turf opens doors for future

MELBOURNE: Member of the Legislative Assembly for Liverpool in Australia’s New South Wales (NSW), Charishma Kaliyanda, highlighted the opening of a new Kho Kho court at Marsden Road Public School, a first in Australia, according to a release from KKFI.

As the local MP, Kaliyanda acknowledged and celebrated this development in the NSW Parliament, emphasising the sport’s potential to expand at the grassroots level.

Thus, Kho-Kho, a sport with deep roots in India, was carving a space on the global stage in one of the most sporting nations of the world. Long before it appeared in stadiums outside South Asia, Kho-Kho was a fixture on school playgrounds, played on dusty fields with chalk lines, quick sprints and sharp dodges.

KKFI extends heartfelt congratulations to Kho Kho Australia for opening their first-ever Kho-Kho court at the Marsden Road Public School in Liverpool! #KKFI #KhoKhoIndia #Khommunity #KhoKho pic.twitter.com/nRQ68kngPd

— Kho Kho India (@India_KhoKho) May 30, 2025

For a young student in Punjab, it was the beginning of a lifelong connection. Today, that connection lives thousands of miles away in Australia, where Kho Kho is gaining ground on synthetic turf, led by Raj and a team of first-time players now discovering the thrill of the sport.

Raj’s formal journey began with a local club in Punjab, which has a vast sporting culture, especially in indigenous sports. His talent led him to represent his district, state, and later captain his college team to multiple inter-university victories. He was eventually named Best Player at the Engineer Nationals, a memory he still cherishes.

But as academic pressures mounted, sports took a backseat. “Tournament dates often clashed with exams. Eventually, I had to stop playing,” he recalls. After college, Raj pursued engineering and moved to Australia in the late 1990s, leaving Kho Kho behind, temporarily.

He had to wait 24 years for the spark to be lit again, and in 2024, Raj was selected to play for Australia in the Inaugural edition of the Kho Kho World Cup, held in India. “It was surreal, playing again in the country where I first learned the game, but now representing my new home”.

Alongside playing, he coached a team of beginners, many of whom had never heard of the sport. Under his guidance, one of his players was shortlisted for a professional league within five months. “That moment made me believe this game can grow anywhere”, Raj said.

Now president of Kho Kho Australia, Raj is building the sport from the ground up. A major breakthrough came in May 2025 with the inauguration of Australia’s first dedicated Kho Kho ground in Marsden Road Public School in Sydney. The facility features a removable pole system, allowing the space to be shared with other sports, a model now being explored in Melbourne and Canberra.

“Playing on this new ground has been incredible”, said Australian Kho Kho player Mudra Bhatt. His teammate, Michael Limanuel, added, “It’s amazing to see Kho Kho gain recognition here; it’ll inspire more young players”.

Raj is also taking Kho Kho to schools, training a new generation of players from scratch. Though he brought decades of playing experience, Raj knew coaching required a new approach. He returned to India to attend the Advanced Level III A training course for coaches and complete the International certification program conducted by the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) and the International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF). “Playing is one thing, but coaching is a whole different ballgame,” he says.

Connecting with fellow coaches from countries like Malaysia, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, he found renewed purpose in building a global future for Kho Kho.

Now retired from engineering, Raj is focused full-time on expanding the sport — developing scouting systems, certified training, school integration, and national competition. What began on chalky schoolyards is now being reimagined on global turf. Kho Kho is no longer just holding on to tradition; it is on an upward path for creating a new legacy, one sprint at a time. (ANI)