Kho Kho makes strides in Australia with first dedicated ground

Kho Kho is steadily gaining traction in Australia, led by Indian-origin player-turned-coach Raj Sura. With new courts, certified training, and local support, the traditional Indian sport is entering a global phase

Hyderabad: In late May, 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.

As the local MP, Kaliyanda acknowledged and celebrated this development in the NSW Parliament, emphasizing the sport’s potential to expand at the grassroots level. Thus, Kho Kho — a sport with deep roots in India — is carving a space on the global stage in one of the world’s most sporting nations.

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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. For Raj Sura, 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, a region known for its vibrant sporting culture, especially in indigenous sports. His talent led him to represent his district and 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. 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,” he said.

Taking to coaching, he guided one of his players to be shortlisted for a professional league within five months. “That moment made me believe this game can grow anywhere,” Raj says.

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 at 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 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 ball game,” he says.

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 toward creating a new legacy, one sprint at a time.