In late May, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Liverpool in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, Charishma Kaliyanda highlighted the opening of a new Kho Kho court in Marsden Road Public School, a first in Australia. 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.
Here is Kho Kho, a sport with deep roots in India, carving out a niche for itself on the global stage, and that too in an outdoorsy nation that boasts an enviable sporting culture. It was an achievement worth raising a beer to.
Long before it appeared in stadiums outside South Asia, Kho Kho was a fixture on school playgrounds, played on dusty fields with chalk lines, featuring 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.
The Rise, the Pause, and the Return
Raj’s formal journey began with a local club in Punjab with a strong 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. Raj 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—but only temporarily.
A World Cup Rekindles the Spark
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 in 2025. “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 team-mates was shortlisted for a professional league within five months. “That moment made me believe this game can grow anywhere,” Raj says.
Taking Root in New Soil
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 colleague 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.
Leading by Teaching
Though he brought decades of playing experience, Raj knew coaching required a fresh 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 acknowledges.
Connecting with fellow coaches from countries like Malaysia, Kenya, and Sri Lanka, Raj found renewed purpose in building a global future for Kho Kho.
Building a Legacy
Now retired from engineering, Raj is focused full-time on expanding the sport—developing scouting systems, setting up certified training programs, and expanding 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 but it is on an upward path towards creating a new legacy, one sprint at a time.
Photos courtesy of Kho Kho Federation of India
--ends--
