"Dream come true...": KKFI president Mittal lauds inauguration of Kho Kho World Cup 2025

New Delhi [India], January 14 (ANI): India's traditional game Kho Kho is not less than any other sport and will get more popular internationally, Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) president Sudhanshu Mittal said on Tuesday.

He said the inauguration of the event on Monday was a "dream come true".

The first-ever Kho Kho World Cup started in New Delhi on Monday with a grand opening ceremony and will continue till January 19. The first match of the tournament saw India play Nepal in men's action. The women's action will start on Tuesday with England taking on Australia. Brazil's men's team will play India on Tuesday.

"Dream come true... Everyone has worked so hard to promote India's traditional game to the international level and it was a good start to the dreams. I am grateful to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar for his kind words with which he inaugurated the Kho Kho World Cup 2025... After the first game in the tournament, Kho Kho will gain attention in other parts of the world... Today we proved that India's traditional game Kho Kho is no less than other sports... I am very happy and I can't put it in words," Sudhanshu Mittal told reporters.

A vibrant opening ceremony marked the inauguration of Kho Kho World Cup at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here.

A sand art projection - paying ode to Mother Earth - began the show after which a ceremonial parade was held. The Kho Kho Federation of India unveiled the World Cup trophy for both men's and women's tournaments with the lifting of the cube leading to loud cheers throughout the stadium.

After a performance celebrating India and highlighting the vibrant and colourful culture of the country, the participating countries took part in a parade in the stadium with athletes waving to the crowd. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)