KKFI and Ultimate Kho Kho launch 'Rise in Sports Excellence' scientific program to improve players' skills

The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) along with Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) launched the first-ever revolutionary High-Performance Assessment and Scientific Analysis & Evaluation Programme, 'Rise in Sports Excellence' for improvement of the kho kho players' skills.

Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the camp in Faridabad on Tuesday (January 19). Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, Olympic medal-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar, World Cup winner Suresh Raina, and Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami were also present at the occasion.

The organizers plan to transform the kho kho players into champions with this unique scientific program. This camp will last till February 16, with experts set to monitor 138 players, including 18 women, at Manav Rachna Sports Science Centre in Faridabad and SGT University in Gurugram.

“I have always believed sports science is the future of sports. To make India a sporting powerhouse, each sport needs to be developed, especially indigenous sports like kho kho which is a speed-reliant sport. The federation and Ultimate Kho Kho have done a commendable job in putting together such an exhaustive plan in such a short time,” said the Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju.

Rijiju congratulated KKFI President Sudhanshu Mittal and thanked Ultimate Kho Kho promoter Amit Burman for committing to an investment close to Rs. 200 crores for developing the sport. The kho kho players will train in three phases at this camp - transition, preparatory and competitive.

"Kho kho has a deep cultural connect with a massive fan base" - UKK CEO

Several big names of the Indian sports world were present at the event

This camp will focus on sports physiotherapy, rehabilitation, injury management, biomechanics, biokinetics, sports performance analysis, nutritional guidance and posture corrections. Ultimate Kho Kho promoter Amit Burman highlighted the significance of introducing technology to upgrade the players' skills at grassroots levels. Referring to the innovations in the training process, Ultimate Kho Kho CEO Tenzing Niyogi added:

“Kho Kho has a deep cultural connect with a massive fan base. Ultimate Kho Kho with its latent demand holds the promise of a blockbuster league. With sports science changing the dynamics of training in team sports, this camp will help develop the athletes to transform and become champions of the game. During the camp we are also planning to test a new sports technology for tag sports in order to bring ‘edge of the seat’ action for audiences.”