Picture Credit: X

Picture Credit: X

On Sunday January 19, India clinched the inaugural edition of the Kho Kho World Cup 2025 in both men’s and women’s competition after defeating Nepal in the final at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. After the massive success in the kho kho tournament backed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, congratulated the men’s and women’s teams in separate posts on the social media platform X.

In the women’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 final, India defeated Nepal in a one-sided matchup with a scoreline of 78-40 after leading their opponent 35-24 at turn two. Meanwhile, the men’s Kho Kho World Cup 2025 final was a bit closer than that in terms of the scoreline, but still India were able to defeat Nepal 54-36 after establishing an early lead of 26-18 at the conclusion of turn two.

PM Modi congratulated Team India for clinching inaugural Kho Kho World Cup

During the Kho Kho World Cup 2025, India stayed undefeated in both men’s and women’s competitions after winning all their group stage matches, followed by the semi-final and final. In his congratulatory post on the official X account for the men’s team, PM Modi wrote, “Today’s a great day for Indian Kho Kho. Incredibly proud of Indian Men's Kho Kho team for winning the Kho Kho World Cup title. Their grit and dedication is commendable. This win will contribute to further popularising Kho Kho among the youth.”

As far as the success of the women’s team in the recently concluded tournament is concerned, PM Modi appalled them for their skill, determination, and teamwork. He wrote on X, “Congratulations to the Indian women’s team on winning the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup! This historic victory is a result of their unparalleled skill, determination and teamwork. This triumph has brought more spotlight to one of India’s oldest traditional sports, inspiring countless young athletes across the nation. May this achievement also pave the way for more youngsters to pursue this sport in the times to come.”

Sumit Bhatia, the coach of the Indian women’s kho kho team was happy with his team’s World Cup win, talking about how they pulled it off over the past week or so. He said, as per Hindustan Times, “History was made today. I am proud of the team’s campaign because of how confidently they carried themselves throughout the campaign. We made many changes during the league stages and saved some strategies and skills for the knockout stage later. For instance, we did not use too many dives earlier to prevent injury.”