Kho Kho Federation of India

What Kho Kho Federation of India does

The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) is the statutory national governing body for the sport of Kho Kho in India, founded in 1955 and headquartered in New Delhi. Operating as a registered nonprofit, it oversees a federation network spanning 28 state associations, 6 union territory associations, and an active footprint in 680+ districts domestically and 55+ countries globally across all six continents. Its core offering is a portfolio of championship events and digital platforms: the Senior, Junior, and Sub-Junior National Championships; the Asian Kho Kho Championships; the franchise-based Ultimate Kho Kho League launched in 2022; and the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025, held at Indira Gandhi Stadium with 39 teams from 23 nations. Supporting infrastructure includes an Online Registration System (ORS) for player, coach, and official registration, and a Decision Review System (DRS) introduced to bring modern officiating accuracy to the sport.

KKFI's revenue model rests on three primary streams: broadcasting rights and sponsorships tied to the Ultimate Kho Kho League (Sony Sports) and World Cup 2025 (Star Sports, DD, Disney+Hotstar), championship operations across national and international tiers, and institutional/government support including annual recognition from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and partnerships with SAI, Khelo India, NADA, IOA, and the Olympic Council of Asia. It serves Kho Kho players across grassroots to elite levels, coaches and technical officials, and 28 state plus 6 union territory associations, while providing career pathways including 3,000+ government jobs through sports quota and university admissions. The federation is led by President Sudhanshu Mittal (re-elected for a third consecutive term in 2025), General Secretary Upkar Singh Virk, and Treasurer Govind Sharma. KKFI's strategic intent is to modernize an indigenous traditional sport into a globally competitive, professionally broadcast game on a path toward Olympic, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games inclusion.

Name

Kho Kho Federation of India

Legal name

Kho Kho Federation of India

Website

https://khokhofederation.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Kho Kho Federation of India is the national governing body for the sport of Kho Kho, organizing national and international championships, the Ultimate Kho Kho League, and the Kho Kho World Cup 2025, serving players, coaches, and 28 state associations across 680+ Indian districts and 55+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Governance and Federation Services

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKAFAC

National Governing Bodies (NGBs)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Rights Holders & Governing Bodies (Federations, Associations, Sanctioning Bodies)

SECONDARYMPAGAMAK

Sports Officiating & Competition Management

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Live Sports Events

Keywords

• Kho kho sport
• Sports federation governance
• Professional sports league
• National championships
• Athlete development

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. League Operations: Organizing professional leagues such as Ultimate Kho Kho League and inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025, generating revenue through broadcasting rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales.
2. Championship Management: Conducting national and state-level championships including Senior, Junior, and Sub-Junior categories.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Kho Kho Federation of India is the national governing body for kho kho, organising domestic and international championships, sanctioning the Ultimate Kho Kho professional league, certifying coaches and officials, and registering athletes and member associations through its digital platforms. Its core services include running the National Championships (Senior, Junior, Sub-Junior), the Asian Kho Kho Championship, the Kho Kho World Cup, and administering the Online Registration System (ORS) and the Decision Review System (DRS) used in televised matches.

Product overview

Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) operates as a sports federation managing a portfolio of championship events and digital platforms. The core offerings include the Kho Kho World Cup (international championship), Ultimate Kho Kho League (professional franchise league), and various National Championships (Senior, Junior, Sub-Junior). Supporting infrastructure includes an Online Registration System (ORS) for player/official registration and a Decision Review System (DRS) for match officiating. The federation also organizes Asian Championships in partnership with continental bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ultimate Kho Kho League: Professional Kho Kho league launched in 2022, telecast on Sony Sports network, Season 2 garnered over 21 million viewers, Season 3 to include international players for the first time.

Products and services

• Ultimate Kho Kho League A professionally structured franchise-based kho kho league, designed for players selected from state associations and televised on Sony Sports / Disney+ Hotstar, offering commercial franchise ownership and player contracts.
• Kho Kho World Cup Biennial flagship international championship organised by KKFI in conjunction with IKKF, featuring national kho kho teams from across the world and broadcast globally on Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar.
• National Kho Kho Championships (Senior, Junior, Sub-Junior) Annual domestic kho kho championships staged across Senior, Junior and Sub-Junior categories, where athletes from 28 state and 6 union-territory associations compete through qualifying rounds before progressing to national-level finals.
• Asian Kho Kho Championship Continental championship for kho kho national federations across Asia, organised by KKFI in affiliation with IKKF to provide international competitive exposure between Asian national teams.
• Online Registration System (ORS) A centralised web-based platform (ors.khokhofederation.in) used by athletes, coaches, technical officials and state/UT associations to register, certify and participate in sanctioned kho kho events.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ government jobs provided to Kho Kho players through sports quota
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)coreOthersNADA affiliation for anti-doping compliance and ensuring clean sport practices in Kho Kho competitions.
• Sports Authority of India (SAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment sports body supporting infrastructure, training camps, and athlete development programs for Kho Kho.
• Khelo IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment initiative supporting development and popularization of Kho Kho at grassroots level.
• Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent ministry providing official recognition and funding support for Kho Kho federation operations.
• International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal governing body for Kho Kho with presence in 55+ countries, working towards Olympic inclusion.
• Indian Olympic Association (IOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Olympic committee providing official recognition and pathway for Olympic inclusion.
• Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinental Olympic body supporting Asian Championships and pathway to Asian Games inclusion.
• Asian Kho Kho Federation (AKKF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinental federation organizing Asian Kho Kho Championships with participation from 9 Asian countries.
• Commonwealth Games FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking towards inclusion of Kho Kho in Commonwealth Games for global visibility.
• Odisha GovernmentmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partnership as principal partner and host of 57th Senior National Championship in Puri.
• Sony Sports NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcasting partner for Ultimate Kho Kho League Season 2, reaching over 21 million viewers.
• Star Sports / Disney+HotstarcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBroadcasting partner for inaugural Kho Kho World Cup 2025 with 460.2 million cumulative views.
• Railway Sports Promotion BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment sports body for Indian Railways participating in national championships.
• All India Police Sports Control BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolice forces across India participating in national championships through sports quota.
• Border Security Force (BSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndia's border security force with dedicated sports team participating in Kho Kho championships.
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral armed police force with sports quota positions for Kho Kho players.
• Airports Authority of India (AAI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment aviation body with associate membership supporting sports development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI): India's dominant national sports federation and operator of the IPL. While at vastly larger scale, BCCI represents the benchmark Indian sports federation structure and the competitive ceiling for sponsorship and broadcast revenue across Indian sports.
• Hockey India: National Governing Body for field hockey in India, recognized by MYAS and IOA. Comparable structure as an Indian national sports federation with multi-tier championships, government backing, and international federation (FIH) partnerships.
• All India Football Federation (AIFF): National Governing Body for football in India with annual MYAS recognition and IOA affiliation. Operates the Indian Super League ecosystem, providing a comparable federation-plus-commercial-league structure to KKFI's UKK model.
• Badminton Association of India (BAI) / Premier Badminton League: National Governing Body for badminton in India that operated the Premier Badminton League franchise competition. Comparable as a federation-run professional league targeting mainstream sports audiences with government sports quota pathways.

Direct peers

• International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF): The global governing body for Kho Kho with presence in 55+ countries across six continents. KKFI partners directly with IKKF to expand the sport internationally and pursue Olympic inclusion, making it the closest direct peer at the global federation level.
• Mashal Sports (Pro Kabaddi League): Operator of the Pro Kabaddi League, which similarly professionalized an indigenous Indian contact sport using a franchise model, Star Sports broadcast partnership, and government sports-quota pathway. The closest commercial playbook comparable to Ultimate Kho Kho's trajectory.
• Asian Kho Kho Federation (AKKF): Continental federation organizing the Asian Kho Kho Championships (9 countries participated in 2023 in Tamulpur, Assam). AKKF operates at the same governance tier as KKFI within Asia, making it a comparable peer for regional championship management and continental expansion strategy.

Emerging players

• Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT): Indian professional table tennis league that similarly professionalized a niche Olympic sport through franchise-based competition. Comparable emerging-player model for league operations, broadcast partnerships, and athlete development pipelines in the Indian sports market.

Others

• Indian Olympic Association (IOA): The overarching National Olympic Committee that recognizes KKFI and other Indian sports federations. IOA is the apex governance body that determines Olympic pathway eligibility, making it an essential ecosystem peer for inclusion and recognition strategy.
• Sports Authority of India (SAI): Government body providing infrastructure, training camps, and athlete development support to KKFI. As a core institutional partner rather than a competitor, SAI represents the policy and infrastructure backbone that determines Indian sports federation success and funding flows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/India_KhoKho

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kho Kho Federation of India