A New Zealand's women's team is gearing up for the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup that is poised to take place in India next month.
The tournament, hosted in New Delhi from 13-19 January, is expected to feature more than 600 athletes and officials from 24 countries, competing in both men's and women's categories.
Kho kho, an ancient Indian sport resembling a strategic form of tag, is steadily gaining traction in New Zealand, thanks to local tournaments organized by the Indian community.
The game is played on a rectangular field with a central lane connecting two poles at either end. Teams alternate between chasing and defending, with specific movement restrictions for the chasers.
Kho kho was included as a demonstration sport at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and is a medal sport in the South Asian Games.
"It is definitely increasing because earlier we only had two teams in New Zealand, and now it has grown to four teams," says Khushmeet Kaur Sidhu, captain of the New Zealand women's kho kho team.
Khushmeet, who moved to New Zealand from the Indian state of Punjab in 2010, resides in Hamilton and has been playing kho kho for five years.
Despite her relatively recent start, she also serves as the general secretary of the New Zealand Kho Kho Federation.
"Most of our players are from the Waikato and Auckland regions. We have 15 players, with around 11 of Indian origin and four Pākehā," she says.
"We really want the sport to get more interest from the wider community, and we're happy we have a few Kiwis in our team."
One of those Kiwis is Ashleigh Palmer, originally from Manawatū, who was introduced to kho kho by a co-worker just a few months ago.
"She suggested I come and see what it's all about and give it a go, and now I'm going to India," Palmer says.
Initially, the game posed some physical challenges for her.
"The biggest challenge was getting my body used to the movements," she says. "I'm a fit person but, oh my Lord, my feet were so sore, and my hands too. I struggled for at least five or six games to not feel like I was injured but instead growing muscles in my feet."
Despite the initial hurdles, Palmer finds the game enjoyable.
"It's really fun once you learn the rules," she says, adding that introducing kho kho in New Zealand schools could be a game-changer.
"It would be really cool to see some schools playing it because that is going to get the younger community involved," Palmer says.
Vice-captain Amandeep Kaur, who has been playing kho kho since childhood in Punjab, shares Palmer's enthusiasm.
"I've played kho kho in India and participated in district-level games," she says.
After moving to New Zealand in 2017, she searched for opportunities to play and eventually joined a team in 2022.
"Kho kho is a bit different and challenging here, mainly because of the lack of resources," she says. "In India, we have proper grounds and facilities, but here we even struggled to find a good ground."
Despite these challenges, Amandeep is optimistic about the sport's growth.
"It's such a proud moment to see local players coming to play one of India's traditional games," she says.
The team, which includes players aged 11 to 40, aims to reach the World Cup final, though Amandeep acknowledges that competition will be tough.
"Host India and neighbouring Nepal are considered our strongest opponents," she says.
The team's captain, Khushmeet, agrees.
"We're practicing every day in Hamilton and are hoping to get into the finals," she says. "It will be challenging, but we are ready to give our 100 percent."
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