AT THE INAUGURATION of Delhi Khel Mahakumbh on Friday, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta awarded ₹75 lakhs each to three kho kho players from Delhi – Mehul, Anshu Kumari and Nasreen – who represented India in the first Kho Kho World Cup held in January last year.
India bagged the title in both men’s and women’s categories at the inaugural tournament held from January 13 to January 19, 2025 at IG Stadium New Delhi, in
which 20 men and 19 women teams from 23 nations across all the 6 continents participated.
21-year-old Mehul has appeared in class XII examination this year through open schooling and the result is awaited. His father is a driver while elder brother is pursuing a course in editing. At present Mehul is receiving training at a SAI facility in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Anshu, 18 years old, is the youngest among three siblings and is studying Bachelor of Physical Education in Sports from Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab. She wants to buy a house for her parents from the prize money and secure a government job through sports quota.
“We have been living in rented accommodation at Alipur for a long time. Now, I want to buy a house for my parents,” said Anshu. She also aspires to secure a
government job in Railways through sports quota. Her brother, Ankit, has received the award on her behalf.
27-year-old Nasreen, an Arjuna Awardee Kho Kho player, is fifth among 11 siblings, seven sisters and four brothers, with her father Mohammed Ghafoor being the only earning member till 2018. She is the former captain of Indian Women’s national Khc Kho team.
Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) president Sudhanshu Mittal said kho kho gives both recognition and opportunities and youth are inclined towards making a career in sport.
“Kho kho now is a modern sport which is played on indigenously designed state-of-the-art mats and has elements of sports science in every of its dimensions be it training, nutrition, counselling, etc. The growing recognition is a testament to the game’s rising popularity, its strong national presence, and an expanding global footprint,” said Mittal.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, along with Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood and former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the Delhi Khel Mahakumbh at Chhatrasal Stadium on Friday.
