Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta on Monday said he is hopeful that Kho Kho, a traditional Indian sport, will be included in the 2026 Asian Games roster scheduled to be held in Japan. Kho Kho is currently played by 25 countries across the globe. "Kho Kho was formally recognised by the Olympic Council of Asia during the 18th Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2018. I hope it gets full status in the 2026 Asian Games," Mehta, who is also the Asian Kho Kho Federation President, said.

"My dream is to see Kho Kho eventually grow to the level of Commonwealth Games and Olympics." International Kho Kho Federation President Sudhanshu Mittal also exuded confidence that the sport will be included in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, as a 'demonstration game'. A popular tag game invented in Maharashtra, kho kho is played by teams of 12 nominated players out of 15, of which nine enter the field. Six of them on their knees (chasing team), and three extra (defending team) try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team. Three Asian Kho Kho championships have been held so far -- India (1996, 2016) and Bangladesh (2000).