Puri, Odisha – The 13th edition of the Junior State Kho Kho Championship 2025 concluded on December 1, with young athletes from across Odisha leaving their mark with grit, teamwork, and near-flawless execution on the mat. The competition drew 23 boys’ and 21 girls’ teams — including district squads and a special contingent from Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS).
🥇 Girls’ Category
- Champions: KISS
- Runners-Up: Jagatsinghpur Girls Kho Kho Team
- Joint Bronze: Puri Girls Kho Kho Team & Balasore Girls Kho Kho Team
🥇 Boys’ Category
- Champions: Sports Hostel, Puri Boys Kho Kho Team
- Runners-Up: Jagatsinghpur Boys Kho Kho Team
- Joint Bronze: KISS & Sundargarh Boys Kho Kho Team
The finals and medal ceremony took place at the District Sports Complex, Puri, with dignitaries including Dr. Sambit Patra (MP, Puri), Narayan Patra (President, Odisha Kho Kho Association), and Pradyumna Mishra (General Secretary, Odisha Kho Kho Association) present to honour the winners.
Individual Standouts: Players Who Stole the Show
For their exceptional performance over the tournament, several players were recognized with individual awards:
- Girls’ Player of the Tournament: Lisarani Raita
- Girls’ Best Defender: Archana Pradhan
- Girls’ Best Attacker: Debasmita Das
- Boys’ Player of the Tournament: Raghu Soyam
- Boys’ Best Defender: Ranjan Pradhan
- Boys’ Best Attacker: Tairni Sahoo
These young athletes — with their blazing speed, fearless dives and seamless teamwork — embodied the spirit of competitive Kho Kho, proving themselves as Odisha’s future hope for national-level competitions.
What This Means for Odisha’s Kho Kho Future
- The scale of participation — 44 total teams from 23 districts plus KISS — underlines the growing popularity of Kho Kho among youth in Odisha.
- Such state-level championships provide a vital platform to identify and nurture the next generation of Kho Kho talents — some of whom may graduate to national and even international events soon.
- With a strong backing from institutions, coaches, officials and supporters, events like this reaffirm Odisha’s commitment to grassroots sports and preserving traditional games like Kho Kho.
A Big Salute to All
Congratulations to all players, coaches, officials and supporters who made the 13th Junior State Kho Kho Championship a spectacular celebration of talent, teamwork and sportsmanship. The young warriors from KISS, Sports Hostel Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Balasore and Sundargarh have shown — Odisha’s future stars are shining bright, and they are ready for the big stage.
Here’s looking forward to many more such milestones — when these young champions step onto national and international mats and bring laurels to the state and country! 💙