Earlier in the day, the Indian men defeated the Sri Lankan challenger by 45 points in the semi-finals. In the other semi-final, Nepal defeated Bangladesh by 12 points with 1.5 minutes remaining.
India defeated Bangladesh by 49 points and an inning in the women’s semi-final. Nepal defeated Sri Lanka by 59 points and an inning in the second semi-final.
It feels great to be an Indian and win a game that was started in India. It’s equally exciting to see the participating countries perform so well in the matches, Team India captain Akshay Bhangre said after lifting the trophy.
He also thanked the Tamulpur crowd for their support throughout the tournament. There was a great vibe here. Crowd support can motivate players to give their all, Mr. Bhangre said.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka tied for third place in both the men’s and women’s categories. This event drew 16 teams (both male and female) in total. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, and Sri Lanka joined host India as participants.
The Kho Kho Federation of India organised the event, which was hosted by the Assam Kho Kho Association with support from the BTR government. Assam’s government also supported the competition.
The event drew approximately 500 players and officials. The matches were played on mats, and a makeshift indoor stadium with a capacity of 7,000 people was set up at the Tamulpur Higher Secondary School ground.
Unlike the first three Asian events, which were held in urban areas (Kolkata, Dhaka, and Indore), this was the first time the Asian event was held in a semi-rural setting.
During the closing ceremony, Ranjana Sarania of Tamulpur, who represented the Indian women’s team in the tournament, was honoured. BTR CEO Pramod Boro announced a ten lakh rupee reward for the 18-year-old.
The closing ceremony was attended by Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Assam Ministers Pijush Hazarika, U.G. Brahma, and Assam Director-General of Police G.P. Singh.
