Students at Marsden Road Public School in Liverpool are helping build the profile of the ancient sport of Kho Kho in Australia.

Kho Kho Australia has partnered with the school to establish Australia’s first Kho Kho court.

On Friday 23 May, the first secretary of the Indian High Commission will join Kho Kho Australia representatives and school principal Manisha Gazula to open the court, which will be used by members of the Kho Kho-playing community, as well as students.

Kho Kho is a traditional south Asian tag sport that has its origins in ancient India. It is played on a rectangular court, with a central lane connecting two poles at either end of the court.

Raj Sura from Kho Kho Australia said it was hoped the opening of the court would attract new interest in the game.

“The court has a few purposes. It will be an established Kho Kho ground for our players to train and develop their skills ahead of local and international tournaments,” he said.

“It will also teach a new sport to students and expand Kho Kho at the grassroots level.”

In Kho Kho, nine players from the chasing team (attacking team) are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three runners from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched.

Each successful tag earns one point, and tagged defenders must leave the field. The active chaser is restricted from crossing the central lane to access the other half of the court and cannot change direction but can switch roles with a sitting teammate by touching them on the back while saying ‘kho’.

Teams alternate between scoring and defending, with two turns for each role. Each turn lasts nine minutes, and the team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Ms Gazula said the opening of the court was a unique opportunity for the school.

“Our students are looking forward to getting on the court to learn this ancient sport, and hopefully we’ll see the game grow and flourish in not just our community, but across the nation,” she said.

“This is the first dedicated Kho Kho court in the country and it’s exciting to not only welcome players from Kho Kho Austrralia but also watch some exhibition matches to celebrate this milestone.”