Akshay Prashant Ganpule (born 22 September 1998) is an Indian Kho Kho player who currently plays for the Rajasthan Warriors in the Ultimate Kho Kho. [1]
Akshay was born on 22 September 1998, in Pune, Maharashtra. He is a graduate in Computer Science from Sir Parashurambhau College.
Akshay started his sports career at a young age. He initially played for Nava Maharashtra Sangh. He won a gold medal in the 2019 South Asian Games held in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has been a two-time Gold and silver medallist in the Senior National Tournaments. [1] [2] Akshay has also been a four-time gold medallist in the Federation Level Kho Kho Tournaments. After joining the Indian Railways, he was a player in the Railways squad, which won the National Tournaments in 2021. [3] In 2022, he was selected to play in the Ultimate Kho Kho. He plays for the Rajasthan Warriors and was elected as its vice-captain in 2023.
In recognition of his achievements, the Government of Maharashtra conferred him with the Shiv Chhatrapati Award, the highest prestigious sports award honoured annually to the players of Maharashtra by the Government of Maharashtra in India. [4] [5] [6]
Kho kho is a traditional Indian sport that dates back to ancient India. It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi. Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing 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 sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
Viren Wilfred Rasquinha is an Indian former field hockey player and captain of the Indian national team. He was a member of the team that competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He quit international hockey in 2008 to pursue management studies at the age of 28. He came to gitam
Honorary Captain Shankar Lakshman was an Indian hockey player. He was goalkeeper of the Indian team in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics, that won two gold medals and one silver medal. He was the first goalkeeper to become captain of an international hockey team and was awarded the Arjuna award and the Padma Shri by the Indian government. He was captain of the Indian team which won the gold in the 1966 Asian Games. After missing the selection for the 1968 Olympics, Lakshman quit hockey. He remained with the Army, retiring in 1979 as a captain of the Maratha Light Infantry. He died in 2006 after suffering gangrene in one leg in Mhow.
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the semifinal of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
Guru Thakur is an Indian poet, lyricist, scriptwriter, actor and playwright from Mumbai (Maharashtra), known for his contributions in Marathi and Hindi film industry.
Langdi is a traditional Indian field sport which combines elements of tag and hopscotch. It was originally played during the Pandiyan Dynasty and called "Nondiyaattam" at that time. The teams alternate chasing (attacking) and defending roles in each of the 4 innings of the game, with the chasing team's players restricted to hopping around on one foot, and attempting to score points by tagging as many defenders as possible within the 9 minutes of each inning. It is described by Marathis as a sport with a Marathi ethos.
Sports play an integral part of culture in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport in the state. Other popular sports include kabaddi and kho kho, which are played in rural areas, and field hockey, badminton, and table tennis, which are more common in urban areas, schools, and colleges. In the state's southern rural regions, annual wrestling championships such as Hind Kesari and Maharashtra Kesari are held. Games like Viti-Dandu and variations of Tag are played among children.
Ruturaj Dasharath Gaikwad is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Maharashtra team in domestic cricket and for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made his international debut for the India cricket team in July 2021 against Sri Lanka. He was the Captain of the India squad which won the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2021 IPL season. He is captain of the Maharashtra team in T20 and List A cricket.
Shiv Chhatrapati Award is the highest prestigious sports award honoured annually to the players of Maharashtra by the Government of Maharashtra in India.
Sarika Kale is an Indian kho kho player from Maharashtra. She became the captain of the Maharashtra women's state kho kho team in 2010, leading the team to three national championships. Selected for the India women's national kho kho team in 2015, she was named captain of the team before the 2016 South Asian Games. She led the team to victory in the South Asian Games and in the Third Asian Kho-Kho Championship, where she received the match winner award in the final against Bangladesh.
India has several traditional games and sports, some of which have been played for thousands of years. Their popularity has greatly declined in the modern era, with Western sports having overtaken them during the British Raj, and the Indian government now making some efforts to revive them. Many of these games do not require much equipment or playing space. Some of them are only played in certain regions of India, or may be known by different names and played under different rules and regulations in different regions of the country. Many Indian games are also similar to other traditional South Asian games.
Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) is an Indian franchise-based kho-kho league started in 2022. It is hosted in collaboration by Dabur with the Kho Kho Federation of India. The inaugural season had a viewership of 64 million, 41 million of which came from India, making UKK the third-most viewed non-cricket competition in India after the Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian Super League.
The 2022 season of Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) was the inaugural season which began August 14, 2022 and ended September 4, 2022. There were six teams playing a total of 34 matches. The Odisha Juggernauts beat the Telugu Yoddhas 46-45 in the final. The season had a viewership of 64 million, 41 million of which came from India, making UKK the third-most viewed non-cricket competition in India after the Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian Super League.
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Lifetime Achievement Award by the Government of Maharashtra since 2012. Award is given to artist who has been doing outstanding work in the field of classical singing and playing for a long time. The honour conveys the money prize of ₹0.1 million (US$1,300), a citation and a memento.
The 2023-2024 season of Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) was the second edition of the tournament, which was held from 24 December 2023 to 13 January 2024 in Cuttack, Odisha. There were six teams playing 34 matches. Gujarat Giants beat Chennai Quick Guns 31-26 in the final.
The Rajasthan Warriors (RW) are a team in Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK). Majahar Jamadar is the captain whereas Akshay Ganpule is the vice-captain. RW are owned by the Capri Global Group.
Nasreen Shaikh is an Indian kho-kho player who is the captain of the Indian women's kho-kho team. She became the second kho-kho player to receive the Arjuna Award. Kho-Kho Federation of India screened her bio-pic during the opening ceremony of the Ultimate Kho-kho, a National league.
This is a glossary of kho kho terminology.