The Odisha government, through its sports development and promotion company, will own a team in the upcoming Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) professional league.
The team will be the fifth franchise in the league and will collaborate with steel maker ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India) for this team. Odisha Sports Development and Promotion Company (OSDPC), a wholly owned company of Odisha government and steel maker will develop infrastructure for kho-kho in the state.
This is going to be the second direct sports venture of the Government of Odisha, which previously had a team in the Hockey India League, Kalinga Lancers in 2013.
Earlier this month, corporate giants Adani Group and GMR Group invested in Gujarat and Telangana franchises, respectively, while Capri Global and KLO Sports bought Rajasthan and Chennai franchises, respectively.
“Kho-Kho is very popular in many parts of Odisha. Recently in Khelo India Youth Games 2022, our teams won silver medals. Since it is a traditional sport, we have a lot of scope to develop it further in the state. Hence, we have decided to participate in the Kho Kho league,” said Odisha Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera.
Tenzing Niyogi, CEO, Ultimate Kho Kho, said, “Odisha’s focused approach in developing the game has been impressive. They have created an environment that has encouraged many corporate investments to drive grassroots growth and access to future champions.”
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) is the official broadcast partner of the event, which begins this year. League chief executive Niyogi said that approx. 200 crores has been kept for the league.
The size of the Indian sports industry was estimated to exceed 9,500 crore in 2021, said a report by GroupM titled ‘Sporting Nation in the Making’.
However, a large part of this is on cricket, which accounts for 94% of sports advertising spend.