“We don't even know the names of athletes who represent India in Olympics” - Kudo player Sohail Khan on India’s ‘harsh reality’ that needs to change

Hailing from Madhya Pradesh, Sohail Khan has seized the limelight, carving a path in the world of Kudo. Sohail is one of the top contenders of the sport from India and he has his eyes on the World Cup 2025.

In the most recent interview on The Navjot Singh Show, Sohail Khan opened up about various aspects of his journey, spanning from his childhood to the sport’s growth, challenges, infrastructure, diet, and more.

Sohail Khan, who created a record of securing 15 consecutive national titles, strongly believes that with proper recognition for the sport, India has the potential to become a dominant force in the coming years alongside nations like Japan and Russia.

“In the metro cities, it's very much changing kind of scenario, but in rural areas, people still feel that if you study, write, you'll become a king, and if you play, jump, you'll be ruined. So, we still need to change,” Sohai Khan told Navjot Singh in the interview.

Sohail Khan further highlighted the disparity in attention between cricket and other sports in India, emphasizing the need for a shift in this reality in the years to come. He also stressed including sports at the school level.

“And the second important thing is when we talk about academics and things, we see nowadays, parents test their children in schools every week, every month, why not sports? Why don’t we talk about countries, like the US and Russia, I mean, for them, the platforms they have, they start from grassroots levels, from school levels, and it means, right, they send a four-year-old child to sports, start from scratch,” Sohail Khan added.

“We don't even know the names of athletes who represent India in the Olympics. If someone gets a 100 or 200 in an IPL or Ranji Trophy match, then the news gets viral and everyone knows them, but the Olympians or those who represent India, it's a big platform, we don't even know the names of those athletes, it's a harsh reality and we need to change it anyhow,” Sohail stated.

---

“It’s important to have more friendly matches” - Sohail Khan

Sohail, who suffered a suspension from Mahar Regiment Public School in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, kept his complete focus on becoming a successful practitioner of the sport.

It’s important to note that Kudo, which originated in Japan, is a mixed martial arts combat sport and is currently recognized by 10 national Olympic countries with over 50 member nations participating in global competitions.

The sport is a combination of all martial arts where one is allowed to punch, kick, throw (the opponent), use elbows, knee hitting, and ground fight.

In May 2023, Sohail Khan represented India at the 6th Kudo World Championship in his first overseas tournament, where he made it to the quarterfinals. He emphasized on his experience of playing in the international campaign and stressed having more international competitions to increase exposure.

“It was a very splendid experience, the International World Championship with international fighters and the best of the best. We were there, and where I feel like I fell short or where I fell a little short. It's very important to have more and more friendly matches or international tournaments, then our athletes' participation will be good, so our chances of winning medals will increase even more,” Sohail went on to add.

Furthermore, Sohail conveyed the imperative of enhancing the infrastructure for Kudo in India, despite the presence of coaching facilities. He emphasized that compared to international standards, India’s infrastructure requires significant improvement to bolster the health and development of the sport.