Harshavardhan… better late than never | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement G.B. Harshavardhan must have heaved a sigh of relief after becoming India’s latest Grandmaster, achieving the title in his hometown, four years after securing his first norm. The 22-year-old is happy to end the wait after coming close several times. Now, he is keen to … Read more
Sreeeswar Shijo (Idukki) won a double in the Sunrise Yonex all-Kerala Junior State ranking badminton tournament here on Sunday (June 28, 2026). The top seed Sreeeswar Shijo defeated R.K. Omkar (Thiruvananthapuram) 15-13, 15-11 to win the boys under-15 title. In the under-17 final, Sreeeswar, seeded ninth, staged a comeback to defeat unseeded S.K. Vasudev Satheesh … Read more
Anand is confident of Vaishali’s prospects. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: R. Ravindran R. Vaishali’s rise as a challenger for the World title is an important moment for Indian women’s chess, according to the legendary Viswanathan Anand. He gave her a reasonable chance in the World Championship match against China’s Ju Wenjun. “Already, the fact … Read more
Harshavardhan. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement G.B. Harshavardhan became India’s 97th Grandmaster by remaining unbeaten in the second Chola Chess GM-norm round-robin tournament, here on Saturday. The 22-year-old from Chennai finished with four wins and five draws for 6.5 points from nine rounds. Speaking to The Hindu, Harshavardhan said: “It’s a huge relief and I am … Read more
Manika. | Photo Credit: File Photo: R. RAVINDRAN The standoff between Manika Batra and the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) over her exclusion from the Asian Games squad intensified on Wednesday, with the ace paddler hinting at legal recourse even as the federation issued a detailed response explaining the selection process and the circumstances … Read more
India’s women’s paddler Manika Batra. File picture | Photo Credit: The Hindu India’s leading women’s paddler Manika Batra has escalated her standoff with the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), hinting at legal action if she is not provided a “clear and factual explanation” for her omission from the Asian Games squad. “If I do not … Read more
IOA chief P.T. Usha at the inaugural Indian Athletics Awards in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P.T. Usha said she expected a better show from the Indian athletics contingent in the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. “Going by the recent performance of our athletes, I expect them to do really … Read more
Sharath Kamal. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP Iconic paddler Sharath Kamal said the Table Tennis Federation of India’s selection policy could be debated and reviewed going forward, but not after the national team for the Asian Games has been announced. He was responding to a question on the omission of Manika Batra from the Indian women’s squad after she … Read more
Champions: Velavan Senthilkumar (left) and Abhay Singh | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The Indian men’s pair of Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar won the crown for a third consecutive year at the 3rd Asian doubles squash championships in Sarawak, Malaysia, on Sunday, as India finished with medals in all three categories. Abhay-Velavan, seeded No. 1, … Read more
Aryan Nehra clocked 7:59.36 to better his own record with a ‘best Indian time’ and secure the men’s 800m freestyle gold medal at the National aquatics championships in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Aryan sliced two seconds off his three-year-old record to earn qualifying standards for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. B. Benedicton Rohit lowered … Read more
India’s Abhay Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar are on course to defend the title at the third Asian doubles squash championships after the pair stormed into the final at Sarawak, Malaysia. The Indian top seeds will meet second-seeded Pakistan pair of Nasir Iqbal and Noor Zaman in the title clash on Sunday. On Saturday, Abhay and … Read more
The Sports Ministry has decided to constitute a dedicated Task Force to undertake a detailed assessment of the country’s motorsports ecosystem and examine the challenges associated with its growth as part of its efforts to revive and develop Formula One in India. The Task Force will evaluate international, economic, tourism and investment benefits of hosting … Read more
Neeraj Chopra. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Forced to delay the start of his season due to an injury, Indian javelin throw ace Neeraj Chopra finished fourth in the Doha Diamond League event in Doha on Friday (June 19, 2026). The 28-year-old Chopra produced a best of 85.69m in his third attempt, which placed him … Read more
G. Sathiyan and Sreeja Akula will spearhead the Indian table tennis team’s campaign in the men’s and women’s sections respectively of the Asian Games, to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 20 to 28. In a release on Thursday, the Table Tennis Federation of India said the team has been primarily selected based on … Read more
Some victories fade with time. Others grow larger than the moment itself. More than four decades on, India’s triumph at the 1983 World Cup belongs firmly in the latter category. For an entire generation, it was the day Indian cricket discovered what was possible. For those that followed, it became the moment that changed everything. … Read more
Veteran squash star Joshna will strive to add her Asian Games medal collection. Veteran squash player Joshna Chinappa has achieved a feat unmatched by any Indian by qualifying for her seventh consecutive Asian Games. The 39-year-old sealed her place after battling past Unnati Tripathi in a gruelling five-game encounter during the selection trials at the ISTA … Read more
Arjun Erigaisi. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi joins American GM Hans Niemann in a high-quality field that also includes the World champion D. Gukesh in the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament to be held here from July 16 to 22. According to the organisers, Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov will also … Read more
Vijay Kumar. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO The DP World Professional Golf Tour of India on Monday announced the launch of the inaugural NexGen Vijay Kumar Memorial, a special event dedicated to celebrating the extraordinary legacy of legendary, late Indian golfer Vijay Kumar. The inaugural edition, the fifth event of the 2026 NexGen season, will … Read more
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa. File picture | Photo Credit: Sportstar Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa on Friday (June 5, 2026) defeated German Vincent Keymer in the 10th and final round at Deichman Bjorvika to win the Norway Chess 2026. He topped the leaderboard with 18 points, one ahead of American Wesley So, with his convincing win … Read more
He’s been around for so long that one forgets that he is just 20. Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa’s rise has been steadily spectacular. Having been drawn to chess quite early, his growth was impressive. Winning became a habit for him and the International Master title at the age of 10 turned the spotlight on him … Read more
International arbiter Anemone Kulczak has praised the Indian players for their discipline and talent. | Photo Credit: Tor Nilssen Anemone Kulczak seems like a constant at Norway Chess. The Frenchwoman, who made a smooth transition from playing to being an arbiter, is enjoying the role. “I played many tournaments after having learnt the game from … Read more
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday (June 4, 2026) suspended five wrestlers, including U20 Asian Championship trails winner Deepanshu, for four years after their birth certificates were found to be fake during a verification exercise in its crackdown on age fraud in the sport. Deepanshu, who had won the men’s freestyle 65kg event … Read more
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Thursday. | Photo Credit: PIB The Sports Ministry is planning to create a dedicated National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) to improve the standards of coaching in the country and bridge the gap between demand and supply of resources. The decision follows recommendations from the P. Gopichand-led Task … Read more
Mansi Lather, the recently crowned Under-23 Asian champion who narrowly missed out on the Asian Games squad losing the selection trials in the final, dominated the proceedings at the Under-20 Asian Championships trials here on Wednesday. Mansi beat Kirti in the 68kg at the selection trials for the upcoming event in Thailand from June 26. Sisters Samruddhi Satish and Gauri Satish also won their respective trials … Read more
P.V. Sindhu, who had also lost to the South Korean in the quarterfinals of last week’s Singapore Open, showed spark but only in patches to go down 17-21, 14-21 in the round of 16 clash. | Photo Credit: AP Two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu suffered a second successive defeat to world No. 1 An Se … Read more
Praggnanandhaa… great going. | Photo Credit: Norway Chess These are extraordinary times, it should be said. It is not often that Magnus Carlsen loses a classical chess game. But the unthinkable seems to be playing out at Norway Chess, as the World No. 1, considered one of the greatest ever, has suffered four defeats thus … Read more
Looking forward: Sindarov is quietly confident of his prospects in the World championship match against Gukesh. | Photo Credit: FLICKR/NORWAYCHESS Javokhir Sindarov might pass off as the boy next door with a charming smile, and not as one bracing to challenge for the biggest prize in chess (the World championship). Yet, beneath the relaxed exterior … Read more
Divya Deshmukh defeated her compatriot Koneru Humpy in the seventh round of the Norway Chess Championship. Photo: Special Arrangement Moments of brilliance and below-par efforts — it has been the story of the Indian players’ performances in the ongoing Norway Chess 2026 at Deichman Bjorvika here. On Monday, Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa inflicted a second straight … Read more
Satwik and Chirag are delighted after ending their title drought. | Photo Credit: Badminton Photo For nearly two years, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were forced to watch title opportunities slip away amid injuries, setbacks and frustrating near-misses. On Sunday, however, India’s premier men’s doubles pair ended the drought by becoming the first Indian duo to win the … Read more
Divyanshi came up trumps in a thrilling final. | Photo Credit: File photo: R. Ravindran Fifteen-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick produced a dream performance at Prishtina in Kosovo as she became the youngest Indian to win a WTT Feeder women’s singles title. The World No. 211 Divyanshi stunned Chinese Taipei’s Yeh Yi-Tian, placed 38 in the chart, … Read more