India’s Chef de Mission Rohit Rajpal. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement As Chef de Mission of the Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games here, Rohit Rajpal has his hands full. But the 55-year-old, who is also the vice-president of the All India Tennis Association, has assembled a team to ensure everything runs smoothly. In fact, he has set … Read more
Niemann has landed himself in trouble quite a few times due to his straight-talking. | Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj American Grandmaster Hans Niemann is known more for controversies than his exploits on the board. He was involved in a public feud with World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen over the cheating allegations levelled against him … Read more
Firouzja finished with 4.5 points. | Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj A draw was enough for Alireza Firouzja in the seventh and final round of the Chennai Grand Masters on Wednesday as the Frenchman walked away with the title in a strong field. Firouzja’s 41-move stalemate also ended his opponent Arjun Erigaisi’s chances of fighting … Read more
Mirabai Chanu at a training session in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, on March 05, 2026. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP Olympic and World championships medallist Mirabai Chanu need not push herself to claim her third consecutive gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, said National chief coach Vijay Sharma. Mirabai totalled 205kg at the … Read more
Giant-killer: Taneesha stunned World No. 34 Hursey. | Photo Credit: BUTTERFLYUTT Taneesha Kotecha produced a major upset in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 to formally seal HVR Kolkata Thunder Blades’ place in the semifinals, while Frenchman Lilian Bardet ensured defending champion U Mumba TT also advanced despite a narrow defeat in its final league tie at the Dr. … Read more
Sathiyan exults after winning a point against Payas. | Photo Credit: Butterfly UTT Captain G. Sathiyan led from the front as Dabang Delhi TTC kept its Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 semifinal hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over Ahmedabad APL Pipers at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Monday. Sathiyan’s clean … Read more
Qamar exults after edging Langley in the 48kg final bout at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: Getty Images As 14 Indian boxers get ready to compete in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this week, Mohammed Ali Qamar — the first pugilist from the country to win a gold medal in the quadrennial event at Manchester … Read more
Neeraj will lead the Indian athletics squad. | Photo Credit: PTI Athletics and boxing received the lion’s share of funds in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games starting Thursday in Glasgow. Of the Sports Ministry’s ₹53.09 crore expenditure on training and exposure, approximately ₹20cr was spent on India’s 32-member athletics contingent led by Neeraj Chopra … Read more
Arjun stayed cool and found a way past Gukesh. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ The ability to fight back from adversity sets the best apart from the ordinary. Arjun Erigaisi showed that he could stay cool in tough situations and find a way back as he pulled off a Houdini act to trip up World champion … Read more
Means a lot: Sindhu said the win over Yamaguchi was special. | Photo Credit: AFP A title after 20 months is perhaps the best preparation P.V. Sindhu could hope for in the run-up to the prestigious World Badminton Championships at home. Becoming the first ever Indian winner of the Japan Open on Sunday, a Super750 event, against home favourite … Read more
Strong opinion: Gopi Chand believes there was no need to change the 21-point format to the new 3×15 scoring system. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR The Commonwealth Games (CWG) have traditionally been one of India’s most productive multi-sport events, with the country consistently returning with a healthy medal haul. But at Glasgow … Read more
Syndrela held her nerve when it mattered most much to the delight of the home supporters. | Photo Credit: BUTTERFLYUTT Dempo Goa Challengers continued its dream run, edging past PBG Pune Jaguars on Sunday, to preserve its unbeaten record and become the first team to book a semifinal berth in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7. It was a collective … Read more
The clash between Abdusattorov and Gukesh ended in a stalemate. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ The clash between World champion D. Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the fourth round had drawn the attention of chess aficionados when the pairings for the Chennai Grand Masters at The Westin Velachery were out. The two, who have been involved in some … Read more
Dominant show: Arjun forced Niemann to resign. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi outwitted American Hans Niemann in the third round of the Chennai Grand Masters at The Westin Velachery on Saturday for his first win. The top-ranked Indian took his tally to two points with the victory while Frenchman Alireza Firouzja continued to top the … Read more
The official mascot, Peacko, and the anthem for the global event were unveiled in New Delhi on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma In January, the India Open badminton tournament at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here was in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. From poor air quality to lack of cleanliness at the venue, multiple … Read more
Giant-killer: Firouzja beat Gukesh in round two of the Chennai Grand Masters. | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ Alireza Firouzja made heads turn at last month’s Norway Chess – playing his matches bound to a wheelchair after hurting his ankle in a fall. Despite the difficulties, he took third spot in Oslo and later won … Read more
Firouzja extended his good run. | Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj Alireza Firouzja is in a rich vein of form, and the confidence is evident. The Frenchman took down home favourite and World champion D. Gukesh in the second round of the Chennai Grand Masters at The Westin Velachery on Friday as he jumped to … Read more
Ionescu. | Photo Credit: butterflyutt In his debut season of Ultimate Table Tennis, Eduard Ionescu struggled to find his footing. The 21-year-old Romanian had lost all three of his previous singles matches in Season 7. therFinding his rhythm But the World No. 47 finally found his rhythm on Friday, defeating Payas Jain 3-0 in the fourth and penultimate rubber … Read more
When Lionel Messi broke Miroslav Klose’s World Cup scoring record in Dallas, history travelled fast. Inside the stadium, supporters sent “25.9 terabytes of data” in roughly two hours — enough, Charlotte Jones notes, “to stream high-definition video for a year”. For Jones, the Dallas Cowboys’ executive vice president and chief brand officer, the number explained … Read more
Vipin Mehra, the TTR referee, says the system has worked seamlessly, with every review producing a conclusive verdict. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Introduced in India for the first time at Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7, the Table Tennis Review (TTR) system has largely earned positive feedback from players, officials and umpires. Vipin Mehra, the … Read more
Manush Shah and Anna Hursey of U Mumba TT in action against S.F.R. Snehit and Prithika Pavade of PBG Pune Jaguars during the Ultimate Table Tennis 2026 at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee indoor stadium in Goa, on 16th July 2026. | Photo Credit: Butterfly UTT Manush Shah remains a vital cog in U Mumba TT’s … Read more
Alireza Firouzja wore down Pranesh in a marathon 79-move game to emerge the only winner on the opening day of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters Chess Tournament on Thursday.. Photo: | Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ Alireza Firouzja got off to a winning start, dismantling M. Pranesh in a longish game, at the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament at Hotel Westin Velachery on Thursday. … Read more
Swedish table tennis great Peter Karlsson at the meet-and-greet event in Goa on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Sweden’s Peter Karlsson admitted that he was “a bit stubborn” during his playing days, but only in the sense that he possessed an unshakeable belief in his own abilities. That unwavering self-confidence was one of the … Read more
Sayali held her nerve against Manika. | Photo Credit: BUTTERFLYUTT Sayali Wani may be a distant World No. 151 compared to Manika Batra’s 51, but rankings matter little when the pressure is at its peak. The 20-year-old displayed composure beyond her years, producing one of the biggest upsets of Ultimate Table Tennis Season-7 by outwitting the 31-year-old veteran, a three-time … Read more
Bernadette Szocs. | Photo Credit: Butterfly UTT Bernadette Szocs showed why she is such a revered and feared player. The Romanian dished out a superb game against Zeng Jian to win 2-1 under immense pressure in the fifth and deciding singles match and seal the tie in Dempo Goa Challengers’ favour against HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades in the Ultimate Table Tennis Season-7 at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium … Read more
Indian table tennis reached a milestone on Tuesday as the country had for the first time three doubles pairs in the top 10 of the latest ITTF World Rankings. Leading the charge were Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, who climbed to No. 2 in men’s doubles — the highest-ever ranking by an Indian pair in … Read more
Syndrela produced a scintillating attacking display to outclass Manika in three straight games. | Photo Credit: BUTTERFLY UTT S.F.R. Snehit put his heart and soul into both his matches as PBG Pune Jaguars edged UP Prometheans 9-6 in an absorbing Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 clash at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium here on … Read more
Coming in clutch: Sutirtha put it past Ayhika in the decider. | Photo Credit: BUTTERFLY UTT Dabang Delhi pulled off a remarkable 8-7 win over HVR Kolkata Thunderblades in an Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 clash at the Shyama Prasad Indoor Stadium on Saturday. Dabang had to overcome a sensational show from 19-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee to register its second … Read more
Step’s Tim Merlier celebrates after winning Tour De France stage 7. | Photo Credit: Reuters Belgian Tim Merlier won the Tour de France seventh stage in a sprint finish at the end of a 175km run from Hagetmau to Bordeaux on Friday (July 10, 2026). Norwegian Soren Waerenskjold took second place with Eritrean Biniam Girmay … Read more
India’s U-23 men boxers delivered a strong performance at the Asian U-19 & U-23 Boxing Championships with six boxers advancing to the semifinals to assure themselves of medals here on Friday (July 10, 2026). Leading the charge, Asian Champion Vishvanath (50kg) continued his dominant run with a convincing 5:0 win over Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Aljohani. … Read more