Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will present cash awards totalling Rs 20.59 crore to 198 medal-winning athletes and international participants at a state-level function in Panchkula. The awards aim to recognise athletes who have excelled in international and national competitions, with funds directly transferred to beneficiaries' bank accounts.
The Sports Ministry is set to commence the nomination process for the National Sports Awards next month, following a delayed announcement of the 2025 awards. The delay was due to a re-evaluation process aimed at preserving the integrity of the honours, which resulted in no Khel Ratna awardee for 2025 and fewer Arjuna awardees than recommended. The article also details the criteria for these prestigious awards and highlights some of the notable Arjuna awardees for 2025.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that the 'Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan' annual sports festival will commence on September 5 in Bathinda, expecting around 10 lakh participants across 38 sports. The event, now in its fourth edition, aims to promote sports at block, district, and state levels, with competitions running until November 29.
Clubbed with Thailand, Bangladesh and Malaysia in Group A, India comfortably advanced to the final, defeating Bangladesh 64-23, Thailand 76-21, and Malaysia 73-19 to top their pool with three wins.
Haryana is set to host a grand felicitation ceremony on August 7 for its athletes who excelled at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026. Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will present cash awards totalling Rs 13.47 crore to 10 medal winners and 13 participating athletes, reinforcing the state's commitment to sports development and recognising international achievements.
NEROCA FC defeated nine-man FC Raengdai 3-1 in the IndianOil Durand Cup, coming from behind with late goals after Raengdai had two players sent off. This win concluded NEROCA's Group D campaign, while Raengdai, despite the loss, had already qualified for the quarterfinals.
The National Sports Awards in India have been delayed due to a re-evaluation process aimed at ensuring only deserving athletes receive the honour. The Sports Ministry is reassessing Arjuna Award recommendations to maintain the award's value and avoid controversies.
The National Sports Awards have been delayed due to a re-evaluation process by the Sports Ministry to ensure only deserving athletes are honoured. The ministry aims to establish clearer criteria to avoid controversies and ensure deserving athletes are recognised without unnecessary hurdles.
Pakistan's sensational javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem who won the country's first individual Olympics gold in 40 years is being showered with cash awards by Punjab and other provincial governments and organisations.
The Odisha government felicitated para archer Payal Nag for winning two gold medals at the World Para Archery Series 2026 in Bangkok and qualifying for the Para Asian Games. She received a cash award and funds for sports equipment.
Haryana is revamping its 2015 Sports Policy to focus on long-term talent development for future Olympians, moving beyond just prize money and jobs. Key initiatives include 'Mission Olympics-2036 Vijayee Bhavah' for young athletes and the 'Khelo Haryana App' for integrated athlete services. The state aims to strengthen athlete welfare, infrastructure, and institutional support.
Seventeen Indian sportspersons, including World Cup winning chess player Divya Deshmukh, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, and shuttler Gayatri Gopichand, have been named for the prestigious Arjuna Award for 2025.
Indian judoka Yamini Mourya reflects on her 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver medal, expressing her belief that a single mistake cost her the gold medal she had envisioned.
Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta secured the championship at the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin Chess Tournament. International Master Aswath S finished as runner-up, achieving his final Grandmaster norm to become India's 98th Grandmaster. Kushagra Mohan took third place, while Advik Agarwal earned his second International Master norm.
Paris St Germain defeated Aston Villa 2-1 to retain the UEFA Super Cup, with goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue. Despite Brian Madjo's equaliser for Villa, PSG secured their victory, marking another trophy for manager Luis Enrique and highlighting their continued dominance in European football.
India's men's Under-18 hockey team defeated hosts Japan 4-1 in the final to win the Asia Cup title, with Ashish Purti scoring a hat-trick. Captain Ketan Kushwaha also scored, while Hockey India announced cash awards for the gold-winning men's team and the bronze-winning women's U-18 team.
India played an impressive opening match at the Women's Hockey World Cup, securing a 2-2 draw against Olympic silver medallists China, with goals from Navneet Kaur and Deepika.
Six Indian badminton players are still awaiting participation certificates promised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) after an administrative lapse prevented them from competing at the World University Games.
The Indian sub-junior men's hockey team secured the gold medal at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 3-1. This victory also ensured their qualification for the inaugural FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup. The Indian women's team also earned a silver medal, and Hockey India announced cash rewards for both squads.
Hardik Singh and Navneet Kaur were named Hockey India Player of the Year in the men's and women's categories, respectively, at a ceremony in New Delhi. Several other players, officials, and member units were also recognised for their contributions to Indian hockey.
The Indian Women's Hockey team secured their second FIH Women's Nations Cup title by defeating hosts New Zealand 2-0 in the final.
The Meghalaya Football Association (MFA) felicitated state footballers Sanfida Nongrum and Ribansi Jamu for their pivotal roles in India's victory at the SAFF Women's Championship 2026. The players, who contributed significantly to India reclaiming the title, were honoured with cash rewards and recognition, inspiring young girls in the state to pursue football.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay honoured Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa with a Rs 50 lakh cash incentive for winning the Norway Chess title, making him the first Indian to achieve this feat. The Chief Minister also played a game of chess with the young Grandmaster.
The Sports Ministry doubled the cash awards for gold medal winners to Rs 20 lakhs for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games to encourage sportspersons to come up with an improved performance in the upcoming mega-events.
Following their historic World Cup win, the Indian women's cricket team has been nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Team of the Year Award, a first for any women's cricket team.
With hot weather due and memories fresh of the scorching 2025 Club World Cup, FIFA has for the first time mandated three-minute hydration breaks in each half for all 104 matches of the World Cup starting this week in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The Indian women's hockey team, led by coach Sjoerd Marijne, won the Nations Cup in Auckland, defeating New Zealand 2-0 in the final. This victory secures their promotion back to the FIH Pro League. Despite the win, Marijne emphasised the need to improve field-goal conversion, while captain Salima Tete highlighted the team's strong mindset and the confidence boost ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Manpreet Singh on Wednesday became India's most-capped hockey player with his 413th appearance for the country during the FIH Pro League match against Germany in Rotterdam.
Indian cricketer Pratika Rawal, fresh off her Test debut, is advocating for more women's Test matches, highlighting the format's importance for player development and character building.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary felicitated cricketer Ishan Kishan with a cheque of Rs 1 crore for his contribution to India's 2026 T20 World Cup victory. The ceremony took place in Patna, with top officials and Kishan's relatives in attendance.
Sumit Antil, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, has criticised a segment of coaches for being egoistic, using outdated training methods, and being abusive. He shared his own experiences and those of other athletes to highlight the issues within the coaching system.
Two-time Paralympic gold medallist Sumit Antil alleges that a significant portion of coaches are egoistic, use outdated training methods, and are sometimes abusive. Antil cites his own experiences and those of other athletes to support his claims, highlighting issues such as the lure of prize money and the lack of responsibility taken for athletes who don't succeed.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has announced cash award of Rs three lakh each for Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat for winning bronze medals in the ongoing Women's World Wrestling Championship at Edmonton, Canada.
The government has announced cash awards of Rs. 90 lakhs for Rio Paralympics 2016 medal winners.
Deshmukh thanked the CM and the people of Nagpur for felicitating her.
Among the 12 media personnel awarded are the PTI Srinagar Bureau Chief, Inayat Jehangir and PTI video journalist, Jammu Somil Abrol. Other awardees in this category include Avtar Krishan Bhat, Vivek Suri, Sunil Ji Bhat, Dinesh Manhotra, Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Razia Noor, Ishfaq Gowhar Zargar, Syed Khalid Hussain, Sarosh Kafeel, and Neeta Sharma.
British lawn mower racing season kicks off in West Sussex, offering thrilling grassroots motorsport action as fans get their fix during the Formula One break.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has announced cash awards of Rs 20 lakh to London Olympics silver medallist Vijay Kumar and Rs 15 lakh to bronze winner Gagan Narang for bringing laurels to the country in the mega event.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced that the Khelo India Tribal Games will be held annually in the state following the success of the inaugural edition. The event aims to provide a platform for tribal athletes to showcase their talent and gain national recognition.
The top-scorer at the 10th Sultan of Johor Cup was India's Sharda Nand Tiwari with 7 goals to his name, and the Player of the Match in the Final against Australia was Sudeep Chirmako.
