Indian gymnasts Harshit Damodaran and Akshat Bajaj achieved a historic gold-silver finish in the junior men's vault event at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Zunyi, China. Harshit secured gold with 13.649 points, while Akshat took silver with 13.433 points, marking a significant achievement for Indian gymnastics.
Indian badminton stars Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty are preparing for the BWF World Championships in New Delhi. Sen, a former bronze medallist, aims for a deep run despite an inconsistent year, while the doubles pair focuses on adapting to court conditions. Rising star Ayush Shetty faces a tough opening challenge against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi, with all players expressing excitement about playing in front of a home crowd and noting improved venue conditions.
Indian shooters Sonam Uttam Maskar and Elavenil Valarivan reached the women's 10m air rifle final at the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
Indian boxer Sachin Siwach advanced to the pre-quarterfinals in the men's 60kg class, while the women's lawn bowls pair of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh secured their third consecutive victory at the Commonwealth Games. Despite some disappointments in swimming and wheelchair basketball, India is looking forward to potential medals, with Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu expected to retain her weightlifting crown.
Defender Anmol Ekka will captain the 18-member Indian men's hockey team for the AHF Junior Asia Cup in China from August 30 to September 13. The squad, training in Bengaluru under coach Frederic Soyez, recently completed an exposure tour of Belgium and is playing friendly matches against Malaysia U-21 as part of their preparations.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has assured continued government support to trap shooter Neeru Dhanda and pistol ace Esha Singh, who recently achieved historic gold medals at ISSF World Cups. Mandaviya highlighted shooting as a priority sport for India, with significant investment in athlete development programs like TOPS and Khelo India, aiming for future Olympic and Commonwealth Games success.
India made a strong start at the Asian U-23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, securing five medals on the opening day. The haul included a gold in the mixed 4x400m relay, one silver, and three bronze medals, showcasing the nation's emerging talent in athletics.
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.
India's senior bridge teams, both A and B, have made an impressive start at the fifth Asia Cup Bridge Championship in Goa, positioning themselves among the top contenders after the opening day. While the senior teams excelled, the women's teams faced a challenging start.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty advanced to the men's doubles quarterfinals at the World Championships, securing a potential third medal. However, India faced a setback with the elimination of two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Ayush Shetty in their respective singles matches. The women's doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also reached the quarterfinals.
All five Indian teenagers who competed at the International Physics Olympiad 2026 won gold medals; thanks to their achievement, India shared the world No 1 ranking with China, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan.
India's weightlifting team, led by Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, is set to compete at the Commonwealth Games. Despite a reduced squad due to doping violations, India aims to continue its dominant performance in the sport, benefiting from the absence of strong competitors like China and North Korea. Chanu, a strong gold medal contender, plans a cautious approach with the Asian Games in mind.
Deepadhar, featuring former Asian Games gold medallists, has taken an early lead in the fifth East Zone Bridge Championship in Kolkata, accumulating 65.22 Victory Points after four rounds. The tournament, a Bridge Federation of India Ranking Two event, involves around 300 players from 50 teams across East Zone states competing for a Rs 6 lakh prize purse, with the top 16 teams advancing to the knockout stage.
India's Uber Cup campaign ended with a 0-5 defeat to China, despite a strong start from PV Sindhu. The Indian team struggled to capitalise on opportunities against the formidable Chinese side.
The Indian sub-junior boys' hockey team secured dominant victories against arch-rivals Pakistan (7-3) and hosts Oman (10-1) at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship. Meanwhile, the Indian sub-junior girls' team fought hard but lost 3-6 to China in their Elite Pool match. The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the inaugural FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup.
India would confront a more entrenched China, a less dependable United States, and a regional order increasingly shaped by great-power bargaining over which it exercises limited influence, notes Amberish K Diwanji.
India's impressive run in the AFC Women's U17 Asian Cup concluded with a 3-0 defeat against China in the quarter-finals, ending their hopes for a historic qualification for the 2026 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup.
Neeraj Chopra will compete in the Asian Games in Japan in September-October in his bid to defend the title.
'You have to get private investment to somewhere between 35% to 36% of GDP. It is hovering about 30%-31%.'
A NITI Aayog report outlines India's potential to scale its bioeconomy to USD 691 billion by 2035 and USD 2.6 trillion by 2047, creating over 30 million high-value jobs. The report stresses the need for coordinated national execution, regulatory reforms, a strengthened talent pipeline, and a significant BioEconomy Growth Fund to achieve this vision, positioning India among the top biotechnology powers globally.
South Korea, Japan, and China dominated the opening day of the Senior Asian Fencing Championships in New Delhi, securing all medals. Host nation India, despite fielding several fencers in both men's sabre and women's foil events, failed to secure any podium finishes, with their top performers placing 20th and 22nd respectively.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu is set to chase an unprecedented sixth medal at the BWF World Championships, which are returning to India after 17 years, beginning in New Delhi on Monday. Sindhu, already a five-time World Championships medallist, is high on confidence after winning the Japan Open Super 750 last month.
India secured the third position at the Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open, with golfers Ceerat Kang and Guntas Kaur Sandhu finishing in a tied sixth place. The event featured 54 golfers from 11 countries, and the title was won by Malaysia's Foong Zi Yu.
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will not attempt the coveted 90kg snatch at the Commonwealth Games, instead prioritising the upcoming Asian Games where she aims to secure her first medal in the competition.
Former India football coach Stephen Constantine has expressed deep disappointment over the national team's current decline, criticising the All India Football Federation for its decisions, including the appointment of Khalid Jamil as coach despite his lack of international experience. Constantine, who led India to a historic FIFA ranking of 96, believes he should still be managing the team and calls for wider structural reforms in Indian football.
Successful interceptor, anti-ship, MIRV and hypersonic technology tests have strengthened India's position among a select group of advanced missile powers.
Joakim Alexandersson has been reappointed as the head coach of the India U-17 women's national football team, less than a year after his previous departure. He will lead the squad in preparations for the AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers in October, where India is grouped with Malaysia, Syria, and Iraq. The team aims to build on its historic quarter-final achievement in the previous Asian Cup.
'After the Galwan clash, the rules of engagement changed with the army commanders allowed to use any means at their disposal as they deem fit for tactical operations.'
It seems odd to criticise a country for delivering growth rates in standards of living and consumption that have been perhaps the fastest, longest, and most broad-based (affecting hundreds of millions of people) in history, points out Arvind Subramanian.
India's young athletes demonstrated strong performances on the second day of the inaugural Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, securing three bronze medals. Shakeel and Bhumeshwory Devi Huidrom earned bronze in the men's and women's 800m respectively, while Abhay Singh added another bronze in the men's 200m race.
Indian golfers Ceerat Kang and Guntas Kaur Sandhu are performing strongly at the Malaysia Ladies Amateur Open, both securing spots within the top-10 after the second round. India's team is currently placed third, just four strokes behind the leaders, highlighting a promising performance from the young talents.
The Indian junior women's hockey team concluded a seven-match exposure tour of the UK, securing three wins and four losses against various international teams. This tour served as crucial preparation for the upcoming Under-21 Asia Cup in China, providing valuable experience and insights into areas for improvement.
Subedar Hokato Sema lost his leg in a mine blast on the Line of Control. Today he is a champion para shot-putter and among the most decorated para soldier-athletes.
Indian boxer Minakshi, a former world champion, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup (Stage 2) in the 51kg category after a dominant victory.
Top Indian shuttlers have received a mixed draw for the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, with PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen getting relatively favourable starts, while Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty faces a formidable opening round against defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China.
India's premier long-distance runner, Gulveer Singh, is confident of improving his bronze medal performance from the 2022 Asian Games in the upcoming edition. Holding national records in multiple events, Singh is preparing for both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, focusing on strategic training under his US-based coach and utilising advanced sportswear technology.
A new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) indicates that India has expanded its nuclear arsenal and is developing long-range weapons capable of reaching targets across China, while also maintaining focus on its rivalry with Pakistan.
India's men's and women's badminton teams face a challenging draw alongside defending champions China in the 2026 Thomas and Uber Cup, to be held in Horsens, Denmark.
'Tensions and dialogue are likely to go hand-in-hand with China.' 'The goal should be to cultivate power so that one can negotiate from a position of strength.'
Indian archer Sahil Jadhav, preparing for the Asian Games, has found valuable insights into managing pressure and staying focused from former Australian cricketer Shane Watson's self-help book, 'The Winner's Mindset'.
