Recent 6 months news in Sports

The 30th edition of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships (2026) was hosted at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand won the bronze medal in the women’s doubles category, marking the first medal for India in this segment since 2011.

Alex Lanier became the first French player to win the men’s singles title, while An Se-young of South Korea secured her second women’s singles title.

Ahmedabad, Gujarat is set to host the second edition of the Commonwealth Cue Sports Championships in October 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.

The tournament will feature athletes from 45 countries competing across 5 disciplines and 10 medal events in both men and women categories.

East Bengal has won the 135th edition of the Durand Cup in 2026, defeating Mohun Bagan Super Giant by 4-1 in the final match held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

It is to be noted that the Durand Cup is recognized as the oldest football competition in Asia.

The tournament is organized by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) in collaboration with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Indian Armed Forces.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has announced plans to establish the National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) to standardize coaching quality and enhance the sports ecosystem in India.

The initiative to establish the board was recommended by a specialized task force led by Pullela Gopichand.

Magnus Carlsen, a Norwegian Grandmaster (GM) and world no. 1 representing Team Liquid, has won the “Esports World Cup Chess” title 2026 for the second consecutive year. The tournament was held in Paris, France, and the winner was awarded a prize of $250,000.

Justin Greaves and Hayley Matthews of West Indies have been named the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s and Women’s Player of the Month for July 2026, respectively.

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has officially suspended the recognition of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

The suspension was enforced due to the failure of the TTFI to conduct organizational elections within the mandated timeframe and severe delays in adopting and uploading audited financial statements.

Ariha Pangambam from Manipur has won the first-ever individual gold medal for India at the 10th Senior Women’s individual event in the Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships held in Tagaytay City, Philippines. She achieved the gold medal with a top score of 19.1 points.

John Turner, an England fast bowler, has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the age of 25.

Anahat Singh has become the first Indian to win the women’s singles title at the World Junior Squash Championships 2026. She defeated Ruqayya Salem of Egypt with a score of 3-0 in the final held at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.

Mohamad Zakaria of Egypt has successfully defended his title in the men’s singles category.

R Praggnanandhaa, an Indian Grandmaster (GM), has won his maiden Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. He finished the tournament ahead of Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan.

Harshita Jakhar, a 19-year-old cyclist from Rajasthan, becomes the first Indian woman to feature in the Tour de France Femmes.

She was selected by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) as one of only 8 riders worldwide for the UCI World Cycling Talent Programme.

India finished 4th in the medal tally at the 23rd Commonwealth Games (CWG) held in Glasgow, Scotland, with a total of 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, and 9 bronze). Australia topped the medal table with 171 medals (70 gold), followed by England and Canada, while Scotland finished 5th.

India secured 13 gold medals across boxing (7), para-athletics and athletics (3), judo (2), and weightlifting (1). In boxing, India set a record for the most gold medals by any nation at a single CWG with 7 wins by Preeti Pawar, Sakshi Chaudhary, Jaismine Lamboria (closing flag-bearer), Priya Ghanghas, Arundhati Choudhary, Sachin Siwach, and Ankush Panghal.

In Judo, Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh captured the nation's first-ever gold medals in the sport. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won gold in the women's 48kg weightlifting category, achieving a historic hat-trick of CWG titles and becoming the second Indian athlete after Vinesh Phogat to accomplish this.

In para-athletics and athletics, Sharmila Dhankar (Women's Shot Put F57), Soman Rana (Men's Shot Put F57), and Dilip Gavit (Men's 100m T47) won gold, with Gavit setting a new CWG record.

The 23rd CWG, held under the patronage of King Charles III, featured 10 sports and 6 integrated para-sports, with Gabon and Togo making their debut, and 'Finnie' serving as the official mascot. Scotland's Melanie Woods (Para-athletics) was honoured with the David Dixon Award.

It is to be noted that the 2030 CWG (Centenary Edition) will be hosted in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, marking India's second time hosting the event following the 2010 edition in New Delhi.

India secured the 3rd position with a total of 4 medals, including 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup, held at the Fuyang Yinhu Sports Centre in Hangzhou, China.

Esha Singh has won the gold medal in the Women's 25m Pistol event. China topped the medal tally with 18 medals (7 gold), followed by the USA.

Viswanathan Anand, a 5-time World Chess Champion and the Deputy President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), has assumed charge as the Interim President of FIDE.

He takes over following the voluntary suspension of duties by the incumbent President, Arkady Dvorkovich.

Nicolas Otamendi, an Argentine footballer, has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 38, concluding a 17-year-long career.

He made 139 appearances for the national team. He will continue his professional club career, having joined Club Atletico River Plate.

The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and the Cerebral Palsy Sports Federation of India (CPSFI) have signed an MoU in New Delhi, to jointly pursue the bid to host the 2029 World Abilitysport Games in India.

Chennai and Bhubaneswar (Odisha) are under consideration as potential host cities for the event.

Grandmaster (GM) S Rohith Krishna from Tamil Nadu has won the gold medal at the inaugural Menuires International Chess Championship 2026, held at Le Break des Menuires, France.

GM Raja Rithvik from Telangana secured the silver medal at the event.

Pakistan is set to host the 14th edition of the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in March 2027. The multi-sport event is expected to feature athletes from 8 South Asian nations.

It is to be noted that the SAF Games were established in 1981 in New Delhi to promote friendship and goodwill among the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The SAARC member countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Iya Krish, an 8-year-old mountaineer from Kerala, has become the youngest person from Asia to scale Mount Toubkal (4,167 m), the highest peak in North Africa located in the Atlas Mountains.

She completed the 42 km trek during a 3-day expedition organized by Greenway Adventures Travel & Tourism LLC.