Ishank Singh, a 7-year-old from Ranchi (Jharkhand), has established a world record by swimming approximately 29 km across the Palk Strait. He completed the journey from Talaimannar (Sri Lanka) to Dhanushkodi (Tamil Nadu) in 9 hours and 50 minutes on April 30, 2026.
The Universal Records Forum (URF) has officially recognized him as the youngest and fastest individual to complete this route, surpassing the previous record of 10 hours and 30 minutes set by Jay Jashwanth in 2019.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has attended the 75th anniversary celebrations of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range (DKSSR) in New Delhi. A commemorative logo was unveiled to mark 75 years of competitive shooting in India.
The NRAI launched the “MyNRAI Athlete App”, making it the first fully digitised sports federation in India. Additionally, a nationwide grassroots programme was announced to introduce 7.5 lakh school and college students to shooting through a “10-shot experience” before the 2028 Olympics.
The Indian Junior Shooting Team has topped the medal tally at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup 2026 (Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun) held in Cairo, Egypt. India won 16 medals (5 gold, 6 silver, and 5 bronze), followed by Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and France. India sent the largest contingent of 71 athletes to the competition. Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar and Divyanshu Dewangan won gold and set a new Junior World Record in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event with 499.9 points.
Other gold medallists: Shiva Narwal (men’s 10m air pistol), Vanshika Chaudhary (women’s 10m air pistol), Vanshika Chaudhary and Chirag Sharma (10m air pistol mixed team), and Prachi Gaikwad (women’s 50m rifle 3 positions). The team is set to participate in the upcoming ISSF Junior World Championship 2026 in Suhl, Germany.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has officially joined the International World Games Association (IWGA) as its 40th member. The announcement was made during the Annual General Meeting (AGM 2026) held at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) has signed an agreement with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to transfer the governance and operations of Shooting Para Sport from the latter to the former.
Currently, the sport is managed by World Shooting Para Sport, an entity under the IPC. Pending final approval, the transition is scheduled to begin in 2027 and will include a 2-year integration period until 2028.
Sabastian Kimaru Sawe, a Kenyan athlete, has won the men’s elite title at the London Marathon 2026. He became the first individual to complete a competitive marathon (42.2 km) in under 2 hours, clocking a record time of 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds. It is to be noted that he surpassed the previous world record held by Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya).
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has selected India as one of the 12 nations for the ‘Women’s Development Programme (Commercial Strategy 2026)’.
The programme aims to strengthen the commercial viability, sustainability, and professional framework of women’s football on a global scale. Other participating countries include Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Scotland, Canada, Mexico, Finland, Ghana, Jordan, Lithuania, and Paraguay.
The 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards, known as the “Oscars of Sport”, was held in Madrid, Spain. The event was co-hosted by Novak Djokovic (five-time winner) and Eileen Gu (Olympic skiing champion). Carlos Alcaraz (22 years old) was named the World Sportsman of the Year, becoming the youngest-ever recipient. Aryna Sabalenka won the World Sportswoman of the Year, and Paris Saint-Germain was named the World Team of the Year.
It is to be noted that the women cricket team of India was nominated for the World Team of the Year following their first One Day International (ODI) World Cup victory in 2025. Other winners include Lando Norris (World Breakthrough of the Year), Rory McIlroy (World Comeback of the Year), Lamine Yamal (Young Sportsperson of the Year), Chloe Kim (World Action Sportsperson), and Gabriel Araújo (Sportsperson with a Disability).
Nadia Comaneci, a gymnastics legend, was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, while former footballer Toni Kroos received the Sporting Inspiration Award. The organization Futbol Mas was presented with the Sport for Good Award for supporting vulnerable communities through football.
Aronyak Ghosh from Kolkata becomes the 95th Grandmaster (GM) of India. He secured his third and final GM norm at the 23rd Bangkok Chess Club (BCC) Open 2026, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand.
India has won a gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol) 2026 held in Granada, Spain. Mukesh Nelavalli and Palak Gulia secured the gold in the mixed team 10m air pistol event.
China topped the medal standings with 13 medals (8 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze), followed by Germany with 2 medals (1 gold and 1 silver). India concluded the tournament with a total of 1 gold medal.
R Vaishali, an Indian Grandmaster (GM), becomes the first Indian woman to win the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026.
She defeated Kateryna Lagno (Russia) in the final round of the tournament held in Pegeia, Cyprus. It is to be noted that Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan has won the Open Section of the Candidates Tournament.
India finished 5th in the medal tally at the 22nd edition of the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The 30-member Indian contingent won a total of 17 medals, including 2 gold, 6 silver, and 9 bronze. Iran topped the standings with 18 medals (6 gold), followed by Japan and China.
Sujeet Kalkal (65 kg freestyle) and Abhimanyou Mandwal (70 kg freestyle) have won the gold medals for India. The event was organized by the Asian Associated Wrestling Committee (AAWC) under the United World Wrestling (UWW) and saw participation from around 324 wrestlers representing 21 countries.
India finished second in the overall standings at the Asian Boxing Championships 2026 (ABC) held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. India won a total of 16 medals, including 5 gold, 3 silver, and 8 bronze. Kazakhstan topped the rankings with 15 medals (6 gold), while Uzbekistan stood third.
The gold medalists from India at the ABC include Minakshi Hooda (48kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), and Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) in the women categories. Vishvanath Suresh won gold in the men 50kg category.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has become the first fast bowler in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to reach the 200-wicket milestone.
He is the second bowler overall to achieve this feat, following the record set by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
