India’s sporting infrastructure is undergoing a rapid phase of expansion. Across the country, new cricket grounds are being conceptualised, funded, and constructed at an unprecedented pace from Tier-II cities to satellite urban clusters. On paper, this reflects ambition. In practice, however, it also raises a fundamental structural question: does India really need more cricket stadiums,…
Indian distance running witnessed a landmark day at the 2026 New Delhi Marathon as Kartik Karkera stormed to victory in a sensational personal best of 2:13:10, holding off seasoned campaigners Gopi Thonakal and Man Singh in a dramatic sprint finish that saw all three athletes dip under the Asian Games qualification standard. In what turned…
The Esports Federation of India (ESFI) has officially opened registrations for the National Esports Championships 2026 (NESC 2026), the national qualification tournament that will determine India’s esports contingent for the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. Registrations for the championship will remain open from February…
India is set to take a decisive step in aligning its cricketing ambitions with the broader Olympic movement, with the country preparing to field its top men’s and women’s cricketers for the T20 competition at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan. Scheduled between September 19 and October 4, 2026, with cricket events beginning from…
Teqball has officially been added as a medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, marking a landmark moment for one of the world’s fastest-growing hybrid sports. The decision by the Olympic Council of Asia and the International Teqball Federation (FITEQ) signals the sport’s arrival into the mainstream of continental competition. For Asia, this…
The election of Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani as President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at the 46th General Assembly in Tashkent marks one of the most significant power shifts in Asian sport in decades. Representing 45 National Olympic Committees and the world’s largest continental sporting body, the OCA now enters a…
Under constantly shifting winds and choppy waters off Girgaon Chowpatty, India’s best sailors were pushed to their limits on Day Two of the Sail India Asian Games Selection Trials II, as the race for places in the 2026 Asian Games squad gathered momentum in Mumbai. The second day of racing underlined exactly why Sail India…
The indefinite postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games is more than a scheduling adjustment. It is the first major structural reset in Saudi Arabia’s sporting superpower project, and it reveals how even the most lavishly funded visions can collide with engineering, economics and climate science. The decision, formally announced by the Olympic Council of…
For years, Indian swimming has lived in a fog of half-truths. We have spoken about potential, blamed facilities, argued about selection policies, and celebrated the occasional international medal without ever answering the most basic performance question: are Indian swimmers actually fast enough to compete at the Asian Games? Now, with the 2026 Asian Games qualification…
As the global sporting calendar builds towards the 20th edition of the Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, the Indian contingent finds itself at a pivotal crossroads. Scheduled from September 19 to October 4, 2026, the Games are more than a continental multi-sport event for India. They represent a critical examination of how far the country…
The Indian government’s continued commitment to elite sport was underlined this week as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports approved ₹11.80 lakh for Neeraj Chopra’s overseas training program, reinforcing a highly individualized approach to preparing India’s biggest Olympic star for a demanding 2026 season. The funding, cleared through the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) under…
A single medal does not redefine a sport overnight, but Alisha Subudhi’s bronze at the World Karate Federation (WKF) Series A in Tbilisi may well mark a turning point for Indian karate. For a discipline long pushed to the fringes of India’s sporting ecosystem, the 23-year-old’s podium finish has ignited belief that sustained institutional backing…
If 2025 was the year Indian esports earned legitimacy, 2026 is shaping up to be the year that legitimacy translates into lasting structure. With the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA) moving from policy intent to on-ground implementation, the ecosystem is entering a phase defined less by validation and more by execution. Competitive…
Indian sports is undergoing one of the most significant structural shifts in its history. With the introduction of the National Sports Governance Act of 2025 and a gradual transition from discretionary oversight to a statutory regulatory framework, the ecosystem is moving toward professionalism, accountability, and transparency. However, while governance structures are evolving rapidly, the education…
Indian sport has entered a new phase of hard accountability and sharper prioritization with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) finalizing a major overhaul of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and introducing clearer separation between Olympic and continental ambitions through the Target Asian Games Group (TAGG). The January 2026 update is not…
The Arjuna Award has always been more than a medal and a citation. Instituted in 1961, it is India’s most consistent barometer of sustained sporting excellence. But the 2024–25 cycle of National Sports Awards, culminating in the recently finalised Arjuna Award 2025 nominations, marks a deeper shift one that reveals how India now defines success,…
The Asian men’s 4x100m relay landscape shifted decisively in 2025. What once constituted medal-winning territory in the low 39-second range is no longer sufficient. Across major championships and regional meets, the standard has moved sharply into the mid-38s, creating what can best be described as the “sub-38.50 imperative” for any team with podium ambitions at…
India’s preparation for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya marks a decisive shift in how the country approaches multi-sport events. Scheduled from September 19 to October 4, 2026, the Games come on the back of India’s historic outing at Hangzhou 2023, where the contingent crossed the 100-medal mark for the first time. That breakthrough has…
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has unveiled a bold yet demanding strategy for the 2026 season, a year that will see two of the biggest multi-sport events the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow from July 23–August 2 and the Asian Games (AG) in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19–October 4 fall within just seven weeks…
The Asian Games 2026, scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, mark a crucial turning point for Indian sport. Coming just three years after the historic 106-medal haul in Hangzhou 2023, India enters this edition with heightened ambitions but also under the weight of a new, results-driven selection…
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has announced a comprehensive selection roadmap for India’s men’s and women’s 4x100m relay squads ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, scheduled from 19 September to 4 October 2026. The federation will select eight athletes each for the men’s and women’s squads, using a mix of performance-based…
India has reached a landmark moment in its sporting history by securing all four available surfing quotas for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan two for men and two for women. This achievement, marking the maximum representation allowed for any nation, comes ahead of surfing’s debut at the Asian Games and underscores India’s rapid…
The journey to Paris 2024 has already begun since last year. Till now, a total of 15 athletes have already qualified, including 8 shooters and 7 track and field athletes. Written by Astik Raj Hangzhou is all set to host the 19th Asian games from next week, different teams from different countries have started…
By Astik Raj The Indian contingent is ready to participate once again at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Given the history of the Asian Games, whose idea was proposed by an Indian himself, Guru Dutt Sondhi, this sports meet becomes very important for the athletes and the sports fans in the country. It is…
