Recent 6 months news in Sports

Max Verstappen, a Belgian-Dutch national racing for Red Bull, has won the Formula One (F1) Singapore Grand Prix 2026.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has formed a 7-member committee to revive the financially troubled Hockey India League (HIL) and address concerns regarding its governance, financial model, and structure.

The committee includes Vineel Krishna (Sports Ministry Joint Secretary (Khelo India)), Dilip Tirkey (Hockey India President), Bhola Nath Singh (Secretary General), and Sekar J Manoharan (Treasurer). It is to be noted that HIL is a professional field hockey competition organised by Hockey India, which held its inaugural season in 2013 and was relaunched in 2024.

Prof. Achyuta Samanta, the founder of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), has been elected as the first President of the Indian UniSport Federation (IUSF). He was elected during the first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the federation held in New Delhi.

Putul Sonowal, an Indian lawn bowls player from Assam, has become the first Indian to win a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles Category at the World Bowls Champion of Champions held in Barham, Australia.

Prasar Bharati and In-Dot Sports Pvt Ltd have launched the Kisan Cricket League (KCL) in New Delhi.

The league aims to identify cricketing and singing talent from rural and semi-urban parts of the country through digital auditions, AI-enabled screening, and on-ground trials. The inaugural season of the league is scheduled to be held in February 2027.

The National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), the Sports Authority of India, and the Indian Oil Corporation have partnered to strengthen boxing in India. The collaboration focuses on a structured programme centered on talent identification and athlete development.

Under this partnership, the Indian Oil Corporation will provide ₹40 crore over a period of 2 years to support the initiative.

Max Verstappen, a Belgian-Dutch national racing for Red Bull, has won the Formula One (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2026, which was hosted in Malaysia.

India finished fourth in the overall medal standings with 85 medals (21 gold, 27 silver, and 37 bronze) at the 20th Asian Games (XX Asian Games), officially known as Aichi-Nagoya 2026, held in Japan.

China topped the tally with 341 medals (169 gold), followed by Japan. The event concluded at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. Yu Zidi, a 13-year-old swimmer from China, was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) - Female for her three gold medals, while Puripol Boonson, a Thai sprinter, was named the MVP - Male.

India won gold medals in team sports including Men’s and Women’s Cricket, Hockey, and Kabaddi. Archery was the most successful individual sport for India with 5 gold medals won in Women’s Individual Recurve), Women’s Recurve Team, and the Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Compound Teams.

In Shooting, gold medals were won in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team (Kamaljeet and Suruchi Singh), Women’s Trap (Neeru Dhanda), and Mixed Trap (Kynan Chenai and Neeru Dhanda). Boxing gold medals were claimed by Parveen Hooda (Women’s 65kg), Lovlina Borgohain (Women’s 75kg), and Ankush Panghal (Men’s 80kg).

Other gold medalists include Sujeet Kalkal (Men’s 65kg Freestyle Wrestling), the Indian Wrestling Contingent, the Women’s 4x400m Relay team (Athletics), and Pranavi Urs (Women’s Individual Golf).

India has won silver in the open section and bronze in the women section at the 46th Chess Olympiad held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The international team event was organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). In the open category, Uzbekistan won the gold medal, and in the women category, China won gold.

India retained the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy for the best combined performance for the third consecutive time. The All India Chess Federation open team was led by Grandmaster (GM) Srinath Narayanan (featuring D Gukesh) and the women team was captained by GM Swayams Mishra (featuring Divya Deshmukh).

India is set to host the 4th Junior and 11th Senior Asian Pencak Silat Championship in 2027. The international tournament will be held at the Manohar Parrikar Stadium in Goa.

The hosting rights were announced by the Indian Pencak Silat Federation (IPSF) and have been officially endorsed by the International Pencak Silat Federation (PERSILAT).

Bodhana Sivanandan, an 11-year-old Indian-origin British chess prodigy, becomes the youngest Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in history.

She secured her third and final WGM norm while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It is to be noted that she previously set a record as the youngest player to represent the country internationally at the age of 9.

Mark Wood, a 36-year-old fast bowler of England, has announced retirement from international cricket.

India is set to host the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Road World Championships for the first time in 2032, in Pune, Maharashtra. The announcement was made during the 195th Congress of the UCI in Montreal, Canada.

It is to be noted that the historic bid was jointly spearheaded by the Maharashtra government and the Cycling Federation of India (CFI).

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of three cricket franchises, Rajasthan Royals (India), Paarl Royals (South Africa), and Barbados Royals (Barbados), by the UK-based Westview Cricket Ltd and Poonawalla Sports and Fitness Pvt Ltd, owned by Adar Cyrus Poonawalla.

India is set to host the 11th edition of the “Asian Senior Wushu Championships” for the first time in 2028. The decision was ratified during the Wushu Federation of Asia (WFA) Congress held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Bhupender Singh Bajwa, representing the Wushu Association of India (WAI), has been nominated as a member of the Executive Committee of the WFA. It is to be noted that Wushu is a traditional Chinese martial art and combat sport.

India, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, has won the 10th edition of the Women’s Asia Cup (6th in T20 format) by defeating Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final. The tournament was organised by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This marks a record-extending 8th title for India.

Shafali Verma was named both the ‘Player of the Match’ and ‘Player of the Series’.

Karan Yadav has been appointed as the inaugural CEO of the Indian Super League (ISL). The appointment comes as the league transitions toward a new club-led operational model.

World Athletics has designated Nairobi, Kenya, as the host for the 2029 World Athletics Championships, marking the first-ever edition of the competition to be held in Africa. The decision was taken by the council in Budapest, Hungary.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has selected the Munich Football Arena in Germany to host the 2028 final. UEFA also designated Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, as a host venue.

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has announced the formation of a 10-member Task Force to evaluate the challenges and feasibility of reviving Formula 1 (F1) in India.

The committee is chaired by Yugal Kishore Joshi (Programme Director and Adviser, NITI Aayog). The Task Force will explore the possibility of hosting an F1 Grand Prix in 2028 and prepare a roadmap for the sustainable growth of motorsports in the country.

James Rodriguez, a 35-year-old footballer from Colombia, has announced retirement from international football.