Recent 6 months news in Sports

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.

India secured 29 medals including 5 gold, 13 silver, and 11 bronze at the inaugural Asian Under-19 (U-19) & U-23 Boxing Championships 2026 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. India finished third in the medal tally, while Uzbekistan topped the table with 33 medals (21 gold), followed by Kazakhstan.

The gold medalists for India include Chandrika Bhoresh Pujari (U-19, 51 kg), Prachi (U-19, 57 kg), Nisha (U-23, 54 kg), Vishvanath Suresh (U-23, 50 kg), and Ganga (U-23, 55 kg).

Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Badminton Association of India (BAI) President and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma have unveiled the official mascot 'Peacko' and the championship anthem for the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships 2026 in New Delhi.

The mascot 'Peacko' is inspired by the Indian Peafowl. The 30th edition of the BWF World Championships will be hosted at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

The Indian Deaf Women’s Cricket Team has won the inaugural Women’s Twenty20 International (T20I) series against the Sri Lanka Deaf Women’s Cricket Team with a 5–0 victory. The series was held at the De Soysa International Cricket Stadium in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka.

Shradda Vaishnav was named the 'Player of the Final', while Reddy Jyoshna was adjudged the 'Player of the Series'.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved format changes for the Men's One Day International (ODI) World Cup and the Men's Twenty20 (T20) World Cup during its annual board meetings held in Edinburgh, Scotland.

From 2027, the 14-team ICC Men's ODI World Cup will transition to a 4-stage format, increasing the total number of matches from 48 to 57 and introducing a 'Super 7' round-robin stage. The 20-team ICC Men's T20 World Cup will feature 5 groups of 4 teams, followed by a 'Super 10' stage (replacing the Super 8) and Eliminators.