Fewer athletes will carry greater expectations for India at the Asian Games than Avinash Sable.The defending Asian Games champion, Asian Games record holder (8:19.50) and national record holder (8:09.91) in 3000m steeplechase heads to the continental showpiece as one of the country’s most dependable gold-medal prospects.For much of the last year, however, the possibility of…
Japan’s reputation for organisational efficiency lay in tatters as the rowing and shooting contingent faced unexpected ordeals upon arrival. A majority of the rowing squad were left stranded without accommodation, some of their names actually missing from the accreditation system.“Only three of the 22 men’s athletes have accommodation against their names. And the names of…
Asian Games 2026 Live Updates: India will begin its Asian Games 2026 campaign today, two days before the official opening ceremony in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with teqball providing the country’s first action at the continental multi-sport event. Declan Marshall Gonsalves and Mohamed Anas Imran Beg will make history as the first Indian athletes to compete at…
Teqball, Kurash, Soft Tennis, Sepak Takraw and Sport Climbing. The Asian Games have always been more than a showcase of the sports that dominate television screens.From cricket and hockey to athletics, shooting, badminton and wrestling, some disciplines have a deep following in India. But Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will also put the spotlight on sports that remain…
Team Pakistan gives walkover to team Israel (Image: Screengrab/x) Pakistan forfeited its opening-round match against Israel at the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after refusing to field players across all four boards.Israel was awarded a 4-0 victory by default in the Open section, with every board left unplayed. The Chess Federation of…
Novak Djokovic (Image: AP) Novak Djokovic is set to return to a tournament where he has never lost a match, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirming his participation in the China Open after an 11-year absence. The Serbian, who boasts a perfect 29-0 record and six titles at the Beijing event, will make his…
WPL 2027 auction dates announced (PTI Photo) The countdown to the fifth edition of the Women’s Premier League has begun, with the BCCI confirming the player auction date and the schedule for WPL 2027. The five franchises will have less than a month to finalise their retention plans before heading to Kochi for the auction…
Ravindra Jadeja earns ODI recall (Agency Image) India announced the squads for the T20I and ODI series against the West Indies on Wednesday. The men’s senior selection committee also named the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup next month.Because the ODIs against the West Indies overlap with the Asian Games, the men’s senior…
Grandmasters D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and woman GM R Vaishali pose for photos at a felicitation ceremony after India won Gold medal in both open and women categories at the Chess Olympiad 2024. (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: The 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad is being held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 27, with the…
ROHIT SHARMA, VIRAT KOHLI India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup have already brought one major question into focus: what will their squad look like when the tournament gets underway in October?The World Cup will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with India aiming to win the title for the third time…
India’s Sharath Kamal Achanta (AP/PTI) India’s deputy chef-de-mission for the Asian Games, Achanta Sharath Kamal, believes Indian athletes will have little trouble adjusting to the unusual accommodation arrangements at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, despite concerns raised by some participating countries.India’s 501 athletes and 265 officials will stay in a mix of converted shipping containers, a docked…
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 final T20 cricket match against Delhi Capitals, at Baroda Cricket Association Stadium, Kotambi in Vadodara, Gujarat. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil) MUMBAI: The Women’s Premier League-2027 auction is likely to be conducted on October 29 in Kochi, TOI has learnt.The option…
CHENNAI: While India has no basketball team at the Asian Games, R Rakesh is the country’s sole representative in the sport as a referee. The Aichi-Nagoya Games will mark his debut in Asian Games, the Karnataka man earlier appearing for Asian championships.The 36-year-old became a FIBA referee at the age of 23 and has a…
NEW DELHI: There is one image from her wrestling journey that Kirtisna Arya remembers with unusual clarity. It was May 2023. She was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for the South East Asian (SEA) Games, seven months pregnant with her second child.While most expectant mothers would have been preparing for the final stretch of pregnancy, Kirtisna…
Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, of Sri Lanka, prepares for an attempt in the men’s javelin throw final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) BENGALURU: World No. 1 men’s javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage’s gold hunt at the Asian Games hit an air pocket on Tuesday. His…
KOLKATA: With the Indian men’s hockey team preparing to defend its Asian Games title, former captain and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh believes the next two years will be crucial not just for winning in Asia but for building a team capable of challenging the world’s best at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.Sreejesh said the period following…
England skipper Harry Brook Ben Stokes has heaped praise on Harry Brook after the England white-ball captain produced another breathtaking T20I innings against Sri Lanka, even suggesting that the young batter’s talent surpasses that of Kevin Pietersen.Brook smashed an unbeaten 114 off just 49 balls in the first T20I in Southampton, striking 10 fours and…
The Olympic Council of Asia has implemented a strict safeguarding code for the Asian Games. Inappropriate relationships and degrading language are strictly prohibited for all participants. Violations BENGALURU: Indian athletics contingent that landed in Japan ahead of the Asian Games had a harrowing time, waiting more than four hours for check-in after reaching the hotel…
Chess Olympiad in Samarkand (FIDE Photo) Former champions Uzbekistan will be severely tested as their men will try to regain the Olympiad chess title that they won in India four years ago.Uzbekistan will feel the added pressure of home expectations at Samarkand coupled with the might of defending champions India in the 11-round over-the-board classical…
England’s Harry Brook (AP photo) Harry Brook has added another milestone to his remarkable run in 2026, becoming the only captain from a Full Member team to score two T20I centuries in a calendar year.The England captain reached the landmark during his unbeaten 114 against Sri Lanka in the first T20I of the three-match series…
