Sport

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand stunned world No. 4 Chinese pair Ji Yifan and Zhang Shuxian in three games to reach the BWF World Championships semifinals and assure India of its first women’s doubles medal since 2011

India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams begin their second-stage campaigns at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 against reigning Olympic champions Netherlands. Both sides will look to make strong starts as they pursue qualification for the semi-finals.

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will compete at the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday, taking on Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage in a star-studded javelin field. Chopra needs a strong finish to boost his chances of reaching the final.

Sri Lanka have added Sahan Arachchige and Kamil Mishara to their 14-member squad for the second Test against India in Colombo. Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Nishan Madushka and two others have been left out.

Kajal Dhochak won the 76kg gold medal at the 2026 Under-20 Wrestling World Championships in Slovakia, leading India’s medal charge. Tanu Sharma and Savita secured silver medals in the 72kg and 62kg categories respectively.

The eighth season of the Kia Tennis Premier League will be held in Hyderabad from December 8 to 13, featuring eight franchise teams in the league’s 25-point format. The tournament will be staged at the LB Stadium tennis complex.

Hyderabad veteran athlete Bikash Karar has been selected to represent India at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu from August 22 to September 3. He will compete in the 200m, 400m and 400m hurdles in the 50-plus category

Elena Rybakina’s bid to become World No. 1 ended after she retired from her Cincinnati Open quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek with a left ankle injury. Aryna Sabalenka will retain the top ranking ahead of next week’s US Open.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has acquired a minority stake in Formula 1 team Aston Martin. He will join the team's board as vice chairman and focus on commercial growth, particularly in the United States, without handling daily management

India’s Under-20 men’s team were held to a goalless draw by Yemen in the first of two closed-door friendlies in Bengaluru. The Blue Colts will face Yemen again on Sunday before travelling to Uzbekistan for the AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers.

East Bengal FC created history with a 12-0 rout of Guam’s Rovers FC in the AFC Women’s Champions League preliminary stage. The victory was the biggest-ever by an Indian club in an Asian competition, taking East Bengal closer to the group stage.

Akshara International School’s Ch. Naga Chaitra impressed at the Open State-level CBSE Cluster VII Athletics Meet, winning gold in the 800m and silver in the 400m. The Karimnagar athlete’s performance earned her qualification for the CBSE Nationals.

The Hyderabad District Athletic Association will conduct athletics-cum-selection trials at Gymkhana Ground on August 22 for boys and girls in Under-14, Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 categories. The trials will feature track and field events across age groups.

Indian women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand credited the home crowd for inspiring their win over Japan’s seventh seeds Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi at the BWF World Championships. The duo is now one victory away from securing a medal

PV Sindhu’s BWF World Championships campaign ended after a thrilling three-game defeat to China’s Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals. The Indian star missed a chance to claim a record sixth medal and will now turn her attention to the Asian Games

Ayush Shetty’s BWF World Championships campaign ended after a pre-quarterfinal loss to Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan. The Indian shuttler admitted he was not sharp enough and said he would learn from the defeat before shifting focus to the upcoming Asian Games

Six-wicket hauls from A Sai Chandra, Akshay Sistla and P Sai Varshith, along with centuries by Ishan Virani and Abdul Samad, were the highlights as the HCA C-Division one-day league and B-Division quarterfinal matches produced several big performances.

Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has called for an accelerated nationwide talent identification roadmap to build India’s athlete pool for the 2036 Olympics. He also stressed stronger SAI scouting, public-private partnerships, CSR participation and a structured coaching accreditation system.

Iran’s women’s kabaddi team gained valuable match practice against India and local sides during a six-day SAI camp in Sonepat ahead of the 2026 Asian Games. Coaches highlighted the exposure’s benefits for player development, tactics, fitness and international experience.

Maharashtra’s Prateek Tulsani clinched the Under-15 boys’ title at the UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships, while Karnataka’s Tanishka Kalbhairav won the girls’ crown after a five-game battle against West Bengal’s Saturya Banerjee in Kanpur on Thursday.

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Russel Arnold said the Colombo pitch will determine whether India replace Kuldeep Yadav with off-spinner Saransh Jain in the second Test. He also highlighted Sri Lanka’s batting struggles and possible bowling changes after their Galle defeat

Devdutt Padikkal praised Manav Suthar’s exceptional control after the young spinner claimed 10 wickets in India’s 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the Galle Test. Padikkal also credited India’s patience, discipline and first-innings batting effort for the victory

Telangana swimmer D. Varshith won bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley at the 52nd Junior National Aquatics Championships in Bhubaneswar. He clocked 2:10.97, adding to his medals from the 2024 Junior Nationals and 2025 Khelo India Youth Games.

BWF Secretary General Thomas Lund has praised the rapid transformation of New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Sports Complex ahead of the World Championships. The venue faced criticism during the India Open earlier this year, but participating players have now provided overwhelmingly positive feedback