Olympics

The Sports Ministry on Friday approved a 191-strong Indian contingent, including 126 athletes and 51 team officials, for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow starting July 23, making it clear that it would not bear expenses of those officials who are elected members of the Indian Olympic Association's Executive Committee. The notification also stated that a detailed report on the contingent's performance, including action photographs, would also need to be submitted to the Ministry within 30 days of its return to India. The 126-strong athlete contingent includes 78 male and 48 female athletes. "IOA will ensure that any person, if he/she is holding elected position in EC of IOA, any NSF or any sports body, whose name has been included in the list of team officials, will be treated at no cost to the Government," the Ministry asserted. The ministry has specified that the definition of Team Officials would include coaches, support staff, medical staff, and contingent officials. Chef de ..

- Russia has moved closer toward having a full team with its national flag and anthem at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday provisionally lifted a suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and advised Olympic sports bodies to end a three-year program where Russian athletes had to be vetted for permission to compete as neutrals. The IOC said the timing was because qualifying events are starting for the L.A. Games, and "the need to offer equal access to these competitions to all athletes." The move, which also signals a return for Russia in team sports, had been expected since the IOC advised two months ago that athletes from Belarus, which was Russia's ally when its military invasion of Ukraine started in 2022, should be allowed again to compete with their full national identity. "We don't want to hold athletes accountable for the actions of their governments," IOC president Kirsty Coventry said at an online news conference after she chai

The USA can qualify as hosts by finishing in the top 15 of the ICC Men's T20I rankings at any point during the qualification period

The IOC's plan to pay eligible Olympians $10,000 marks a historic shift in athlete support, but its multibillion-dollar Olympic-year revenue suggests limited financial pressure

The fate of India's ambitious 2036 Olympic bid will be known in mid 2029 after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of a Strategic Dialogue phase in the host selection process, during which the candidate nations will have to provide "core financial guarantees" among other requirements. At the global body's 146th Session in Lausanne on Wednesday, the IOC's Future Host Commission chair, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, proposed the introduction of the new phase, which was approved by the member nations. "Potential hosts wanted greater clarity. All stakeholders wanted greater transparency," said Grabar-Kitrovic, adding that the aim is to announce the 2036 host by middle of 2029. "Interested Parties will be short-listed for 'Strategic Dialogue' in March 2027 and will have to answer the Future Host Questionnaire and submit core financial guarantees before being considered for the final evaluation stage, known as Targetted Dialogue," the IOC .

Rana, who rose to prominence with Asian Games gold at 18, helped establish India as a global force in shooting both as an athlete and a coach.

Casey Wasserman hasn't considered resigning as chairman of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics over his appearance in the Jeffrey Epstein files despite Mayor Karen Bass urging him to quit. Asked Wednesday if he had thought about stepping aside and whether he had talked to Bass since her February comments, Wasserman curtly replied, "No and yes." Wasserman has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, but documents released by the Justice Department revealed that in 2003, he exchanged flirtatious emails with Ghislaine Maxwell, who, years later, would be accused of helping Epstein recruit and sexually abuse his victims. Wasserman issued a statement in January that said he regretted his correspondence with Maxwell and that it took place "long before her horrific crimes came to light." LA28 has said that with help from an outside legal firm, it conducted a review of Wasserman's past interactions with Epstein and Maxwell, with Wasserman's full cooperation. It fully backed

The idea reportedly came from Australian entrepreneur Aron D'Souza after observing steroid use in gyms across the United States.

From traditional motifs rooted in history to modern, experimental designs aimed at global appeal, Olympic logos have evolved significantly over the years

IOC will determine eligibility for the women's category primarily through SRY gene screening, a scientific test used to identify the presence or absence of the SRY gene

Transgender women athletes are now excluded from women's events at the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy on Thursday which aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order on sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. "Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females," the International Olympic Committee said, to be determined by a mandatory gene test once in an athlete's career. It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level. No woman who transitioned from being born male competed at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, though weightlifter Laurel Hubbard did at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 without winning a medal. The eligibility policy that will apply from the LA Olympics in July 2028 "protects fairness, safety and integrity in the female category," the IOC said. "It is not retroactive and does not apply to a

After FIFA leader Gianni Infantino took part in U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace launch, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the Olympic body will "look into" his conduct. Infantino and Coventry are among the current 107 International Olympic Committee members who are bound by an oath "to always act independently of ... political interests." Trump hosted the peace board event Thursday in Washington, D.C., where Infantino signed a partnership on behalf of the the international soccer governing body, which could see $75 million of soccer funds invested in Gaza. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, Infantino has aligned FIFA closely with the United States government including attending Trump's inauguration last year and making a series of visits to the White House and Mar-a-Lago. The U.S. will cohost the 104-game tournament with Canada and Mexico starting June 11. "The Olympic Charter is very clear on what it expects of its members and we will go and research into the alleged signi

Political pressure on Olympic officials, like in the case of the Ukraine skeleton racer's memorial helmet at the Milan Cortina Games, is nothing new, according to a long-time IOC insider. Cold War tensions. Keeping North Korea engaged with South Korea's hosting plans. Making sure the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games opened months after the 9/11 attacks. And more recently the Olympic fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More than four decades of Olympic intrigue and financial vision are recounted in "Fast Tracks and Dark Deals" by Michael Payne, the International Olympic Committee's former marketing director. "There has always been political clouds and issues impacting the Olympic Games," Payne told The Associated Press, saying it offers "political oxygen" unique in global sports. "I started my career where you were caught as a pawn in the superpower game," said the former British freestyle skier, who moved to Switzerland to work on Olympic marketing in 1983. That was between

Except the snowy cold winter that comes to mind when you picture the Olympic Games may not be tenable for much longer

The IOC showed no interest Wednesday in putting pressure on 2028 Los Angeles Olympics chair Casey Wasserman over personal emails released in the latest Jeffrey Epstein files. Wasserman has faced calls from lawmakers and those in political circles in L.A. to step down as chair of the city's Olympic project he has led since it was first a hosting candidate 11 years ago. International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry was asked Wednesday if Wasserman was still the right person to oversee the next Summer Games in light of flirtatious emails in 2003 exchanged with Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell. "From the IOC point of view, the (organizing committee) and how they are structured is not something we are going to get involved into," Coventry said. The IOC leader spoke at a news conference one day after she shared a stage with Wasserman when the L.A. organizing team updated Olympic officials on their hosting plans. "He has put out a statement and there is really ..

The Italian government said it had requested clarification from American diplomats after DHS said that ICE agents would help secure the US Olympic delegation next week in northern Italy

Samsung said it will provide Galaxy Z Flip7 Olympic Edition to athletes competing at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. The special edition will not be available for sale to general audience

The government may announce a long-term sports infrastructure plan in Budget 2026-27 as India prepares to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and plans a bid for the 2036 Olympics

Hosting mega sporting events can boost infrastructure and the public interest, but without adequate institutional preparedness, the benefits are neither efficient nor enduring

Cracking the whip on federations, he cautioned officials against treating international competitions as family outings and stressed that administrators must be available for athletes at all times.