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The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday issued a detailed show-cause notice to Vinesh Phogat, accusing her of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations, and declared her ineligible to compete in domestic events till June 26, 2026 for failing to complete the mandatory six-month notice period required for athletes returning from retirement under UWW Anti-Doping Rules. It means that the two-time World Championship medallist will have to wait for her comeback as she was tragetting the National Open Ranking event in Gonda, starting Sunday, for her return to competition after quitting the sport in 2024 following her disqualification from the Paris Olympic Games. In the 15-page notice, the WFI alleged that Vinesh's conduct had caused "lasting damage to reputation of Indian wrestling" in Paris and violated provisions of the WFI Constitution, UWW International Wrestling Rules and anti-doping regulations. Broad Charges ========= The federation has sought her explanation on ..

Senior players Chirag Shetty and HS Prannoy said the lack of public awareness and celebration around the achievement reflected the challenges non-cricket sports still face

Vinesh stated that she had maintained silence earlier as the matter is sub judice, but felt compelled to clarify her position now

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya has become the first person to break the fabled 2-hour barrier in an official marathon. In a huge, once-inconceivable moment in sports history, Sawe smashed the men's world record by 65 seconds in winning the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday. "What comes today is not for me alone," Sawe said of his extraordinary feat, "but for all of us today in London." Remarkably, the second-place finisher, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, also dipped under 2 hours by crossing the line in 1:59:41 in his first-ever marathon, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda broke the previous world-record time - set by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 - by seven seconds, finishing in 2:00:28. The 29-year-old Sawe, who retained his title in London, said it was a "day to remember for me" and thanked the huge crowds who lined the streets of the British capital to cheer him on. "I think they help a lot," he said, "because if it was not for them you don't feel like

The Games will be held in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026, with live coverage available on Sony Sports Network channels and streaming platform Sony LIV

India has topped WADA's doping charts for three straight years, raising concerns over its global sporting credibility

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said government is working towards a legislation that would criminalise trafficking and administration of prohibited performance-enhancing substances to athletes. Speaking at the World Anti-Doping Agency's Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigations Network (GAIIN) Final Conference here, the minister said India, which has topped the global list of dope offenders for the past three years, would aggressively tackle the menace that casts a massive shadow on its aspirations of hosting the Olympics in 2036. "We are working on introducing criminal provisions for athlete support staff or other persons involved in trafficking and administering banned substances," Mandaviya said, making it apparent that coaches who are found encouraging use of banned substances by athletes would be among those at the receiving end. Currently, India does not have penal provisions to tackle supply of banned substances to athletes and disciplinary action is .

Three-time Olympian Manika Batra registered a gritty 3-2 win over USA's Lily Zhang to stay in contention for a place in the knockouts of the ITTF Table Tennis World Cup in Macau on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Batra rallied past Zhang 11-7, 11-2, 14-16, 5-11, 11-6 in a 43-minute Group 4 clash, bouncing back from her opening match defeat to Japan's Miwa Harimoto. In another match, world No. 43 Sreeja Akula suffered a 1-3 (11-8, 9-11, 13-15, 8-11) loss to Portugal's Fu Yu in her Group 2 opener. She will next face China's world No. 2 Wang Manyu on Wednesday. In the men's draw, Manav Thakkar faces a must-win situation against Sweden's Olympic silver medallist Truls Moregard in Group 2 after going down 0-3 to Korea's Park Ganghyeon in his opening match.

India's Sheetal Devi has been named 'Para Archer of the Year 2025' by World Archery, adding to her extraordinary achievements, which also include a historic world championship crown. The 19-year-old from Jammu & Kashmir became the first and only female armless archer to win gold at the World Para Archery Championships by claiming the top honours in the women's compound individual event in Gwangju, South Korea last year. Born without arms, Sheetal skilfully uses her feet, legs, and shoulder to draw the bow and shoot. She also secured a complete set of medals at the World Championships, winning the women's team silver and mixed team bronze. "India's Sheetal Devi took the honour in the para archer of the year category after another breakthrough season that included a world title in Gwangju," said World Archery. Beyond her World Championship gold, Sheetal also boasts of a Paris Paralympics bronze in the mixed team event, along with individual silvers from the 2022 Asian Para Games and

Grinding it out is the only way forward, and out-of-favour Indian archer Komalika Bari has learnt it the hard way. Once seen as the next big thing in Indian archery after Deepika Kumari, the 24-year-old has slipped to a lowly 498 in world rankings and is currently out of the national team since 2024. From a career-best rank of 51 in September 2022, it has been a steep fall. But Komalika is not giving up. With a packed season ahead, culminating in the Asian Games in Japan later this year, she is hoping to fight her way back and revive her 2028 LA Olympics dream. "I am currently in the Top 16 (among Indians) and part of the training camp and I am preparing seriously for the Asian Games selection," Komalika told SAI Media on the sidelines of the inaugural Khelo India Triba Games here. "I am also looking to participate in as many competitions to gain experience while maintaining our training schedule." Her journey had once mirrored that of the five-time Olympian and former world No.

India's men's 4x400m and mixed 4x100m relay teams took a major step toward qualification to the World Athletics Relays in Botswana in May, delivering standout performances at the International Invitation Relay Competition here on Saturday. The men's 4x400m squad, featuring Manu TS, Amoj Jacob, D Chaudhary, and Rajesh Ramesh, secured gold with a time of 3:01.43 seconds. The performance significantly bolsters their standing as they push for a spot in the World Athletics Relays, scheduled for May 23 in Gaborone, Botswana. In the mixed 4x100m relay, the National B team stole the show by shattering the national record. The quartet clocked 42.30 seconds, erasing the previous mark of 43.44 seconds set by Tamil Nadu in 2025. The India A team followed closely in second at 42.34 seconds, while the Maldives took third. Chief athletics coach Radhakrishnan Nair praised the depth of the field, noting that both Indian entries performed "exceedingly well. However, the day was marked by "heartbrea

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

Iran has banned its sports teams from traveling to countries it considers "hostile," Iranian state TV reported Thursday ahead of Tractor FC's scheduled soccer game in Saudi Arabia. The ban announced by Iran's Ministry of Sports in Tehran didn't mention the World Cup which starts June 11 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The ministry's statement singled out the Tractor game against Shabab Al Ahli of Dubai that was set to be played in Saudi Arabia. It's a playoff game in the Asian Champions League Elite. "The presence of national and club teams in countries that are considered hostile and are unable to ensure the security of Iranian athletes and team members is prohibited until further notice," it said. The Iran war has impacted the region, with nearly every country in the Middle East sustaining damage from missile hits, drone strikes or shrapnel. Tractor's playoff game in Saudi Arabia was the result of the Asian Football Confederation's draw Wednesday to determine the ...

IPL insurance premiums may drop 15-20% due to lower claims, while higher valuations, revenues and sponsorships push up the overall sum insured this season

Two multi-billion-dollar franchise deals have put the IPL in the global spotlight, but how does it compare with the NFL, EPL and NBA in size, revenue and influence across world sport

Cricket's dominance in India is built on deep structural strengths-from grassroots systems to governance-while other sports struggle to scale beyond visibility

India's Anahat Singh will face off against Egypt's Hana Moataz in the women's final while in the men's category Abhay Singh and Veer Chotrani booked their respective spots in the Indian Open squash, here on Saturday. Anahat got the better of compatriot Tanvi 3-1 (11-6 9-11 11-8 11-2) to make it to the summit clash. After dictating the early exchanges, the Indian ace took the opening game following which Tanvi bounced back to level the contest. However, despite Tanvi's strong start in the third game, Anahat grew in confidence and control. Her consistent shot-making and movement around the court helped her to win the third as well as the fourth. In the other women's semifinal, Moataz defeated compatriot Nadien Elhammamy 3-1 (11-8 5-11 11-5 11-7) in an all-Egyptian contest. After edging a closely fought opening game, Moataz lost the second before raising her intensity in the final two games to secure her spot in the final. In the men's event, Abhay overcame a strong challenge from ..

Former India No. 1 Saurav Ghosal termed squash's inclusion in the 2028 Olympics a watershed moment and emphasised the need to expand access, improve coaching, and strengthen the ecosystem to sustain the sport's growth. Recently appointed Sports Commissioner of World Premier Squash, Ghosal said the role is a culmination of his journey in the sport. "I played professional squash and for India for more than 20 years... it's been a blessing. This phase is a coming together of all those experiences and I'm excited to hopefully make a contribution at the global level and democratise the sport," he said. "I've always viewed pressure situations as opportunities... this is an opportunity to do something substantial in the sport," he added. On India's rise in squash, Ghosal underlined the importance of participation. "Strength lies in numbers... if you have more players playing, the probability is that you will produce champions," he said. "The upward trajectory is very heartening... and t

Olympic and world champion swimmer Cameron McEvoy has broken the men's 50-meter freestyle world record which had stood for 17 years. The 31-year-old Australian posted a time of 20.88 seconds on Friday at the China Open in Shenzhen, taking 0.03 second off Brazilian Cesar Cielo's previous mark. Cielo set his world record of 20.91 during swimming's so-called "super suit" era in 2009. Those suits were later banned because they increased buoyancy and reduced drag, resulting in nearly 150 world records falling in 2009 before being prohibited in 2010. "I knew I had a chance to do a PB (personal best)," McEvoy said. "My old PB was 21.06, so maybe 20.99? But doing ?20.88 is unreal. It's crazy." Cielo was quick to congratulate McEvoy on social media, tweeting: "Congrats, Cam.

Top seed Anahat Singh and unseeded compatriot Tanvi Khanna ensured a strong Indian presence in the women's singles semifinals of the JSW Indian Open after winning their respective quarterfinal matches here on Friday. However, veteran Joshna Chinappa bowed out of the competition following a 13 defeat to Egypt's Nadien El Hammamy. In another quarterfinal clash, second seed Hana Moataz fought hard to edge past eighth seed Yasshmita Jadishkumar of Malaysia in a five-game thriller, 32 (11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8). In the semifinals on Saturday, Anahat will face Tanvi, while Moataz will square off against El Hammamy. Later, India enjoyed an impressive outing in the men's quarterfinals as well after second seed Abhay Singh and fourth seed Veer Chotrani produced dominant performances to storm into the semifinals. In the last four stage, Singh will take on Malaysia's Ameeshenraj Chandaran, while Chotrani is set to face another Malaysian challenger, Sanjay Jeeva. Abhay was in excellent t