Page 7 - Sports

Union Budget: Sports and youth affairs allocation raised by Rs 351 cr

The government's flagship Khelo India programme to scout and nurture athletes at the grassroots level was the biggest beneficiary as the allocation for sports and youth affairs was hiked substantially by Rs 351.98 crore in the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here on Saturday. The ambitious scheme has been allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the financial year 2025-26. This is Rs 200 crore more than the grant of Rs 800 crore in 2024-25. Overall, the Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports was designated Rs 3,794.30 crore. The increase is substantial considering there is no major sporting event like the Olympics, Commonwealth or Asian Games lined up in the next one year. The assigned amount for assistance to National Sports Federations has also been hiked marginally from Rs 340 crore to Rs 400 crore. India is currently pushing through with an ambitious bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games for which a letter of intent has been submitted to the International Olympic

Hockey India League 2024-25 final live match time and streaming details

The live streaming of the Hockey India League 2024-25 final will be available on the SonyLIV app and website.

Swimming sensation Desinghu continues to rule the pool at National Games

Karnataka's 14-year-old swimming sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu clinched her fourth gold, while weightlifters continued to impress with Manipur's Bindyarani Devi smashing a national record on a day when the tiny northeastern state jumped to the top of medal tally at the National Games on Friday. A sporting powerhouse despite its small size, Manipur moved up two rungs after winning eight medals, including a gold each from weightlifting and wushu, for a total of 19 (9 gold, 7 silver, 3 bronze). Services, though, were close on the heels of Manipur with just one less total medal and same number of gold, jumping two places to second from Thursday's fourth. They added nine medals on Friday, including five gold, for a total of 18 (9 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze). Karnataka, at the top till Thursday, lost two places to fall to third with a total of 17 medals (9 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze). The competition is extremely tough as the top-three each have nine gold and just one medal in total count ...

Zepto introduces instant returns, exchange feature for select products

Zepto has introduced an instant return and exchange option on its app for categories like electronics, apparel, toys, sports, and kitchenware

UEFA Europa League: Manchester United, Tottenham qualification scenarios

Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have already ensured their places in the knockout play-offs with crucial victories.

PM Modi inaugurates 38th National Games, celebrates Uttarakhand's heritage

A modest but colourful opening ceremony showcasing Uttarakhand's religious heritage and bio-diversity kicked off the 38th National Games here on Tuesday with guest of honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterating his commitment to bring the 2036 Olympics to India during his address. Around 10,000 athletes are gearing up to compete for podium finishes across 32 disciplines in the Games that will run till February 14. Events will be held across seven cities of the hill state with Dehradun being the main venue. Around 450 gold medals, and a similar number of silver and bronze medals are at stake. Modi declared the Games open after the teams marched in and he was presented the flame at the ceremony. "It is our endeavour to enhance your capabilities and we are focussed on supporting you. We consider sports an essential aspect in development of country," Modi told the gathered athletes at the ceremony. "It is a beautiful portrait of 'Ek Bharat, Sreshth Bharat'," Modi said referring to

Sports can become key to India's developed nation dream by 2047: Mandaviya

Sports can become an important pillar in India's march to become a developed nation by 2047 when it celebrates the centenary year of independence, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Monday. The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports said India's commitment to host the Olympics in 2036 is a symbol of its growing power. Mandaviya spoke at the inaugural event of the 1st International Olympic Research Conference organised at Rashtriya Raksha University. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji said we have to organise the Olympics in the country in 2036. This is a symbol of India's growing power," he said. The minister said at a time when India is moving towards becoming a developed country in 2047 and celebrating the centenary year of independence, sports can become an important pillar in achieving this target. Highlighting the importance of research and innovation, Mandaviya said, "If we fail to conduct research and implement new ideas, we will lag in a continuously progressi

Australian Open 2025: Novak Djokovic vs Zverev semi-final live streaming

Djokovic, coming off an emotional four-set quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz, will be eager to avenge his semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner.

Gukesh closes gap to Praggnanandhaa with win in Tata Steel Chess tournament

Gukesh, playing with white pieces, controlled the game from the start against Keymer, opting for the Nimzo-Indian Defense.

Australian Open 2025 women's singles SFs schedule, live time and streaming

The semifinals of the Australian Open 2025 women's singles will be live-streamed on the Sony LIV app and website for fans in India

Netflix posts biggest quarterly subscriber gain due to sports, 'Squid Game'

The company added 18.9 million customers in the fourth quarter, according to a shareholder letter Tuesday

Govt mulls graded funding for NSFs depending on compliance with sports Bill

The sports ministry is considering the introduction of a graded system of funding for national federations under which allocations would depend on the level of their compliance with the provisions related to "good governance" in the draft sports bill. The idea came up during a meeting between Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and representatives of the National Sports Federations to take stock of India's preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "If you are fully compliant with the good governance provisions than you get your entire share but if it is not the case then there could be cuts when such a system comes into effect. But it is only an idea under consideration as of now," a source in the sports ministry told PTI. "The implementation can greatly improve transparency and performance of the NSFs," the source added. Though not entirely funded by the ministry, the NSFs are financially supported by it in not just the organisation of national, zonal and international ...

Kho Kho World Cup 2025: Indian men's team thrash Nepal to lift the trophy

The Indian men's team beat Nepal 54-36 in the final to win the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup title here on Sunday. The Indian men's team title came after the women's side were also crowned the champions after defeating Nepal in the final. The Men in Blue dominated the final against Nepal with captain Pratik Waikar and tournament standout Ramji Kashyap leading from the front. Attacking first, an exceptional sky dive by Ramji Kashyap got Nepal's Suraj Pujara. Suyash Gargate then touched Bharat Sahu to give India a great start with 10 points in just four minutes. Sky dives were the name of the game for the Men in Blue, and this ensured a bright start for the side in Turn 1, preventing the Dream Run for their opponents. At the end of the turn, the scoreline was 26-0 in favour of the Indians. In Turn 2, Nepal were not able to match India's levels but did prevent the home side from going on a single Dream Run. Aditya Ganpule and skipper Pratik Waikar carried the team through this turn, a

Kho Kho World Cup 2025: Indian women's team beat Nepal to become champions

The Indian women's team emerged champion in the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup with a dominant 78-40 victory in the summit clash against Nepal here on Sunday. On a memorable night at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here, India produced a masterclass of speed, strategy and skill, dishing out a clinical show. A brisk start marked Turn 1 as the Indian attackers took charge of the proceedings. Three batches in the Nepal women were out by simple touches on 7 occasions, putting 14 points to India's kitty. Skipper Priyanka Ingle was in the best form with multiple touch points to her name, as the hosts started off in an excellent manner. This was enough to take the Women in Blue to 34 points and preventing a single Dream Run for the Nepal team. Manmati Dhami got Vaishnavi Pawar, and B Samjhana eliminated Priyanka Ingle but B Chaithra took India's first batch of Turn 2 into the Dream Run. It wasn't for long, though, as Dipa completed the ALL OUT just moments later. This got the side back int

Australian Open 2025 Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz QF live streaming

This quarterfinal is a rematch of the last two Wimbledon finals and last year's Olympic final, three tennis matches that have captivated fans in recent times.

Historic victory: PM hails Indian women's team for Kho Kho World Cup win

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday congratulated the Indian women's team on winning the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup and said the triumph brought more spotlight to one of India's oldest traditional sports. The Indian women's team won the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup with a dominant 78-40 victory in the summit clash against Nepal here on Sunday. On a memorable night at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, India produced a masterclass of speed, strategy and skill, dishing out a clinical show. "Congratulations to the Indian women's team on winning the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup! This historic victory is a result of their unparalleled skill, determination and teamwork," Modi said in a post on X. This triumph has brought more spotlight to one of India's oldest traditional sports, inspiring countless young athletes across the nation, he said. "May this achievement also pave the way for more youngsters to pursue this sport in the times to come," the prime minister added.

Kho Kho World Cup 2025 Jan 19: Final schedule, results and live streaming

The final of the inaugural Kho Kho World Cup will feature India vs Nepal in both the men's and women's divisions

Kho Kho World Cup 2025 Jan 18: SF schedule, results and live streaming

India, Nepal and South Africa are the only three countries to book their place in the semifinals of both men's and women's divisions

Kho Kho World Cup 2025: India through to semis after big win over Sri Lanka

Ramji Kashyap, Pratik Waikar and Aditya Ganpule laid the foundation in turn 1 as the Indian men's team marched into the semifinals of the Kho Kho World Cup with a 100-40 win over Sri Lanka here on Friday. The troika of Kashyap, Waikar and Ganpule impressed as India scored 58 points in turn 1 and prevented the Sri Lankans from scoring a single point via Dream Runs, ensuring a strong start to the game. Sri Lanka worked hard in turn 2, as their attackers made the job difficult for their Indian opponents. But their efforts were not enough to bridge the gap as India remained ahead at the start of turn 3. India took the aggressive route in turn 3 as Siva Reddy, V Subramani, and Waikar put in plenty of sky and pole dives to keep the Sri Lankans quiet. India reached 100 points at the end of turn 3, which was enough to help them seal a spot in the semifinals.

Kho Kho World Cup 2025 Jan 17: QF schedule, results and live streaming

Indian women's Quarter-final clash against Bangladesh will begin at 7 PM IST today at the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium.