PARA-ATHLETICS
Team India jersey for World Para Athletics Championships unveiled in New Delhi
With one month to go for the World Para Athletics Championships, the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) unveiled the official Team India jersey at a ceremony held at The Lalit, New Delhi, on Wednesday.
The announcement also highlighted the 73-strong Indian contingent preparing to compete on home soil from September 27 to October 5.
The launch event was attended by PCI’s brand ambassador, actor and MP Kangana Ranaut; alongside PCI President Devendra Jhajharia; Paul Fitzgerald, Head of World Para Athletics, and India’s top para athletes like Preeti Pal, Simran, Rinku, Dharambir, Devender Kumar, Amisha Rawat, Shreyansh Trivedi, Varun Singh Bhati, and Pranav Soorma.
Dharambir and Preeti, India’s flag bearers for the event, had exceptional performances at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Dharambir won the gold medal in the men’s Club Throw F51 event, while Preeti Pal secured two bronze medals.
“Carrying the Indian flag at this championship is a tremendous honour. After the experience in Paris, I am more motivated than ever to give my best and make the entire nation proud. This new jersey will be a symbol of our unity and fighting spirit,” Dharambir said.
Preeti added, “Winning medals at the Paralympics showed me the power of perseverance and belief. Wearing the Team India jersey is a proud moment, and I am excited to compete on home ground and inspire the next generation of para athletes across the country.”
– Team Sportstar
HOCKEY
Hockey India announces free entry for Asia Cup in Rajgir
Hockey India has announced that entry for all matches of the Men’s Asia Cup will be free of cost in Rajgir, Bihar.
The tournament is scheduled to be played from August 29 to September 7 at the newly built Rajgir Hockey Stadium.
Fans can register for their free tickets by visiting www.ticketgenie.in or Hockey India app, where they will receive a virtual ticket upon completion of the process.
Speaking on the announcement, Hockey India President Dr. Dilip Tirkey, said, “Hosting the Hero Men’s Asia Cup in Rajgir is a historic moment for Indian hockey, and we want every fan to be part of this journey. By keeping entry free, our aim is to make the sport more accessible and to encourage families, students, and young athletes to come and witness world-class hockey. This is not just a tournament, it is a celebration of the game, and the people of Bihar and beyond deserve to be at the heart of it.”
Echoing the sentiment, Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh, added, “We are delighted to offer free access to all matches of the Hero Men’s Asia Cup. Rajgir has shown tremendous enthusiasm for hockey, and we are confident that fans will turn up in huge numbers to support their teams. This initiative is in line with our commitment to building a hockey culture across every corner of India and ensuring that the atmosphere at the stadium is electric throughout the tournament.”
The tournament will feature eight nations – India, Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh, and Chinese Taipei. The event also serves as a qualifier for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
– Team Sportstar
FOOTBALL
India gears up to settle scores with Iraq in closed-doors U-23 friendly
Following a narrow 1-2 defeat in its first friendly, the India U23 men’s national team will take on Iraq in their second closed-doors friendly match on Thursday, August 28, at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium in Malaysia.
The match marks the final preparatory fixture before the squad heads to Doha for the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers next week.
Reflecting on the first friendly, Head Coach Naushad Moosa said that it was an important learning curve.
“It was a very competitive game and a valuable experience for us,” he said. “Games like these help the boys understand the demands of international football and give us confidence that we can compete.”
With the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers fast approaching, the head coach underlined the significance of these friendlies.
“These matches are a crucial step in our preparation. The focus remains on building our overall team understanding, improving our ability under pressure, and ensuring we carry this momentum into Doha.”
GOLF
Shubhankar Sharma joins global star cast at DP World India Championship
Two-time DP World Tour winner Shubhankar Sharma will lead the home charge when he joins global stars Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood at the USD 4 million DP World India Championship in New Delhi from October 16-19.
Sharma, who enjoyed a recent career highlight by representing the country at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, became the youngest Indian player to win on the DP World Tour when he claimed the Joburg Open title in December 2017, aged just 21.
He lifted a second trophy two months later after carding a sublime final round of 62 to win the Maybank Championship, and capped off the season by claiming the 2018 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award and topping the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
The 29-year-old has also recorded six wins on the Professional Golf Tour of India, and boasts a Major Championship top 10, following his impressive tied 8th finish in The Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023.
Sharma joins reigning Masters champion and career grand slam winner McIlroy and his Europe Ryder Cup team mate Fleetwood, who is also a seven-time DP World Tour winner, Olympic silver medallist and newly- crowned FedExCup champion, in the inaugural DP World India Championship at the Delhi Golf Club.
Global smart logistics provider DP World and the DP World Tour launched the DP World India Championship this season.
Co-sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the tournament features the largest prize fund ever offered for a DP World Tour event in India, with an exciting field set to join Sharma, Fleetwood and McIlroy.
Sharma said: “We’re all very excited about the DP World India Championship. I can’t wait to get back to Delhi Golf Club. It’s a historic course – I played there a lot as a junior and have very fond memories. It’s a tough course, it’s iconic, and I’m sure the DP World Tour players who have played there will remember it well.
“Having players like Rory McIlroy as the reigning Masters champion and the FedExCup champion Tommy Fleetwood coming to the event, things like this can change golf in India.
“I remember Tiger Woods playing an exhibition match many years ago and the impact walking with him had on me, so to have such an incredible field coming to the country will make this event really special.” The upcoming tournament underscores India’s growing influence as a destination for elite golf and as a strategic market for DP World. The new tournament follows the success of the 2025 Hero Indian Open, won by Eugenio Chacarra, and further boosts the Tour’s momentum in the region.
The tournament will be the eighth of nine events in the ‘Back 9’ phase of the 2025 Race to Dubai, building towards the season-ending DP World Tour play-offs and culminating in the DP World Tour Championship in November at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.
– PTI
Amateur Mannat Brar takes first-round lead in 12th leg of WPGT
Amateur Mannat Brar struck a purple patch in the middle of the opening round with four birdies in a row and grabbed the first round lead in the 12th leg of Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour in Hosur on Wednesday.
Playing in the Rs. 15 lakh prize money event, Mannat shot 2-under 70 for the only under par round of the day at the Clover Greens.
Mannat, who was tied eighth last week in the 11th leg at Prestige Golfshire, was two shots clear of the trio comprising Kriti Chowhan, Jasmine Shekar and Ananya Garg, all of whom shot even par 72.
Mannat opened with a birdie and then dropped shots on the fourth and the sixth to go to 1-over. She then produced four birdies in a row from the ninth to 12th. The birdie run stopped as she had five pars in a row, but unfortunately closed with a bogey at the tricky Par-3 18th.
Kriti, looking for her maiden win on the WPG Tour, birdied the second and the third, but gave back both those shots on the seventh and the eighth. She parred her last 10 holes for her 72.
Jasmine, a multiple winner on the Tour, had an early birdie on the fifth, and then three in a row from the 11th to the 13th. She bogeyed the eighth, ninth, 14th and the 16th for a par score.
Ananya, also in the hunt for her first pro title, had three birdies against three bogeys.
Another amateur Aaradhya Shetty and pro Rhea Jha carded 1-over 73 each to occupy the fifth place.
Last week’s runner-up amateur Lavanya Gupta, who is due to attend college in the US soon, and four others — amateur Diya C Patil, Karishma Govind, Ravjot K Dosanjh and Ananya Datar — were tied for seventh place with scores of 2-over 74 each.
Lavanya had a good start with birdies on the second and the third but was unable to keep the momentum going. Overall, she had three birdies against five bogeys.
Among the well-known names having a tough time on the first day were Ladies European Tour players Amandeep Drall (75) and Seher Atwal (75) at tied -12th, Sneha Singh (76) at 18th, Ridhima Dilawari (77) at T-19, and Rhea Purvi Saravanan (79) at T-23.
The 12th leg is one of the last few events ahead of the Women’s Indian Open in October. It will also decide which players make the grade for the international event.
– PTI
Udayan Mane sets course record, seizes clubhouse lead on day two
Golfer Udayan Mane set a course record score of five-under 67 as he seized the clubhouse lead on the second day of the Rs 1 crore Kolar Open on Wednesday.
The Pune-based Olympian, who had shot a 73 in the opening round to be tied 24th and five off the lead, made a strong comeback to move to four-under 140. Mane’s score on a windy day broke the previous course record of 68 set by Honey Baisoya in round one on Tuesday.
The second round could not be completed as there were heavy rains late in the evening, which forced the suspension of play. Thirty-one players out of a total of 120 are yet to complete their second round.
They will resume play early on Thursday.
Gurugram’s Dhruv Sheoran was four-under for the day and error-free through 15 holes as his total also read four-under 140, the same as leader Udayan.
Chandimandir’s Umed Kumar put together an eagle, five birdies and a bogey over 15 holes to be six-under for the day with his total standing at three-under.
Dhruv and Umed could challenge Udayan’s lead when they resume their second round on Thursday.
Nepal’s Subash Tamang (69) and Chandigarh’s Jairaj Singh Sandhu (70) were tied second in the clubhouse as they ended the day with totals of three-under 141.
Delhi’s Shaurya Bhattacharya was fourth in the clubhouse at two-under 142 having shot a 72 on day two.
Mane, last week’s runner-up and currently fourth in the PGTI Order of Merit, started the second round from the back-nine where he produced four birdies to make his way up the leaderboard.
The 34-year-old Udayan, looking to end a four-year title drought, dropped two bogeys on the front-nine but also delivered an eagle on the Par-5 second hole thanks to a fine second shot and a birdie from 15 feet on the closing ninth hole to stay ahead of the rest.
“This being a new course on the tour, all of us professionals are still figuring out a lot of things here like where to miss the green, what shape is required for a particular pin position etc,” said Mane.
– PTI
Published on Aug 27, 2025
