Chief Coach Craig Fulton believes the Indian men’s hockey team can turn the disappointment of its eighth-place finish at the FIH Hockey World Cup into valuable lessons as it begins its campaign to defend its Asian Games gold medal in Japan. With the Asian Games 2026 just around the corner, the Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian side has already arrived in Japan and is fine-tuning its preparations for Sunday’s opening match against Indonesia. The tournament carries added importance, with the gold medal also securing direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympics. India began its Asian Games preparations with a bonding camp near…
Author: Pratyusha Mukherjee
Pratyusha Mukherjee
Ms Pratyusha Mukherjee, an Independent Sr. Broadcast Journalist working for British media with 25 years of experience in covering the east and northeast, with specialisation in Defence, Sports & Current Affairs. In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism.
India’s women’s Kabaddi team has completed its final training camp and departed for Japan for the 2026 Asian Games, bringing to a close an intensive preparation programme spanning several months under the guidance of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India. The Indian side will enter the tournament looking to retain the gold medal won at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where it defeated Chinese Taipei 26–25 in a closely fought final. A successful title defence would give India its fourth women’s Kabaddi gold at the Asian Games, adding to the country’s overall tally of 11 gold medals in the sport since…
India’s men’s kabaddi team will begin its Asian Games 2026 campaign in Aichi-Nagoya with a mix of proven performers and emerging talent, and captain Sunil Kumar believes the team’s extensive preparation will be key to its title challenge. The 27-year-old right-corner defender, who was part of India’s gold-medal winning side at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022, will lead a 12-member squad that includes four players from that triumphant campaign — Sunil, Arjun Deshwal, Aslam Inamdar and Pawan Sehrawat. The squad also features several established Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) performers, including Ashu Malik, Jaideep Dahiya, Devank Dalal and Rahul Sethpal, while…
The Assam Rifles, under the aegis of Headquarters Inspector General Assam Rifles (South), conducted a series of community, healthcare and youth-focused initiatives across Manipur, reinforcing its engagement with local communities. At Joupi in Chandel district, the force observed Hindi Diwas 2026 as part of Hindi Pakhwada from September 14 to 28. A Hindi language competition involving 32 personnel was organised to promote linguistic awareness, communication and national integration among personnel from diverse backgrounds. In Kwatha village, Tengnoupal district, a medical camp provided healthcare assistance to 110 villagers, including around 50 children, 35 women and 25 men. Medical consultations, basic treatment…
The 5th edition of the India–Myanmar Bilateral Army Exercise (IMBAX 2026) commenced on 15 September 2026 at the Joint Training Node, Umroi, Meghalaya, bringing together the armed forces of the two neighbouring nations for a 14-day programme scheduled to continue until 28 September. More than a conventional military exercise, IMBAX represents an important platform for strengthening mutual trust, enhancing operational interoperability and deepening military-to-military cooperation between India and Myanmar. The exercise is designed to develop greater coordination between the participating contingents through joint training focused on the conduct of operations under a United Nations mandate. By training together, the two…
The self declared Republic of Balochistan has strongly condemned the reported collision between a Pakistani naval vessel and an Indian Navy warship in the North Arabian Sea, accusing the Pakistan Navy of deliberately creating a dangerous situation and calling for the establishment of a joint maritime security mechanism with India, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The collision took place on the evening of September 15 in the North Arabian Sea. Indian officials said a Pakistani naval vessel approached a frontline Indian warship, which was conducting a routine surveillance mission, at high speed and manoeuvred in what India described as…
With the Asian Games 2026 campaign just two days away, Indian women’s hockey chief coach Sjoerd Marijne has urged his players to draw confidence from their historic FIH World Cup campaign but leave the achievement behind as they chase a second Asian Games gold medal. India finished fifth at the FIH World Cup 2026, their best-ever finish in the tournament in 52 years, before shifting their attention to the Asian Games in Japan. The team is now targeting a historic gold medal that would end a 44-year wait for the title, with India’s only previous triumph coming in 1982. The…
The 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has placed clean technology cooperation, resilient value chains and energy security at the centre of its climate agenda, according to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The New Delhi Declaration covers a wide range of climate-related issues, including clean technology and forests, while reaffirming the grouping’s commitment to the multilateral climate framework under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. Commenting on the Declaration, Avantika Goswami, programme manager of the Climate Change and Green Economy unit at CSE, said: “The BRICS nations comprise a diverse mix of developing and emerging countries with growing…
The hockey competitions at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will carry significance far beyond the continental podium, with the men’s and women’s champions earning direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. The hockey tournament will be held at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, also known as the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hockey Stadium, in Kakamigahara, Japan. The men’s competition is scheduled from September 18 to October 3, while the women’s tournament will run from September 18 to October 2. With Olympic qualification on the line, the Asian Games will provide a crucial pathway to LA28 for teams across…
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse on Tuesday reviewed the sports ecosystem in Mizoram during her visit to Aizawl, where she assessed sports infrastructure and interacted with athletes, coaches and support staff at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre. Khadse was welcomed by Mizoram Minister of State for Sports and Youth Services Lalnghinglova Hmar. The two discussed measures to strengthen sports infrastructure, support athletes and create greater opportunities for young sporting talent in the state and across the Northeast. During her visit to the SAI centre, Khadse reviewed the available facilities and interacted with…