With the Asian Games just days away, two of Malaysia’s middle-distance runners found an unlikely but familiar high-performance base in India, spending a month training at the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) LNCPE Thiruvananthapuram centre. Wan Muhammad Fazri, an 800m runner, and Umar Osman, who competes in the 400m and 800m, trained at the facility under Malaysian coach Mohamed Azarudeen. The month-long camp, organised by Malaysia Athletics, concluded on September 10. For Azarudeen, a former Indian national team athlete and coach associated with SAI Bengaluru, the decision to bring his athletes to India was driven by one key objective —…
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.
The Indian men’s and women’s Kabaddi squads received a warm send-off at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Gandhinagar on Tuesday ahead of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Both teams completed their final preparatory camp at the SAI NCOE from September 5 to 14 as part of their preparations for the continental sporting event. The men’s team is headed by Head Coach Balwan Singh, assisted by BC Ramesh and Anup Kumar, while Neeta Dadwe is the head coach of the women’s team, with Mamtha Poojari serving as assistant coach. Both squads comprise 12…
The dates for the much-anticipated Men’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026 were officially announced on Monday by the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Bhagwant Mann, in Mohali. The prestigious continental tournament will be held from October 27 to November 5, bringing international hockey to the state of Punjab. The tournament will be jointly hosted by Mohali and Jalandhar, with matches taking place at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium, Mohali, and the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium, Jalandhar. Jalandhar will host the opening ceremony as well as all league-stage matches from October 27 to November 2. The tournament will…
The self-declared Republic of Balochistan has announced a nationwide campaign concerning certain areas of Pakistan’s Punjab province that it says have historical, cultural and linguistic associations with Balochistan. In a statement attributed to Baloch leader Mir Yar Baloch, the campaign referred to Taunsa Sharif, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur, which it described as areas with significant Baloch populations and historical connections to the Baloch community. The statement called on Baloch communities in the region, including the Laghari, Khosa, Mazari, Drishak, Qaisrani, Buzdar, Gorchani, Sukhani, Khetran, Rind, Lashari, Hot, Dashti, Jamali and Jatoi tribes and sub-tribes, to highlight their historical, cultural…
The self-styled Republic of Balochistan has welcomed the Joint Delhi Declaration adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit, particularly its provisions on combating terrorism, and called on BRICS nations and the international community to increase diplomatic pressure on Pakistan over the Balochistan issue. In a statement dated September 12 and attributed to the Balochistan, the organisation said it viewed Point No. 40 of the BRICS declaration as particularly significant, citing its condemnation of terrorism in all forms and its call for accountability against those involved in terrorist activities and their support. The statement quoted the relevant portion of the BRICS declaration…
In a continued effort to strengthen national integration and broaden the horizons of students from remote border areas, the Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army organised a National Integration Tour for students of PM SHRI Senior Secondary School, Mangan, North Sikkim, to Kolkata and Odisha. The initiative provided the students an opportunity to travel beyond their familiar surroundings and experience India’s diverse cultural heritage, history and technological progress. The tour also enabled them to gain greater exposure to the country’s rich military traditions and strategic institutions. As part of the programme, the students visited important military and cultural landmarks, including…
The Indian Army successfully concluded an Agniveer Recruitment Rally at Gyaptong Regional Stadium, Rupa, Arunachal Pradesh, conducted by the Army Recruiting Office (ARO), Jorhat, under the aegis of Headquarters Recruiting Zone, Shillong. Held from 9 to 11 September 2026, the recruitment rally provided shortlisted candidates from across Arunachal Pradesh an opportunity to compete for induction into the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme. More than 359 aspirants shortlisted through the Online Common Entrance Examination held earlier this year participated in the recruitment process. The candidates underwent a series of rigorous assessments, including Physical Fitness Tests, Physical Measurement Tests, document verification…
India were crowned champions of the AHF Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2026 after defeating hosts China 1-0 in a tightly contested final on Sunday, successfully defending their continental title for the third consecutive time. Sanika Chandrakant Mane scored the decisive goal in the 17th minute, producing a clever deflection from a long slap-push into the circle to beat Chinese goalkeeper Xu Mengjiao. The victory not only secured India’s third successive Junior Asia Cup title but also earned them qualification for the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup. The final began cautiously, with China enjoying more possession and looking to put India…
India were crowned champions of the 2026 Men’s Junior Asia Cup after defeating Korea 4-1 in the Gold Medal match in Moqi, China, on Sunday. The victory saw the Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team successfully defend their title and claim a record sixth continental crown. India, who entered the tournament as five-time champions and defending champions, produced a dominant display in the final to further cement their status as the most successful team in the history of the Men’s Junior Asia Cup. Their previous titles came in 2004, 2008, 2015, 2023 and 2024. India made an aggressive start and quickly…
The ambitious 44.96-km Sevok-Rangpo railway project, which will provide Sikkim with its first railway connectivity, is targeted for completion by December 2027, officials said. The railway line, being constructed through the challenging terrain of the eastern Himalayas, is expected to significantly improve connectivity between Sikkim and the rest of the country while facilitating the movement of passengers and goods. Mohinder Singh, Advisor to the project, said around 90 per cent of the project work has been completed. He said construction of the first tunnel station at Teesta Bazar is nearing completion, while work on all five stations under the project…