Category: Sports

Glasgow, Scotland, has been formally nominated as the host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, succeeding the Australian state of Victoria, which withdrew in 2023 owing to rising expenses. The future Games will follow a more simplified style, with the number of sports decreased from 19 at the 2022 Birmingham Games to 10 in 2026.

Athletes will compete in track and field, swimming, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, para track cycling, netball, weightlifting, para powerlifting, boxing, judo, bowling, para bowling, 3×3 basketball, and 3×3 wheelchair basketball. Notably, sports including badminton, beach volleyball, cricket, diving, field hockey, and rugby sevens, which were part of the 2022 edition, have been eliminated from the schedule.

According to Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir, the 2026 Games will be a transformative event, with the goal of redefining the Commonwealth Games in the future. The event is planned to prioritise cost-cutting, environmental sustainability, and social value, making it more accessible to a wider variety of potential host countries.

Glasgow previously held the Games in 2014, and Scotland’s Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games, Jon Doig, has stated that the 2026 edition will be “lighter and leaner” while keeping its prestigious position.

Deepika Kumari, an Indian archer, won silver in the women’s recurve event at the Archery World Cup Final 2024 in Tlaxcala, Mexico. Deepika lost 0-6 in the final to China’s Li Jiaman, who was part of the silver-medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics.

The prestigious competition featured eight archers competing in the men’s and women’s solo recurve and archery categories. Deepika started her campaign with a 6-0 win over China’s Yang Xiaolei in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she defeated Mexico’s Alejandra Valencia 6-4, who had a mixed team bronze medal from Tokyo 2020 and a women’s team bronze from Paris 2024.

Deepika Kumari, 30, won an amazing six World Cup Final medals—five silver and one bronze. She won silver medals in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2024, as well as bronze in 2018.

Deepika qualified for the final based on her strong performance in the 2024 World Cup series standings. Earlier this year, she won silver in the Shanghai World Cup. She also competed in the women’s individual and team events at the Paris Olympics, alongside Bhajan Kaur and Ankita Bhakat, and advanced to the quarterfinals in both.

With his 536th appearance in the first Test against New Zealand at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, senior batter Virat Kohli surpassed former skipper MS Dhoni to become India’s second-most capped international cricketer across all formats. Dhoni, who retired in 2019, played 535 appearances for India from 2004 to 2019.

Kohli made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2008 and has since played 116 Tests, 295 ODIs, and 125 T20Is, totalling 27,041 international runs. He has also captained India in 213 matches, including 68 Tests and 95 One-Day Internationals. Kohli currently trails just Sachin Tendulkar, who has the most international appearances by an Indian cricketer (664 caps). Rohit Sharma (486 caps) and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (346 caps) are the next two current players after Kohli.

Kohli is tied for sixth in Test cricket with 116 caps and 8,947 runs, falling only 53 runs short of being the fourth Indian to surpass 9,000 Test runs. Notably, he recently became the fastest player to reach 27,000 international runs in just 594 innings. However, while Kohli was celebrating his milestone, his team suffered a crushing defeat against New Zealand on Day 2, getting bowled out for 46 runs.

Following England’s decisive inning victory over Pakistan in Multan, Joe Root has achieved a career milestone by entering the ICC Test batting in the all-time top 20. England scored 823-7, their fourth-highest Test score, with career-best efforts from Root and Harry Brook (262 and 317, respectively).

Root, the world’s top Test hitter, saw his rating rise from 899 to 932, putting him 17th all-time. He is now one point behind Pakistan’s Mohammad Yousuf and is on track to break Yousuf’s record from 2006. Root has joined an elite group, overtaking noteworthy names such as Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and just behind  Steve Smith and Don Bradman since his 2012 debut.

Bradman still has the greatest batting rating ever (961, earned in 1948), while Smith is second with a 947 rating from 2017.

Meanwhile, Harry Brook’s career-best knock of 317 moved him into joint second place among current Test batters, behind Kane Williamson, with an 829 rating. Root also rose from fourth to third in the all-rounder rankings, but Shaheen Afridi fell four spots in the bowling rankings as Mitchell Starc entered the top ten.

Former Indian spinner Neetu David, who has the greatest bowling stats (8/53) in a women’s Test innings, became the 10th Indian and second Indian woman to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. David, now chair of selectors for the Indian women’s team, joins cricket legends AB de Villiers and Alastair Cook in the 2024 inductees.

David played over 100 ODIs for India, taking 141 wickets and becoming the country’s second-highest wicket-taker in this format. She was also the first Indian woman to take 100 wickets in ODIs. Her most memorable performance came in 2005, when she topped the World Cup wicket-taking rankings, propelling India to their first final.

Reflecting on the honour, David stated, “This induction into the ICC Hall of Fame is the result of a lifetime of effort. “Being a member of this elite club is humbling.”

David made her international debut at the age of 17 and rapidly established herself with an 8/53 record against England in 1995. After quitting in 2006, she briefly returned to ODIs before retiring from all cricket in 2013, following a successful domestic career.

Ruth Chepngetich, a Kenyan marathon runner, broke the world record for women’s marathon running on Sunday at the Chicago Marathon, finishing in an incredible time of 2:09:56. Chepngetich became the first woman to ever finish the 26.2-mile course in less than two hours and ten minutes, breaking the previous record by almost two minutes. Only nine male racers finished ahead of the 30-year-old, who finished 10th overall in a contest that men dominated.

Chepngetich’s win was particularly meaningful because she finished just 14 seconds and narrowly missed the world record in the 2022 Chicago Marathon. She remarked, “I feel so great. I’m rather pleased with myself. My dream is this. Thinking about the world record, I fought a lot. Kenya now holds the global record” after reflecting on her accomplishment.

Chepngetich dedicated her historic accomplishment to another Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, a self-taught marathon runner who died in a terrible car accident earlier this year. Chepngetich was greatly influenced by Kiptum, who established a world mark of 2:00:35 in Chicago last year. With a timing of 2:02:43, the second-fastest marathon ever recorded in Chicago, Kenyan John Korir won the men’s division.

During the final Twenty20 International match against Bangladesh in Hyderabad on October 12, Suryakumar Yadav became the second Indian player to score 2,500 runs in the format. He beat Babar Azam’s record of five years and 65 days by completing this feat in three years and 212 days. Yadav took 71 innings to attain this milestone, making him the fourth fastest to do so, behind Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and Muhammad Rizwan.

In the ongoing game, Suryakumar showed off his incredible prowess by reaching his half-century in just 23 balls.

Following Abhishek Sharma’s early exit, he and Sanju Samson assumed control, surpassing the Bangladeshi bowlers. Samson blasted eight sixes and eleven fours en route to a spectacular 111 runs off just 47 balls. He received a lot of attention for his outstanding performance, which featured five straight sixes against Rishad Hossain in the tenth over.

Samson’s incredible knock and Suryakumar’s historic century put India in a commanding position as they won the T20I series. The pair’s collaboration delighted the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium crowd and demonstrated India’s batting prowess.

To cap off an incredible year in tennis, Janik Sinner is poised to become the first Italian to finish a season ranked #1 in the world. With six championships, including the Australian and U.S. Open, the 23-year-old’s incredible season led him to the top of the ATP rankings. His remarkable 16-match victory streak at the start of the year laid the foundation for his ultimate 64-6 record.

In June, after the French Open, Sinner’s quick ascent also included him topping the standings. Sinner added, “I didn’t expect to achieve the top ranking, as you can’t predict the future,” as he thought back on his trip. Having a strong start in Australia gave me confidence throughout the whole campaign.

Sinner not only won the World No. 1 ranking, but he also set a record for the most victories by an Italian male player in a single season during the Open Era. He took great satisfaction in spearheading an Italian tennis comeback that has seen other elite players, such as Wimbledon and French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini, gain prominence.

Sinner said, “I’m proud to bring something back for the Italian fans,” pointing out that the number of Italian players in the top 100 is rising.

With a convincing 133-run victory over Bangladesh in Hyderabad, India created history by becoming the men’s T20 cricket team with the most 200-plus totals ever. After scoring an incredible 297/6, India has surpassed Somerset with 37 such totals.

With 111 runs off of just 47 balls, Sanju Samson, the game’s star, became the first wicketkeeper-batter in Indian history to hit a century in T20I cricket. At a scorching strike rate of 236.17, he smashed eight sixes and eleven fours during his innings. Samson’s T20I century is the second fastest by a player who is a full member of the team, after 35-ball centuries by David Miller and Rohit Sharma.

With a combination of unorthodox and classic shots, India’s top order, led by the captains Suryakumar Yadav and Samson, overpowered Bangladesh. With Samson’s forceful blows and Yadav’s unorthodox play, the crowd was left in complete amazement and the opposition stunned.

The hosts’ aggressive style under coach Gautam Gambhir was made clearer when they raced to 82/1 in the first six overs, matching their greatest powerplay score. India’s T20 history reached a new height on this momentous evening, solidifying their supremacy in the competition.

Joe Root has established his legacy in cricket by becoming the first England player to reach 20,000 international runs. This milestone was achieved during the ongoing first Test against Pakistan in Multan, where Root is demonstrating his ability on a flat surface.

Root has now become the second active cricketer with more than 20,000 runs. Root’s incredible effort also earned him his sixth double century, tying Sachin Tendulkar’s record.

Root’s brilliance, paired with Harry Brooks’ superb innings, has put England in a good position. Brook is closing up on a double century, increasing Pakistan’s bowlers’ displeasure on a sluggish ground. Pakistan has scored 556 runs, including centuries from Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, and Agha Salman. England reacted aggressively, with Zak Crawley scoring 78 off 85 balls and Ben Duckett scoring 84 off 75.

Given the challenge bowlers have on this docile surface, Root and Brook’s 300-plus partnership has put England ahead as the match heads for a draw. With only two days left, the spectators are excited to see how the game progresses.