Indian sports wrap, October 30: Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju flag off World Armwrestling Championship

Anurag Thakur and Kiren Rijiju at the launch of Armwrestling Championship. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

MORE SPORTS

Anurag Thakur, Kiren Rijiju open 47th World Armwrestling Championship in Delhi

The 47th World Armwrestling and 28th World Para Armwrestling Championship 2026 were inaugurated in New Delhi on Thursday, October 29. Union minister Kiren Rijiju and former sports minister Anurag Singh Thakur attended, along with World Armwrestling Federation president Assen Hadjitodorov.

Hosted in India for the first time by the People’s Armwrestling Federation of India, led by Preeti Jhangiani and Parvinn Dabass, the event has drawn over 1,700 athletes, officials and supporters from more than 60 countries.

The ceremony featured Kerala drummers, a Parade of Nations and a lamp-lighting, followed by a 20-minute exhibition match between Pro Panja League athletes Prasenjeet Patra and Amit Singh.

Rijiju congratulated the organisers on bringing the championship to India. The event runs until November 7.

TENNIS

Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy partners with Hygiia Ventures to support young players

Founder/Directory of Hygiia Ventures Gaurav Agarwal with Rohan Bopanna. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Hygiia Ventures, which owns the Gurgaon Grand Slammers franchise in the Tennis Premier League (TPL), has partnered with the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy (RBTA) to support the development of young Indian tennis players.

The partnership will focus on coaching, training, education, infrastructure, equipment, technology and tournament participation, while strengthening the academy’s high-performance programmes.

Led by Gaurav Agarwal, Hygiia Ventures has been involved in Indian tennis through its ownership of the Gurgaon Grand Slammers. The association with RBTA will extend its involvement to grassroots and junior player development.

Based at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, the academy supports players at different stages of their careers, including Vaishnavi Adkar, Sumit Nagal and Dhakshineswar Suresh.

Through its Bhoomi Programme, RBTA also provides education, accommodation and tennis training to underprivileged children from Assam and Jammu.

Bopanna said developing young athletes required consistent coaching, education and an environment that allowed them to improve over time.

He welcomed the partnership, saying the additional support would help strengthen the academy’s training structure and provide more opportunities for aspiring players.

Agarwal praised Bopanna’s contribution to Indian tennis and said both organisations shared a commitment to developing the country’s next generation of players.

The academy, founded by the former World No. 1 doubles player, combines tennis coaching with sports science, fitness, recovery and competition support.

The collaboration aims to provide young athletes with the resources and guidance needed to progress from junior competitions towards professional tennis.

BOXING

Commonwealth champion Arundhati alongside Aarti, Ankushita and Hussam power India to perfect start in Tampere

Four Indian boxers advanced to the semifinals at the 46th International Tammer tournament with impressive wins on the opening day of competition in Tampere, Finland, while two more bouts featuring Jaismine and Hitesh are scheduled later today in Session 2.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) led the charge with a dominant win over Finland’s Vilma Kuusikko, while Aarti Dhariyal (54kg) registered a commanding victory against Sweden’s Britta Lia Tisell and Ankushita Boro (65kg) overcame Brazil’s Haziel Santos to move into the last four. In the men’s 60kg category, Hussam Uddin Mohammed produced a technically superior display to beat Scotland’s Luca Flynn and secure his semifinal berth.

Later today, World Champion Jaismine (57kg) will open her campaign against Brazil’s Jessica Dias Coutinho, while Hitesh (70kg) will take on England’s Kyle Shaw-Tullin.

FENCING

8th ISSO National Fencing Championship concludes at Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad

Over 44 Schools Nationwide Compete in Thrilling Exhibition of Precision, Technique, and Swordsmanship

The International Schools Sports Organisation (ISSO) successfully hosted the 8th ISSO National Fencing Championship (2026–27) at Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad. The premier two-day national event witnessed enthusiastic participation from 44 schools across the country, featuring young fencers competing across Under-14 (Sub-Junior), Under-17 (Cadet), and Under-19 age categories for both boys and girls across Sabre, Foil, and Épée disciplines.

The championship showcased extraordinary tactical precision, athletic speed, and sportsmanship, providing a national platform for emerging school-level fencers.

RESULTS

Under-14 Category (Sub-Junior)

Girls’ Epee: 1st – Goel Anika (Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad); 2nd – Dubey Yahshie (JBCN International School, Mulund).

Girls’ Foil: 1st – Kunwar Anaya (Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad); 2nd – Raveshia Ryna (Podar International School IB & Cambridge, Santacruz).

Girls’ Sabre: 1st – Chand Avni (PSG - Clifton International School); 2nd – Bhatia Aarika (Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad).

Boys’ Épée: 1st – Banerjee Advay (The American International School of Muscat); 2nd – Ali Assad Shaikh Mohammed (JBCN International School, Mulund).

Boys’ Foil: 1st – Sacchitanand Uttekar Kavish (Bharati Vidyapeeth Rabindranath Tagore School of Excellence); 2nd – Juvvadi Pratham (International School of Hyderabad).

Boys’ Sabre: 1st – Pankaj Gurbani Naitik (JBCN International School, Mulund); 2nd – Jain Aarjav (Amity Global School, Gurgaon).

Under-17 Category (Cadet)

Girls’ Épée: 1st – Shetkar Sragvi Sudhir (Fravashi International Academy); 2nd – Shroff Vioona (Dhirubhai Ambani International School).

Girls’ Foil: 1st – Juvvadi Aanika (International School of Hyderabad); 2nd – Lamba Ruheen (Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad).

Girls’ Sabre: 1st – Lamba Ruheen (Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad); 2nd – Chaudhary Nandini (Oberoi International School - JVLR Campus).

Boys’ Epee: 1st – P Sathe Anant (Indus International School, Pune); 2nd – Aggarwal Navya (Genesis Global School).

Boys’ Foil: 1st – Abhijit Pawar Anubhava (CP Goenka International School, Pune); 2nd – Krishna Devesh (MCTM Chettiyar Int School).

Boys’ Sabre: 1st – Raveshia Ryan (Podar International School IB & Cambridge, Santacruz); 2nd – Malhotra Armaan (Shiv Nadar School, Noida).

Under-19 Category

Girls’ Epee: 1st – Gupta Naisha (Step By Step School); 2nd – Khan Tabassum (Amity Global School, Noida).

Girls’ Foil: 1st – Kunwar Ameya (Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad); 2nd – Thakker Aaliya (Dhirubhai Ambani International School).

Girls’ Sabre: 1st – Aggarwal Tashna (Shiv Nadar School, Noida); 2nd – Dangeti D. Monisha (Amity Global School, Noida).

Boys’ Épée: 1st – Kiran Patil Nischal (JBCN International School, Mulund); 2nd – Anwaar Hussian Syed (D.Y. Patil International School, Nerul).

Boys’ Foil: 1st – Chauhan Utkarsh (Amity Global School, Gurgaon); 2nd – Manoj Tiwari Shivansh (Amity Global School, Gurgaon).

Boys’ Sabre: 1st – Anwaar Hussian Syed (D.Y. Patil International School, Nerul); 2nd – Deb Barma Ansh (Amity Global School, Gurgaon).

BASKETBALL

Youth Nationals: Teams book quarterfinal berths as league phase reaches home stretch

Powerhouse teams tightened their grip as the quarterfinal contenders became clearer with just one day of league matches remaining at the CM Chashak 41st Youth National Basketball Championship. In the women’s section, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh have confirmed their berths in the knockout stage. Meanwhile, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh secured their quarterfinal spots in the men’s category after a day of intense action at the Chondhe Patil Sports Complex in Pune.

In Level 2 action, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Chandigarh, and Chhattisgarh topped their respective pools in the boys’ section, while Haryana, Chandigarh, Puducherry, and Jharkhand emerged as the pool leaders among the girls.

RESULTS

Level 1

Pool A: Boys: Punjab 79 (Amrinder Mohan Singh 30, Gurshaan Dhillon 22, Jobandeep Singh 14) bt Delhi 75 (Tarun Yadav 24, Tilak 19, Veer Sharma 14); Kerala vs Madhya Pradesh; Girls: Maharashtra 57 (Siya Bhonsle 15, Vaishnavi Pardeshi 13, Saisa Bhagat 10) bt Chhattisgarh 48 (Divya Rangari 17, Rumi Konwar 13); Madhya Pradesh vs Kerala.

Pool B: Boys: Gujarat 88 (Hafiz Mithani 27, Madhavendra Singh Jaitawat 19, Viven Gamit 16, Amit Sariya 16) bt Telangana 67 (Kovid Sreevatsa 21); Uttar Pradesh 80 (Jatin Sharma 29, Dharshil Singh 17) bt Rajasthan 71 (Akshay Nayak 17, Jay Sharma 17, Himanshu 16, Bhanu Pratap Singh Rathore 12); Girls: Telangana 75 (Saanvi Kolisetty 37, Mythri Reddy Daggula 15, Charutha Sree Y 14) bt Delhi 62 (Gulfsa 28, Diya Sehrawat 13); Tamil Nadu 91 (Charulatha A 24, Nakshatra 12, K Karishma 12, Kaviya M 10) bt Uttar Pradesh 36 (Priya Rana 13).

Level 2

Pool C: Boys: Goa bt Tripura (98-26); Jammu & Kashmir bt Andhra Pradesh (69-60); Maharashtra vs Bihar.

Pool D: Boys: Puducherry bt Assam (67-60); Karnataka vs West Bengal; Puducherry vs Himachal Pradesh; Girls: Punjab bt Tripura (74-6); Andhra Pradesh bt Jammu & Kashmir (36-16).