Sport in India
Encyclopedia
Sports in India include cricket
, chess
, badminton
, field hockey
, tennis
, association football and golf
. Field Hockey
is the official national sport in India, and the country has eight olympic gold medals in field hockey, though cricket is the most popular. Other popular sports include football, tennis, volleyball, and badminton. After the 1982 Asian Games
hosted in New Delhi
, the capital city now has modern sports facilities, and similar facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously.
Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played. India is home to several traditional sports which originated in the country and continue to remain fairly popular. These include kabbadi, kho kho
, pehlwani
and gilli-danda
. The British rule brought many popular sports in India including football, rugby union
, cricket
, golf
, tennis
, squash
, hockey
, boxing
, snooker
, and billiards
.
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951 Asian Games
and the 1982 Asian Games
, the 1987 Cricket World Cup
and 1996 Cricket World Cup
, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games
, the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, and the 2011 Cricket World Cup
. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open
, Mumbai Marathon
, Delhi Half Marathon and the Indian Masters
. India is also scheduled to host the first Indian Grand Prix
in 2011.
India is also home to cricket's Indian Premier League
, launched in 2008
, and its fourth season of Indian Premier League has began on 8 April 2011. Board of Control for Cricket in India
is the second richest sporting organization in the world(2nd only to FIFA
).
There were some well-defined values like the mantra in the Atharva-Veda, saying," Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left". In terms of an ideal, these words hold the same sentiments as the traditional Olympic oath: "For the Honour of my Country and the Glory of Sport."
Badminton probably originated in India as a grownup's version of a very old children's game known in England as battledore and shuttlecock, the battledore being a paddle and the shuttlecock a small feathered cork, now usually called a "bird."
Games like chess, snakes and ladders
, playing cards, and polo had originated as sports in India and it was from here that these games were transmitted to foreign countries, where they were further modernized.
in 1982, the capital city now has modern sports facilities. Such facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously. Among these are Wrestling and several traditional systems of Martial arts
. The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports was initially set up as the Department of Sports in 1982 at the time of organisation of the IX Asian Games in New Delhi. Its name was changed to the Department of Youth affairs & sports during celebration of the International Youth Year, 1985.
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951
and the 1982 Asian Games
, the 1987
and 1996 Cricket World Cup
, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games
, the 2010 Hockey World Cup
and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open
, Mumbai Marathon
and the Indian Masters
. The country hosted the 2011 Cricket World Cup
and the first Indian Grand Prix
in 2011.
the field arm of the Ministry , supports and nurtures talent in youth, and provides them with requisite infrastructure, equipment, coaching facilities and competition exposure. Dorabji Tata
with the support of Dr.A.G.Noehren then Director of YMCA
established the Indian Olympic Association
in 1927. IOA is responsible for the Indian contingent’s participation in the Olympic Games
, Commonwealth Games
, Asian Games
(Outdoor-Indoor-Beach) and South Asian Games. Each Olympic and Non-Olympic Sport has a Federation at the National level .
The selection of the National teams is done by the respective National Federations and then recommend to IOA for official sponsorship for participation in the Games being conducted under the auspicious of the International Olympic Committee
, Olympic Council of Asia
, Commonwealth Games Federation and SAG. A special feature of the Indian Olympic Association is that, the National Federations and the State Olympic Associations are affiliated/recognised to it. The main task of the State Olympic Associations is to Promote the Olympic Sport and to ensure coordination among the State Sports Associations. In 2010-11, total Budget for sports and physical education schemes is 3117.69 crore rupees. Hockey, in which India has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals, is officially the national sport. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
and the Arjuna Award
are India's highest awards for achievements in sports, while the Dronacharya Award
is awarded for excellence in coaching.
India
first participated at the Olympic Games
in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard
) winning two medals in athletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games
in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games
since 1964.India had won total 20 medals at Olympic Games
. India won its first gold medal in Men's Field hockey
in 1928 Amsterdam
Olympic Games
. Abhinav Bindra
became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games
and India's first gold medal since 1980, when the Men's Field Hockey Team
won the gold.
India is remarkable among nations for having won very few Olympic medals despite a population exceeding a billion, around half of them under the age of 25. Numerous explanations have been offered for the dearth, including poverty, malnutrition, neglected infrastructure, the lack of sponsorship, the theft of money and equipment, political corruption, institutional disorganisation, social immobility, the predominance of cricket and other cultural
factors.
According to several informal statistics, India is the country in the world with the lowest number of total Olympic medals per capita (of those countries those have actually won at least one medal).
* IOC regards this medal is credited to India, and International committees credits to Great Britain
.
is the official national sport in India. Hockey India
, formed on 20 May 2009, is the new apex body of the country which has the sole mandate to govern and conduct all activities for both men's
and women's hockey
in India.
Until the mid 20th century, India dominated international Hockey, winning 8 Olympic
gold medals, the World Cup in 1975 and were runners-up in the 1975 World Cup. The Indian player Dhyan Chand
, the most famous Indian hockey player, was described as a 'wizard' by the European press. However, India's recent performance have been below par and India is currently ranked 9th in the world.
Cricket
has a long history in India and is the most popular sport by a wide margin in India
. Recently, it won the 2011 Cricket World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka
in the final match hosted by India.
played on local, national and international levels and enjoys consistent support from people in all parts of India. Its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as Caste
, Religion
and Nationality
. The highest profile rival of the Indian cricket team is the Pakistan team. Cricket
is the most popular Sport in India, but it is not the nation's official national Sport (a distinction held by Field Hockey
). The governing body, BCCI
, was formed in December 1928.It is headed by Shashank Manohar
The India national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup
the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, 2011 Cricket World Cup
and shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy
with Sri Lanka
. Domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy
, the Duleep Trophy
, the Deodhar Trophy
, the Irani Trophy
and the Challenger Series. In addition, BCCI conducts the Indian Premier League
, a Twenty20
competition.
Association football was introduced to India during the British occupation and in some areas of the country it is equally as popular as Cricket
. India was an Asian powerhouse in the 1960s, finishing as runners up in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup
, but gradually the standard of Football has gone down compared to other countries and India currently ranks 144 in the FIFA rankings as of 20 August 2010. The sport is, nevertheless, widely popular both as a spectator Sport and as a participation Sport and is controlled by the national team
. The Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata
is the second largest non-auto racing stadium in the world.
On 23 June 1937 at the Army Headquarters, Shimla, the All India Football Federation
was formed at a meeting of the representatives of Football Associations of 6 regions where the game was very popular in those days. It is the present body of Football in India
. Domestic competitions for mens include the I-League
and the I-League 2nd Division
in the indian league system, the annual knockout style Federation Cup (India)
and the Indian Super Cup
, for womens the India women's football championship
.
Tennis
is a popular sport among Indians in urban areas. Tennis gained popularity after the exploits of Vijay Amritraj
. India's fortunes in the Grand Slams
singles have been unimpressive although Leander Paes
and Mahesh Bhupathi
have won many Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles Grand Slam Titles. Sania Mirza
is the only notable Indian woman Tennis player, having won a WTA
title and breaking in to the Top 30 WTA rankings. On the men's side, young Somdev Devvarman
and Yuki Bhambri
are flying India's flag on ATP Tour. Yuki is the current Australian Open junior singles champion.
has risen in popularity in India in the last few decades primarily due to its star player GM Vishwanathan Anand. He is the current World Champion
and he has revolutionized the popularity of this Sport in India.
In Fédération Internationale des Échecs
or World Chess Federation (FIDE) World Ranking
1. Vishwanathan Anand is in No:2 rank with rating: 2817
2. Koneru Humpy
is in No:2 rank with rating: 2607
It is believed that the game originated from India as a successor to Chaturanga
or Shatranj
. The All India Chess Federation
is the governing body of Chess in India.
Motorsport
is a popular Spectator Sport in India, although there are relatively few competitors compared to other sports due to the high costs of competing. On 1 February 2005, Narain Karthikeyan
became India's first Formula One
racing driver. On March 2007, he also became the first ever Indian-born driver to compete in a NASCAR
Series. He debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the Kroger 250
. Force India F1 is a Formula One
motor racing team. The team was formed in October 2007, when a consortium led by India
n businessman Vijay Mallya
and Michiel Mol
bought the Spyker F1
team for €
88 million. After going through 29 races without a point, Force India
won their first Formula One World Championship points and podium place when Giancarlo Fisichella
finished second in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix
. New Delhi hosted the Indian Grand Prix
in 2011 at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida
, 50 km from New Delhi
. Karun Chandhok currently is the test driver for Team Lotus
& Karthikeyan is the test driver for HRT in the 2011 Formula One season
. Both Chandhok and Karthikeyan stepped in (for Jarno Trulli
and Daniel Ricciardo
, respectively) at the 2011 Indian Grand Prix
; it was the first time two Indian drivers compete in the same Formula One Grand Prix.
is a popular sport in India. Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal
is currently ranked sixth in the world and has been named the Most Promising Player of 2008 by the Badminton World Federation. This is the first ever achievement by any Indian shuttler, after Prakash Padukone
and Pullela Gopichand
who both won the All England Open
in 1980 and 2001 respectively.
.jpg)
Golf
is a growing sport in India. It is especially popular among the wealthier classes and has not yet caught on with others due to its expense. The most successful Indian Golfer is Jeev Milkha Singh
who has won 3 titles during the European Tour, 4 during the Japan Golf Tour
and 6 during the Asian Tour. Although his current world ranking is 36, his highest ranking has been 28 (in March 2009). Singh has won the Asian Tour order of merit 2 times. Other Indians who have won the Asian tour order of merit are Jyoti Randhawa
in 2002 (the first Indian to achieve this) and Arjun Atwal
, who went on in 2010 to become the first India-born player to become a member of, and later won the U.S.-based PGA Tour
.
There are numerous golf courses all over India. There is an Indian Golf Tour. India's men's golf team won gold at the 1982 Asian Games and silver at the 2006 Asian Games. Lakshman Singh won the individual gold at the 1982 Asian Games.
is the oldest Korfball
playing country in Asia
. From 1979, when the game was first introduced in India, Korfball popularity has continued to rise and now the game is being played in 27 States with each state having its own association to promote and organize events. Korfball
is recognized by the Union Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and national championships in senior, junior and sub-junior categories and the inter-University and inter-school championships are being held regularly.
Indian Korfball Team participated in the Asian – Oceania U23 Youth Korfball Championship in Adelaide (Australia
) held between 9-16 july. The team reached the final
where it lost against the reigning Asian – Oceania Korfball Champion, Chinese Taipei on 16 July 2011. India won five out of seven matches it played. The matches it won were against Australia
, New Zealand
, Malaysia, Hong Kong
and China
. The only matches it lost were both against Chinese Taipei
, including the final.
India came third place 2 times (2002 & 2006) in the Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship
s.
is a sport played all over India, both in rural as well as urban India. It is a popular recreation sport. India is ranked 5th in Asia and 27th in the world. Doing doing well in the youth and junior levels, India came in second in the 2003 World youth championships. Currently, a major problem for the sport is the lack of sponsors. Indian senior men's team is currently ranked 46th in the world.
is a popular sport in India. It is played in almost every school, although very few people take it professionally. India has both men's
and women's
national teams in basketball. It also made 1 Olympic appearance in Basketball and appeared 20 times in the Asian Championship. India is currently ranked 41st in the world in Basketball.
is a sport which is gaining popularity in India. The Floorball Federation of India was started in 2001 and since then it has expanded rapidly. There has been 4 national Floorball championships held with Uttar Pradesh
being the champions. Women's Floorball has also expanded alongside men and Mumbai
is the first national Floorball champion of India. Currently, India is a provisional member of International Floorball Federation
. India has participated in many international friendlies and steps are being taken to make India an Ordinary member of Floorball
.
and introduced during the British Raj
such as Cricket
, Rugby union
has a long history in India. The first recorded match was played on Christmas day in 1872, at CFC in Kolkata
. Although low in profile as compared to Cricket
or Field Hockey
, some Indian sporting clubs are embracing the game. It is considered the second most popular winter Sport, after Football in India.
Currently, there are 22,282 registered players in the country and the Indian national team
are ranked 75th out of 95 nations in the IRB World Rankings
. The home of Rugby in India is considered to be Kolkata
.
Rugby union is also featured heavily in S. S. Rajamouli
's Telegu film Sye
.
in India. Its headquarters is in Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh. Bandy is generally played in northern India where there is generally snow and ice. India is one of 6 countries in Asia and in total 28 to be a member of Federation of International Bandy
. BFI will send a team to the Asian Winter Games
in Astana-Almaty 2011.
is a popular sport in India among Indian women. India's national team
is ranked 25th in the world and has played only very few matches. The team has failed to qualify for any of the Netball World Cups. Recently they have played 18 matches in total.
In the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, in Delhi
, India
, Netball
was included as a medal sport. However the Indian team failed to win a medal.
in India
has surprisingly deep roots. Areas like Shimla
, Kashmir
and Ladakh
have traditionally cold climates. As early as 1985, the Indian Army
and local youth started playing the game to occupy themselves in the winter. They used improvised field hockey sticks and converted shoe polish tins to act as pucks.
Today, the sport has come a long way since then. It is played at the National level in Ladakh, Shimla and Kashmir. Even tough we do not have any artifricial rinks available in the country, the game flourishes at these locations during the winters.
The northern states of India have six teams that play at the national level and in addition they conduct very active Learn to Play programs for the children and women.
Many ex pats from the Canadian and Russian consulates in Mumbai and Delhi have been playing the game in Ladakh. The whole concept of playing in – 20 degree centigrade at the highest Ice Hockey rinks in the world is enough to attract them to play in India.
The Ice Hockey Association of India
just concluded the fourth National Ice Hockey Championships in Leh from 22 to 29 January 2009. The Ladakh Scouts Regimental team won the finals. The Ice Hockey Association of India also selected its national team
, which represented India in the Asian Challenge Cup to be held in Abu Dhabi
, UAE, in March 2009.
team started in 27 April 1989. although it hasn't made any impact at World stage. Indian Handball Federation manages handball in India. Handball
is a popular sport in India, played at local level in India but hasn't made it big in domestic level. India has yet to make an impact at international level and the World Cup.
is gaining popularity in India as a competitive sport and Indian authorities of the game was instrumental in organizing Asian level and later, World level Association for the sport. Throwball
is a popular sport, played in gym class, colleges, and clubs throughout Asian countries such as India
, Sri Lanka
, Korea
, Thailand
, Malaysia, Japan
, China
, Pakistan
, Nepal
, Bhutan
and Bangladesh
. It is also slowly taking popularity up by other countries such as France
, Australia
, Brazil
, Canada
and the United Kingdom
.Junior Throwball team of India visited Srilanka in 1982. Vijay Dahiya from Haryana was captain of team.Indian team won test series.
is a popular sport in India. It is one of the most popular sports in India played mainly among people in villages. It is regarded as a team-contact sport as a recreational form of combat training. Two teams occupy opposite halves of a small field and take turns sending a raider into the other half, in order to win points by tagging/wrestling members of the opposing team; the raider then tries to return to his own half while holding his breath and chanting "kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi" during the whole raid. India has taken part in four Asian Games in Kabaddi
, and won gold in all of them. There are 4 forms of kabaddi played in India are Amar, Suranjeevi, Huttuttoo and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, America
, Canada
, and other parts of the world mostly by Panjabi sportmen. Suranjeevi is the most played form of Kabaddi
in India and the world, This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian Games. Huttuttoo was played by men in Maharashtra State. Huttuttoo is a much Tougher version of Kabaddi.
India won the Kabaddi World Championship in 2007 beating Iran 29-19.
is a fairly new sport in India which was introduced in 2006. It is now being played by schools in Shillong
, Meghalaya
and mostly unknown in the rest of the country.
figures, including Mike Ditka
and Ron Jaworski
, the Elite Football League of India
will be India's first professional American football league. League play is scheduled to being in 2012, and will feature teams from eight different Indian cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and others.
India is considered the cradle of modern polo. Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty in the 15th century, firmly established its popularity. The period between the decline of the Mughal dynasty and the upsurgence of the British Imperial rule, Polo almost vanished from the mainland India. Fortunately the game survived in a few remote mountainous enclaves of the subcontinent, notably Gilgit, Chitral, Ladakh and Manipur.
In India, the popularity of polo has waned and risen many time. However, it has never lost its regal status. In the last few decades, the emergence of privately owned teams has ensured a renaissance in Indian polo. Today, polo is not just restricted to the royalty and the Indian Army
has recently started to show up in India. Softball
is played at school and university level. Two Indian pitchers were selected after the Million Dollar Arm competition to play in the USA. A talent hunt kind of competition was conducted by MLB to find baseball talents in India and found the teenagers Rinku Singh
and Dinesh Patel
. They were taken to the USA and received good coaching. Now these two players are selected to play for Pittsburgh Pirates
minor league organisations.Rinku Singh will play for the Canberra Cavalry
of the Australian Baseball League
for the competition's inaugural 2010-11 season.
is one of the most enjoyable profiled sports in India. India has not produced a world champion in any weight class, although it is a regular medal-holder at Asian Games
and Commonwealth Games
. In November 2007, India's Mary Kom
won the best boxer title and also secured a hattrick of titles. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Vijender Kumar won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category and Akhil Kumar
and Jitender Kumar qualified for the quarterfinals. Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, A.L.Lakra and Dinesh Kumar each won a bronze medal at the 2008 world championship. Vijender Kumar is current world number 1 on middleweight class.
in India dates back to 1938. The Cycling
Federation of India takes care of the sport. Cycling
is unknown as a professional sport in India
, but popular as a common recreational sport and it is a good way to keep fit
is a popular indoor recreation sport in India, which has caught on in states like West Bengal
and Tamil Nadu
. The Table Tennis Federation of India is the official sports body. India, which is currently ranked 30 in the world, has produced a single player ranked in the top 50, Sharat Kamal.
, there is very limited recreational kayaking. Potential to generate interest in flat water kayaking is held by leisure resorts located near the sea or other water bodies. But more often than not, Indian tourists consider kayaking a one-time activity and not a sport to be pursued.
'Bangalore Kayakers' are India's first amateur group of white water kayakers. Based out Bangalore, they currently explore rivers around Western Ghats.
Gear availability is another problem that plagues the sportsmen and sportswomen. While the global designs for whitewater boats and paddles change annually, Indian kayakers have to pay high fees if they want to import any kind of gear or they have to buy used gear in Nepal. More often than not, one will see Indian kayaking guides riding down the river in a Perception Amp or Piroutte or Dancer kind of design while the kayakers from abroad in their new design, planing hull, centered volume kayaks from Riot, Pyranha or Wave Sport.Due to increasing media coverage, more people do kayaking every season.
is becoming a popular sport. For the last six years, MTB Himachal
has been organized regularly by HASTPA, an NGO. It is attended by a number of national and international participants, such as Indian Army, Indian Air Force, ITBP and a number of young and energetic MTB individual riders from cities like Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Chandigarh. Last year, the government of Sikkim (Department of Tourism) introduced its own MTB race with South East Asia's biggest prize money. The second edition saw 48 professional participants from across the globe.
Tour of Nilgiris is a major non-competitive/non-commercial touring event in South Asia today, that covers 1000 kilometres in under ten days.
Dinesh KS (Dinni) of Wildcraft
Equipment was climbing in Bangalore around 1980s as part of a continuing tradition of climbing around the area.
Deccan and south of Vindhyas in India are considered the prime locations for rock climbing in India today. More for reason that there is an established climbing tradition associated with Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. For example, Hampi is considered the bouldering capital of India. Climbers congregate here during New Years eve and climb through the weeks preceding and after. Badami is considered highly for its free and sport routes (numbering over 200).
While the nature of the sport is more of a non-competitive adventurous kind, the competitive version, i.e. sport climbing has many adherents, and has a very intense scene. Indians have notched quite a few international positions in sport climbing and are considered an Asian powerhouse.
Some of the more popular locations for sport climbing include, Mumbai
, Delhi
, Bangalore
, Kangla Wall of MMTA (Manipur) Shillong
, Kolkata
and Indore
. For locations to climb in India, see Climbing locations in India
.
is not very well known in India, although it was a demonstration sport at the Delhi Asiad in 1982. The Sepak Takraw Federation with its headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, was founded on 10 September 1982. It is recognised by the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports since 2000. So far, the Federation has conducted 14 Senior, seven Junior and six Sub-Junior National Championship in different cities and is also conducting Federation Cup Tournament and zonal National Championship.
The game is very popular in the north eastern state of Manipur and some of the best players hail from there. In the 22nd King’s Cup International Sepak Takraw Tournament held at Bangkok, the India men team lost in the semifinals and claimed bronze in the team event. In doubles event, the women team lost in the semifinals, but bagged bronze medals.
, Kashmir
. Winter sports are generally more common in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Skiing, snow rugby, snow cycling and snow football are few of the common sports played in India. Skiing is more popular although India has taken part in Luge in winter olympics since 1998. Shiva Keshavan is the only India to have won a medal in international meet in winter sports.
(AAI) is the national governing body of archery in India. Young talents like Jayant Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai and Rahul Banerjee are making waves at the big stage. With international laurels pouring thick and fast, India is emerging as an archery powerhouse. The country is all set to break the Korean stranglehold on the World Archery Championship. The fact that India finished second to the mighty Koreans at the 2005 World Championship is a solid proof of the growing International stature of Indian archers and the sport of archery back home.
In the present time, archery has found favor among a wider section of the Indian society, with the introduction of modern and sophisticated equipments for the sport. Moreover, the Archery Association of India (AAI) is taking special efforts in providing infrastructure and proper training to the sports-persons, who have taken archery as their event. Moreover, job opportunities are opening up in a big way for the sport's stars. Traditionally dominated by champion archers from tribal communities, today, a major lot of the archers come from non-tribal areas with good educational backgrounds. In the present time, archery in India has emerged as a sport with considerable recognition and has managed to score success.
, is an Indian triathlete who is the first and only Asian to compete in Ultraman
.
won a bronze medal
in the 2000 Summer Olympics
at Sydney
, which made her the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.In 1992 she participated in the Asian champion ship which took place in Thailand
and stood second and won three silver medals. She also won three Bronze medals in the world championship.
The headquarters of Indian Weightlifting Federation is at New Delhi. The Federation is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association (Delhi) and is also a member of Asian Weightlifting Federation (Tehran) and International Weightlifting Federation (Budapest). The present General Secretary of Indian Weightlifting Federation is Balbir Singh.
The International Weightlifting Federation banned the Indian Weightlifting Federation from participating in all international competitions for one year, as three Indian women weightlifters—S Sunaina, Sanamacha Chanu and Pratima Kumari, were accused of doping offences in various international competitions in a single year.
, Ashish Kumar
won the first-ever medal in gymnastics for India, he also won a bronze medal. However soon after the win the President of the Gymnastics Federation of India, controversially asked Ashish's Chief Coach from the erstwhile Soviet Union, Vladimir Chertkov: "Is this all that you can deliver, a bronze?", the comment was widely reported in the press. Later the coach also revealed that "In Aug 2009, we had no equipment. Ashish trained on hard floor till Feb 2010, and then we got equipment around 20 years old." Also the Federation announced that no Indian team would travel to Rotterdam for the World Championships in October which would mean that Indian gymnasts automatically not qualify as a team for the 2012 Olympics.
, Uttar Pradesh
, Madhya Pradesh
, Bihar
, Maharashtra
etc. states of India only as a recreational sport among boys.
, atya patya, bridge
, carrom
, cycle polo
, fencing
, gymnastics
, judo
, karate
, Gatka
, kho-kho, mallakhamb
, roller skating
, rowing
, shooting ball, soft tennis
, squash
, swimming
, taekwondo
, ten-pin bowling
, tennikoit
, tug of war
, yachting
, have dedicated following and their own national sports federations.
Local Sporting event broadcasting is in stagnant stage in india due to mandatory sharing of sporting events of live feed and rights made by ordnance in favor of Prasar Bharathi thus all Sports broadcasters playout from outside the country which only allows to produce international events and fades the production,distribution,invention of new local field of sporting events as all this topic is still hot discusion Commonwealth Games 2010 Broadcasting scam made clear on ruthless inability of decision makers.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, association football and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. Field Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
is the official national sport in India, and the country has eight olympic gold medals in field hockey, though cricket is the most popular. Other popular sports include football, tennis, volleyball, and badminton. After the 1982 Asian Games
1982 Asian Games
The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India.An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.-Sports:...
hosted in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, the capital city now has modern sports facilities, and similar facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously.
Throughout the country a wide variety of sports are played. India is home to several traditional sports which originated in the country and continue to remain fairly popular. These include kabbadi, kho kho
Kho Kho
Kho Kho is an Indian and Pakistani sport played by teams of twelve players who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team, only 9 players of the team enter the field...
, pehlwani
Pehlwani
Pehlwani or Pahlavani or Kushti is a Persian style of wrestling popular in Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It was developed in the Mughal era through a synthesis of Indian malla-yuddha and Persian Varzesh-e Bastani....
and gilli-danda
Gilli-danda
Gilli-Danda is an amateur sport played in the rural areas and small towns all over the Indian subcontinent, as well as Cambodia....
. The British rule brought many popular sports in India including football, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
, and billiards
Billiards
Cue sports , also known as billiard sports, are a wide variety of games of skill generally played with a cue stick which is used to strike billiard balls, moving them around a cloth-covered billiards table bounded by rubber .Historically, the umbrella term was billiards...
.
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951 Asian Games
1951 Asian Games
The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello...
and the 1982 Asian Games
1982 Asian Games
The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India.An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.-Sports:...
, the 1987 Cricket World Cup
1987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
and 1996 Cricket World Cup
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games
2003 Afro-Asian Games
The 2003 Afro-Asian Games, officially known as the First Afro-Asian Games or I Afro-Asian Games and unofficially known as the Inaugural Afro-Asian Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Hyderabad, India, from October 24 to November 1, 2003.The Afro-Asian Games...
, the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, and the 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open
Chennai Open
The Chennai Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour...
, Mumbai Marathon
Mumbai Marathon
The Mumbai Marathon is an annual international road running competition over the marathon distance that is held in Mumbai, India, each January. The course records set in 2011 were also the fastest times ever run for the marathon on Indian soil – 2:09:54 by Girma Assefa and 2:26:56 by the women's...
, Delhi Half Marathon and the Indian Masters
Indian Masters
The Indian Masters was a professional golf tournament on the European and Asian Tours, that was played in February 2008. The tournament was introduced as part of the continuing globalisation of the European Tour, making India the 37th territory to stage a European Tour event, and increasing to...
. India is also scheduled to host the first Indian Grand Prix
Indian Grand Prix
The Indian Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India...
in 2011.
India is also home to cricket's Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
, launched in 2008
2008 Indian Premier League
The 2008 Indian Premier League season was the debut season of the Indian Premier League, established by the BCCI in 2007. The season commenced on the 18 April 2008 with the final match held on 1 June 2008....
, and its fourth season of Indian Premier League has began on 8 April 2011. Board of Control for Cricket in India
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
is the second richest sporting organization in the world(2nd only to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
).
History
Major sports events held in India are:| Sport | Event Name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-sport event Multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many... |
Asian Games Asian Games The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the... |
1951 1951 Asian Games The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello... |
| Multi-sport event Multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many... |
Asian Games Asian Games The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the... |
1982 1982 Asian Games The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India.An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.-Sports:... |
| Cricket Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the... |
Cricket World Cup Cricket World Cup The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years... |
1987 1987 Cricket World Cup The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60... |
| Cricket Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the... |
Cricket World Cup Cricket World Cup The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years... |
1996 1996 Cricket World Cup The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka... |
| Multi-sport event Multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many... |
Afro-Asian Games Afro-Asian Games The Afro-Asian Games are a series of inter-continental multi-sport competitions, held between athletes from Asia and Africa. These Games are one-of-a-kind, since no other sporting competition brings athletes from these two continents together for one event, excluding the Olympic Games. These Games... |
2003 2003 Afro-Asian Games The 2003 Afro-Asian Games, officially known as the First Afro-Asian Games or I Afro-Asian Games and unofficially known as the Inaugural Afro-Asian Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Hyderabad, India, from October 24 to November 1, 2003.The Afro-Asian Games... |
| Multi-sport event Multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many... |
Commonwealth Youth Games Commonwealth Youth Games The Commonwealth Youth Games are a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, designed for the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries.-History:... |
2008 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games The 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Pune, India, a city in the state of Maharashtra. They were the third Commonwealth Youth Games, which are held every four years; they were the first Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Asia.... |
| Field Hockey Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... |
Field Hockey World Cup | 2010 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup The 2010 Hockey World Cup was the twelfth installment of the Men's Hockey World Cup. On November 14, 2007, the International Hockey Federation announced that the championship would be held in India, taking place over two weeks from February 28 to March 13, 2010 at New Delhi's Dhyan Chand National... |
| Multi-sport event Multi-sport event A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports between organized teams of athletes from nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport event of international significance was the modern Olympic Games.Many... |
Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years.... |
2010 2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date... |
| Cricket Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the... |
Cricket World Cup Cricket World Cup The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years... |
2011 2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup... |
| Field Hockey Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... |
Men's Hockey Champions Trophy | 2011 2011 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy The 2011 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy also known as the Owen G Glenn FIH Men's Champions Trophy, will be the 33rd edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for men. The International Hockey Federation confirmed India as host country, and confirmed New Delhi as host city on February 4, 2011. The... (Withdrew by FIH FIH FIH may refer to:* FIH Erhvervsbank A/S, a Danish corporate and investment bank specialising in lending to Danish corporates* Falkland Islands Holdings, a company which plays a key role in the economy of the Falkland Islands... ) |
| Field Hockey Field hockey Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks... |
Olympic Field Hockey Qualification | 2012 Summer Olympics (London) Qualification Tournament 1 |
Before independence
The history of sports in India dates back to the Vedic era. Physical culture in ancient India was fed by a powerful fuel: religious rights.There were some well-defined values like the mantra in the Atharva-Veda, saying," Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left". In terms of an ideal, these words hold the same sentiments as the traditional Olympic oath: "For the Honour of my Country and the Glory of Sport."
Badminton probably originated in India as a grownup's version of a very old children's game known in England as battledore and shuttlecock, the battledore being a paddle and the shuttlecock a small feathered cork, now usually called a "bird."
Games like chess, snakes and ladders
Snakes and ladders
Snakes and Ladders is an ancient Indian board game regarded today as a worldwide classic. It is played between two or more players on a game board having numbered, gridded squares. A number of "ladders" and "snakes" are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares...
, playing cards, and polo had originated as sports in India and it was from here that these games were transmitted to foreign countries, where they were further modernized.
After independence
After the IX Asian Games in New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
in 1982, the capital city now has modern sports facilities. Such facilities are also being developed in other parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously. Among these are Wrestling and several traditional systems of Martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports was initially set up as the Department of Sports in 1982 at the time of organisation of the IX Asian Games in New Delhi. Its name was changed to the Department of Youth affairs & sports during celebration of the International Youth Year, 1985.
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951
1951 Asian Games
The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello...
and the 1982 Asian Games
1982 Asian Games
The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982 to December 4, 1982 in Delhi, India.An incredible 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.-Sports:...
, the 1987
1987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the fourth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from October 8 to November 8, 1987 in India and Pakistan — the first held outside England. The format was unchanged from 1983 except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60...
and 1996 Cricket World Cup
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games
2003 Afro-Asian Games
The 2003 Afro-Asian Games, officially known as the First Afro-Asian Games or I Afro-Asian Games and unofficially known as the Inaugural Afro-Asian Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Hyderabad, India, from October 24 to November 1, 2003.The Afro-Asian Games...
, the 2010 Hockey World Cup
2010 Men's Hockey World Cup
The 2010 Hockey World Cup was the twelfth installment of the Men's Hockey World Cup. On November 14, 2007, the International Hockey Federation announced that the championship would be held in India, taking place over two weeks from February 28 to March 13, 2010 at New Delhi's Dhyan Chand National...
and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
. Major international sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open
Chennai Open
The Chennai Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour...
, Mumbai Marathon
Mumbai Marathon
The Mumbai Marathon is an annual international road running competition over the marathon distance that is held in Mumbai, India, each January. The course records set in 2011 were also the fastest times ever run for the marathon on Indian soil – 2:09:54 by Girma Assefa and 2:26:56 by the women's...
and the Indian Masters
Indian Masters
The Indian Masters was a professional golf tournament on the European and Asian Tours, that was played in February 2008. The tournament was introduced as part of the continuing globalisation of the European Tour, making India the 37th territory to stage a European Tour event, and increasing to...
. The country hosted the 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
and the first Indian Grand Prix
Indian Grand Prix
The Indian Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India...
in 2011.
Administration and funding
Political responsibility for sport in India is with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which is headed by a cabinet minister and managed by National Sport Federations. Sports Authority of IndiaSports Authority of India
The Sports Authority of India is a body set up by the Government of India. It was created in 1984 to help promote sport throughout the country. Presently, it has seven regional centres at Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Sonepat, Delhi, Mumbai and Imphal and two sub-centres at Guwahati and...
the field arm of the Ministry , supports and nurtures talent in youth, and provides them with requisite infrastructure, equipment, coaching facilities and competition exposure. Dorabji Tata
Dorabji Tata
Sir Dorabji Tata , was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist, and a key figure in the history and development of the Tata industrial empire...
with the support of Dr.A.G.Noehren then Director of YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
established the Indian Olympic Association
Indian Olympic Association
The Indian Olympic Association is the body responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international athletic meets and for managing the Indian teams at the events...
in 1927. IOA is responsible for the Indian contingent’s participation in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
(Outdoor-Indoor-Beach) and South Asian Games. Each Olympic and Non-Olympic Sport has a Federation at the National level .
The selection of the National teams is done by the respective National Federations and then recommend to IOA for official sponsorship for participation in the Games being conducted under the auspicious of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
, Olympic Council of Asia
Olympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah. The oldest NOC is from Japan and Philippines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1911; whereas East Timor is...
, Commonwealth Games Federation and SAG. A special feature of the Indian Olympic Association is that, the National Federations and the State Olympic Associations are affiliated/recognised to it. The main task of the State Olympic Associations is to Promote the Olympic Sport and to ensure coordination among the State Sports Associations. In 2010-11, total Budget for sports and physical education schemes is 3117.69 crore rupees. Hockey, in which India has an impressive record with eight Olympic gold medals, is officially the national sport. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. The award is named after the late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash...
and the Arjuna Award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
are India's highest awards for achievements in sports, while the Dronacharya Award
Dronacharya Award
Dronacharya Award is an award presented by the government of India for excellence in sports coaching. The award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a scroll of honour and a cash component of Rs.500,000...
is awarded for excellence in coaching.
India at major international events
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
first participated at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard
Norman Pritchard
Norman Gilbert Pritchard was an athlete from India who went on to star in Hollywood and Broadway...
) winning two medals in athletics. The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
since 1964.India had won total 20 medals at Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. India won its first gold medal in Men's Field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
in 1928 Amsterdam
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Singh Bindra is an Indian shooter from Zirakpur, Mohali, Punjab and is the current World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event...
became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
and India's first gold medal since 1980, when the Men's Field Hockey Team
India national field hockey team
The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation....
won the gold.
India is remarkable among nations for having won very few Olympic medals despite a population exceeding a billion, around half of them under the age of 25. Numerous explanations have been offered for the dearth, including poverty, malnutrition, neglected infrastructure, the lack of sponsorship, the theft of money and equipment, political corruption, institutional disorganisation, social immobility, the predominance of cricket and other cultural
factors.
According to several informal statistics, India is the country in the world with the lowest number of total Olympic medals per capita (of those countries those have actually won at least one medal).
Medalists
| Medal | Name | Games | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | 1900 Paris 1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of... |
Athletics Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics At the 1900 Summer Olympics, twenty-three athletics events were contested. 117 athletes from 15 nations competed. In many countries, due in part to the conflagration of the Olympic Games and the World's Fair in Paris, the media discussed only the athletics events under the "Olympic" name while... |
Men's 200 metres Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metres The men's 200 metres was a sprinting event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 22, 1900, well after most of the rest of the athletics events. The 1900 Games were the first time the 200 metres was contested. The races were held on a track of 500... |
|
| * | 1900 Paris 1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics, today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1900 in Paris, France. No opening or closing ceremonies were held; competitions began on May 14 and ended on October 28. The Games were held as part of... |
Athletics Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics At the 1900 Summer Olympics, twenty-three athletics events were contested. 117 athletes from 15 nations competed. In many countries, due in part to the conflagration of the Olympic Games and the World's Fair in Paris, the media discussed only the athletics events under the "Olympic" name while... |
Men's 200 metre hurdles Athletics at the 1900 Summer Olympics - Men's 200 metre hurdles The men's 200 metres hurdles was a hurdling event on the athletics programme at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was held on July 16, 1900... |
|
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1928 Amsterdam 1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics saw the third Field Hockey tournament at Olympics. All games took place either in the new Olympisch Stadion or in the nearby Old Stadion. The field hockey tournament was held in the first part of this Olympic games... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1932 Los Angeles 1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1932 Summer Olympics -Medal summary:Only a men's competition occurred that year.-Round Robin Results:Each team played against the other two teams once.Match One4 August 1932Match Two8 August 1932Match Three11 August 1932-References:***... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1936 Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics saw the fifth field hockey tournament at Olympics. All games took place either in the Hockey Stadion or on the Hockey Stadion Field No.2. Both of the field hockey grounds were near the Olympic Stadium located on the Reichssportfeld. The competition was held from Tuesday,... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1948 London 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1948 Summer Olympics Final results for the field hockey competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics:Only a men's competition occurred that year.-Medal summary:Note: The shows also only these players as medalists. They all played at least one match during the tournament... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1952 Helsinki 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1952 Summer Olympics Final results for the Hockey competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics:Only a men's competition occurred that year.-Medal summary:-Bracket:-Participating nations:... |
Men's competition | |
| 1952 Helsinki 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II... |
Wrestling Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics At the 1952 Summer Olympics, 16 wrestling events were contested, for all men. There were eight weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and eight classes in freestyle wrestling... |
Men's freestyle bantamweight | ||
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1956 Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics The field hockey tournament at the 1956 Summer Olympics was contested from November 23 to December 6, with twelve participating teams. Only men competed in field hockey at these Games. India won the gold medal for the sixth successive Games, not allowing a single goal against in the entire... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1960 Rome 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1960 Summer Olympics The field hockey tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy was contested from August 26 to September 9, with sixteen participating teams. Only men competed in field hockey at these Games. Pakistan won the gold medal, defeating India in the final and ending India's run of six successive... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1964 Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1964 Summer Olympics Hockey at the 1964 Summer Olympics was a sport open only to men. 15 teams played in the field hockey competition.-Results:-Final ranking:-Preliminary round:... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1968 Mexico 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1968 Summer Olympics Final results for the Hockey competition at the 1968 Summer Olympics: Only a men's competition was held.-Medalists:Medal'TeamGold PakistanSilver AustraliaBronze India-Final Rankings:*1.*2.*3 *4.*5.*6.*7.*8.*9.*10.*11.*12.*13.*14.... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1972 Munich 1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972.... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1972 Summer Olympics This tournament is remembered for the first victory of a European nation after 1920 and the misbehaviour of the players of Pakistan after losing the final, which included kicking their silver medals during the medal ceremony and ravaging the locker room. Accordingly, they were banned for life from... |
Men's competition | |
| National team India national field hockey team The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.... |
1980 Moscow 1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament... |
Field hockey Field hockey at the 1980 Summer Olympics Hockey at the 1980 Summer Olympics was represented by two events: men's team event and women's team event. For the first time a women's Olympic Games hockey tournament was organized... |
Men's competition | |
| 1996 Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.... |
Tennis Tennis at the 1996 Summer Olympics At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the host nation United States won 3 of the 4 gold medals in tennis. For the first time at the Olympics, a single bronze medal was awarded in each event.-Medal table:-Events:-References:*... |
Men's singles | ||
| 2000 Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia... |
Weightlifting Weightlifting at the 2000 Summer Olympics The Weightlifting Competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia saw the introduction of women's weightlifting.-Men's Competition:-Women's Competition:-Participating nations:... |
Women's 69 kg | ||
| 2004 Athens 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team... |
Shooting Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics In shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 390 competitors from 106 nations contested 17 events . The competition took place at the Markopoulo Olympic Shooting Centre, located in the east of the Greek region of Attica.... |
Men's double trap Shooting at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's Double Trap The men's double trap competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics was held on August 17 at the Markópoulo Olympic Shooting Centre near Athens, Greece... |
||
| 2008 Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events... |
Shooting Shooting at the 2008 Summer Olympics Shooting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 9 to August 17, at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall and Beijing Shooting Range Clay Target Field... |
Men's 10m air rifle | ||
| 2008 Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events... |
Wrestling Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics Wrestling competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, were held at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium from August 12–21, 2008. It was split into two disciplines, Freestyle and Greco-Roman which are further divided into different weight categories... |
Men's 66 kg freestyle Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics Wrestling competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, were held at the China Agricultural University Gymnasium from August 12–21, 2008. It was split into two disciplines, Freestyle and Greco-Roman which are further divided into different weight categories... |
||
| 2008 Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events... |
Boxing Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics The boxing program of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China was held at the Workers Indoor Arena.Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers... |
Men's 75 kg Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics The boxing program of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China was held at the Workers Indoor Arena.Medals were awarded in eleven events, with each event corresponding to a recognized weight division of male boxers... |
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
Field hockey
Field hockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
is the official national sport in India. Hockey India
Hockey India
Hockey India is the governing body of hockey in India. It was formed after Indian Hockey Federation was dismissed in 2008 by IOC. International Hockey Federation has planned to host 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup in India in Delhi and said that India may lose it if it does not form its governing body...
, formed on 20 May 2009, is the new apex body of the country which has the sole mandate to govern and conduct all activities for both men's
India national field hockey team
The India national field hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India. It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation....
and women's hockey
India women's national field hockey team
The Indian women's national field hockey team is the national women's team representing field hockey in India. Captain Suraj Lata Devi led the team to the Gold for three consecutive years: during the 2002 Commonwealth Games , the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, and the 2004 Hockey Asia Cup...
in India.
Until the mid 20th century, India dominated international Hockey, winning 8 Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medals, the World Cup in 1975 and were runners-up in the 1975 World Cup. The Indian player Dhyan Chand
Dhyan Chand
Dhyan Chand ; born August 29, 1905 in Allahabad, United Provinces, British India. – Died:December 3, 1979), was an Indian field hockey player, regarded as one of the greatest field hockey players of all time...
, the most famous Indian hockey player, was described as a 'wizard' by the European press. However, India's recent performance have been below par and India is currently ranked 9th in the world.
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
has a long history in India and is the most popular sport by a wide margin in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Recently, it won the 2011 Cricket World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in the final match hosted by India.
played on local, national and international levels and enjoys consistent support from people in all parts of India. Its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as Caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, Religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and Nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
. The highest profile rival of the Indian cricket team is the Pakistan team. Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
is the most popular Sport in India, but it is not the nation's official national Sport (a distinction held by Field Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
). The governing body, BCCI
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
, was formed in December 1928.It is headed by Shashank Manohar
The India national cricket team won the 1983 Cricket World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...
the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
and shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy
2002 ICC Champions Trophy
-Semifinals: -Finals: =*Ricky Ponting *Adam Gilchrist *Michael Bevan*Jason Gillespie*Nathan Hauritz*Matthew Hayden*Brett Lee*Darren Lehmann*Jimmy Maher...
with Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. Domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
, the Duleep Trophy
Duleep Trophy
The Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India between teams representing geographical zones of India. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji .-History:...
, the Deodhar Trophy
Deodhar Trophy
The current List A cricket competition in Indian domestic cricket is the Deodhar Trophy. It is named after Prof. D. B. Deodhar and is a 50-over knockout competition played on an annual basis among the 5 zonal teams - North Zone, South Zone, East Zone, West Zone and Central Zone...
, the Irani Trophy
Irani Trophy
The Irani Cup tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970...
and the Challenger Series. In addition, BCCI conducts the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
, a Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
competition.
Football
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. India was an Asian powerhouse in the 1960s, finishing as runners up in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup
1964 AFC Asian Cup
The 1964 AFC Asian Cup was the third AFC Asian Cup football tournament. The finals were held in Israel from May 26 to June 3, 1964.The tournament used a round-robin system, and host nation Israel won the title with a perfect record of three wins.-Venues:...
, but gradually the standard of Football has gone down compared to other countries and India currently ranks 144 in the FIFA rankings as of 20 August 2010. The sport is, nevertheless, widely popular both as a spectator Sport and as a participation Sport and is controlled by the national team
India national football team
The Indian national football team is the national football team of India and is governed by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation. Since 1948, the AIFF has been affiliated with FIFA, the international governing body for football. In 1954, AIFF became...
. The Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
is the second largest non-auto racing stadium in the world.
On 23 June 1937 at the Army Headquarters, Shimla, the All India Football Federation
All India Football Federation
The All India Football Federation is the organisation which manages the game of association football in India. It administers the running of the India national football team and also controls the I-League, India's premier domestic club competition, in addition to various other competitions and...
was formed at a meeting of the representatives of Football Associations of 6 regions where the game was very popular in those days. It is the present body of Football in India
Football in India
Association football is one of India's most popular sports, next to cricket. It is a very popular sport in states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala and the entire North-East India, especially Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Sikkim....
. Domestic competitions for mens include the I-League
I-League
The I-League is an Indian football league for association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 14 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation of two teams each year with the I-League 2nd Division...
and the I-League 2nd Division
I-League 2nd Division
The I-League 2nd Division is the second highest division of football in India after the I-League....
in the indian league system, the annual knockout style Federation Cup (India)
Federation Cup (India)
The Federation Cup is an annual knockout style club football tournament in India. It has started in 1977. From its inception till I-League has been started in 1997 , it was the most prestigious national level club football tournament in India...
and the Indian Super Cup
Indian Super Cup
The Indian Super Cup is a one-off annual Indian club association football match contested between the I-League champions and the Federation Cup winners. If the I-League champions also won the Federation Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
, for womens the India women's football championship
India women's football championship
India Women's Football Championship is the top level professional women's football league in India. It began play in 1991. The league consists of 25 teams for the 2011 season....
.
Tennis
Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
is a popular sport among Indians in urban areas. Tennis gained popularity after the exploits of Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj is a former Indian tennis player, sports commentator and actor.Amritraj was born in Chennai, India to Maggie Dhairyam and Robert Amritraj. He and his brothers, Anand Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis...
. India's fortunes in the Grand Slams
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
singles have been unimpressive although Leander Paes
Leander Paes
Leander Adrian Paes, pronounced pās, is an Indian professional tennis player who currently features in the doubles events in the ATP tour and the Davis Cup tournament...
and Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Bhupathi
Mahesh Shrinivas Bhupathi is an Indian professional tennis player widely regarded as among the best doubles players in the world with 11 Grand Slam titles to his credit. In 1997, he became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam tournament...
have won many Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles Grand Slam Titles. Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza is a professional Indian tennis player. She began her tennis career in 2003 and is well known for her powerful forehand ground strokes. She is the first ever Indian to break into the top 30 WTA rankings...
is the only notable Indian woman Tennis player, having won a WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
title and breaking in to the Top 30 WTA rankings. On the men's side, young Somdev Devvarman
Somdev Devvarman
Somdev Devvarman , is a professional Indian tennis player. Three of Devvarman's college conquests, John Isner, Kevin Anderson, and Jesse Levine have successful pro careers. He hit the headlines for being the only collegiate player to have made three consecutive finals at the NCAA, winning...
and Yuki Bhambri
Yuki Bhambri
Yuki Bhambri is a male Indian professional tennis player. Yuki is managed by IMG and trains at the IMG Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida.-Junior career:...
are flying India's flag on ATP Tour. Yuki is the current Australian Open junior singles champion.
Chess
ChessChess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
has risen in popularity in India in the last few decades primarily due to its star player GM Vishwanathan Anand. He is the current World Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
and he has revolutionized the popularity of this Sport in India.
In Fédération Internationale des Échecs
Fédération Internationale des Échecs
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE , its French acronym.FIDE...
or World Chess Federation (FIDE) World Ranking
1. Vishwanathan Anand is in No:2 rank with rating: 2817
2. Koneru Humpy
Koneru Humpy
Humpy Koneru is an Indian chess Grandmaster. Her January 2010 FIDE Elo rating is 2614, placing her number two in the world for women . In 2007 she surpassed the rating of 2577 set by Susan Polgar to become the second-highest ranked female player in history...
is in No:2 rank with rating: 2607
It is believed that the game originated from India as a successor to Chaturanga
Chaturanga
Chaturanga is an ancient Indian game that is presumed to be the common ancestor of the games of chess, shogi, and makruk, and related to xiangqi and janggi.Chaturanga developed in Gupta India around the 6th century...
or Shatranj
Shatranj
Shatranj is an old form of chess, which came to the Western world from India. Modern chess has gradually developed from this game.-Etymology and origins:...
. The All India Chess Federation
All India Chess Federation
The All India Chess Federation is central administrative body for the game of chess in India. Founded in 1951, the federation is affiliated to Fédération Internationale des Échecs, , the world body for chess...
is the governing body of Chess in India.
Motorsports
Motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
is a popular Spectator Sport in India, although there are relatively few competitors compared to other sports due to the high costs of competing. On 1 February 2005, Narain Karthikeyan
Narain Karthikeyan
Kumar Ram Narain Karthikeyan , is the first Formula One motor racing driver from India. He has previously competed in A1GP, and the Le Mans Series. He made his Formula One debut in with the Jordan team, and was a WilliamsF1 test driver in and...
became India's first Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing driver. On March 2007, he also became the first ever Indian-born driver to compete in a NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Series. He debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the Kroger 250
Kroger 250
The Kroger 250 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that takes place at Martinsville Speedway in the spring.-Past winners:*1996, 1997, 2004, 2007, 2008, & 2009: Race extended due to a Green-white-checker finish....
. Force India F1 is a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
motor racing team. The team was formed in October 2007, when a consortium led by India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n businessman Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya is an Indian liquor and airline baron. The son of industrialist Vittal Mallya, he is the chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines. His United Spirits is world's second largest liquor maker, by volume...
and Michiel Mol
Michiel Mol
Michiel Mol is a Dutch businessman and the director of the Force India Formula One team.-Early life and career:...
bought the Spyker F1
Spyker F1
Spyker F1 Team was a Formula One team that competed in the 2007 Formula One World Championship, and was created by Spyker Cars after their buyout of the short-lived Midland F1 team...
team for €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
88 million. After going through 29 races without a point, Force India
Force India
Sahara Force India Formula One Team, the trading name of Force India Formula One Team Limited, is a Formula One racing team based in Silverstone, United Kingdom which currently holds an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and...
won their first Formula One World Championship points and podium place when Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella
Giancarlo Fisichella , also known as Fisico, Giano or Fisi, is an Italian racing driver. He has driven in Formula One for Minardi, Jordan, Benetton, Sauber, Renault, Force India and Ferrari. Nowadays, he drives for AF Corse's GT2 Ferrari in various sportscar events...
finished second in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix
2009 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2009 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on August 30, 2009 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps near the town of Spa, Belgium. It was the 12th race of the 2009 Formula One season. The race was contested over 44 laps, with an overall race distance of 308.2 km...
. New Delhi hosted the Indian Grand Prix
Indian Grand Prix
The Indian Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India...
in 2011 at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida
Greater Noida
Greater Noida is located in the Gautam Budh Nagar district of the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh . It is under the purview of the National Capital Region of India...
, 50 km from New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. Karun Chandhok currently is the test driver for Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
& Karthikeyan is the test driver for HRT in the 2011 Formula One season
2011 Formula One season
The 2011 Formula One season was the 62nd FIA Formula One season. The original calendar consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over...
. Both Chandhok and Karthikeyan stepped in (for Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli
Jarno Trulli is an Italian Formula One racing driver. He has been a regular in Formula One since 1997, driving for Minardi, Prost, Jordan, Renault and Toyota. He won the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix for Renault, his only Grand Prix victory to date. He is known for being a qualification expert...
and Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo is an Australian racing driver currently competing in Formula 1 for Hispania Racing. He won the British Formula Three Championship in 2009.-Formula Ford and Formula BMW:...
, respectively) at the 2011 Indian Grand Prix
2011 Indian Grand Prix
The 2011 Indian Grand Prix, formally the 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India, was a Formula One motor race that was held on 30 October 2011 at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India...
; it was the first time two Indian drivers compete in the same Formula One Grand Prix.
Badminton
BadmintonBadminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
is a popular sport in India. Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal is an Indian Khel Ratna badminton player currently ranked 4 in the world by Badminton World Federation. Saina is the first Indian woman to reach the singles quarterfinals at the Olympics and the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships...
is currently ranked sixth in the world and has been named the Most Promising Player of 2008 by the Badminton World Federation. This is the first ever achievement by any Indian shuttler, after Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone
Prakash Padukone is a former badminton player from Karnataka, India. Among other championships, he won the All England Championship and became the first Indian to do so. Prakash was awarded the Padma Sri in 1982...
and Pullela Gopichand
Pullela Gopichand
Pullela Gopichand is an Indian Badminton player.He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001 defeating Chen Hong of China in the finals by 15-12,15-6. He became the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone, who won it in 1980...
who both won the All England Open
All England Open Badminton Championships
The All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...
in 1980 and 2001 respectively.
Golf
Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
is a growing sport in India. It is especially popular among the wealthier classes and has not yet caught on with others due to its expense. The most successful Indian Golfer is Jeev Milkha Singh
Jeev Milkha Singh
Jeev Milkha Singh is the first Indian professional golfer to become a member of the European Tour. He is the highest ranked Indian golfer in the world and first broke into the top 100 in October 2006.-Early life:...
who has won 3 titles during the European Tour, 4 during the Japan Golf Tour
Japan Golf Tour
The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...
and 6 during the Asian Tour. Although his current world ranking is 36, his highest ranking has been 28 (in March 2009). Singh has won the Asian Tour order of merit 2 times. Other Indians who have won the Asian tour order of merit are Jyoti Randhawa
Jyoti Randhawa
Jyoti Singh Randhawa is an Indian professional golfer who was ranked in the top 100 of the world and is the third-highest Indian in the world rankings.-Career:...
in 2002 (the first Indian to achieve this) and Arjun Atwal
Arjun Atwal
Arjun Singh Atwal is an Indian professional golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour and is the first player born in India to become a member of, and later win on the U.S.-based PGA Tour.-Early life:...
, who went on in 2010 to become the first India-born player to become a member of, and later won the U.S.-based PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
.
There are numerous golf courses all over India. There is an Indian Golf Tour. India's men's golf team won gold at the 1982 Asian Games and silver at the 2006 Asian Games. Lakshman Singh won the individual gold at the 1982 Asian Games.
Korfball
IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
is the oldest Korfball
Korfball
Korfball is a mixed gender team sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. A team consists of eight players; four female and four male. A team also includes a coach. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1902 by Nico Broekhuysen. In the Netherlands there are around 580 clubs, and over a...
playing country in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. From 1979, when the game was first introduced in India, Korfball popularity has continued to rise and now the game is being played in 27 States with each state having its own association to promote and organize events. Korfball
Korfball
Korfball is a mixed gender team sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. A team consists of eight players; four female and four male. A team also includes a coach. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1902 by Nico Broekhuysen. In the Netherlands there are around 580 clubs, and over a...
is recognized by the Union Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and national championships in senior, junior and sub-junior categories and the inter-University and inter-school championships are being held regularly.
Indian Korfball Team participated in the Asian – Oceania U23 Youth Korfball Championship in Adelaide (Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) held between 9-16 july. The team reached the final
Final
Final or The Final may refer to:*Final , the last or championship round of a match, game, or other contest*Final , a keyword in the Java programming language*Final , a keyword in the PHP programming language...
where it lost against the reigning Asian – Oceania Korfball Champion, Chinese Taipei on 16 July 2011. India won five out of seven matches it played. The matches it won were against Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Malaysia, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The only matches it lost were both against Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games and Asian Para Games...
, including the final.
India came third place 2 times (2002 & 2006) in the Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship
Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship
Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship is the korfball competition played by the Asian and Oceanian national teams, organized by the Asia-Oceania Korfball Federation and the International Korfball Federation.- History :-External links:*...
s.
Volleyball
VolleyballVolleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
is a sport played all over India, both in rural as well as urban India. It is a popular recreation sport. India is ranked 5th in Asia and 27th in the world. Doing doing well in the youth and junior levels, India came in second in the 2003 World youth championships. Currently, a major problem for the sport is the lack of sponsors. Indian senior men's team is currently ranked 46th in the world.
Basketball
BasketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
is a popular sport in India. It is played in almost every school, although very few people take it professionally. India has both men's
India national basketball team
The India men's national basketball team represents India in international men's basketball. It is controlled by Basketball Federation of India....
and women's
India women's national basketball team
India women's national basketball team is a national women's national basketball team, from India.-Current roster:The following is the Indian women squad that participated in the 2007 FIBA Asia Basketball Championship Cup at Korea....
national teams in basketball. It also made 1 Olympic appearance in Basketball and appeared 20 times in the Asian Championship. India is currently ranked 41st in the world in Basketball.
Floorball
FloorballFloorball
Floorball, a type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s in Sweden. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The game is played...
is a sport which is gaining popularity in India. The Floorball Federation of India was started in 2001 and since then it has expanded rapidly. There has been 4 national Floorball championships held with Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
being the champions. Women's Floorball has also expanded alongside men and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
is the first national Floorball champion of India. Currently, India is a provisional member of International Floorball Federation
International Floorball Federation
The International Floorball Federation is the worldwide governing body for the sport of floorball. It was founded in 1986 in Huskvarna, Sweden, by the national floorball associations of Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. As of March 2011, it had 52 member associations, with 3,983 clubs and 277,752...
. India has participated in many international friendlies and steps are being taken to make India an Ordinary member of Floorball
Floorball
Floorball, a type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s in Sweden. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The game is played...
.
Rugby union
Like other sports founded in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and introduced during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
such as Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
has a long history in India. The first recorded match was played on Christmas day in 1872, at CFC in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. Although low in profile as compared to Cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
or Field Hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, some Indian sporting clubs are embracing the game. It is considered the second most popular winter Sport, after Football in India.
Currently, there are 22,282 registered players in the country and the Indian national team
India national rugby union team
The Indian national rugby union team is a national rugby team representing the country of India in international competition. It is ranked 75th in the world , out of 95teams. Their captain is Nasser Hussain, nicknamed "Nino" and they are currently being coached by South Africans Norman Laker and...
are ranked 75th out of 95 nations in the IRB World Rankings
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
. The home of Rugby in India is considered to be Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
Rugby union is also featured heavily in S. S. Rajamouli
S. S. Rajamouli
S.S. Rajamouli is a screenwriter and film director who works in Telugu cinema. He was introduced as a director by K. Raghavendra Rao. Starting from his first venture as a director, all his movies have had great success at the box office...
's Telegu film Sye
Sye (film)
Sye is a Telugu film which released on 23 September 2004 and was directed by S.S. Rajamouli. This is his third film after the success of both Student No.1 and Simhadri. This film has a rugby union backdrop...
.
Bandy
India has a bandy team. Bandy Federation of India takes care of BandyBandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
in India. Its headquarters is in Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh. Bandy is generally played in northern India where there is generally snow and ice. India is one of 6 countries in Asia and in total 28 to be a member of Federation of International Bandy
Federation of International Bandy
The Federation of International Bandy is the international governing body for the sport of bandy. It was formed in 1955 in Stockholm, Sweden, and has had its base in Sweden since 1979. The present offices are situated in Katrineholm....
. BFI will send a team to the Asian Winter Games
Asian Winter Games
The Asian Winter Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for members of the Olympic Council of Asia which features winter events. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested the idea of holding a winter version of the Asian Games in 1982...
in Astana-Almaty 2011.
Netball
NetballNetball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
is a popular sport in India among Indian women. India's national team
India national netball team
The India national netball team is the national netball team of India. The team competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, for the first time. India were coached by Panchali Tatke, who took over from Mary Murcia Lourdes one month before the start of the Games. Prachi Tehlan captained the...
is ranked 25th in the world and has played only very few matches. The team has failed to qualify for any of the Netball World Cups. Recently they have played 18 matches in total.
In the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Netball
Netball
Netball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
was included as a medal sport. However the Indian team failed to win a medal.
Ice hockey
Ice HockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
has surprisingly deep roots. Areas like Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
, Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
and Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
have traditionally cold climates. As early as 1985, the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
and local youth started playing the game to occupy themselves in the winter. They used improvised field hockey sticks and converted shoe polish tins to act as pucks.
Today, the sport has come a long way since then. It is played at the National level in Ladakh, Shimla and Kashmir. Even tough we do not have any artifricial rinks available in the country, the game flourishes at these locations during the winters.
The northern states of India have six teams that play at the national level and in addition they conduct very active Learn to Play programs for the children and women.
Many ex pats from the Canadian and Russian consulates in Mumbai and Delhi have been playing the game in Ladakh. The whole concept of playing in – 20 degree centigrade at the highest Ice Hockey rinks in the world is enough to attract them to play in India.
The Ice Hockey Association of India
Ice Hockey Association of India
In addition to working with other sport organizations in India such as the Indian Olympic Association and the Sports Authority of India to develop hockery infrastructure and construct rinks, the IHAI is seeking corporate sponsors. Many of the members of the Indian national team, coordinated by the...
just concluded the fourth National Ice Hockey Championships in Leh from 22 to 29 January 2009. The Ladakh Scouts Regimental team won the finals. The Ice Hockey Association of India also selected its national team
India national ice hockey team
The India national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of India, and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation.Ice hockey in India has surprisingly deep roots. Areas like Shimla, Kashmir and Ladakh have traditionally cold climates. As early as 1985, the Indian Army and local...
, which represented India in the Asian Challenge Cup to be held in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, UAE, in March 2009.
Handball in India
India has a handballTeam handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
team started in 27 April 1989. although it hasn't made any impact at World stage. Indian Handball Federation manages handball in India. Handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
is a popular sport in India, played at local level in India but hasn't made it big in domestic level. India has yet to make an impact at international level and the World Cup.
Throwball
ThrowballThrowball
Throwball is a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of seven players on a rectangular court. Throwball is popular in Asia, especially on the Indian subcontinent, and was first played in India as a women's sport in Chennai during the 1940s. Like volleyball, the game's roots...
is gaining popularity in India as a competitive sport and Indian authorities of the game was instrumental in organizing Asian level and later, World level Association for the sport. Throwball
Throwball
Throwball is a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of seven players on a rectangular court. Throwball is popular in Asia, especially on the Indian subcontinent, and was first played in India as a women's sport in Chennai during the 1940s. Like volleyball, the game's roots...
is a popular sport, played in gym class, colleges, and clubs throughout Asian countries such as India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. It is also slowly taking popularity up by other countries such as France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.Junior Throwball team of India visited Srilanka in 1982. Vijay Dahiya from Haryana was captain of team.Indian team won test series.
Kabaddi
KabaddiKabaddi
Kabaddi is a South Asian team sport...
is a popular sport in India. It is one of the most popular sports in India played mainly among people in villages. It is regarded as a team-contact sport as a recreational form of combat training. Two teams occupy opposite halves of a small field and take turns sending a raider into the other half, in order to win points by tagging/wrestling members of the opposing team; the raider then tries to return to his own half while holding his breath and chanting "kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi" during the whole raid. India has taken part in four Asian Games in Kabaddi
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a South Asian team sport...
, and won gold in all of them. There are 4 forms of kabaddi played in India are Amar, Suranjeevi, Huttuttoo and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and other parts of the world mostly by Panjabi sportmen. Suranjeevi is the most played form of Kabaddi
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a South Asian team sport...
in India and the world, This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian Games. Huttuttoo was played by men in Maharashtra State. Huttuttoo is a much Tougher version of Kabaddi.
India won the Kabaddi World Championship in 2007 beating Iran 29-19.
Lacrosse
LacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
is a fairly new sport in India which was introduced in 2006. It is now being played by schools in Shillong
Shillong
-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...
, Meghalaya
Meghalaya
Meghalaya is a state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means the Abode of Clouds in Sanskrit and other Indic languages. Meghalaya is a hilly strip in the eastern part of the country about 300 km long and 100 km wide, with a total area of about 8,700 sq mi . The...
and mostly unknown in the rest of the country.
American football
Introduced in 2011 by various American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
figures, including Mike Ditka
Mike Ditka
Michael Keller Ditka, Jr. is a former American football NFL player, television commentator, and coach. Ditka coached the Chicago Bears for 11 years and New Orleans Saints for three years. Ditka and Tom Flores are the only two people to win Super Bowls as a player, an assistant coach, and a head...
and Ron Jaworski
Ron Jaworski
Ronald Vincent "Ron" Jaworski is a former American football quarterback and currently an NFL analyst on ESPN. He is also CEO of Ron Jaworski Golf Management, Inc., based out of Blackwood, New Jersey, and manages golf courses in southern New Jersey, northeast Pennsylvania, and West Virginia...
, the Elite Football League of India
Elite Football League of India
The Elite Football League of India is a proposed men's professional American football league in India. When play begins in late 2012, there will be ten teams, located in various cities across India...
will be India's first professional American football league. League play is scheduled to being in 2012, and will feature teams from eight different Indian cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and others.
Polo
In India, the popularity of polo has waned and risen many time. However, it has never lost its regal status. In the last few decades, the emergence of privately owned teams has ensured a renaissance in Indian polo. Today, polo is not just restricted to the royalty and the Indian Army
Baseball and softball
BaseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
has recently started to show up in India. Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
is played at school and university level. Two Indian pitchers were selected after the Million Dollar Arm competition to play in the USA. A talent hunt kind of competition was conducted by MLB to find baseball talents in India and found the teenagers Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh
Rinku Singh is a left-handed baseball pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.-Early Life in Bhadoni:...
and Dinesh Patel
Dinesh Patel
Dinesh Patel is a right-handed baseball pitcher that played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Along with Rinku Singh, he is the first Indian national ever to sign a contract with a major American sports club....
. They were taken to the USA and received good coaching. Now these two players are selected to play for Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
minor league organisations.Rinku Singh will play for the Canberra Cavalry
Canberra Cavalry
The Canberra UberGlobal Cavalry is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League. The team is based in the city of Canberra, Australia...
of the Australian Baseball League
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
for the competition's inaugural 2010-11 season.
Boxing
BoxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
is one of the most enjoyable profiled sports in India. India has not produced a world champion in any weight class, although it is a regular medal-holder at Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
and Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
. In November 2007, India's Mary Kom
Mary Kom
Mangte Chungneijang Merykom, also known as MC Mary Kom or Mary Kom, is a female boxer from Manipur, India who is supported by Olympic Gold Quest. Mary Kom, a mother of two, is five times World Boxing Champion, successively...
won the best boxer title and also secured a hattrick of titles. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Vijender Kumar won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category and Akhil Kumar
Akhil Kumar
Akhil Kumar is an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards. He practices an “Open Guarded” boxing style. In 2005, the Indian government gave him the Arjuna Award for his achievements in international Boxing...
and Jitender Kumar qualified for the quarterfinals. Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, A.L.Lakra and Dinesh Kumar each won a bronze medal at the 2008 world championship. Vijender Kumar is current world number 1 on middleweight class.
Cycling
The history of cyclingCycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
in India dates back to 1938. The Cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
Federation of India takes care of the sport. Cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
is unknown as a professional sport in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, but popular as a common recreational sport and it is a good way to keep fit
Table tennis
Table tennisTable tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
is a popular indoor recreation sport in India, which has caught on in states like West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The Table Tennis Federation of India is the official sports body. India, which is currently ranked 30 in the world, has produced a single player ranked in the top 50, Sharat Kamal.
Equestrian sports
India also has a wide following in various equestrian sports like showjumping, eventing, dressage, endurance and tentpegging. Supported by the Equestrian Federation of India, eventing is the most popular of the five, with teams representing the country at most Asian games, winning a bronze medal in the 2006 and 2002 games. India has been represented at the Olympics twice, by Wing Commander I.J.Lamba, and Imtiaz Anees.Flat water and sea kayaking
Indian flat water kayakers are emerging powerhouse in the Asian circuit. Aside from professional flat waterkayakingKayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, there is very limited recreational kayaking. Potential to generate interest in flat water kayaking is held by leisure resorts located near the sea or other water bodies. But more often than not, Indian tourists consider kayaking a one-time activity and not a sport to be pursued.
Whitewater kayaking
Whitewater kayaking has its rabid enthusiasts concentrated in the north towards Himalayas and some in the south in Bangalore in Karnataka. Most of these enthusiasts are or were Whitewater Raft guides who took to the sport of whitewater kayaking. Some of the prominent whitewater kayakers include Abhinav Kala, Shalabh Gahlaut and John Pollard. Many of them have notched first descents (similar to Climbing Ascents) on rivers in India and Nepal.'Bangalore Kayakers' are India's first amateur group of white water kayakers. Based out Bangalore, they currently explore rivers around Western Ghats.
Gear availability is another problem that plagues the sportsmen and sportswomen. While the global designs for whitewater boats and paddles change annually, Indian kayakers have to pay high fees if they want to import any kind of gear or they have to buy used gear in Nepal. More often than not, one will see Indian kayaking guides riding down the river in a Perception Amp or Piroutte or Dancer kind of design while the kayakers from abroad in their new design, planing hull, centered volume kayaks from Riot, Pyranha or Wave Sport.Due to increasing media coverage, more people do kayaking every season.
Mountain biking
Mountain bikingMountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
is becoming a popular sport. For the last six years, MTB Himachal
MTB Himachal
The MTB Himachal is an annual mountain bike race held in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, India. Started in 2005, the race covers nearly in a span of 9 days.-Venues:...
has been organized regularly by HASTPA, an NGO. It is attended by a number of national and international participants, such as Indian Army, Indian Air Force, ITBP and a number of young and energetic MTB individual riders from cities like Pune, Bangalore, Delhi and Chandigarh. Last year, the government of Sikkim (Department of Tourism) introduced its own MTB race with South East Asia's biggest prize money. The second edition saw 48 professional participants from across the globe.
Tour of Nilgiris is a major non-competitive/non-commercial touring event in South Asia today, that covers 1000 kilometres in under ten days.
Rock climbing
Rock or technical climbing has been around in India since a long time. Presumably, the mountaineers headed for Himalayan ascents had to train somewhere, and would have imparted some of the initial technical climbing culture. Documented evidence of rock climbing is associated with bouldering and climbing around Bangalore's famous Ramanagaram crags and Turahalli boulders, around Western Ghats closer to Mumbai and Pune.Dinesh KS (Dinni) of Wildcraft
Wildcraft
Wildcraft is India’s largest adventure and outdoor gear company focused around Outdoor Activities like camping, mountain climbing, trekking and backpacking. Wildcraft manufactures outdoor gear like rucksacks, backpacks, travel gear, camping gear, tents, sleeping bags, camera bags and accessories...
Equipment was climbing in Bangalore around 1980s as part of a continuing tradition of climbing around the area.
Deccan and south of Vindhyas in India are considered the prime locations for rock climbing in India today. More for reason that there is an established climbing tradition associated with Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore. For example, Hampi is considered the bouldering capital of India. Climbers congregate here during New Years eve and climb through the weeks preceding and after. Badami is considered highly for its free and sport routes (numbering over 200).
While the nature of the sport is more of a non-competitive adventurous kind, the competitive version, i.e. sport climbing has many adherents, and has a very intense scene. Indians have notched quite a few international positions in sport climbing and are considered an Asian powerhouse.
Some of the more popular locations for sport climbing include, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Kangla Wall of MMTA (Manipur) Shillong
Shillong
-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
. For locations to climb in India, see Climbing locations in India
Climbing locations in India
This is a list of articles about climbing areas and regions associated with climbing in India.- Karnataka :* Bangalore* Antharagange* Badami* Chamundi betta* Kunti betta* Hampi* Madhugiri* Narsapur Rocks* Ramanagaram* Raogodlu* Savan Durga* Turahalli...
.
Sepak takraw
Sepak TakrawSepak Takraw
Sepak takraw , or kick volleyball, is a sport native to the Malay-Thai Peninsula...
is not very well known in India, although it was a demonstration sport at the Delhi Asiad in 1982. The Sepak Takraw Federation with its headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, was founded on 10 September 1982. It is recognised by the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports since 2000. So far, the Federation has conducted 14 Senior, seven Junior and six Sub-Junior National Championship in different cities and is also conducting Federation Cup Tournament and zonal National Championship.
The game is very popular in the north eastern state of Manipur and some of the best players hail from there. In the 22nd King’s Cup International Sepak Takraw Tournament held at Bangkok, the India men team lost in the semifinals and claimed bronze in the team event. In doubles event, the women team lost in the semifinals, but bagged bronze medals.
Winter sports
Snow sports are uncommon in India due to a lack of snow except in the extreme north. Ski tournaments take place every winter in GulmargGulmarg
Gulmarg is a town, a hill station and a notified area committee in Baramula district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.-Geography:Gulmarg is located 52 km from Srinagar. It is located at . It has an average elevation of .-Demographics:...
, Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
. Winter sports are generally more common in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Skiing, snow rugby, snow cycling and snow football are few of the common sports played in India. Skiing is more popular although India has taken part in Luge in winter olympics since 1998. Shiva Keshavan is the only India to have won a medal in international meet in winter sports.
Archery
An ancient game in India, archery is making rapid strides in the country, with more and more youngsters opting for it. Archery Association of IndiaArchery Association of India
Archery Association of India is the national governing body of archery in India. Its headquarters are located in New Delhi, and its current president is Vijay Kumar Malhotra...
(AAI) is the national governing body of archery in India. Young talents like Jayant Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai and Rahul Banerjee are making waves at the big stage. With international laurels pouring thick and fast, India is emerging as an archery powerhouse. The country is all set to break the Korean stranglehold on the World Archery Championship. The fact that India finished second to the mighty Koreans at the 2005 World Championship is a solid proof of the growing International stature of Indian archers and the sport of archery back home.
In the present time, archery has found favor among a wider section of the Indian society, with the introduction of modern and sophisticated equipments for the sport. Moreover, the Archery Association of India (AAI) is taking special efforts in providing infrastructure and proper training to the sports-persons, who have taken archery as their event. Moreover, job opportunities are opening up in a big way for the sport's stars. Traditionally dominated by champion archers from tribal communities, today, a major lot of the archers come from non-tribal areas with good educational backgrounds. In the present time, archery in India has emerged as a sport with considerable recognition and has managed to score success.
Athletics and triathlon
In India, athletics has come a long way since the initial years, but it still is a minor sport in India. Even though Indian athletics has witnessed improvements in terms of facilities and infrastructure, the general standard of competition still leaves scope for a lot of improvement. However, some athletes like Anju Bobby George, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Milkha Singh, Norman Pritchard, P. T. Usha and T. C. Yohannan, have done India extremely proud, with their brilliant game and made a mark at the Olympics as well. In recent years, the females have been doing better in Asian competitions. Anu VaidyanathanAnu Vaidyanathan
Anuradha Vaidyanathan, known as Anu Vaidyanathan, is an Indian triathlete who is the first and only Asian to compete in Ultraman and placed 6th. In three years, she competed all over the globe in Ironman distance events and long-course triathlons culminating in in 2009, followed by a finish at...
, is an Indian triathlete who is the first and only Asian to compete in Ultraman
Ultraman (endurance challenge)
The Ultraman World Championship is a three-day, 320 mile annual endurance race held on the Big Island of Hawaii. The race is divided into three stages over three days: The first is a 6.2-mile ocean swim from Kailua Bay to Keauhou Bay, followed by a 90-mile cross-country bike ride, with vertical...
.
Weightlifting and powerlifting
Karnam MalleswariKarnam Malleswari
Karnam Malleswari is an Indian Weightlifter. To her first time she participated in the 'National Junior weight lifting championship and stood First. In 1992 she participated in the Asian champion ship which took place in Thailand and stood second and won three silver medals. She also won three...
won a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, which made her the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.In 1992 she participated in the Asian champion ship which took place in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and stood second and won three silver medals. She also won three Bronze medals in the world championship.
The headquarters of Indian Weightlifting Federation is at New Delhi. The Federation is affiliated to the Indian Olympic Association (Delhi) and is also a member of Asian Weightlifting Federation (Tehran) and International Weightlifting Federation (Budapest). The present General Secretary of Indian Weightlifting Federation is Balbir Singh.
The International Weightlifting Federation banned the Indian Weightlifting Federation from participating in all international competitions for one year, as three Indian women weightlifters—S Sunaina, Sanamacha Chanu and Pratima Kumari, were accused of doping offences in various international competitions in a single year.
Billiards and snookers
India has been a force to reckon with in world billiards competitions. An impressive assembly of great champions like Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira and Geet Sethi has underlined the powerhouse status of the country. Snooker Federation of India, the apex body, play a proactive role in popularizing the game. Many such efforts have been done by the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India in the recent past to enhance the popularity of the game in the country. Several training camps for identifying budding talent and providing them regional and state sponsorship have been organised by the Billiards and Snooker Federation in various parts of the country.Wrestling
Considered as one of the most ancient and oldest sports in the world, wrestling in India has glorious past. The game of Wrestling started its journey in India several centuries back, during the middles ages. Wrestling is counted amongst the most prestigious and oldest events in the Olympic Games, as it was included in the Olympics in 708 BC. In the ancient times, Wrestling in India was mainly used as a wonderful way to stay physically fit. It was also used as a great way of military exercise without any weapons. Wrestling in India is also known as `dangal` and it is the basic form of a wrestling tournament. Wrestling in India is most famously known as Malla-Yuddha.There are also mentions of wrestling in the ancient times. These can be found in the great epic of Indian history, Mahabharata has a huge mention about the game of Wrestling in India. One of the premier characters in Mahabharata, Bhima was considered to be a great Wrestler of that time and some of the other great wrestlers included Jarasandha, Duryodhan, Karna etc. In the other Indian epic, Ramayana also mentions about Wrestling in India and Hanuman is described as one of the greatest wrestlers of that time. The thirteenth century Malla Purana has the reference of a group of Gujarati Brahmin wrestlers known as Jyesthimallas.Gymnastics
Gymnastics came of age in India, when at the 2010 Commonwealth Games2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, Ashish Kumar
Ashish Kumar
Ashish Kumar is an Indian gymnast from Allahabad, who won the first-ever medal in gymnastics for India, in October 2010 at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, when he won a Silver in Men's vault and a Bronze in Men's floor to become the most successful Indian gymnast in Commonwealth Games history, by...
won the first-ever medal in gymnastics for India, he also won a bronze medal. However soon after the win the President of the Gymnastics Federation of India, controversially asked Ashish's Chief Coach from the erstwhile Soviet Union, Vladimir Chertkov: "Is this all that you can deliver, a bronze?", the comment was widely reported in the press. Later the coach also revealed that "In Aug 2009, we had no equipment. Ashish trained on hard floor till Feb 2010, and then we got equipment around 20 years old." Also the Federation announced that no Indian team would travel to Rotterdam for the World Championships in October which would mean that Indian gymnasts automatically not qualify as a team for the 2012 Olympics.
Gilli-danda
It is a sport played using one small stick (gilli) and a large stick (danda) like cricket with ball being replaced by gilli. It is still played in villages of RajasthanRajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
etc. states of India only as a recreational sport among boys.
Kancha
It is played using marbles (kancha) in cities as well as villages by small boys only as gully sport. The winner gets the kancha of other boys.Kite-flying
It is played by many people in India in cities as well as villages. The festival of Makar Sankranti is marked with competitions of this sport.Other sports
Other sports and games namely air sportsAir sports
The term Air sports covers a range of aerial activities such as:* Aerobatics* Ballooning* General aviation including Air racing* Gliding* Hang gliding* Human powered aircraft* Model aircraft* Parachuting* Paragliding...
, atya patya, bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
, carrom
Carrom
Carrom is a family of tabletop games with gameplay that lies somewhere between billiards and table shuffleboard. Carrom is known by many names around the world, including carrum, couronne, carum, karam, karom, karum, fatta and finger billiards...
, cycle polo
Cycle polo
Cycle polo is a team sport, invented in County Wicklow, Ireland, in 1891 by retired cyclist, Richard J. Mecredy. The sport is similar to traditional polo, except that bicycles are used instead of horses. The hardcourt game has seen a sharp spike in interest as of 2007 and new teams are sprouting up...
, fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, Gatka
Gatka
Gatka is a weapon-based Indian martial art created by the Sikhs of the Punjab region. The word gatka refers to the wooden stick used in sparring matches. The term might have originated as a diminutive of the Sanskrit word gadha or mace....
, kho-kho, mallakhamb
Mallakhamb
Mallakhamb or Malkhamb is a traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs feats and poses in concert with a vertical wooden pole or rope. Mallakhamb also refers to the pole used in the sport....
, roller skating
Roller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
, rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, shooting ball, soft tennis
Soft Tennis
Soft tennis is a racket game played on a court of two halves, separated by a net. Like regular tennis, it is played by individuals or pairs , whose object is to hit the ball over the net, landing within the confines of the court, with the aim of preventing one's opponent from being able to hit it...
, squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
, ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
, tennikoit
Tennikoit
Tennikoit is an outdoor game which was started in the early 1960s. It was played by high school girls in the USA since the 1930s. Four decades since its inception, the game has risen from district levels to international levels with nearly 20 countries all over the world competing for the...
, tug of war
Tug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
, yachting
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
, have dedicated following and their own national sports federations.
Sports Broadcasting in India
Local Sporting event broadcasting is in stagnant stage in india due to mandatory sharing of sporting events of live feed and rights made by ordnance in favor of Prasar Bharathi thus all Sports broadcasters playout from outside the country which only allows to produce international events and fades the production,distribution,invention of new local field of sporting events as all this topic is still hot discusion Commonwealth Games 2010 Broadcasting scam made clear on ruthless inability of decision makers.
See also
- India at the Lusophony GamesIndia at the Lusophony Games-Medal table by sports:...
- India at the ParalympicsIndia at the ParalympicsIndia made its Summer Paralympic début at the 1968 Games, competed again in 1972, and then was absent until the 1984 Games. The country has participated in every edition of the Summer Games since then...
- India at the Cricket World CupIndia at the Cricket World CupThe Indian cricket team are the current world cup champions. In addition to winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup on home soil, they won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...
- 2011 Cricket World Cup Final2011 Cricket World Cup FinalThe 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final was played between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 2 April 2011. This was the 10th ICC Cricket World Cup. India won the match by six wickets, its second World Cup victory, having previously won in 1983. India became the third nation to...