2026: Sports-heavy year and aspirations
CHENNAI: In sports parlance, there is no respite. The year 2026 is going be a sports-heavy mind-boggling year that would give fans hardly any time to resuscitate. The year will begin with the Hockey India League (HIL), India Open badminton, T20 Men’s World Cup followed by the ever-popular Indian Premier League until summer. This will be followed by planet’s most-watched and followed sport – football World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. The Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, badminton world championships, the regular dose of football leagues, the F1, tennis Grand Slams…The list goes on (please see our calendar).
It’s a heady year. For India, the year 2026 also assumes significance because of two of the most important multi-disciplinary events after the Olympics — Asian and Commonwealth Games. The sports ministry in consultation with the Indian Olympic Association has decided to send full-fledged team to the Asian Games because there are non-Olympic sports where India can win more medals.
There are other reasons too. The truncated Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2 would have been just another Games, had it not for India hosting it in 2030 at Ahmedabad. There will be just 10 disciplines this time because of lack of budget and also time since Glasgow agreed to host after Victoria withdrew and other nations like Malaysia did not show interest. Of the 10 sports — athletics, swimming, basketball (3x3), netball, boxing, gymnastics, lawn bowls, track cycling, weightlifting, and judo (integrated with para-sports) — India are good in select sports. India dominated in weightlifting and won medals in boxing, lawn bowls, athletics and judo.
When it comes to Asian Games, India would want to show their continental supremacy in certain sports. Ahead of the Los Angeles Games in 2028, the stage would be perfect for players to test themselves and move ahead. For National Sports Federations and the Sports Authority of India, the monitoring and funding agency, it will be the best platform to assess and bring in changes as required.
One medal every event at Asiad for shooters
Shooting has been on an upwards curve and would be the sport to watch out for this year as well. Going by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) High Performance Manager Ronak Pandit, at least one medal in every event India participates would be the goal. In fact, shooting was one sport where the country excelled. Ronak says that it is a reflection of the process that has been in place for a while. For 2026, the bar has been set a bit higher and he hopes by the end of the year at least four shooters qualify for the Olympics.
"We have been doing quite well in Asian Games and going by our form in the last year, I would be hoping that India win medals in every event they participate,” he tells this daily. He says that the trial process for the Asian Games will start from January and will continue till May. “This is an extremely important year because the Asian Games and the quota competition and World Championships both are in this year (end of the year). But it is very important that in the beginning you have to maintain your form so that you actually qualify to be in the team. First half of the year, you have to be in form to make it to the Asian Games. And second half of the year, you have to actually perform and deliver medals and Olympic quotas.”
Ronak believes with last year's work, everyone is quite prepared technically. “It's all about trusting whatever you've learnt and stick to a plan and planning is going to be extremely crucial this year,” he says. As for his aspiration, he says, “I would like nothing less than a medal in every event in the Asian Games. In most of the Olympic events, we should win two medals in one event, like in the World Cup final and the World Championships also.”
Ronak says that there will be policy changes only if it is required. “Depending on the need, as the ISSF changes rules or introduces new rules, we have to make certain tweaks. We will be flexible because we have our goal in mind,” he says.
The NRAI has already published selection criteria so that there is no ambiguity later. “More or less, by and large, the policy is going to be the same. Asian Games policy has already been made last year and has been announced so people know well in advance what to expect. In the World Cups and World Championships, you don't have an issue of the common shooter.
“If you have five events or three shooters per event, then 15 shooters can go. But in the Asian Games if you have five events and three shooters per event there is a cap of 12 players. I am just giving you an example.”
For shooting, the target is set and it is a matter of final shots this year. For them, the bigger goal is the LA2028, two years later.
Target Asian Games for athletes
Athletics is one such sport that would be looking to consolidate their continental supremacy during the Asian Games in Nagoya. The federation has already planned their year and would be concentrating on select event for the Commonwealth Games and would participate in almost all disciplines in the Asian Games. For AFI, the 2026 would be a year they would like to dominate in javelin and relays men, women and mixed in 400m. For Asian Games, India would want to test their 4x100m relay teams (men, women and mixed). Former AFI secretary and top official Lalit Bhanot has revealed as much. “As for our aspiration for 2026, we would like to dominate in javelin and relays for both the Games,” he says. “As for CWG, we would be concentrating on select events like javelin, jumps, relays. But in Asian Games we will be competing in almost all events. In men’s from 100m sprints, 400m, 3000m steeplechase to decathlon even in women’s too it could be the same.” As for the 4x100m relay teams he says they would be trying to do well at the Asian Games and everything goes as per plan this would be another programme for the Olympics along with the 4x400m.
Bhanot also says that the team is primed to win more medals at the Asian Games. “We are working to have our better show that what we did at the last edition,” he says. “We dominated in the Asian championships even though our top athletes did not take part.” The AFI is soon going to publish their selection criteria for both Asian and Commonwealth Games.
Athletics did have a horrendous year when it comes to doping topping the charts once again. On this the AFI official says they have been working towards it through their strict policies and education to athletes. AFI is one of the first federations to penalise coaches for athletes’ doping offence and would continue to strictly monitor athletes.
New foreign coaches, longer coaching for grapplers
Wrestling has had a forgettable 2025, especially in the senior circuit. Only silver lining was Antim Panghal’s medal at the World Championships. For wrestlers, the 2026 would be important to make a decent comeback and set a platform for the Olympics in 2028. The Wrestling Federation of India (WF) is aware of this. And they along with the Sports Authority of India have already set the ball rolling.
WFI chief Sanjay Singh said they are planning a year-long national camp to maintain some kind of continuity. Wrestling has been one of the few sports which has given at least an Olympic medal to the country since the 2008 Beijing Games. The WFI president feels the preparations for the LA Games have begun and the first step towards the goal will be the Asian Games. "Asian Games is very important as it will give us a clear picture of where we stand and what we need to do to achieve the goal," Singh tells this daily.
Singh reveals that a series of measures will be taken to strengthen training programme for next year including hiring of foreign coaches. "The WFI is hiring foreign coaches for all three styles (men's freestyle and Greco-Roman and women's wrestling). The process has already started and soon we will hire these experts. Their tenure will be till the Asiad and could be extended with mutual consent and depending on the performance of our wrestlers. Apart from that a national camp of more than 270 days will begin in January and continue till Asian Games. The venues will remain same — New Delhi for women and Lucknow for men. The national camp has been approved in the WFI's annual calendar for training and competition (ACTC) submitted to the Sports Authority of India."
Singh says the re-launch of Pro Wrestling League in January will also help the WFI in preparing wrestlers for the Games. "The league gives exposure to Indian wrestlers as they compete against world's best in the competition. They also get an opportunity to watch these athletes prepare from close quarters which in turn help them understand their work ethics. The league helped Indian wrestling grow in the past and we are expecting nothing less this time," he says.
Badminton, boxing challenge
Two of India's top sports like badminton and boxing, the year 2026 would be of immense importance. That is because in badminton it was a modest show while for boxing it was good for women but mediocre for men. Boxing is part of both Commonwealth and Asian Games.
As for badminton, the year 2025 was a bit stagnant and with bigger goals, the Badminton Association of India would be looking to bolster their bench strength. Lakshya Sen and the doubles stars of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty would once again lead the charge with Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy as supporting cast. Though PV Sindhu is aging by badminton standards, one cannot rule her out. What remains to be seen if the next crop of shuttlers like Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma, Ayush Shetty, on whom the BAI is banking, would deliver. The Asian Games, considered tougher than the Olympics would put them to test. The World Championships to be hosted in India later this year would the stage they would love to shine.
Boxing has been a mixed bag. But 2026 will be crucial for both men and women with CWG and Asian Games. "After the nationals, we have the Asian Championships. We'll closely observe each and every boxer, see how they perform and move ahead accordingly. Then we have the CWG and the Asian Games. We have three big events," says Pramod Kumar, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) secretary general.
"We will do well in Asian Championships, and there are all signs that we'll do well in CWG too, both men and women. And I'm sure we'll win at least five or six medals in the Asiad (boys and girls) and we have hopes to return with at least three or four medals in Olympics this time. If we thrive in Asia, then we can do well in Olympics too because our competition is more in Asia. So the number of medals we win at Asiad will demonstrate our chances for Olympics."
Archers ready too
Archery would be looking at the Asian Games with a lot of expectations. They too have their bow and arrow fixed for 2026. The next year will be a historic one in compound archer Jyothi Surekha Vennam's decorated career. She has seen glory in all international events, except for the Archery World Cup finals and Surekha finally captured that elusive medal in November. Already in Kolkata for the upcoming selection trials for the Asian Games, Surekha is optimistic of a strong show when the Asian Games begins in September. It assumes more significance because mixed team would be part of the LA28.
"I think the compound archers have been doing really well from the past few years. They have been showing their skill and achieving as many medals as possible each and every tournament. At the last Asian Games, we had a really good run. So, hopefully, this time (in 2026) it will be the same in maintaining our performance and win as many medals as possible for the country," she says.
Post that historic medal, Surekha says she would try to enjoy compound archery as much as she can. "I have a medal at each and every tournament that I have participated in. So, now, basically, it's more like enjoying the game than I did earlier because somewhere when you start, it's like more of achieving it rather than you enjoying it. But even now, I want to achieve many, many things. But I think I have started enjoying the game even more than before."