Govt plans nationwide campaign to build momentum for 2030 CWG
New Delhi, April 11: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya says plans are afoot to launch a nationwide campaign featuring iconic athletes and youth leaders to build momentum for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad. The minister met a Commonwealth Sport delegation headed by its President Donald Rukare here on Friday and time-lines to ensure “efficient delivery” of the mega-event and legacy planning dominated the discussions. Mandaviya said India is embarking on a country-wide campaign in schools, colleges and Universities to create awareness among students on the importance of India hosting the centenary edition of the Games. “As a country we are preparing to host the best CWG in 2030 with more sporting disciplines, world class infrastructure and a talent pool that has support through multiple government schemes,” he said in a statement issued on Saturday. “Parallelly, we want to inculcate the pride of hosting the centenary edition among young Indians. This nationwide campaign of building a sporting culture among youngsters will act as a catalyst to attract more youth towards sports and build a bench strength that will support our 2036 Olympic dreams,” he added. The minister, however, did not offer any details as of now. The Games will be back in the country for the first time in two decades. India hosted the event for the first and only time so far in 2010 in Delhi. The Games roster has been pruned to just 10 events for the Glasgow edition in July-August but India plans to have a full-scale extravaganza featuring cricket and shooting among other disciplines that have been dropped this year. (PTI)
Sachin Baisoya claims maiden IGPL title in Mauritius
Port Louis (Mauritius), April 11: Sachin Baisoya produced a superb back-nine charge to card a five-under 67 and register his maiden win on the IGPL Tour, clinching the IGPL Invitational 2026 Mauritius hosted by Leander Paes here on Saturday. A four-under 32 on the back nine helped the 30-year-old finish at 11-under, three shots clear of overnight leader Veer Ganapathy, who signed off at 8-under after an even-par round featuring two birdies and two bogeys. For the 18-year-old Ganapathy, it was the third runner-up finish. Last year’s Order of Merit winner, Pukhraj Singh Gill (67), joined Olympian Udayan Mane (68) and multiple IGPL winner Aman Raj (69) in a tie for third place at 5-under totals. Milind Soni (71) was tied for sixth alongside Shaurya Binu (69) with 4-under totals. Three players — Aryan Roopa Anand (72), Yashas Chandra (69), and Raghav Chugh (69) — were tied for eighth at 3-under. A large group of six players finished tied for 11th at 2-under. This group included the top woman finisher, Ridhima Dilawari (73), and the top local player, Pierre Pellegrin (70). They were joined by 11-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, who found his form with a 5-under 67, four-time Asian Tour winner Shiv Kapur (69), Harshjeet Sethie (70), and Indian-American Manav Shah (70). (PTI)
Indian shooter Sainyam records best-ever World Cup finish
New Delhi, April 11: Indian shooter Sainyam, a former junior world and Asian champion, recorded her best ever finish at an ISSF World Cup leg, claiming a creditable fifth place in the women’s 10m air pistol final in Granada, Spain. Sainyam shot 178.9 in the final. Reigning Asian Games champion Palak also made the final and finished seventh, bowing out after the 14th shot of the 24-shot final with a score of 137.9. China’s Shen Yiyao won gold with 244.2. Sainyam shot 582 in qualification to take third spot in the 83-strong field, while Palak made the top eight claiming seventh spot with a 577. In the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol, Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu recorded the best Indian finish, his effort of 576 giving him 23rd place overall. Among other Indian medal contenders, Ankur Goel was 29th with a 572 and Neeraj Kumar was placed 40th with an effort of 565. (PTI)
Indian’s Atiqa Mir now top-ranked female in FIA Int’l Kart Ranking
Lonato (Italy), April 11: Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir has emerged as the highest-ranked female in the latest FIA International Kart Ranking (IKR) in her category, marking a milestone moment in her fast rising career. The 11-year-old is placed in seventh overall position in the International OK-NJ class (age 12-14), making her the highest-ranked female racer in the rankings calculated by the motorsport’s world governing body FIA. The rankings are led by Zoltan Coigny of Switzerland. Atiqa, the first Indian to be supported by Formula 1 Academy, was fast tracked into the Junior category (age 12-14) from the mini class (8-12) at the start of 2026 considering her special talent. She repaid the immense faith shown by her backers by bagging a historic podium in the opening round of the Champions of the Future Academy (COTFA) series in Valencia last month. Her father Asif Mir, who was India’s first national karting champion, is pleased with his daughter’s rapid rise in the world of motorsport without losing sight of the ultimate goal — reaching Formula 1 — with no female having raced there since 1992. “Atiqa has reached a big milestone in her career due to her hard work and support from everyone involved in her journey. It is a proud moment for India. She needs to keep working hard and improving, it is a moving target. There is a famous saying in racing ‘if you sit still you are moving backwards’,” said Asif. (PTI)
