Indian sports wrap, October 30: Punjab FC seals Super League 2025 title

FOOTBALL

Punjab FC crowned Punjab Super League 2025 champions

Punjab FC on Thursday claimed the Punjab State Super Football League 2025 title with a game to spare as closest rivals Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club dropped points in its penultimate match against Border Security Force Football Club.

After 17 matches, Punjab FC has 39 points while Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club has 34 points from the same number of matches, effectively making it impossible for any other team to catch up to the Shers.

This is the club’s second Punjab State League title, the first one coming in 2022-23.

It finished runner-up in the 2024-25 season, finishing below Namdhari Sports Academy.

A key factor in its title-winning run has been the team’s rock-solid defense, with 12 clean sheets recorded in 17 matches, a testament to its discipline and tactical organisation.

The Shers won 12, drew three and lost two matches in the season, scoring 32 goals and conceding only 11 throughout the campaign.

The squad under Head Coach Praveen Kumar, fielded its reserves squad for the league with all players under the age of 25, including nine players from the Under-19 squad and 16 players from Punjab.

-PTI

Indian coaching educators participate in training and development programmes

A group of Indians took part in the FIFA Coach Educators Development Pathway Programme, a five-day intensive course held in Jakarta and organised by the world football governing body’s coaching development department.

The Indian contingent included Vivek Nagul (AIFF head of coach development), Sajid Dar, Mariano Dias, Shakti Chauhan, Caetano Pinho, Shekhar Kerkar, and Parthasarthy Thulasi.

The workshop aimed to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of coach educators, focusing on modern coaching principles, advanced educational methodologies, and peer-to-peer learning.

The sessions were conducted under the leadership of Branimir Ujević, FIFA head of coach education, and facilitated by Oscar Díaz, coaching development delivery manager for AFC and OFC.

Technical expertise was provided by Scott O’Donnell, Savio Medeira, Sean Douglas, and Jamal Alhassani.

The programme also served as an important platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange among participants from India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia, fostering cross-regional dialogue and the sharing of best practices in coach education.

-PTI

IWL referees undergo technical and medical training

The All India Football Federation (AIFF), in collaboration with Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS), conducted a three-day workshop for referees from October 24 to 26 in Mumbai, as part of their preparation for the Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2025-26 season.

This workshop was led by instructors Maria Rebello and Uvena Fernandes and saw participation from 23 referees.

Chaitali Paul, member, referees committee, served as the observer.

Hands-on sessions were conducted to enhance the participants’ on-field knowledge on positioning, mobility, and decision-making during key match incidents.

-PTI

TENNIS

Dalwinder Singh suspended for using prohibited substance

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on Thursday suspended 2017 national champion Dalwinder Singh for using prohibited substance morphine.

Singh, who reached a career-high world singles ranking of 791 in April 2017, tested positive for morphine in March 2025 while competing in an ITF World Tennis Tour event in Chandigarh.

“During the period of ineligibility, Singh is prohibited from playing in, coaching at, or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association,” ITIA said in a release..

Morphine is prohibited under the TADP, in the category of Narcotics (section S7 of the 2025 World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List). Findings for Specified substances do not require a mandatory provisional suspension, keeping 29-year-old Singh eligible to compete while a full investigation took place.

Following correspondence with the ITIA, Singh admitted to the ADRV, asserting that they believed the source of the morphine to be a pain-relief medication taken on the day of their positive test..

According to the player’s explanation, the medication was prescribed approximately 12 months earlier, following wrist surgery.

However, Singh was unable to provide further information to support their account, including any packaging, receipts, prescriptions, or the name of the product taken – falling short of the evidence necessary to demonstrate source.

While the ITIA did not possess the necessary evidence to prove that Singh’s breach of the TADP was intentional, the player could not establish source of the positive test, and no mitigating factors could be considered to reduce Singh’s level of fault.

In line with precedent and TADP rules, a two-year suspension was proposed to the player, which was acceded to and became effective on October 22, 2025. The period of ineligibility will end on October 21, 2027.

Results, prize money and ranking points from the event in which Singh tested positive are also forfeited.

-PTI

BILLIARDS

Delhi State Billiards & Snooker Championship to begin on November 16

The Delhi Billiards & Snooker Association will organise the state championship at the Megapool Academy in Dwarka from November 16.

The winners and runners-up from each category will earn the right to represent Delhi at the National Championships to be held in January 2026, the statement added.

Junior and sub-junior events will be held simultaneously, the association said in a release. Entries for all categories will close on November 10, said Joint Secretary Manmeet Singh.

The championship carries a total prize purse of Rs 1.50 lakh.

-PTI

BADMINTON

First-ever BWF AirBadminton World Cup to be held in Sharjah from December 11 to 14

As many as 12 national teams are set to vie for the top honours when the first-ever BWF AirBadminton World Cup takes place in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates from December 11–14.

Australia, Germany, Azerbaijan, Hong Kong, Brazil, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Nigeria, China, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Venezuela have earned their place in the tournament after a rigorous qualification process.

“A maximum of 96 athletes will compete across three events: men’s triples, women’s triples, and the team relay,” BWF said in a release.

“Former men’s singles top 10 player Wong Wing Ki Vincent heads the lineup for Team Relay favourites Hong Kong China.” The tournament will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of the UAE Badminton Federation.

“AirBadminton, the new outdoor version of the sport, is BWF’s emerging growth discipline with immense potential to expand the global reach of badminton,” BWF President Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul said.

In triples format, matches will be played in a best-of-five games format. Each game is won by the first team to reach 9 points.

If the score reaches 8-all, a team must lead by two points to win. If the score reaches 12-all, the next point decides the winner. Teams may make up to three substitutions per match.

In team relay, each tie consists of four matches: women’s doubles, men’s doubles, women’s triples and men’s triples.

Each match is played to 15 points, with scores accumulating in a relay format. The first team to reach 60 points wins the tie. Players may participate in one or two matches per tie.

AirBadminton is a format designed for outdoor play on surfaces such as sand, grass, and hard courts.

-PTI

Published on Oct 30, 2025