Sports Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Surya Charishma Tamiri won the Women’s Singles title at the 87th Senior National Badminton Championships in Vijayawada, defeating Tanvi Patri 17-21, 21-12, 21-14. Rithvik Sanjeevi S clinched the Men’s Singles title by beating Bharat Raghav in straight games, 21-16, 22-20. In Men’s Doubles, A. Hariharan and Ruban Kumar defeated Mithilesh Krishnan and Prejan 24-22, 21-17 to win the championship. Former champions Shikha Gautam and Ashwini Bhat won the Women’s Doubles title, beating Priya Devi Konjengban and Shruti Mishra 21-14, 21-18. Sathwik Reddy K and Radhika Sharma won the Mixed Doubles title with a 21-9, 21-15 victory over Ashith Surya and Amrutha P.

Notes:
Ayush Mhatre has been named captain of India’s ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 squad, with Vihaan Malhotra as vice-captain. The tournament will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6, 2026. India, five-time champions (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, 2022), are in Group A with New Zealand, USA, and Bangladesh.

Notes:
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi lost the semifinal to Uzbek player Nodirbek Abdusattorov at the World Blitz Championship in Doha. He secured the bronze medal in the tournament. Defending champion Magnus Carlsen reached the final after defeating Fabiano Caruana 3-1 in the other semifinal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Arjun Erigaisi for his bronze medal in the Blitz Championship and his recent FIDE Rapid Chess Championship bronze.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 72nd National Volleyball Tournament via video conferencing. The inaugural ceremony took place at Dr. Sampoorna­nand Sports Stadium in Varanasi. The tournament takes place from January 4 to January 11, 2026. More than 1,000 players are participating across 58 teams representing various states and institutions. The event aims to showcase high-level competition, sportsmanship, and emerging talent in Indian volleyball. Hosting the tournament in Varanasi highlights the city’s growing sports infrastructure and focus on athletic development. T

Notes:
Former world billiards champion Manoj Kothari passed away at 67 in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu due to a massive cardiac arrest. Kothari won the World Billiards Championship in 1990. He was a 16-time State Champion in his career. In 2005, he received the Dhyan Chand Award, India’s highest lifetime achievement award in sports. In 2025, he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India.

Notes:
The 2nd Khelo India Beach Games officially began on 5th January 2026 at Ghoghla Beach in Diu. More than 2,100 athletes are participating across eight different sports in the event. The games are being organised by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, under the technical supervision of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations. The event will be held from 5th to 10th January 2026. There are six medal sports: Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball, Beach Sepak Takraw, Beach Kabaddi, Pencak Silat, and Open Water Swimming. Two events, Mallakhamb and Tug of War, are included as non-medal events.

Notes:
Anahat Singh, India’s top-seeded squash player, won the silver medal in the women’s U-19 final at the British Junior Open Squash Championships. The final was held at the University of Birmingham, England. She lost to France’s Lauren Baltayan with scores 9-11, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11. In the semifinals, Anahat had defeated Egypt’s Malika El Karaksy to reach the final.

Notes:
The India Open Badminton tournament has begun on 13th January at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. Two-time Olympic medallist Pusarla Venkata (PV) Sindhu is leading India’s challenge, returning after injury and a tough 2025 season. Malvika Bansod and young Tanvi Sharma are competing in women’s singles, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand headline women’s doubles. In men’s singles, Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty are facing each other in the opening round, with Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy also in action. World number three pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are competing in men’s doubles, aiming to reclaim their 2022 title.

Notes:
Vidarbha cricket team won their first Vijay Hazare Trophy by defeating two-time champions Saurashtra by 38 runs. The final was held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in a 50-over List A format. Vijay Hazare Trophy is India’s premier domestic one-day tournament; Vidarbha had previously won the Ranji Trophy but not this title.

Notes:
Union Budget 2026–27 launched a new Khelo India Mission to transform India’s sports sector over the next decade. The focus areas are talent development, sports infrastructure creation, and manufacturing-led employment generation. Mission builds on the earlier Khelo India programme with a mission-mode approach to nurture talent and strengthen the sports ecosystem. ₹500 crore allocated for promotion of sports goods manufacturing, research, and innovation to boost domestic capability and global competitiveness. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ budget increased by ₹1,133 crore, from ₹3,346 crore to ₹4,479.88 crore, supporting athlete development, coaching, sports science, and infrastructure.