Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and more

It’s going to be a busy year for Indian athletes with major events like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Women’s Hockey World Cup taking place. Here’s the 2022 calendar to keep track of the big tournaments and ESPN’s coverage:

Upcoming

April

FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup in South Africa – April 1-12

Midfielder Salima Tete will lead the 20-member Indian squad in the ninth edition of the event. India will kick-start their campaign on April 2 with their first group stage match against Wales followed by their game against Germany a day later. Their last group-stage match is scheduled for April 5 against Malaysia. Top two teams from each group make it to the quarterfinals.

ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – April 9-19

This is the second World Cup of the year and country’s top rifle, and pistol shooters are expected to feature. In the year’s first World Cup held in Cairo, India topped the medals tally with four gold medals, two silvers and one bronze.

Archery World Cup (Stage I) in Antalya, Turkey – April 18-24

This is the first of four stages of the World Cup. The Indian squad for recurve events comprises of Tarundeep Rai, Jayanta Talukdar, Neeraj Chauhan, Sachin Gupta, Ridhi, Komalika Bari, Ankita Bhakat and Simranjeet Kaur.

AFC Champions League group stage – April 15 to 1 May

Last year’s ISL league shield winners Mumbai City FC have been drawn in group B in the west region of the 2022 AFC Champions League. They will play against Al Jazira (UAE), Al Shabab (Saudi Arabia), and Air Force Club (Iraq).

May

AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships – May 6-21

Here’s the Indian squad for the world championships: Nitu (48kg), Anamika (50kg), Nikhat (52kg), Shiksha (54kg), Manisha (57kg), Jaismine (60kg), Parveen (63kg), Ankushita (66kg), Lovlina (70kg), Saweety (75kg), Pooja Rani (81kg), Nandini (+81kg).

Thomas and Uber Cup Finals – May 8-15

Indian men’s and women’s badminton teams will be in action in both the tournaments, which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand.

Archery World Cup (Stage II) in Gwangju, South Korea – May 16-22

The same squad played in the first World Cup will feature in this event.

ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Baku, Azerbaijan – May 27 to June 7

June

AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualification Third Round – June 8-14

Indian men’s football team will face the likes of Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia in their bid to qualify to the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China.

Indonesia Open Super 1000 badminton tournament – June 14-19

Top badminton stars from India are likely to feature in this Super 1000 event. Last year, PV Sindhu and doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made it to the semifinals.

Archery World Cup (Stage III) in Paris, France – June 21-26

The same squad played in the first World Cup will feature in this event.

Malaysia Open Super 750 badminton tournament – June 28 to July 3

The second big badminton tournament of the month. The last two editions of the tournament were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

July

FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2022 in Spain and Netherlands – July 1-17

After India’s impressive performance at the Tokyo Olympics, where they finished fourth, Rani Rampal and Co will once again aim to make great strides in a big event. In the previous World Cup, India finished eighth after losing to Ireland in the quarterfinals.

ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Changwon, Korea – July 9-27

Archery World Cup (Stage IV) in Medellín, Colombia – July 18-24

World Athletics Championships 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, United States – July 15-24

Can Neeraj Chopra add a World Championship medal to his tally after his gold at the Tokyo Olympics? Will any other Indian athlete make an impact at the big stage? World’s best athletes will take part in this event.

Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham – July 28 to August 8

It is unlikely India will better the 2018 medal tally of 66, which included 26 golds, due to absence of shooting, which fetched the most number of medals – 16. Birmingham 2022 will also not have archery and India decided to send second-string hockey teams for the event. Still, the country can expect medals in wrestling, boxing, and badminton. The one sport to watch out for is cricket, which will be a women’s T20 tournament.

Chess Olympiad in India, Chennai – July 28 to August 10

Chennai will host the big-ticket chess event where over 190 nations will compete. Here’s a lowdown on how India stepped in as last-minute hosts and what it means.

August

Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham – July 28 to August 8

BWF World Championships in Tokyo, Japan – August 21-28

Last year’s event was a success for India as both Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen qualified to the semifinals with the former beating his compatriot to enter the final. Srikanth eventually lost the final against Loh Kean Yew. This time, the spotlight will be on Lakshya who made significant progress in the last 12 months, beating top players like Viktor Axelsen, Anders Antonsen and Lee Zii Jia.

Japan Open Super 750 badminton tournament – August 30 to September 4

Another top competition follows just days after the Worlds. Japan Open returns to the tour schedule after a gap of two years. Previous two editions were cancelled due to the pandemic.

September

Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou – September 10-25

A significant event for Indian athletes. At the Asiad 2018, India recorded their best-ever haul of 70 medals, which included 16 golds. They would like to take the overall number higher in Hangzhou with key events being athletics, shooting, wrestling and badminton.

World Wrestling Championships – September 10-18

The tournament will take place in Belgrade, Serbia. The dates are not clashing with the Asian Games because wrestling events at the Asiad are scheduled to take place after September 18.

October

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India – October 11-30

The second time India will host a FIFA tournament after the U-17 men’s World Cup in 2017. India were earlier scheduled to host the 2020 U-17 World Cup but it was postponed to 2021 before being cancelled due to the pandemic. Thomas Dennerby, who was the head coach of the senior team at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 in India, will be in charge of the team.

Archery World Cup Final in Tlaxcala, Mexico – October 15 and 16

The best eight archers in each category from the four World Cups will play in this final.

ISSF shooting World Championships in Cairo – October 12-25

A crucial year for Indian shooters will end with the World Championships in October. Both the Asian Games and Worlds will provide a great opportunity for the country’s top shooters to impress and grab medals after a disappointing performance at the Tokyo Olympics.

Denmark Open Super 750 badminton tournament – October 18-23

French Open Super 750 badminton tournament – October 25-30

November

China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament – November 29 to December 4

December

China Open Super 750 badminton tournament – December 6-11

BWF World Tour Finals 2022 – December 14-18

This is the final tournament of the 2022 BWF World Tour. Top eight players/pairs with most points in the calendar year will compete in this tournament. Sindhu won the women’s singles trophy back in 2018. She also made it to the final in last year’s competition, losing to South Korea’s An Se-young.

Recently concluded

March

Indian Super League playoffs

Indian Super League – news, stats, and scores

Review of Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters

ISL 2021-22 review: Was this the best season yet?

Kerala Blasters vs Mumbai City told in five standout Sahal Abdul Samad moments

All England Open Badminton Championships – March 16-20

How Lakshya Sen grew from talent to contender

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand: Who are the All England semifinalists and what makes them so good

Lakshya lost the points and the match but has one key number on his side: he’s still only 20

February

Pro Kabaddi League 2021-22 playoffs

PKL 8 News, Schedule, Scores, Results, Points table

Mohammadreza Chiyaneh’s 84, Pawan Sehrawat’s 320 — season 8 in numbers

PKL: No crowds, no problem, players make up with full-on action

ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol

Meet Esha Singh, the teen shooting star who won three medals on senior World Cup debut

January

AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022

The players are ‘devastated’, ‘speechless’; the least they deserve now is a future

India out of Women’s Asian Cup 2022, AFC confirms

AFC Asian Cup 2022: Meet India’s 23-member squad