India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the Groupstage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh is an Indian field hockey player from Kerala who plays as a goalkeeper and former captain of the Indian national team.He is regarded as the World's best goal keeper of his generation. He plays in the Hockey India League for Uttar Pradesh Wizards. Sreejesh played a vital role in the Indian national team's bronze medal win at the 2020 Summer Olympics men's field hockey tournament. He won FIH Player of the Year Awards (2020–21) for best male goalkeeper. Since winning gold in 2014 Asian Games he won gold medal again in 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. He won a total of 16 international medals in his career until 2023 from Olympics, FIH Hockey World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Asian tournaments combined.
Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is an Indian badminton player. Considered one of India's most successful sportspersons, Sindhu has won medals at various tournaments such as the Olympics and on the BWF circuit, including a gold at the 2019 World Championships. She is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and only the second individual athlete from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games. She rose to a career-high world ranking of no. 2 in April 2017.
Vidit Santosh Gujrathi is an Indian chess grandmaster. He attained the title of grandmaster in January 2013, becoming the 30th player from India to do so. He is the fourth Indian player to have crossed the Elo rating threshold of 2700.
Sakshi Malik is a former Indian freestyle wrestler. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won the bronze medal in the 58 kg category, becoming the first Indian female wrestler to win a medal at the Olympics. In 2017, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian award and in 2024, she became the first Indian wrestler to feature in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is a part of the JSW Sports Excellence Program, along with fellow female wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Babita Kumari and Geeta Phogat.
Deep Grace Ekka is an Indian former field hockey player, who represented the India national field hockey team. She has been selected for Arjun award in 2022.
Manpreet Singh Pawar is an Indian field hockey player. He led the Indian field hockey team to the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He plays as a halfback.
Lalit Kumar Upadhyay is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a forward for the India national team. He was a member of the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games. Finally he won gold medal in 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Lilima Minz is an Indian female field hockey player. Lilima hails from Bihabandh-Tanatoli village, Lanjiberna Block, Sundargarh District of Odisha. She is a product of Sports Hostel, Panposh, Rourkela, Odisha.
Varun Kumar is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a defender for Punjab Warriors in the Hockey India League and the Indian national team.
Gurjant Singh is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a Forward.
Balbir Singh Dosanjh, predominantly known as Balbir Singh Sr., was an Indian hockey player and coach. He was a three-time Olympic gold medallist, having played a key role in India's wins in London (1948), Helsinki (1952), and Melbourne (1956) Olympics. He is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time, a modern-day Dhyan Chand, a legend of the sport, and is widely regarded as the sport's greatest ever centre-forward. His Olympic record for most goals scored by an individual in an Olympic men's hockey final remains unbeaten. Singh set this record when he scored five goals in India's 6–1 victory over the Netherlands in the men's field hockey final of the 1952 Olympic Games. He was often called Balbir Singh Senior to distinguish him from other Indian hockey players named Balbir Singh. Singh scored 246 goals from just 61 international caps
Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a midfielder for the Indian national team.
Amit Rohidas is an Indian field hockey player from Odisha. He plays as a defender for the Indian national team and is also the vice-captain of the team. He was a part of the Indian squad that won the bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He also won gold medal in 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Vivek Sagar Prasad is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a midfielder for the Indian national team.
Lalremsiami Hmarzote is an Indian professional field hockey player who plays as a forward and occasionally as a halfback for the Indian national team. At the club level, she plays for Sports Authority of India. Hmarzote was a part of the 18-member squad that represented India at the 2018 World Cup. At the Asian Games that followed, she became the first sportsperson from Mizoram to win an Asian medal after she won silver.
India competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India has appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympics since 1920, although it made its official debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. The nation sent its largest-ever contingent of 126 competitors to the 2020 Games. To date, the 2020 Summer Olympics are the most successful Games for India since its first regular Olympics appearance in 1920, with Indian Olympians winning 7 medals. The Indian contingent participated in a record 69 events, and earned medals across 18 athletic disciplines.
Krishan Bahadur Pathak is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Indian national team.
Hardik Singh is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a midfielder for the Indian national team.
Sanjay is an Indian hockey player from Haryana. He plays as a defender. He is named in the Indian hockey squad for the 2022 Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. He is also one of the second drag flickers for the team. Finally he won gold medal in 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
