Non_Olympic_Sports


Chess

• The game is strongly popular in Tamil Nadu, Calcutta many Grandmasters have been emerged from earlier region, Viswanathan Anand is the most popular among them, he is first grandmaster from the country, first time he became World chess champion in 2007, also won it later twice.

• The Indian Chess Championship was held first in 1955, since 1971 it played annually. It is widely believed that the sport is originated in India.

• On 12 June 2023 Divya Deshmukh, the current national champion won gold medal at the Asian Continental Women's chess championship. As of 25 February 2022, India has 73 grandmasters and 7 players in top hundred in the world. As per All India Chess Federation, the national federation of the game, there are 50 thousand registered players and over one million play it in the country. Many Indian players have own tournaments internationally. Koneru Humpy is most prominent women player who holds rank 3 in the world.

Cricket

• Cricket has a long history in India, having been introduced in the country during British rule. It is the most popular spectator sport in India. India is a cricket powerhouse, having won ICC ODI World Cup twice, ICC T20 World Cup once. The governing body for this sport in this nation is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It is the richest cricket board in the world. Cricket is played at the local, national, and international level, and has huge fan following from people in most parts of the nation. BCCI controls professional level, hard ball cricket but amateur cricket does not have any governing body, which usually played with rubber ball.

• India national cricket team represents India in international cricket. It is colloquially known as "Team India". It played its first Test against England at Lord's in 1932, led by C. K. Nayudu. It is one of the top teams in this sport. Indian women's national cricket team represents India in women's international cricket.

• The main rival of Team India is Pakistani cricket team.

• This sport generates high TV viewership during international and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. India does not have a national game. The governing body for cricket in India, the BCCI, was formed in December 1928 and is based in Mumbai. IPL is the richest cricket league in the world. Top players around the world annually come to India to participate in it. BCCI annually organises IPL in Summer across the country. There are many cricket broadcasting television channels in India such as Star Sports 1, Sony Ten 1, Star Sports 2 etc. and mobile, TV applications such as Disney+ Hotstar, Sony Liv, Fancode, Voot.

• India will host the 2031 ICC ODI Cricket World Cup.

• India has a plethora of cricket stadiums. The country has the biggest stadium in the world, the Narendra Modi Stadium, which has 132,000 seats for viewers.

• India has hosted or co-hosted many major international cricket tournaments, including the 1987 Cricket World Cup (co-hosted with Pakistan), the 1996 Cricket World Cup (co-hosted with Pakistan and Sri Lanka), the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, the 2011 Cricket World Cup (co-hosted with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh), and the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The India national cricket team has won major tournaments, including the 1983 Cricket World Cup in England, the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, the 2011 Cricket World Cup (which they won by beating Sri Lanka in the final at home), and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, and has shared the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. It had also held the position of the top team in Tests. In 2021, Team India reached to the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship and remained runner-up after losing against New Zealand.

• The India women's cricket team remained runner-up in 2005 and 2017 ICC women's cricket world cup.

• The biggest domestic competitions include Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Irani Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. BCCI organised IPL generates atmosphere like a carnival–fair annually in April - May in summer season. Most of the fans prefer to witness games of the ICC tournaments, IPL. But the domestic cricket games of Ranji trophy, Vijay Hazare trophy and Duleep Trophy etc. do not get audience on TV or in stadiums.

Backyard cricket

• It is a popular format of cricket played in India. In India, the game is called as Bat ball, while in England and Australia it is called as 'Backyard cricket'. Kids play it with a plastic or rubber ball. The game has a variety of rules. Due to the unavailability of large grounds, kids play it in small spaces such as the road, in backyard, in front of house. The game does not have fixed rules or a fixed number of players. The participants decide the rules before the start of the play. If there is no ball available for the game, players often play with a plastic bottle, and if they do not have a bat, then they play with a wooden stick. Some usual rules of this game in India: Batman is out if he hits a six, outside the backyard, outside the compound, on someone's roof etc. Sometimes one-bounce catch given out, if the players agree to it before initiating the game.

French cricket

• It is a popular children's game in India. It is similar to cricket. In India it is called as 'Catch' or 'Bat ball', while in Australia it is called as 'French cricket'. Kids often play it in the backyard, in front of a house, on the road etc. In it, the batsman holds his bat nearly horizontally, and pointing towards the bowler. As per the rules, the bowler must bowl full tosses (non-bouncing deliveries) onto the batsman's bat, with the batsman required to hit the ball in the air, and the bowler and fielders then trying to catch the ball. If the ball is caught, whoever caught it gets the chance to bat. In the game, there are no stumps, and kids play with a plastic or rubber ball. Usually there is no limit on the number of overs and the batsman can bat until he gets out.

Catch-Catch

• Catch, Catch-Catch or playing catch, is one of the most basic children's games. It is a popular game among children in India. It is a game often played between children or between a parent and child, wherein the participants throw a ball, flying disc or similar object back and forth to each other. The game improves the hand-eye coordination of a child.

Kabaddi

• Kabaddi is an indigenous sport in India. Traditionally played on rough grounds. The Pro Kabaddi League is a notable Kabaddi league in India. It is organised annually in various spots of the nation. Star Sports, Disney+ Hot star airs it on TV and online respectively.

• India has won gold in kabaddi in all Asian Games, excluding the 2018 Asian Games, where they won bronze. The four forms of kabaddi recognised by the Kabaddi Federation in India are Amar, Sanjeevni, Gaminee and Punjabi rules Kabaddi. India won the Kabaddi World Championship in 2007, beating Iran 29–19.

Squash

• The game of Squash is not well known in the country. It has less exposure and has no countrywide infrastructure, although some Indians have achieved success at international levels. Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) is the national federation of Squash in India. SRFI annually organise 'SRFI National Squash championship', its 78-season has held as of 2022. SRFI also organised a tour tournament. Joshna Chinappa is 18-time nationals’ winner in NSC.

• The women's and men's Squash team represents India in international tournaments. In 2016 South Asian Games India men and women team won gold medals.

• In Squash world cup 2023, the India team reached semifinal but lost to Malaysia 3–0, before that they defeated Hong Kong and South Africa each with 4–0. Joshna Chinappa and Saurav Ghosal, alongside Tanvi Khanna and Abhay Singh was part of Indian team.

• In 2013 Ghoshal became the first Indian to get in top 20 ranking, he reaches his career best rank 15. In 2012 Dipika Pallikal achieved the top 10 ranking in the world.

• Sourav Ghoshal is among the brilliant athletes of the sport in India. Indian men's team won their maiden gold medal at Asian championship in 2022 and Asian Games 2022. Ramit Tandon and Ghoshal defeated team of Kuwait 2–0 in the final

• Indian Squash Academy of Chennai is the leading academy of the Squash in the country.

Bowling

Ten-pin bowling

• Ten-pin bowling, popularly known as Bowling is a quite known sport here but not widely played or talked about and considered as leisure activity instead of a sport. The sport is administered by Bangalore-based Tenpin Bowling Federation (India) TBF (I), it organises National Bowling Championship for amateur players and corporate teams. In 2008 Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, India recognised TBF (I) as national federation of the game, in 2010 they provided funds to train India's core team. Indian Bowlers do not get payment and sponsorship to play the sport is one of many issue the sport facing in the country. Bowling alleys are usually found at Malls in India. In 2008 India's team participated in the WTBA World Tenpin Bowling Championships at Bangkok and in the Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championships, Belfast. At the Asian Indoor Games 2017 four-time national champion of Bowling, Dhruva Sarda won Bronze.

Lawn bowling

• Lawn bowling, Bowls or Bowling is a new sport in India, and was not known to commoners, until Indian women's team won historic gold medal in this sport at 2022 Commonwealth Games in 'women's four events', by the team of Nayanmoni Saikia, Lovely Choubey, Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh. They won against South Africa. Due to the win, the game came into the spotlight. Indians have also participated in the sport at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Lawn bowling was included at the 2007 National Games in Guwahati, and the first bowling ground which is called the Green, was installed. India does not have many Greens, due to player often practice on hockey grounds. The next Green was installed in Ranchi, Jharkhand for 2011 National Games of India. Now New Delhi and Kerala also have Bowling Green, ground. In the country Jharkhand state is powerhouse in this sport, many players for India national team were selected from there. Jharkhand Bowling Association is the governing body for this sport in Jharkhand state. The Bowling Federation of India (BFI) is the governing body for bowling in India.

Polo

• India is the birthplace of modern polo. The modern game of polo is derived from Manipur, where the game was known as sagol kangjei, kanjai-bazee, or pulu. It was the anglicised form of the last, referring to the wooden ball that was used, which was adopted by the sport in its slow spread to the west.

Cycle polo

• The Cycle Polo Association of India was officially created in 1966 it has its office in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The first men's nationals were played in 1970 in New Delhi, with the team from Rajasthan emerging victorious. The Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC) hosted the first Merchant's Cup Cycle Polo tournament in 1973. Currently, the CC&FC plays host to the March Mug, the Swaroop Bhanjdeo Memorial Tournament and the CC&FC Trophy. Since 2015 onwards, CC&FC has been hosting the CC&FC All India Invitation Cycle Polo Cup which is organised jointly by the CC&FC along with the Cycle Polo Association of Bengal.

• India has won 8 medals, including record 6 Gold at International Bicycle Polo Championships.

Billiards and snooker

• India has been a force in world billiards competitions. Champions including Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira, Geet Sethi and now the domination of Pankaj Advani have underlined the powerhouse status of the country. The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India, the apex body, plays a proactive role in popularising the game. Many efforts have been made by the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India in the recent past to enhance the popularity of the game in the country. Several training camps for developing budding talent and providing them with regional and state sponsorship have been organised by the Billiards and Snooker Federation in various parts of the country.

Motorsports

• Motorsport is a popular spectator sport in India, although there are relatively few competitors compared to other sports, due to the high costs of competing. Coimbatore is often referred to as the "Motor sports Capital of India" and the "Backyard of Indian Motorsports". S. Karivardhan, spearheaded motor racing, making Coimbatore the country's motor racing hub when he designed and built entry level race cars. Before Buddh International Circuit was constructed, the country's only two permanent race ways were the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore and Madras Motor Racing Track, Chennai. MRF built the first Formula 3 car in 1997. MRF in collaboration with Maruti established the Formula Maruti racing, a single-seater, open-wheel class motorsport racing event for race cars made in India. MRF Challenge is a Formula 2000 open-wheel motorsport formula-based series organised by Madras Motor Sports Club in association with MRF. Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok are the only drivers from to represent India in Formula 1.

• On 1 February 2005, Narain Karthikeyan became India's first Formula One racing driver. In March 2007, he also became the first-ever Indian-born driver to compete in a NASCAR Series. He debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the Kroger 250. Force India F1 was a Formula One motor racing team. The team was formed in October 2007, when a consortium led by Indian businessmen Vijay Mallya and Michiel Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for €88 million. After competing in 29 races without a point, Force India won their first Formula One World Championship points and podium place when Giancarlo Fisichella finished second in the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. New Delhi hosted the Indian Grand Prix from 2011 to 2013 at Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, 50 km from New Delhi. Karun Chandhok was the test driver for Team Lotus & Narain Karthikeyan raced for HRT during the first half of the 2011 Formula One season. Karun Chandhok participated in Friday's practice session and Karthikeyan (stepping in for Daniel Ricciardo) raced at the 2011 Indian Grand Prix; it was the first time two Indian drivers associated with the same Formula One Grand Prix directly.

• Mahindra Racing is an Indian constructor competing in the Formula E Championship since the inaugural season in 2014. Alexander Sims and Alex Lynn are the team's current drivers. The team formerly competed in MotoGP, fielding a team in the junior Moto3 (125cc) category between 2011 and 2015. Mahindra later refocused on being a bike and engine supplier, ultimately pulling out of the sport in 2017.

• Team MRF's Gaurav Gill the first Indian rally driver to win FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 2013

• Jehan Daruvala drives under the Indian flag in the Formula 2 Championship. He currently races for MP Racing. Daruvala has three wins in the series so far.

Boat racing

• Boat racings are popular in southern India. In Kerala many boat races are organised annually, champakulam moolam baot race, Kumarakom boat race, Payippad Jalotsavam, President's Trophy boat race, Aranmula boat race, Champions Boat League, Vallm kali, Nehru Trophy Boat Race are organised in July.

Powerboating

• In March 2004 Mumbai hosted the first ever F1H2O (Formula 1 Powerboat) Grand Prix of India from 16 to 18 November 2018 Amaravati hosted the second F1H2O World championship Grand Prix of India. The event brought wide media attention especially after one of the team took the colour and the name of Andhra Pradesh Capital, making it the first Indian branded team in the history of F1H2O. Team Amaravati led by Swedish drivers Jonas Anderson and Eric Edin. During Grand Prix of France held in Evian-les-Bains Jonas Anderson took the first place and Indian flag waved on the highest step of the podium. Since then, many states are considering hosting Formula One Powerboat event considering the fact that no stadium is required to be built and the event is usually free for spectators.

E-sport and Gamin

• Mobile gaming is very popular in India. As per analytics firm Sensor tower, by app downloads India is biggest gaming market in the world, as of March 2022, the country has 916 million installs, which is 19.2 percent of world games installed on smartphones. Fantasy gaming became a big thing, there are many fantasy gaming apps running in India. Due to rapid growth of gaming in the country, many foreign firms investing-partnering with Indian firms. PUBG was a popular game here. As of 27 Aug 2022, online gaming space is worth of US$290 million. Some people play on gaming consoles, personal computer offline as well as online, but most of these plays on mobile phones.

Mixed Martial Arts

• According to Chinese legends, it is said that an Indian monk Bodhidharma, travelled to ancient China. He created Kung-fu martial art at Shaolin Temple and created Zen branch of Buddhism. He is regarded as a great monk in China.

• Fan base for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) are growing rapidly in India. Several international promotions are trying to build a strong presence in the country, with TV viewership rising. There are at least two organisations in India promote themselves as national Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) federation or promoter: Mixed Martial Arts Federation, India and All India Mixed Martial Arts Association.

• Matrix Fight Night considered as biggest MMA promotion in India; it frequently organises live events across India. It was founded by Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff and operated by his mother Ayesha Shroff.

• Bharat Khandare became the first fighter from India who signed to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). UFC is the world's biggest MMA promotion. He debuted on 24 November 2017 against Song Yadong of China. UFC is a popular MMA promotion in this country. In 2023, Anshul Jubli won US tournament, Road to UFC and gained UFC contract. He defeated Jeka Saragih of Indonesia in the final of lightweight decision. As of 12 February 2023, Jubli is undefeated with 7-win winning streak.

Professional wrestling

• Professional wrestling is a popular sport in India. Dara Singh was a notable pro wrestler from India, who won titles internationally. In the 1950s, he won world championship against Emile Czaja, popularly known by his ring name King Kong. He also defeated world champion wrestler Lou Thesz of USA Singh participated in almost 500 professional fights and remained undefeated in all of them, he wrestled against George Gordienko of Canada, John da Silva of New Zealand and others. In 2018, WWE honoured Dara Singh by inducting in WWE Hall of Fame Legacy. Tiger Joginder Singh, Arjan Singh Das was best professional wrestlers from India, who worked in promotions in Singapore, Japan, USA in the 1940s and 1950s.

• Dalip Singh Rana, who is widely known by his ring name, The Great Khali was the WWE World heavyweight champion in 2007. On 7 April 2021, WWE honoured The Great Khali by inducting in the WWE Hall of Fame. Thus, he became first professional wrestler from India who received this honour. Currently, wrestlers such as Saurav Gurjar, Rinku Singh and Shanky are in WWE. After WWE, Khali moved back to India and started a pro wrestling promotion, Continental Wrestling Entertainment (CWE), by which he provides training to the budding wrestlers and organise wrestling events. WWE has organised some live events in the India so far.

Kickboxing

• Kickboxing in India is promoted and governed by the Indian Association of Kickboxing Organisations which was founded by Er. S.S. Hari Chandan. Ratnadiptee Shimpi won a silver medal and Pankaj Mahanta, Manoj Kumar, Mohammad Amir Khan and Salam Lemba Meitei won four bronze medals in the Kickboxing at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games. The Indian Team under IOA participated in the 2009 Asian Martial Arts Games where Laxmi Tyagi won a gold medal and three others bagged bronze medals.

Bodybuilding

• It is practised by youngsters as recreational activity and for wellbeing. Mister India and Mister India World is country's biggest championship in this sport. India do not have a national bodybuilding federation or governing body Indian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation is one of a federation of this sport. Bollywood actors such as Tiger Shroff and Hrithik Roshan are considered as fitness icons and inspirations.

Tug of war

• The origins of tug of war are uncertain, but this sport was practised in Cambodia, ancient Egypt, Greece, India and China.

• Archaeological evidence shows that tug of war was also popular in India in the 12th century:

• There is no specific time and place in history to define the origin of the game of Tug of War. The contest of pulling on the rope originates from ancient ceremonies and rituals. Evidence is found in countries like Egypt, India, Myanmar, New Guinea... The origin of the game in India has strong archaeological roots going back at least to the 12th century AD in the area what is today the State of Orissa on the east coast. The famous Sun Temple of Konark has a stone relief on the west wing of the structure clearly showing the game of Tug of War in progress.

Roller Sport

• 'Roller sport' are practiced by some as a recreational sport in India, especially roller skating for children, and it is gaining popularity as a competitive sport. There are clubs in cities and towns, and roller skating is taught in some schools of urban areas.

Roll ball

• Very few people play Roll ball in the country. Roll Ball Federation of India (RBFI) is the national federation of this sport. Roll ball was invented in Pune by a physical education teacher Raju Dabhade. He incorporated rules from Handball, throw ball and Basketball and the game was formed. It is relatively unknown sport here, never got television exposure or media attention, however India men's and women's national team are one of the best and dominating teams in the world, it is evident by the fact that India's men's team has won the Roll Ball World Cup four times, it consecutively won it in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, while women's team won it 2 times and remained runner up 2 times. India has hosted Roll ball world cup number of times; the latest edition was held in 2023 at Pune where Indian men team lost against Kenya in the final.

Sepak takraw

• Sepak takraw, though not very well known in India, was a demonstration sport at the Delhi Asian Games in 1982. The Sepak takraw Federation of India, with its headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, was founded on 10 September 1982. It is recognised by the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports since 2000. So far, the federation has conducted 14 senior, seven junior, and six sub-junior national championships in different cities, and is conducting Federation Cup Tournaments and zonal National Championships.

• The game is very popular in the northeastern state of Manipur, and some of the best players came from there. In the 22nd King's Cup International Speak Takraw Tournament held in Bangkok, the India men's team lost in the semi-finals and claimed bronze in the team event. In the doubles event, the women's team lost in the semi-finals, but earned bronze medals.

• On 21 August 2018, at the 2018 Asian Games, the national men's team won a bronze after losing 2–0 to Thailand. It was Indian's first medal in Sepak takraw in Asian games.

Korfball

• Korfball, a mixed-gender ball sport, with similarities to netball and basketball, is played by over 50 countries in the world. It is not as popular in India as other sports, but is still played by a significant number of people. India came in third place twice (2002 and 2006) in the Asia-Oceania Korfball Championships.

Floorball

• Floorball, an indoor team sport, a type of floor hockey. The Floorball Federation of India was started in 2001 and, since then, it has expanded rapidly. There have been four national floorball championships held, with Uttar Pradesh becoming the champions. Women's floorball has also expanded, and Mumbai is the first national floorball champion of India. India is a provisional member of the International Floorball Federation. India has participated in many international friendlies and steps are being taken to make India an ordinary member of floorball.

Netball

• Netball, derived from early versions of basketball, is a popular sport in India, especially among Indian women. India's national team is ranked 25th in the world and has played only a few matches. The team has failed to qualify for any of the World Netball Championships. They played 18 matches in total. In the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, netball was included as a medal sport. However, the Indian team failed to win a medal.

Lacrosse

• Lacrosse is a relatively new sport in India, introduced in 2006. The governing body for lacrosse in India is the Indian National Lacrosse Federation. It is now being played by schools in Shillong, Meghalaya, while being basically non-existent in the rest of the country. No traces of Lacrosse in India can be found on the Internet.

Winter sports

• Winter sports are common in India in the Himalayan areas. Skiing tournaments take place every winter in Gulmarg, and Manali. Winter sports are generally more common in the northern states and territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. Skiing, snow rugby, snow cycling, and snow football are some of the common winter sports played in India. Skiing is more popular, although India has taken part in luge in Winter Olympics since 1998. Shiva Keshavan is the only Indian to have won medals in international meets in winter sports (Asian Gold 2011, Asian Silver 2009, Asian Bronze 2008, Asian Silver (doubles) 2005, Asian Bronze (singles) 2005), and to have participated in six Olympic Games. He is the Asian speed record holder at 134.4 km/h, making him the fastest man in Asia on ice. Luge is practised in a big way by the mountain residents in an improvised form called "reri".

Bandy

• The Bandy Association of Indians governs bandy in India. Its headquarters are in Aurangabad. Bandy, a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal, is generally played in northern India, where there is snow and ice. India is one of seven countries in Asia and out of a total of 27 to be a member of Federation of International Bandy. The national federation planned to send a team to the 2011 Asian Winter Games in Astana-Almaty, but ultimately did not. In July 2023, there was an Indian visit to Moscow and Krasnogorsk including the national junior team practicing and playing matches on an ice hockey rink with large goal cages (the Czech invention "short bandy".

Curling

• In curling India is an emerging country. Its first ever international appearance was in 2022, when they took part in the World Mixed Curling Championship in Aberdeen, Scotland, recording three victories on the way.

Ice hockey

• Ice hockey is played in the colder parts of India, including Kashmir, Ladakh, and parts of Himachal Pradesh. The Ice Hockey Association of India is the governing body for this sport in India. It affiliated to International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the world governing body of Ice hockey.

• India men's national ice hockey team and India women's national ice hockey team represents India in international ice hockey events. The sport is not popular due to less television, media coverage, and sponsorships.

Skiing

• Skiing is a recreational activity that is popularly indulged in at many Himalayan Hill stations in India. Tourists enjoy skiing at places such as Manali, Jammu and Kashmir, Kasauli, Nainital, Shimla, hung in Sikkim, Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Manali, Kufri, Chamba, Narkanda inHimachalPradesh, Pahalgam and Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir, Mundali, Munsiari, and Auli in Uttarakhand etc.

Climbing

Mountain climbing

• Mountain climbing sport has a long history in India. Many climbers from India have climbed Mount Everest. Avtar Singh Cheema was the 1st Indian mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest in 1965, and in the same year, Captain MS Kohli also climbed it. Bachendri Pal is the first Indian woman mountaineer who climbed Mount Everest, she did this feat in 1984. In 1993, Santosh Yadav became the first woman of India who climbed it twice. In 2014, Malavath Purna became the youngest Indian mountaineer who climbed Everest. Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu has gone up on it 7 times.

• India has few governments institute or schools that provide training in Mountaineering: Himalayan mountaineering institute of Darjeeling, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) Manali, both are founded by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954 and 1961 respectively. ABVIMAS institute also provide training in other adventure sports such as skiing, aero-sport, water sport.

Rock climbing

• Rock climbing is popular among some enthusiasts of adventure sports. India has a lot of mountains; amateur and professional climbers often visit Miyar Valley of Himachal Pradesh, Shey Rock in Leh, and Sar Pass of Himachal Pradesh for rock climbing. Places such as Malshej Ghat in Maharashtra, Paithalmala in Kannur district of Kerala, Rajsangam, and Badami in Karnataka are popular rock-climbing destinations. Bangalore has many climbing gyms which provide training. Ramnagara, Karnataka has a lot of rock and crags, as well as terrain features where people often do trek and rock climbing. Spots such as Madapura Betta, Motherwall, Achalu, Senapathy, Ravugodlu, Karekallu, and Gethnaa Area crags are best for climbing. It is named after Gethnaa Government Institute for climbing.

Bouldering

• Adventure sports enthusiasts do bouldering in Hampi of Karnataka. It is frequently visited by adventure seekers, because the place has infinite large boulders. It is known as a world class bouldering destination. Some bouldering spots have become well-known and frequently visited in the country. But the adventure sports do not have exposure, sponsorships, training facilities and coaching in the entire country.

Gambling, poker, fantasy sports and betting

• Gambling is illegal in most of the states except Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland states and Daman, where land-based gambling and casinos are legal under the Public Gambling Act, 1976 of Indian Penal Code. Gambling is illegal in Maharashtra state, under the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act 1887, but it is still widely played underground in various spots of Maharashtra state. Although there are laws against gambling in most of the states, gamblers still find a way to gamble throughout India. Many play the Seven Eight, Rummy, Teen patti, Seven on Seven, Blackjack, Bluff, Bridge, Mendikot, and Three to Five variants of Poker. These games are widely considered to be gambling. India has a plethora of online Fantasy gaming apps which the masses spend money to play. In these fantasy games, players make teams using mobile phones and get online WhatsApp ID. Often questions are raised that these fantasy online games are gambling, but these apps advertise themselves as being legal and not forms of gambling, but rather games of skills. Some states have banned these apps. Betting is illegal in India, but the nation does not have a proper law against online gambling. Many gambling platforms and mobile apps advertise themselves during the IPL, international, and domestic cricket matches on television through surrogate advertisements in India, some of these apps are 1xBet, Reddy Anna, Fairplay, PariMatch, Betway and Wolf 777, with most of these websites and apps operating from outside of India. Betting on horse racing is legal, while matka gambling is illegal.

• Lottery gambling is legal and allowed to be played in 13 states while the rest of the states have banned it, but lottery selling and buying happens in every state. Even in the states where it is banned, they do not have stringent laws and police do not enforce the existing laws. In some states such as Mizoram, Kerala, Nagaland and Sikkim, it is legal and hugely popular. 13 states that allows lotteries are: Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland and Mizoram. It was very popular in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, but now it is totally banned. In the states where it is banned, the ban is not effective and lotteries are conducted actively through apps and online websites.

Poker – Bridge game

• Pranab Bradhan and Shibhnath Sarkar have won gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games in bridge game at Jakarta. This was the first time the game was played in such a major international event. Indians also won one silver and two bronze medals in Bridge at the Asian Games. The Bridge Federation of India (BFI) is the governing body for bridge game in India. BFI nominated Bradhan and Sarkar's names for the Arjuna Award in 2020.

Traditional games

Yoga

• Yoga (/ˈjoʊɡə/ Sanskrit: योग, lit. 'yoke' or 'union' pronounced [joːɡɐ]) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind (Chitta) and mundane suffering (Duḥkha). There is a wide variety of schools of yoga, practices, and goalsin Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and traditional and modern yoga is practiced worldwide.

• It was part of the National games of 2022.

Board games

• Board Games such as Carrom, Ludo, Snakes and ladders and Tick-Tack-Toe are widely played as pass time, mostly by kids. These games also played online on mobiles.

Kho-kho

• Kho kho is a tag sport played by teams of twelve players who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team, only nine players of the team enter the field. It is one of the two most popular traditional tag games played in schools, the other being kabbadi. Kho Kho Federation of India oversees the sports in the country. In 2022, the first season of Ultimate Kho Kho, a domestic franchise Kho-kho competition, took place in India.

Lagori

• Lagori is played by children of all ages throughout India. In this there are usually 12 players, 6 in each time. A ball and 9 flat rocks are need to play this game. The rocks are piled in the centre on top of each other from the largest to the smallest flat rock. Then both the teams alternatively hit that pile by a ball. The team which hits the pile first and manages topple the pile of rocks gets the chance to hold the ball and hit the player of opposite team with that ball. The task of the opposite team is to re-arrange the pile of rock without getting hit by the ball. Whichever players get hit by the ball is out and the task is taken further by remaining player of his team. If the team with the ball succeeds to out all the players before they could re-arrange the pile they win. If the team manages to re-arrange the pile, then the team with the ball loses.

Kancha

• Kancha is played by using marbles. Marbles are glass balls which are very popular among children. It is popular in small Indian cities and villages, among small children only as a gully sport. The participant has to hit the marble kept in a circle. If he hits the target properly, he wins. The winner gets the kancha of the other participant boys.

Gilli-danda

• Karra billa or Viti Dandu in Marathi is a game played by using one small stick (gilli) and a large stick (danda) like cricket, with the ball replaced by gilli. It is still played in villages of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala (kuttiyum kolum - കുറ്റിയും കോലും), Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat in India only as a recreational game among children.

Kite-flying

• Kite-flying is pursued by many people in India, in cities as well as villages. The festival of Makar Sankranti features kite-flying competitions. It is festival which is a passion among Indians.

Arm wrestling

• Arm wrestling (also known as panja) is a popular pastime in India, and is played professionally in India in the Pro Panja League.