After an action-packed 2022 that saw India win 61 medals at the Commonwealth Games as well as success on the international circuit elsewhere, India's athletes are gearing up for another packed year of sporting action. Chief amongst those is the 2023 Asian Games beginning in September as well as India hosting the men's hockey World Cup in January.
2023 is an important year for Indian sportspersons, as the qualification calendar in the leadup to the 2024 Paris Olympics also begins in many disciplines. Here's the 2023 calendar to keep track of big tournaments and ESPN India's coverage:
January
2023 Tata Open (Tennis, ATP) in Pune, Maharashtra: January 02-17
2023 Asian WTTC Continental Stage in Doha, Qatar: January 06-12
India's 2023 table tennis calendar begins in Qatar, with Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan, Manika Batra and Archana Kamath vying for honours.
2023 Malaysia Open, Badminton (Super 1000) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: January 10-15
The badminton calendar begins with an upgraded Super 1000 event in Malaysia.
2023 ISSF World Cup, Shotgun in Rabat, Morocco: January 11-24
2023 FIH Hockey Men's World Cup in Odisha, India: January 13-29
India hosts the men's hockey World Cup once more, although Rourkela adds itself to Bhubaneswar as the hosts cities with an impressive stadium. India, captained by Harmanpreet Singh, are placed in pool D alongside England, Spain and Wales.
2023 ICC U-19 World T20 (W) in South Africa: January 14-29
2023 India (W) tour of South Africa, Hockey: January 16-28
Rani Rampal makes her return to an Indian side that won the FIH Nations Cup without her, alongside Sharmila Devi. India face South Africa four times, followed by the Netherlands thrice, as Janneke Schopman assesses her squad against the best.
2023 Australia Open (tennis) in Melbourne: January 16-29
2023 India Open, Badminton (Super 750) in New Delhi, India: January 17-22
The India Open has graduated into a Super 750 event with all of India's badminton stars expected to feature.
2023 Indonesia Masters, Badminton (Super 500) in Jakarta, Indonesia: January 24-29
2023 ISSF World Cup, Rifle/Pistol in Jakarta, Indonesia: January 27 to February 07
February
2023 Prime Volleyball League Season 2: February 04
2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Courchevel and Méribel, France: February 06-19
Arif Khan, India's sole representative at the Beijing Winter Olympics, is expected to feature in the slalom and giant slalom events.
2023 ICC World T20 (W) in South Africa: February 10-26
2023 Formula E Hyderabad ePrix in Hyderabad, India: February 11
2023 ISSF World Cup, Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt: February 17-28
2023 Asian Shotgun Cup in Kuwait: February 20 to March 02
2023 WTT Star Contender in Goa, India: February 27 to March 05
India's first-ever WTT series event will be held in Panaji, Goa, with all of India's top table tennis stars expected to feature.
March
2022-23 Indian Super League Playoffs and Final: TBA
2023 ISSF World Cup, Shotgun in Doha, Qatar: March 04-15
2022-23 FIH Pro League (M) in Odisha, India: March 10-15 (current season)
After finishing third in the 2021-22 FPL standings, India resume their 2022-23 Pro League campaign in Rourkela, facing Germany and Australia in two-legged ties in the span of six days.
2023 All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England: March 14-19
2023 Archery Asia Cup, Leg 1 in Chinese Taipei: March 14-19
2023 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships in New Delhi, India: March 15-31
Nikhat Zareen will defend her status as World Champion after finishing 2022 with an undefeated record.
2023 ISSF World Cup, Rifle/Pistol in Bhopal, India: March 20-31
2023 ISSF World Cup, Shotgun in Larnaca, Cyprus: March 25 to April 06
2023 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi, India: March 28 to April 02
It's home-court advantage for Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Co. as they seek to assert their supremacy.
April
2022-23 Indian Super Cup: TBA
2023 Indian Women's League: TBA
2023 Indian Premier League: TBA
2023 Archery Asia Cup, Leg 2 in Uzbekistan: TBA
2023 ISSF World Cup, Rifle/Pistol in Las Palmas, Lima, Peru: April 11-22
2023 ISSF World Cup, Shotgun in Cairo, Egypt: April 25 to May 06
May
2023 BWF World Mixed Team Championships (Sudirman Cup) in Suzhou, China: TBA
India were originally supposed to host the Sudirman Cup in 2023, but due to China losing out on hosting the previous edition in 2021 (It was held in Finland due to COVID-19 complications), they were awarded hosting rights for the 2023 edition. India accepted the opportunity to host the BWF World Championships in 2026 in return.
The Race to Paris Olympic Qualification begins on 1 May 2023, with the Sudirman Cup the first eligible ranking tournament within that period. Qualification will run until 28 April 2024 with the Race to Paris ranking lists as of 30 April 2024 used to determine the initial list of qualifiers.
2023 IBA Men's World Boxing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan: May 01-14
2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, South Korea: May 03-13
Mirabai Chanu and Co. resume their qualification for the Paris Olympics.
2023 ISSF World Cup, Rifle/Pistol in Baku, Azerbaijan: May 04-15
2023 Diamond League Meeting in Doha, Qatar: May 05
Neeraj Chopra might begin his 2023 Diamond League campaign in Qatar.
2023 World Judo Championships: May 07-14
2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Durban, South Africa: May 20-28
Independent India has never won a medal at the TT Worlds, so expectations for Sharath Kamal and Co. are tempered.
2023 ISSF World Cup, Shotgun in Almaty, Kazakhstan: May 20-31
2023 Malaysia Masters, Badminton (Super 500) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: May 23-28
2022-23 FIH Pro League (M) in London, England: May 26 to June 03 (Current Season)
India take on Belgium and Great Britain in two-legged ties.
2023 Diamond League, Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athletisme in Rabat, Morocco: May 28
2023 French Open (tennis) in Paris: May 28 to June 11
2023 Thailand Open, Badminton (Super 500) in Bangkok, Thailand: May 30 to June 04
June
2023 AFC Asian Cup (M) in Qatar: TBA
India have qualified for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which was originally meant to be held in China in June, but has been moved to Qatar due to COVID-19 complications. Due to high temperatures, the tournament may be shifted to late 2023 or early 2024.
2023 Diamond League, Golden Gala in Florence, Italy: June 02
2023 IWF Grand Prix, Weightlifting in Havana, Cuba: June 02-12
This event counts towards qualification points for Paris 2024, which ought to see Indian weightlifters take part.
2023 Archery Asia Cup, Leg 3 in Singapore: June 05-10
2023 Singapore Open, Badminton (Super 750) in Singapore: June 06-11
2022-23 FIH Pro League (M) in Eindhoven, Netherlands: June 07-11 (Current Season)
India take on Netherlands and Argentina in two-legged ties.
2023 Diamond League Meeting in Paris, France: June 09
2023 Indonesia Open, Badminton (Super 1000) in Jakarta, Indonesia: June 13-18
2023 Diamond League, Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway: June 15
2023 U-23 Asian Wrestling Championships in Amman, Jordan: June 17-25
2023 Diamond League, Athletissima in Lausanne, Switzerland: June 30
July
2023 Wimbledon in London: July 3-16
2023 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in New Delhi, India: TBA
2023 Diamond League, BAUHAUS-Galan in Stockholm, Sweden: July 02
2023 Canada Open, Badminton (Super 500) in Calgary, Canada: July 04-09
2023 ISSF World Cup, Shotgun in Lonato, Italy: July 06-17
2023 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan: July 14-30
2023 Diamond League, Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzów, Poland: July 16
2023 Korea Open, Badminton (Super 500) in Seoul, South Korea: July 18-23
2023 Diamond League, Herculis in Monaco: July 21
2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand: July 20 to August 20
India are not featuring in the 32-team tournament, but may have had COVID-19 not intervened in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.
2023 Diamond League Meeting in London, England: July 23
2023 Japan Open, Badminton (Super 750) in Tokyo, Japan: July 25-30
2023 Asian Youth & Junior Weightlifting Championships in New Delhi, India: July 28 to August 05
2023 Diamond League Meeting in Shanghai, China: July 29
August
2023-24 FIH Pro League (W): TBA
India qualified for the 2023-24 edition of the Pro League on account of their FIH Nations Cup win. The opening games are expected to serve as preparation for the Asian Games, although fixtures have yet to be announced.
2023 Australia Open, Badminton (Super 500) in Sydney, Australia: August 01-06
2023 Diamond League Meeting in Shenzhen, China: August 03
2023 ISSF World Championship All Events in Baku, Azerbaijan: August 14 to September 03
2023 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary: August 19-27
Neeraj Chopra will be aiming to go one better than his silver medal at the Worlds in 2022.
2023 BWF Badminton World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark: August 21-27
2023 US Open (tennis) in New York: August 28 to September 9
2023 Diamond League, Weltklasse in Zurich, Switzerland: August 31
September
2023 SAFF Championship (M): TBA
The hosts are yet to be decided, with a tentative date of September 2023 proposed.
2023 IWF Weightlifting World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: September 02-17
Mirabai Chanu will be aiming to go one better than her silver from the 2022 Bogota Worlds, especially with this event also counting towards Olympic qualification.
2023 Asian Table Tennis Championships in Korea: September 03-10
2023 China Open, Badminton (Super 1000) in Changzhou, China: September 05-10
2023 Diamond League, Memorial van Damme in Brussels, Belgium: September 08
2023 ISSF World Cup, Rifle/Pistol in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: September 08-19
2023 Hong Kong Open, Badminton (Super 500) in Hong Kong: September 12-17
2023 World Wrestling Championships in Belgrade, Serbia: September 16-24
The Wrestling Worlds takes place right before the Asian Games, which might complicate matters for Indian wrestlers.
2023 Diamond League Finals, Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, USA: September 16-17
2023-24 AFC Cup (M) Group Stage: September 18 to December 12
India's representatives in the South Asian Group Stage will be decided by a playoff between Gokulam Kerala (2021-22 I-League champions) and winners of the 2022-23 Indian Super Cup. An additional spot via the qualifiying play-off pathway will be decided between Hyderabad FC and the winners of the 2022-23 Indian Super League final, after which they will need to take part in a qualifying mini-tournament to make the group stage.
2023-24 AFC Champions League (M) Group Stage: September 18 to December 13
India have a direct group stage entrant, which will be decided by a playoff between Jamshedpur FC and the league stage champions of the 2022-23 ISL season.
2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China: September 23 to October 08
The big one. With Covid-19 postponing the competition from its initial dates in 2022, it afforded Indian athletes a break after the 2022 Commonwealth Games, with the Asian Games now all set to feature as a convenient proving ground in the buildup to the 2024 Paris Olympics. All of India's best in athletics, archery, badminton, boxing, chess, hockey, shooting, table tennis, weightlifting and wrestling will feature. Additionally, cricket makes a return to the Asiad programme, with kabaddi also featuring (India missed out on gold the last time). ESports, bridge and breaking vie for legitimacy once more, affording many a rare shot at the spotlight.
Overall, India will be aiming to improve on their 70-medal haul from Jakarta in 2018.
2023 MotoGP Grand Prix of India, Buddh International Circuit in Noida, India: September 24
October
2023 National Games in Goa: TBA
The 37th edition of the National Games will be held in Goa, with dates to be announced in keeping with the international sporting calendar.
2023 ICC World Cup (M) in India: TBA
Originally scheduled for February 2023, the tournament was postponed to an October-November window.
2023 Arctic Open, Badminton (Super 500) in Vantaa, Finland: October 10-15
2023 Denmark Open, Badminton (Super 750) in Odense, Denmark: October 17-22
2023 World Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: October 21-30
2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China: October 22-28
India's para-athletes will be aiming to build on the back of a successful Tokyo Paralympics and Commonwealth Games.
2023 Asian Shooting Championship in Changwon, South Korea: October 22 to November 02
2023 U-23 World Wrestling Championships in Tampere, Finland: October 23-29
2023 French Open, Badminton (Super 500) in Paris, France: October 24-29
November
2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup 2027 (M) Joint Qualifiers: TBA
India's qualification campaign for the next World and Asian Cups begin in November.
2023 Asian Archery Championships in Bangkok, Thailand: November 04-12
In addition to the Asian Games, this will serve as a qualification event for the Paris Olympics.
2023 Japan Masters, Badminton (Super 500) in Kumamoto, Japan: November 14-19
2023 Asian Para-Archery Championships in Bangkok, Thailand: November 16-26
2023 China Masters, Badminton (Super 750) in Shenzhen, China: November 21-26
2023 Syed Modi India International, Badminton (Super 300) in Lucknow, India: November 23 to December 03
December
2023 IWF Grand Prix, Weightlifting in Doha, Qatar: December 01-17
This event counts towards qualification points for Paris 2024, which ought to see Indian weightlifters take part.
2023 Wrestling World Cup in Coralville, United States: December 09-10
2023 BWF Badminton World Tour Finals: December 13-17
India will be aiming to have more entrants than the sole representation of HS Prannoy in the 2022 edition.