13 October 2026
General Education Minister N. Shamsudheen released 'Kuttu', the mascot of the 68th State School Sports Meet, at the Niyamasabha media room.
The mascot was designed by R. S. Lakshmi Nandana, a Class 8 student of KNNM Higher Secondary School in Kollam district.
The meet will be held in Kozhikode from 25 to 31 October 2026 across 10 venues in the district.
The NIT Calicut campus is the main venue; athletics begin on 27 October and inclusive sports are held on 26 October.
About 15,000 people including athletes, team managers, officials and organisers will be involved; about 2,800 athletes compete in the sub-junior, junior and senior athletics categories and more than 2,000 in inclusive events.
A total of 48 athletes based in the Gulf region will take part.
The golden cup procession starts from Thiruvananthapuram on 22 October and the torch relay from Kasaragod on 23 October; both reach Kozhikode beach on 25 October.
Seventeen sub-committees are working under Kunnamangalam MLA M. A. Razak Master, with 620 officials, 140 selectors and 100 technical officials arranged.
Mascot:
Kuttu
Edition:
68th State School Sports Meet
Dates and host district:
25 to 31 October 2026, Kozhikode
Venues:
10
Why it matters for exams: The mascot, host district and edition number of the State School Sports Meet are repeatedly asked in Kerala PSC general knowledge papers.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
Mascot Mascot of a sporting event — A figure or character adopted as the emblem of a sporting event.
13 October 2026
As part of phasing out outdated Kerala Police vehicles, 164 new vehicles bought for various police units will be flagged off on 14 October 2026.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala will perform the ceremony at 5 pm at the Thaikkad Police Training College in Thiruvananthapuram.
Four Kerala Police athletes who represented India will be felicitated: Manu T. S., Sajan Prakash, Ansa Babu and Erin Varghese.
Manu T. S. played a key role in the relay silver and bronze medals at this year's Asian Games.
Ansa Babu performed well in relay events at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
Erin Varghese won bronze for India at this year's Asian Volleyball Championship and took part in the Asian Games.
New vehicles:
164
Flag-off date:
14 October 2026
Time:
5 pm
Athletes felicitated:
4
Why it matters for exams: Kerala Police fleet renewal and the state's athletes at the Asian Games are typical Kerala PSC current-affairs material.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
Relay Team track event run in legs — Manu T. S. and Ansa Babu were honoured for relay performances.
13 October 2026
The 68th Kerala State School Sports Meet will be held at Kozhikode from 25 to 31 October 2026.
Its mascot 'Kuttu' was unveiled in Thiruvananthapuram by Education Minister N. Shamsudheen.
Kuttu was designed by R.S. Lakshmi Nandana, a Class 8 student of KNNM HSS and VHSS, Kollam.
About 15,000 people, including athletes, team managers and officials, are expected across 10 competition venues.
Athletics will be held from 27 to 31 October at the NIT Calicut campus with 2,800 athletes.
48 athletes from the Gulf region also take part.
Edition:
68th
Dates:
25 to 31 October 2026
Host district:
Kozhikode
Mascot:
Kuttu
Why it matters for exams: Venue, edition number and mascot of the State School Sports Meet are common Kerala sports questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NIT Calicut National Institute of Technology Calicut — The institute at Chathamangalam whose campus hosts the athletics events.
12 October 2026
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh felicitated defence forces athletes who won 27 medals (06 Gold, 11 Silver and 10 Bronze) at the recently concluded Asian Games in Japan. A total of 92 Services athletes competed in 19 disciplines. India's overall contingent won 85 medals (21 Gold, 27 Silver and 37 Bronze) and finished fourth. Services athletes contributed 32 per cent of India's medals. Naib Subedar Neeru Dhanda became the first Indian woman to win Gold in the individual Women's Trap event at the Games. Havildar Sawan Barwal won Silver in the Men's Marathon in a National Record 2:11:37, ending India's 44-year wait for an Asian Games marathon medal.
Services medals:
27 (06 Gold, 11 Silver, 10 Bronze)
India's total medals:
85 (21 Gold, 27 Silver, 37 Bronze)
India's position:
Fourth
Why it matters for exams: Asian Games medal tallies and Indian 'firsts' are likely sports questions this year.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Mission Olympic Wing Mission Olympic Wing — The defence forces' programme for identifying and training athletes for international events.
12 October 2026
Kerala announced the G.V. Raja Awards for 2025-26, given in 14 fields covering lifetime contribution, the best athletes and coaches.
Triple jumper Eldhose Paul won in the men's section for performances that include a Commonwealth Games gold, and badminton player Treesa Jolly won in the women's section for an Asian Women's Championship gold, a Commonwealth Games team silver, a women's doubles bronze and an Asian mixed team bronze.
The award for the best athletes carries ₹3 lakh with a plaque and a certificate.
The Olympian Suresh Babu Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award, carrying ₹2 lakh with a plaque and certificate, went to Dr. P.T. Joseph, and Anoop Joseph was chosen the best sports coach, an award of ₹1 lakh with a plaque and certificate.
Other winners are Dr. C.S. Sadanandan as the best college sports teacher, Edwin Paul Sibi and P. Anamika as sports hostel athletes, Ajay Ben of Malayala Manorama as the best sports journalist, Sravan Krishna of Asianet News for a visual media programme, K.K. Santhosh of Mathrubhumi for photography and B.T. Sijin for the sports book 'Unaru Aradhakare Unaru'.
Para powerlifter Jobi Mathew and former India footballer Victor Manjila received special recognition.
The winners were chosen by a committee of Olympians Anju Bobby George, P.R. Sreejesh, Dr. Binu George Varghese and Sanil P. Thomas with the Sports Department's Special Secretary and Director.
Best athlete, men:
Eldhose Paul, triple jump
Best athlete, women:
Treesa Jolly, badminton
Best athlete award:
₹3 lakh with a plaque and certificate
Fields covered:
14
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Dr. P.T. Joseph, ₹2 lakh
Best coach:
Anoop Joseph, ₹1 lakh
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's highest sports honour and its current winners are a standard awards question for Kerala PSC.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
G.V. Raja Award — Kerala's State sports award, named after G.V. Raja, who built up organised sport in Travancore.
Triple jump — An athletics event in which the competitor makes a hop, a step and a jump in one run.
Para powerlifting — Competitive bench press for athletes with physical impairments.
12 October 2026
The mascot of the 68th Kerala State School Sports Meet is named 'Kuttu'. General Education Minister N. Shamsudheen unveiled it at the Niyamasabha media room in Thiruvananthapuram. It was designed by R. S. Lakshmi Nandana, a Class 8 student from Kollam district. The meet runs from 25 to 31 October in Kozhikode, with about 15,000 athletes, team managers, officials and organisers. Athletics is at NIT Calicut from 27 to 31 October, with about 2,800 athletes in the sub-junior, junior and senior categories.
Mascot:
Kuttu
Host district:
Kozhikode
Meet dates:
25 to 31 October
Participants:
About 15,000
Why it matters for exams: Mascots, hosts and dates of the State School Sports Meet are a staple of Kerala PSC general-knowledge papers on sport.
Kerala PSC
11 October 2026
Kenya's Amos Kipruto won the men's race at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on 11 October 2026 in 2:01:09, a 30-second personal best. The time ties him with Eliud Kipchoge for fifth on the world all-time list. Tadese Bikila was second in 2:02:56. Ethiopia's Hawi Feysa retained her women's title in 2:13:33, ahead of Sharon Lokedi (2:14:07) and Brigid Kosgei (2:14:55). It was the first marathon with three women finishing under 2:15. Australia's Isobel Batt-Doyle set an Oceanian record of 2:20:38.
Men's winner:
Amos Kipruto (Kenya), 2:01:09
Women's winner:
Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia), 2:13:33
Oceanian record:
Isobel Batt-Doyle, 2:20:38
Why it matters for exams: Winners of World Marathon Majors and all-time records are frequent sports questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
11 October 2026
The Kia Tigers lost 4-1 to the Lotte Giants on Sunday, 11 October 2026, at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, missing a chance to clinch the third seed in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason.
Han Dong-hee hit a grand slam off Tigers starter Adam Oller in the sixth inning.
The Tigers (78-63-2) and the LG Twins (78-64-1) meet in Gwangju on Monday, 12 October, at 6:30 p.m.; the winner takes the No. 3 seed.
The Doosan Bears clinched the No. 5 seed; the wild card round begins on Wednesday, 14 October, and the best-of-five first round on Saturday, 17 October.
Result:
Lotte Giants 4, Kia Tigers 1
Kia Tigers record:
78-63-2
LG Twins record:
78-64-1
Why it matters for exams: Baseball is South Korea's most popular professional sport; the KBO and its clubs appear in sports general-knowledge questions.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
KBO Korea Baseball Organization — The body that runs South Korea's top professional baseball league.
Grand slam Grand slam (baseball) — A home run hit with all three bases occupied, scoring four runs.
11 October 2026
Australia's Steve Smith set the record for the most catches by a fielder in Test cricket on 11 October 2026, the third day of the first Test against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban.
Smith held four catches on the day to reach 223, passing England's Joe Root, who had held the previous mark of 220.
Australia made 390 in their first innings and South Africa replied with 284.
At stumps Australia were 33 without loss in their second innings, a lead of 139 runs.
Smith's Test catches:
223
Previous record (Joe Root):
220
Venue:
Kingsmead, Durban
Why it matters for exams: Cricket records and the players who hold them are among the most frequently asked sports facts.
Kerala PSCSSC
11 October 2026
Malaysia's Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King won the men's doubles title at the Arctic Open badminton tournament in Vantaa, Finland, on 11 October 2026.
They beat Taiwan's Lai Po-yu and Tsai Fu-cheng 21-19, 21-19 in 41 minutes at the Energia Arena.
It was the pair's first tournament together and their first title.
The Arctic Open is a BWF Super 500 event; the Malaysians were ranked world No. 348.
Final score:
21-19, 21-19
Tournament level:
BWF Super 500
Winners' world ranking:
348
Why it matters for exams: BWF World Tour titles and host venues are common sports current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
BWF Badminton World Federation — The world governing body of badminton, which runs the World Tour.
Super 500 BWF World Tour Super 500 — A mid-level grade of BWF World Tour tournaments, below Super 750 and Super 1000.
11 October 2026
India's Anmol Kharb won the women's singles title at the Türkiye International Challenge badminton tournament on 11 October 2026.
She beat her compatriot Aakarshi Kashyap 21-11, 21-14 in straight games in the final.
The title is Anmol's third international senior title.
In the men's doubles final, India's Suraj Goala and Nicholas Raj finished runners-up.
They lost 14-21, 19-21 to Denmark's William Kryger Boe and Rasmus Espersen.
Final score:
21-11, 21-14
Anmol's international senior titles:
3
Why it matters for exams: Titles won by Indian players abroad are a staple of sports current-affairs questions.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
International Challenge BWF International Challenge — A lower tier of Badminton World Federation events, below the BWF World Tour.
11 October 2026
Brodie Kostecki and Todd Hazelwood won the Bathurst 1000 Supercars race at Mount Panorama, Bathurst, on 11 October 2026. They drove car 17, a Ford Mustang, for Dick Johnson Racing over 161 laps. Anton De Pasquale of Team 18 was leading on the final lap but his car ran out of fuel. Will Brown and Scott Pye of Triple Eight Race Engineering finished second, and Zach Bates and Aaron Seton of Matt Stone Racing were third. It was Kostecki's second Bathurst 1000 win; his first came in 2024 with Erebus.
Laps:
161
Team:
Dick Johnson Racing
Why it matters for exams: Bathurst 1000 is Australia's best-known touring car race; winners and venue are common sports questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Supercars Supercars Championship — Australia's top touring car racing series, of which the Bathurst 1000 is the most famous round.
11 October 2026
Ethiopia's Hawi Feysa retained her Chicago Marathon title in 2:13:33 on Sunday, 11 October 2026, and Kenya's Amos Kipruto won the men's race in 2:01:09. Feysa beat two-time Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi, who finished in 2:14:07, with former world record-holder Brigid Kosgei third in 2:14:55. World Athletics said it was the first marathon in history in which three women finished inside 2:15. Kipruto's 30-second personal best moved him to equal fifth on the world all-time list alongside Eliud Kipchoge. Ethiopia's Tadese Bikila was second in 2:02:56, while pre-race favourite Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda slipped to fourth. Chicago is a World Athletics Platinum Label road race.
Women's winning time:
2:13:33
Men's winning time:
2:01:09
Why it matters for exams: Marathon majors, winners and record times are regular sports questions.
Kerala PSCSSC
11 October 2026
Manchester City beat Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in the Premier League on 11 October 2026. All the goals came in the second half, from Erling Haaland, Jérémy Doku and Rayan Cherki. Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was sent off for a second yellow card in the 62nd minute. It was City's first match since an independent commission found them guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules. City maintain their innocence and have appealed. The win restored their three-point lead at the top of the table.
Score:
Liverpool 0-3 Manchester City
Red card:
Ryan Gravenberch, 62nd minute
Why it matters for exams: Major football results, clubs and stadiums appear in general-knowledge sports questions.
Kerala PSCSSC
11 October 2026
UNICEF India named Smriti Mandhana, captain of the Indian women's cricket team, as its Celebrity Advocate on 11 October 2026, the International Day of the Girl. Mandhana, an Arjuna Award recipient, will support UNICEF India's work to promote equal opportunities, health and well-being for adolescent girls. She was appointed captain earlier that week after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down. Sachin Tendulkar, UNICEF Regional Ambassador for South Asia, welcomed her appointment. Cynthia McCaffrey is the Representative of UNICEF India.
Role:
Celebrity Advocate, UNICEF India
Occasion:
International Day of the Girl
Why it matters for exams: Links a sports personality, a UN agency and the International Day of the Girl (11 October).
Kerala PSCUPSCSSCBank
In plain words
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund — The UN agency for children's rights and welfare, headquartered in New York.
11 October 2026
India's Udhayveer Sidhu, 24, won the men's 10m air pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Cairo, Egypt, on 11 October 2026. He scored 240.6 in the final. Germany's Christian Reitz took silver with 240.1 and Italy's Paolo Monna won bronze with 219.8. Sidhu trailed Reitz by 0.3 points before the last two shots and won by 0.5 points. He had qualified fourth for the eight-man final with a score of 585.
Final score:
240.6
Winning margin:
0.5 points
Qualification score:
585
Why it matters for exams: Indian medal at a top-level shooting event; ISSF and event facts are common sports questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
ISSF International Shooting Sport Federation — The world governing body for Olympic shooting events, which runs the ISSF World Cup series.
11 October 2026
Three-time MLA and former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh formally assumed charge as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on 11 October 2026 at Congress Bhawan in Sector 15, Chandigarh. He succeeds Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, who headed the State unit for four and a half years. The ceremony was held amid heavy rain on the first day of Navratri. Pargat Singh said Punjab's issues and the aspirations of ordinary people would be his priorities and that he would do clean politics, not vendetta politics. Punjab Congress affairs in-charge Sachin Pilot, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and MPs Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Manish Tewari attended. AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal could not attend because of prior engagements in Delhi.
New PPCC president:
Pargat Singh
Predecessor:
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring
Venue:
Congress Bhawan, Sector 15, Chandigarh
Why it matters for exams: Sportspersons in public life and changes at the head of State party units are common general-knowledge questions.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
PPCC Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee — The Punjab State unit of the Indian National Congress.
11 October 2026
Kerala Blasters FC began their Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 campaign with a 2-0 away win over Inter Kashi on 11 October 2026. The match was played at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi in Pune. Vibin Mohanan scored in the 18th minute from a pass by Korou Singh. Andre Green added the second goal in stoppage time, set up by Mohammed Sanan. The club's manager is Ashley Westwood.
Result:
Kerala Blasters 2-0 Inter Kashi
Venue:
Pune
First goal:
Vibin Mohanan, 18th minute
Why it matters for exams: Kerala's ISL club and its results are a common sports quiz point.
Kerala PSC
In plain words
ISL Indian Super League — India's top-tier professional football league.
11 October 2026
The Kerala government plans to bring the Keralam Sports Bill, 2026, to overhaul the way sports are governed in the State. The draft is under final review by the Law Department and would set up a sports tribunal headed by a retired High Court judge. Match-fixing, doping, discrimination in selections, exploitation at training camps and irregular appointments to sports quota posts would attract fines of ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh. The draft proposes merging the Directorate of Sports and the Kerala Sports Council into a single Sports Authority of Kerala, run by government nominees with no elections to its governing body. Kerala Kaumudi reported that the authority would be chaired by Sports Minister O J Janeesh and that district sports councils would also be abolished. An online platform would issue and verify sports merit certificates and process scholarship applications.
Fine range:
₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh
Tribunal head:
Retired High Court judge
Proposed body:
Sports Authority of Kerala
Why it matters for exams: A new State law on sports governance, a tribunal and a merged Sports Authority are likely question points.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Doping Use of banned performance-enhancing substances — One of the violations the draft Bill would penalise.
11 October 2026
Canada's Gabriela Dabrowski and her Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani won the women's doubles final at the China Open in Beijing on 11 October 2026.
The second-seeded pair beat top seeds Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Zhang Shuai of China 6-1, 6-2.
They needed just 59 minutes to complete the win.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, earned her 25th career WTA Tour title and fifth of the season.
In the singles final the same day, Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen beat Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4.
Final score:
6-1, 6-2
Dabrowski's career WTA Tour titles:
25
Match duration:
59 minutes
Why it matters for exams: Sports achievements by Canadian athletes are a common source of country-focus recall questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
WTA Women's Tennis Association — The body that runs the professional women's tennis tour.