CAQM Advisory: No School Sports Activities in Nov Dec this Year

CAQM Advisory: Physical Sports Banned for Delhi-NCR Schools in November and December 2026

New Delhi, September 15, 2026: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has directed the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to prohibit schools from allowing physical sports activities and competitions in November and December 2026, based on the anticipated deterioration in air quality and the implications of this on children’s health.

The advisory was issued on September 10, 2026, well in advance of the winter season. CAQM has also said that competitions that have been scheduled in these months should not be held and should instead be rescheduled, while students should not be disadvantaged.

CAQM Advisory: What Has Been Recommended?

CAQM's latest advisory recommends that concerned governments ban physical sports activities and competitions in November and December 2026. The advisory is based on air quality trends in November and December in Delhi-NCR. Rather than treating everything as a cancellation, the advisory leaves it up to the authorities to review the existing schedules and cancel/postpone competitions that are outside the scope of the advisory.

This distinction is important for schools, as the advisory is focused on avoiding scheduling outdoor physical sports competitions for November and December, and not declaring a complete ban on sports for the academic year.

Key points of the CAQM advisory:

• Physical sports activities and competitions should not be scheduled in November and December 2026.
• The advisory covers Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Competitions already scheduled during the period may be rescheduled.
• Authorities should consider the air-quality conditions at the location where an event is planned.
• Students should not lose academic or sporting opportunities because an event is postponed.
• Alternative opportunities should be explored where required.

November and December: Find a Place of Concern for School Sports

When students partake in physically demanding outdoor activities, pollution poses a greater threat to their health due to rapid breaths and deeper inhales. CAQM's advisory is particularly concerned with the negative health impacts of poor air quality on children during physical sports competitions.

Therefore, schools are not concerned with whether the sporting event can be held. The primary concern is whether it is safe for students to partake in intensive, outdoor physical activity.

CAQM was prompted to act by the concerns of the Supreme Court

The recent advisory relates to concerns expressed by the Supreme Court of India regarding the air pollution in Delhi - NCR, during November 2025. On November 19, 2025, the Supreme Court summoned CAQM to advise regarding school sports and games competitions scheduled during November and December, particularly because poor air quality has serious negative health implications for children.

After these remarks, CAQM advised the Delhi and NCR states for November 2025 to make appropriate arrangements for the postponement of planned physical sports competitions for both months. CAQM mentioned that students should not be adversely impacted due to postponements and alternatives should be sought for the students.

Which States Are Impacted?

The Government of NCT Delhi and the NCR Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh governments are the focus of this new advisory. Schools and educational departments located in these regions are required to revise the November and December 2026 period of their sports calendars.

What Schools Need to Do

Within this advisory, schools should not wait for poor air quality days to unfold before they start planning their sporting events for winter days. Suggested steps:

• Assessment of sports meets and outdoor competitions already scheduled for this period.
• Shift priority sports events to less polluted days.
• Adjustment of school sports days based on existing air pollution levels.
• No student loses the opportunity to represent their school in sports.
• Prior sports days should be substituted with other off-school sports days.

The objective of this advisory is not to stop outdoor sports activities, but to shift them from the period of air pollution when it becomes the most dangerous.

What Does the CAQM Advisory Mean for Students?

Students need to understand that the advisory does not mean the cancellation of sports for an entire academic year. The advisory refers to physical sports activities and competitions for the months of November and December 2026 only. The competitions can be rescheduled, and officials have been told that students should not be unnecessarily disadvantaged because of the changes.

For young athletes, the advisory is more likely to affect the sports calendar with a shift in competition dates, as opposed to the cancellation of opportunities to compete at the inter-school and district levels.

CAQM Advisory 2026: Key Details

Bottom Line

The CAQM Advisory states that Delhi-NCR's winter sports calendar is preliminary. The CAQM Advisory states that Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh school systems have been instructed to avoid planning physical sports events in November and December 2026. Events scheduled should be rescheduled.

The meaning is simple. Students should continue to have opportunities to play sports, but the impact of outdoor sports on the air students breathe dictates the timing of competition.

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