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The current study aims to explore the impact of participation in sports on the mental health of male and female university students in Pakistan through the mediating roles of cognitive skills and time management. A cross-sectional design was employed to conduct the research. The sample comprised N = 327 (n = 174 male; n = 153 female) students from various public and private universities in Pakistan. A self-developed questionnaire was utilised to assess the study variables. Data were analysed through Structural Equation Modelling using Smart PLS 4. Among male students, sports participation has a significant direct effect on cognitive skills, time management, and mental health. Cognitive skills and time management have a direct positive impact on mental health. Additionally, time management partially mediates the relationship between sports participation and mental health. Moreover, sports participation has a significant indirect effect on mental health through cognitive skills and time management. In female students, participation in sports has a direct effect on cognitive skills. Cognitive Skills have a significant impact on time management and mental health. Cognitive skills partially mediate the relationship between sports participation and mental health. Permutation MGA results revealed a substantial difference in the effects of time management and cognitive skills on mental health. Findings can help academic institutions encourage participation in both indoor and outdoor sports and introduce learning activities to improve cognitive skills. These components of personal growth will enable the students to manage complex tasks effectively.Keywords: sports participation, mental health, cognitive skills, time management, multigroup analysis, PLS-SEM