Special General Awareness for IBPS, Bank Exams (Sports) - 2015

:: Sports ::

Shastri Retained as team director till 2016

• Ravi Shastri was on Sunday retained as the team director of the Indian cricket team till the 2016 T20 World Cup at home, based on the recommendations of the BCCI advisory committee.
• Shastri, who was appointed team director in August 2014, has been given another seven-month extension till the completion of the World T20 in April. The sixth edition of the tournament is scheduled to be held in India from March 11 to April 3.
• The former Indian all-rounder took over the job after the England Test loss last year. The cricketer-turned-commentator then saw the team win the ODI series in England.
• His two biggest achievements as team director are India’s semi-final finish in the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand along with Virat Kohli’s Test side winning an away Test series against Sri Lanka after 22 years.
• Acknowledging the performance of the Indian cricket team and the efforts of the coaching staff in recent times, the advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman endorsed the extension of their tenure.
• Along with Shastri, the committee also approved the extension of the assistant coaches till the T20 showpiece event next year. Sanjay Bangar stays on as the assistant coach (batting), Bharat Arun remains as bowling consultant and R Sridhar as the fielding coach.

Flavia Pennetta
wonUS Open 2015, women single title

• With her final shot in the 49th grand slam of her career, a beautifully struck off-forehand that scooted past the flailing racquet of a lifelong friend who had reached so far to bring down a giant of tennis just a day earlier, Flavia Pennetta made history.
• In front of a capacity crowd who had expected to see history of another kind — that derailed when Vinci halted Serena Will¬iams’ tilt at the calendar Grand Slam in an astonishing semi-final — Pennetta promptly announced her retirement.
• “One month ago I take the big decision in my life. This is the way I would like to say goodbye to tennis,” she told a capacity crowd
• It floored those who had paid big dollars to attend a final that, for the first time ever, sold out quicker than the men’s decider, undoubtedly due to the Serena slam factor
• Billie Jean King, who was standing in the crowd, was seen to bellow “No way” when the announcement was made.
• Fellow professionals took to ¬social media to express their delight and dismay at the same time, for Pennetta is clearly a popular figure on tour.
• What the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made of it is unclear, but he was clearly delighted to witness the historic moment from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
• Pennetta’s boyfriend, Fabio Fognini, who had earlier knocked Rafael Nadal out of the tournament, was another forced to make a quick dash back to New York after moving on to his next event.
• Retirement at the top is not completely unprecedented. Pete Sampras never played again after winning the 2002 US Open, although he did not announce his intentions for another year. Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli retired a month after winning Wimbledon in 2013
• Pennetta said she made the decision a month ago and had no great expectations heading into the Open, despite boasting a solid record in New York.
• The 26th seed toppled some quality rivals along the way. Sam Stosur was her fourth-round opponent, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova a quarter-final rival and the world No 2 Simona Halep among the women she thrashed to reach the final.

Senate vote in favour of Iran deal

• Senate Democrats on Thursday handed U.S. President Barack Obama a major political victory for his administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, as they voted 58-42 to block a Republican resolution rejecting agreement.
• A sense of relief combined with exhilaration appeared to grip the White House after the vote and Mr. Obama described the vote as a “historic step forward” that thwarted an attempt to scupper the six-nation accord aimed at limiting Iran’s nuclear development activities in exchange for a gradual reduction in economic sanctions against Tehran.
• Under legislation passed by the U.S. Congress in May this year, the deal will automatically take effect unless both the House and Senate vote for a resolution of disapproval by September 17.
• Welcoming his Democratic colleagues’ action on Capitol Hill, the President noted: “Going forward, we will turn to the critical work of implementing and verifying this deal so that Iran cannot pursue a nuclear weapon, while pursuing a foreign policy that leaves our country - and the world - a safer place.

Paes wins U.S.Open mixed double title

• All praise for partner Martina Hingis after clinching the U.S. Open mixed doubles title, veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes said he neither has the technique nor the calibre to match the Swiss legend but he tries to make up for it with his perseverance.
• Paes combined with Hingis to win a record ninth Mixed Doubles Grand Slam title after beating the American combo of Sam Querrey and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-4 3-6 10-7 in the US Open final.
• Soon after he won his historic U.S. Open title, Paes said more than the technique it is his never-say-die spirit that has got him success.
• He has now won nine mixed doubles major titles and trails only former partner Martina Navratilova (10).

Kohli’ new boss of federer to co-own IPTL team ‘UAE Royals’

• Joining the IPTL bandwagon, India Test captain Virat Kohli has become co-owner of the UAE Royals, which will be led by Swiss great Roger Federer.
• Federer had played for Micromax Indian Aces in the inaugural season and this season he will be joined by Goran Ivanisevic, 2001 Wimbledon Champion Ana Ivanovic, Daniel Nestor, Kristina Mladenovic and Tomas Berdych.
• The UAE leg of the league will be held from December 14-16 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium
• The league has expanded to five teams for its second edition with the Japan Warriors joining last season’s champions, the Indian Aces, alongside the UAE Royals, the Philippine Mavericks and the Singapore Slammers.
• The league will begin in Japan from December 2 and culminate in Singapore on December 20.

Sania, Paes partner Hingis to finals

• Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis provided the storm-effect with some thunderous play from the back of the court after late-afternoon showers disrupted the day’s schedule at the US Open.
• The top seeds made their second successive Grand Slam final, having won Wimbledon in July, in stirring fashion. Hingis, 35, returned on court an hour later, partnering another Indian Leander Paes to make the mixed doubles final, their second in succession after their triumph at the All England Club.
• Sania and Hingis beat the tough pairing of Italy’s Flavia Pen netta and Sara Errani 6-4, 6-1 in 77 minutes. They await the winners of the second semifinal between Casey Dellacqua-Yaroslav Shvedova and Coco Vandeweghe-Ana-Lena Groenefeld.

US plans to accept 10,000
Syrian refugees next year

• That number is significantly higher than the 1,500 Syrians that have been permitted to re-settle in the US since the start of the conflict.
• The 10,000 figure is still much lower than the 340,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Europe this year.
• Since the beginning of the conflict the US has given $4bn ($2.6bn) in aid.
• The increase in accepting refugees displays a “significant scaling up” of US commitment to accept people from conflict zones and help provide for their needs,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
• US Congress would have to to make a “significant financial commitment” in order to allow for additional 10,000 refugees to the US, Mr Earnest said.
• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered four million Syrians as refugees, and it has asked governments around the world to resettle 130,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2016.

India beat Malaysia 9-1
to enter semi-final of Junior Asia Cup

• Skipper Rani Rampal led from the front and slammed a hat-trick as Indian eves thrashed Malaysia 9-1 in their last league game of the seventh women’s Junior Asia Cup on Thursday
• By virtue of this win, India has qualified for the semi-final of the tournament.
• The Indian eves started on an attacking note and penetrated the Malaysian circle in the early minutes of the game
• Preeti Dubey rushed into the Malaysian circle and played a cross ball towards Rani Rampal, who scored the first goal for India in the eighth minute

Novak Djokovic reaches
US Open semis for 9th straight year

• Novak Djokovic’s U.S. Open quarterfinal was suddenly tied at a set apiece, and he tore off his shirt as he headed to the sideline. He sat, halfheartedly tried to smash his racket, and then began screaming.
• Hardly the first time, nor likely to be the last, that Djokovic has let out a little emotion during a match. Whatever gets you through the day, right?
• Gathering himself after getting pushed around a bit by an opponent with an unconventional style, Djokovic wound up reaching the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the ninth consecutive year with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory over 18th-seeded Feliciano Lopez that finished a little after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Australia wicketkeeper Brad
Haddin retires from Test cricket

• Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin announced his retirement from Test and domestic first-class cricket on Wednesday, joining the exodus of veteran players from the Australian side after its Ashes loss.
• The 37-year-old Haddin, who didn’t make his test debut until he was 30, played 66 tests, scoring 3,266 runs at an average of 32.98.

Anirban Lahiri becomes first Indian to qualify for President’s Cup team

• Anirban Lahiri added another feather to his cap by becoming the first Indian to qualify for the prestigious President’s Cup
• Lahiri, World No.40, came through as one of the automatic qualifications for the International Team, which will take on United States in the biennial Presidents Cup in Korea.
• In the International Team standings, the deadline for which ended on Monday, Lahiri finished seventh to make the team.
• Also becoming the first from his country to make the team was Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, who was ninth
• At one stage, Lahiri had fell out of the Top-10, but his fifth place finish at the PGA Championships hauled him back into the zone.

Haryana government grants Vijender permission to turn professional

• Vijender Singh’s bout with the Haryana government over chasing his professional boxing dreams is over
• The Beijing Olympics bronze medallist can go ahead with his plans with the Haryana government finally approving his leave application to train in England to compete in the professional circuit.
• Vijender, a Deputy Superintendent in Haryana Police, had in July sought a year’s extraordinary leave (from August 2015) to train and compete.
• The government didn’t give its approval, which whipped up a controversy. However, it gave its approval a couple of days ago
• Around 15 athletes from Haryana Police figure in various professional leagues, including the pro-kabaddi league.
• Vijender has started training in London and the first bout is expected to take place in a month.

I-League and ISL merger possible after Two-three seasons, says AIFF chief Praful Patel

• The All India Football Federation (AIFF) finds itself in a tug-of-war for attention between Indian Super League clubs and I-League clubs: both tournaments spawned by the same organisation — but one which finds itself backed by big corporates, bollywood stars and Star Sports; and the other besieged by failing clubs, lack of marketing and almost negligible viewership.
• Legacy and history are the only two things going for the I-League.
• However, after a meeting with ISL organisers IMG-Reliance and I-League club representatives, AIFF president Praful Patel gave assurances that India’s FIFA-recognised principal league is not going anywhere, at least for now.
• A merger with the ISL has still been discussed and is very much in the pipelines, but it will take time.
• That is no reason to stop the governing body of football to not listen to the grievances of I-League clubs
• Patel gave the example of I-League club Mumbai FC which had to play their home games outside of Mumbai because Cooperage was not ready to host matches — which made it extremely hard for the club to garner a following.
• The Member of Parliament has also agreed that India play their World Cup qualifier against Guam in Mumbai at the Andheri Sports Complex, subject to organisers upgrading the turf, seating and other FIFA requirements.

Bangladesh, India in Final

• India and Bangladesh, the top two teams, made the final of the SAARC golf championship. On the penultimate day of the championship at the KGA course, India defeated Bhutan, while Bangladesh swamped a hapless Afghanistan in the semifinals. Both teams winning the 36-hole Match play round without dropping a match.
• The 18-hole morning session set the tone with India’s top amateur Viraj Madappa essaying a flawless, bogey free round to beat Bhutan’s Karma Wangchuk 8 and 7
• Pukhraj Singh Gill then beat Bhutan’s Capt. (retd) B.B. Gurung 7 and 5. But the India team captain Jaibir Singh was stretched to the fourth extra hole by Bhutan’s Tshendra Dorgi.
• In the sudden death play-off with both players level after three holes, Jaibir Singh landed his tee shot on the green of the short, par-3 fourth hole and duly holed out for a par. But Dorgi failed to chip and putt finishing with a bogey.
• India was as invincible in the afternoon session with Madappa and Gill winning by identical 6 and 5 margins.
• Bangladesh, clearly the favourite in its semifinal against Afghanistan won all its three matches in the morning session.
• India and Bangladesh will face off in the final.

Ethiopia’s Geremew and
Daska emerge victorious

• Kenya’s stranglehold over the TCS World 10K was broken in absorbing fashion as Ethiopia’s Mosinet Geremew and Mamitu Daska emerged victorious.
• The previous five men’s and three women’s winners had all come from Kenya but there was to be no encore.
• Geremew finished in a time of 28:16, with compatriot Fikadu Seboka two seconds behind him. The pair ran a cautious race, not wishing to set the pace at any stage but making sure to stay within striking distance of the leader at all times. Edwin Kiptoo was third.
• Kogo, the former world record holder and the pre-race favourite, was unable to find the same finishing kick and settled for fourth.
• The winners earned $21,000 each in prize money while the top Indian finishers were awarded Rs. 2.5 lakh each.

Sania-Hingis duo loses Rome Masters final

• The Indo-Swiss tennis combine of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis did not live up to expectations as the top seeds were upset by Hungarian-French pair of Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets in the women’s doubles final of the $2,428,490 Rome Masters.
• The third seeds took just an hour and 13 minutes to come out on top with a 6—4, 6—3 win on the outdoor clay courts of Foro Italico in the first ever match between the two pairs.
• This was Sania and Martina’s, ranked World No.1 and 2 respectively, fourth final together, having won at Indian Wells, Miami and Charleston earlier in the year.
• The match did not go in favour of the top seeds right from the start as Sania and Martina were shocked in the fifth game of the first set when Timea and Kristina broke them and held serve to extend the lead to 4
• Sania and Martina finally earned two breakpoints for the first time in the match when the the third seeds were looking to close the set on their service game at 5—4. However, both opportunities were wasted as Timea and Kristina won the set to take the lead in the match in only 38 minutes.
• The third seeds took the momentum into the second set as they immediately broke their opponents. But Sania and Martina reverted by breaking back and levelling the set at 1—1.
• The next four service games were held by both teams but the third seeds once again stunned the Indo-Swiss combo by breaking them in the seventh game of the set. They held serve to extend the lead to 5—3.
• Within no time, Timea and Kritina had two matchpoints. The first was saved by the top seeds but the Hungarian-French pair converted the second to earn the vital crown.

Bronze for Archana

• India’s Archana Kamath won a bronze medal in the cadet girls’ singles at the Thailand Open table tennis tournament.
• Archana lost 11-9, 11-7, and 11-8 to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Ting-Ting, the eventual winner, in the semifinals.

Djokovic, Sharapova win Rome titles

• Novak Djokovic scored a 6-4, 6-3 wins over Roger Federer to capture his fourth Rome Masters title.
• Djokovic also won the Rome title in 2008, 2011 and last year.
• In the women’s tournament, Maria Sharapova beat 10th-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 to win her third Rome title.
• Sharapova’s first two titles in Rome came back-to-back in 2011 and 2012.

ICC committee recommends removal of batting PowerPlay

• The ICC Cricket Committee recommended the removal of batting PowerPlay besides allowing five fielders outside the circle in the last 10 overs.
• The committee, headed by former India captain Anil Kumble, discussed the ODI playing conditions, code of conduct as far as player behaviour is concerned, illegal bowling actions, use of technology and helmet safety among other issues.
• The Cricket Committee will recommend to the Chief Executives Committee that there should be three changes to the ODI fielding restrictions: the requirement to have two compulsory catchers in the first 10 overs is removed, the batting PowerPlay be removed and that five fieldsmen be allowed outside the circle from overs 41-50 instead of four.
• In an attempt to strike a balance between bat and ball, the ICC will not introduce a regulation about the size of bats, but it will provide input on this issue to the MCC through the consultation process ahead of the re-drafting of the Laws of Cricket in 2017.
• The committee reiterated its previous edict that boundaries at international venues needed to be set-up to the maximum size at each venue. The committee asked ICC to investigate ways in which no balls can be reviewed quickly upon the fall of a wicket and also recommended that all no-balls in ODI and T20I cricket should result in a free hit.
• The committee supported the stronger stance being taken against inappropriate player behaviour, and was concerned at the increasing number of send-offs.
• There was also strong support for the current practice of suspending captains for over rate breaches.
• There was a discussion on the performance of DRS and the use of technology in umpiring.
• There was a presentation on helmet safety, particularly the development of the new British Standard for cricket helmets, and the increasing number of manufacturers that now make helmets that are certified to this new standard.
• Whilst the committee did not believe the wearing of helmets should be mandatory at international level, it did strongly recommend that all helmets worn by international players should be certified to this new British Standard.
• The Cricket Committee’s remit is to discuss cricket-playing matters and to make recommendations to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee and the ICC Board that will meet in Barbados during the apex body’s annual conference week, from June 22 to 26
• “We have enjoyed two very productive days of meetings in which the committee discussed a wide range of issues affecting the global game through practical examples and illustrations,” said Kumble, the committee’s chairman.

Bayliss appointed England head coach

• Australian Trevor Bayliss has been appointed as the new head coach of England, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced.
• The 52-year-old former Sri Lanka coach succeeds the sacked Peter Moores, having been preferred to his compatriot Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire coach, who was the initial favourite for the job.
• “Trevor has an outstanding record as coach, has global experience and is very highly regarded in the game,” said the ECB’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss in a press release.
• Currently coach of New South Wales, Bayliss will take charge of England in time for the start of their home Ashes series against Australia in July.
• “He has proved himself in both domestic and international cricket, has a strong reputation for man-management and has shown how to build winning teams in all three formats,” Strauss added.
• “His expertise in the shorter forms of the game will be vital as we build towards three major ICC events over the next four years; the ICC World T20 tournament in India in 2016 and the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be staged in England and Wales in 2017 and 2019 respectively.”
• Strauss confirmed that Bayliss will work alongside current caretaker coach Paul Farbrace, who steered England to a stirring 124-run win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s, which concluded on Monday.
• Farbrace will remain in charge for the second Test at Headingley, starting, and the following limited-overs match. Bayliss worked with Farbrace during his time as coach of Sri Lanka, who he led to the final of the 2011 World Cup.
• “It’s an honour to be appointed England coach,” said Bayliss.recommendations to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee and the ICC Board that will meet in Barbados during the apex body’s annual conference week, from June 22 to 26.
• “We have enjoyed two very productive days of meetings in which the committee discussed a wide range of issues affecting the global game through practical examples and illustrations,” said Kumble, the committee’s chairman.
  Bayliss appointed England head coach
• Australian Trevor Bayliss has been appointed as the new head coach of England, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced.
• The 52-year-old former Sri Lanka coach succeeds the sacked Peter Moores, having been preferred to his compatriot Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire coach, who was the initial favourite for the job.
• “Trevor has an outstanding record as coach, has global experience and is very highly regarded in the game,” said the ECB’s director of cricket Andrew Strauss in a press release.
• Currently coach of New South Wales, Bayliss will take charge of England in time for the start of their home Ashes series against Australia in July.
• “He has proved himself in both domestic and international cricket, has a strong reputation for man-management and has shown how to build winning teams in all three formats,” Strauss added.
• “His expertise in the shorter forms of the game will be vital as we build towards three major ICC events over the next four years; the ICC World T20 tournament in India in 2016 and the ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup, which will be staged in England and Wales in 2017 and 2019 respectively.”
• Strauss confirmed that Bayliss will work alongside current caretaker coach Paul Farbrace, who steered England to a stirring 124-run win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s, which concluded on Monday.
• Farbrace will remain in charge for the second Test at Headingley, starting, and the following limited-overs match. Bayliss worked with Farbrace during his time as coach of Sri Lanka, who he led to the final of the 2011 World Cup.
• “It’s an honour to be appointed England coach,” said Bayliss.
• “There’s a great opportunity to help (Test captain) Alastair Cook and (one-day captain) Eoin Morgan shape the direction and development of their respective teams.
• “I am also looking forward to working alongside Paul Farbrace once again as we have a similar outlook on the game, get on well after two years working together and have kept in touch.”

Ministry considers recognising regional federations

• The Union sports ministry has decided to consider granting recognition to sports bodies dealing with indigenous disciplines as Regional Sports Federations (RSFs).
• In a release, the ministry said in order to promote such disciplines and give them due acknowledgement it would take up the cases of such sports bodies and consider them for recognition with the approval of the competent authority.
• However, the ministry said these bodies must fulfil some conditions. Accordingly, the sports disciplines (a) must be popular in a region/ state and played in one or more states, (b) should have been played in the region for at least last 10 years, (c) RSFs seeking recognition should have conducted championships at senior, junior and sub-junior levels and (d) in case there is an international federation for a discipline, the National body should have the recognition of the global outfit (in case there are several bodies at the international level for one sport and if more than one RSF apply for recognition, then the Government shall take a decision in the matter).
• The ministry clarified that a particular condition, which required a National Sports Federation to have affiliated units in two-third of the state/ union territories, will not be applicable for the grant of recognition to RSFs.

Bolt wins 200m at rain-hit Ostrava

• Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt overcame rain-soaked, chilly conditions to streak to his new season best in winning his favoured 200 metres at Golden Spike meet.
• In the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, the 28-year-old world and Olympic champion — who also holds the world 100 and 200m records, clocked 20.13 seconds, almost a second behind his world record of 19.19sec set in 2009.
• In his only previous appearance over 200m this season, and following a string of injuries that plagued him in 2014, Bolt timed 20.20sec on home soil in Kingston, Jamaica, in April. It is the first time since 2007 that Bolt has run two back-to-back 200m slower than 20sec.
• Bolt said he had wanted to go under the 20-second barrier but “the conditions didn’t allow and I’m coming back from an injury so it’s going to take time”.
• “For me it was not a perfect day but I’m just happy to have gotten out at least injury-free,” he said.
• Bolt said he was feeling better ahead of Diamond League meets in New York and Paris.
• U.S sprinter Charonda Williams won the women’s 200 metres in 23.12 seconds.

Pujara, Sharma break into top 20 of ICC Test rankings

• Pacer Ishant Sharma broke into the bowlers’ top-20, while Cheteshwar Pujara entered the top-20 of batsmen’s list as Indian cricketers gained significantly in the latest ICC Test rankings following their first series triumph in Sri Lanka in 22 years.
• “Cheteshwar Pujara has broken into the top 20 of the ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen for the first time in his career following the conclusion of the Colombo Test, which India won by 117 runs to clinch the series 2-1,” the ICC said in a statement.a
• The 27-year-old batsman carried his bat in the first innings and returned unbeaten on 145 not out, his seventh career century, which was the cornerstone of India’s first innings score of 312
• For this performance, Pujara has been rewarded with a jump of four places, which puts him in 20th positio
• Pujara is now the second India batsman to feature in the top 20, but following Virat Kohli’s drop to 11th (down by one place), the fifth-ranked side has no batsman inside the top 10.
• Rohit Sharma has moved up two places to 48th, Ravichandran Ashwin has gained five places and is now in 50th spot, while Amit Mishra, who scored 59 in the first innings and featured in a 104 runs eighth wicket partnership with Pujara, has vaulted 56 places to 91st.

India-South Africa series to
be known as ‘Gandhi-Mandela series

• Australia & England might have the Ashes but India and South Africa have evoked the memory of two iconic historical figures to name future cricket series between the two countries. Starting in November, the Test series between the countries will be known as ‘The Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series’, an announcement said on Monday. “For the people of both our countries there is no greater duty than to uphold the ideals of both Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela,” Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. “As cricket loving people we must fight hard to win on the field of play but never forget to do battle in the spirit of these two great men.”
• South Africa tour India for four Tests in November and December, preceded by a series of limited over matches in October. The two countries have played 11 Test series since 1992 with South Africa winning six and drawing three. Only the first series comprised four Tests. A dispute between the two rival boards saw the last series in South Africa reduced to just two Tests in 2013. Gandhi, who pursued non-violent protest to win Indian independence, lived in South Africa for almost two decades, working as a lawyer and leading several civil rights protests. Mandela, who died almost two years ago, spent 27 years behind bars for his fight against apartheid and then became South Africa’s first black president in 1994.

Women’s hockey team Confirmed its berth to next year’s Olympic Games

• A 36-year-long wait ended on Saturday as the Indian women’s hockey team confirmed its berth to next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
• The news could not have come on a better day — the National Sports Day and birthday of hockey’s original wizard, Dhyan Chand.
• India last played in the Olympics at Moscow in 1980 when women’s hockey made its debut.
• India women’s hockey team was assured of a place in the 2016 Olympics Games after fellow contenders Spain lost to England.
• The team clinched the berth to Rio thanks to England, who defeated Spain 2-1 in the semifinals of the EuroHockey Championships in London on Friday night.
• Spain was the only team in the EuroHockey Championships semifinals not to have qualified for the Olympics and needed to win the title to claim the berth.
• England’s victory over Spain, coming after the Netherlands 1-0 win against Germany in the first semifinal, meant two teams that had already qualified for the Olympics were in contention for the European continental title.
• This freed the quota place reserved for the winner in Europe.
• The Indian women thus clinched their ticket to Rio through their fifth-place finish at the Hockey World League Semifinal in Antwerp, and the next highest-ranked team not to have booked a berth to Brazil.

Sania receives
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

• In the backdrop of two legal cases, 16 sportspersons and five coaches were among those who were honoured at the National Sports and Adventure Awards ceremony in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan here on Saturday.
• Tennis ace Sania Mirza was conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award even as the Karnataka High Court sought clarifications from the Union Sports Ministry following a petition from Paralympian H.N. Girisha challenging the Ministry’s decision.
• Sania, a multiple Grand Slam champion, is the second tennis player to get the honour and the first to receive the award from President Pranab Mukherjee
• Predictably, Sania, who flew in ahead of the US Open, was the most sought-after sportsperson of the evening.
• The event lost some sheen as five out of 17 selected for the Arjuna Award could not be present due to international assignments and other compulsions.

Indian’s women hockey team make it to Rio

• The Indian women’s hockey team has become the 10th side to qualify for next year’s Rio Olympics. India had last played in the Olympics in 1980, the year in which women’s hockey made its debut in the mega event, and finished fourth after losing to the Soviet Union in the bronze medal match.
• According to a statement issued by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Saturday, India qualified after England defeated Spain in the semifinals of the Euro Hockey Championships in London, which ensured that the only teams who can now win the event have already qualified for Rio through the Hockey World League Semifinals — the Netherlands and England (as Great Britain).
• This is the first time when the Indian women made it to the Olympics through the qualification system.

Novak Djokovic in a new role as global goodwill ambassador

• Top-ranked tennis star Novak Djokovic has a new title — goodwill ambassador for the UN children’s agency, UNICEF.
• The world No. 1 men’s player has worked on children’s issues for UNICEF in his native Serbia since 2011. UNICEF has now appointed him a global goodwill ambassador.
• UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Yoka Brandt said Wednesday Djokovic’s new job recognized his work in Serbia to improve the lives, particularly of marginalized children, and to promote early childhood education.
• Djokovic grew up in Serbia during the Balkan wars and became a top tennis player there. He has gone on to win nine tennis majors and is considered one of the sport’s all-time greatest players. He is a favorite to win New York’s U.S. Open, which begins next week.
• Djokovic said he is honored to be a UNICEF goodwill ambassador “and to continue to help defend and uphold children’s rights.”

India to host international weightlifting event for first time

• For the first time in the history of weightlifting, an individual international tournament will be organised in India when it hosts the Commonwealth Youth, Junior and Senior Weightlifting Championships in Pune from October 11-15.
• India will field 40 weightlifters — 11 youth (boys & girls), 16 junior (men & women) and 13 senior (men & women) — in the Commonwealth Championships.
• Meanwhile, five weightlifters will take part in the 26th Women & 45th Men Senior Asian Weightlifting Championships to be held in Phuket, Thailand from September 3 to 12.

HC notice to Sania Mirza, government over Khel Ratna award

• The Karnataka high court on Wednesday ordered notices to tennis star Sania Mirza; Union sports ministry and two sports committees in response to a petition filed by Paralympics champion HN Girisha.
• Girisha has challenged the decision to recommend Sania’s name for this year’s Rajiv Khel Ratna award, to be presented by the President on August 29.
• Girisha, from Hassan district, had won silver for India in the 2012 London Olympics Paralympics.
• He also won bronze in the 2014 Asian Para Games. He has won Padma Shri, Arjuna and Ekalavya. As per the marks criteria, Girisha said he has to his account 90 marks (70 marks for silver medal in London Olympics, Paralympics 2012 and 20 marks for bronze medal in Asian Games 2014) during the computation period - January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2014.
• In his petition, Girisha claimed he was a more meritorious candidate among the nominees and alleged discrimination since the right person has been denied the award.
• “The respondents (selection committee and sports ministry) have severely erred in their assessment in arriving at the qualification and recommendation of Sania Mirza’s name for the award of Khel Ratna. There has not been proper and unbiased assessment in the matter,” Girisha claimed in his petition.

Kabaddi League: Anup, the force behind U Mumba

• If U Mumba, the runners up of the in augural season of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League last year, have emerged as the hot favourite to claim the crown in Season 2, it has a lot to do with their skipper Anup Kumar.
• The vice-captain of the national team is the catalyst behind the team’s supreme form.
• The Deputy Commissioner of Police from Haryana has not only won the respect of teammates with his cool approach, it has also won the hearts of fans across the country. “He is as cool as ice,” says Surinder Nada, who had accidently made it to the team despite not be ing the first
• This season U Mumba has been brilliant. With 12 wins in 14 matches, the franchise has been a revelation and coach E Bhaskaran is not shy to deflect the credit onto Anup. “As a coach I can’t do much when the game is on.
• This year the time-outs too have been reduced to a minute-and-a-half each which does not leave too much time for me to strategise.
• Here, Anup and his cool attitude come in handy. He becomes a coach among his teammates and guides them exactly the way I would have in each situation. He has an amazing ability to grasp whatever I tell him,” says Bhaskaran, who also happens to be the coach of the national team.

First Indian to
Play a Golf Major, Anirban Lahiri

• Anirban Lahiri created history for Indian golf on Sunday, finishing tied 5th at the PGA Championship. The Bangalore golfer’s 5th place finish is the best performance by an Indian golfer at a Major, eclipsing Jeev Milkha Singh’s Tied 9th finish at the PGA Championship in 2008.
• Anirban in fact played all four Majors this year and his stint at the PGA capped a dream year that saw him win 2 European Tour events. We spoke to Gaurav Ghei, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour and the 1st Indian to participate in a Major in 1997 about the magnitude of Anirban’s achievement and what this means for Indian golf

Sebastian Coe
elected new president of IAAF

• Sebastian Coe was elected president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on Wednesday after beating Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka by 115 votes to 92 in a ballot of the governing body’s 50th Congress.
• The Briton takes over as head of a sport battling a public relations crisis with the IAAF accused of failing in its duty to address doping amid allegations that blood doping was rife in athletics.
• The former Olympic 1,500 metres champion will replace Senegalese Lamine Diack, who has run the body for the last 16 years, at the end of the Aug. 22-30 world championships in Beijing.
• Coe has aggressively defended the IAAF’s record on doping over the last three weeks, saying the organisation had “led the way” on out-of-competition testing and laboratories, and introduced blood passports in 2009 to help weed out the cheats.
• Coe also reiterated his promise to hand each of the 214 federations a development grant of $200,000 in each Olympic cycle of four years, and to engage with governments to help utilise their funding to help athletes.
• The financial acumen he gained in heading up the organising committee for the London Olympics would stand him in good stead as he seeks to bring new sponsorship to the sport, he added.

Chhattisgarh will host men’s Hockey World League Final

• Chhattisgarh will host the men’s Hockey World League Final from November 27 to December 6 in its capital city of Raipur, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced today.
• The event will be held in the Raipur International Hockey Stadium, which was opened as a dedicated hockey facility in August last year.
• The event will feature eight national hockey teams who qualified through the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in Buenos Aires and Antwerp.
• They include Australia, ranked number one in the FIH World Rankings, Netherlands (2), Germany (3), Belgium (4), Great Britain (5), Argentina (6), hosts India (8) and Canada (13).
• This will be the first international hockey event to be staged not only in the newly-built Raipur International Hockey Stadium, but also in the city.

Aditi Chauhan, 1st Indian woman footballer to play in UK

• When Indian team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan started her first game for West Ham Ladies in an FA Women’s Premier League game on Sunday, it may not have seemed like a big deal. The match ended in a 0-5 loss to Coventry Uni
• But Chauhan’s appearance was special: she became the first player from the national women’s team to play competitively in England. No small feat for a girl from a country where the idea of sport revolves around cricket and little else.
• The 22-year-old from Delhi was signed pre-season by the third-tier London club for one year from Loughborough University in Leicestershire, where she recently completed an MSc in sports management.

Super Saina leads India’s rise in badminton

• For a country which produces world-class athletes miserly, something revolutionary is happening in the world of badminton with world No.2 Saina Nehwal leading the Indian charge. There is a steep jump in the number of Indians competing at the highest level of the sport in the last few years, with currently three men and two women in the top 15 of the respective world rankings.
• India had players like Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, current national chief coach, in the past but they were exceptions at best.
• Padukone won India’s first World Championships medal, a bronze, way back in 1983 after winning the prestigious All England Championships in 1980, whereas Gopichand won the All England title in 2001.
• Padukone even rose to the pinnacle of the sport when he was ranked No. 1 in the world badminton rankings in 1980.

Anirban Lahiri scaled a new high

• Golfer Anirban Lahiri scaled a new high for India by becoming the first from the country to finish inside the top-five of a Major, signing off a brilliant tied fifth in the prestigious PGA Championships.
• Lahiri played a superb final round of 68, after first three rounds of 70-67-70, for a total of 13-under 275. In fact, at one stage, he rose to as high as tied third during the day.

Abhishek Verma win gold medal in Archery World Cup

• Abhishek Verma gave India a perfect Independence Day gift by clinching the gold medal in the compound men’s individual section to open their account in the Archery World Cup Stage 3 here on Saturday.
• Having failed as a team in the bronze play-off earlier in the day, the world number 18 was at his best in the individual final as he held on to his lead to wrap up the issue 148-145 against Esmaeil Ebadi of Iran
• The Asian Games silver medalist thus avenged his defeat to Ebadi at the Incheon 2014 in style.
• Verma had 13 perfect 10s, including five arrows closest to the centre from 15 arrows, in an extraordinary exhibition of shooting in the summit clash.

World Badminton Championship final Nehwal vs Lindaweni Fanetri

• Indian badminton ace Saina Nehwal came out with a sensational performance to enter her maiden women’s singles semi-final at the World Championships and assure herself of at least a bronze medal.
• In a marathon match that lasted for an hour and 12 minutes at the 9,000-seater Istora Senayan, the second seeded Hyderabadi defeated former World Champion Wang Yihan of China 21-15, 19-21, 21-19 to advance to the last four for the first time at the World meet.

Lanka beat India in Ist test

• There is no mystique about Rangana Herath. Maybe the deception lies in the fact that there is no mystique. And there’s a lot that is deceptive about the portly, unsung left-arm spinner. It starts from just the way he is.
• For, when you see him on the outfield—like he’s obliged to do so—Herath could easily be mistaken for one of those uncles who would just return from office, change out of his formals and join the boys from his apartment complex in their daily game of cricket.
• Like India found out to their dismay, disbelief and disillusionment at the Galle cricket stadium on Saturday as Herath hoodwinked them with his greatest trait, his simplicity.
• And they almost seemed mystified as the 37-year-old led the Sri Lankans to one of the most dramatic come-from-behind Test wins.
• A Test that they seemed certain—gloriously or otherwise—to lose just 24 hours earlier. So shocking was the manner of defeat, that India didn’t even last 50 overs, crumbling to 112 all out, and losing by a 63-run margin.
• With sensational figures of 7/48, he not only reminded why he’s the unsung legend of Sri Lankan cricket, Herath also exposed India’s inability, tending on incompetence, against quality spin. Certificate for both. It also was a window into how Herath sets up his victims, with no fuss but a lot of nous.

Carelessness cost India the second T20 against Zimbabwe

• Zimbabwe had never won a T20 International at Harare before 19 July. They had lost nine out of nine. They had also never beaten India in a T20I.
• Both streaks came to a screeching halt at the end of 40 overs on Sunday as Zimbabwe celebrated a famous win. They had learned from their mistakes, while India hadn’t.
• It was poor running, irresponsible batting and undisciplined bowling that undid India.
• It started off with the pace bowlers bowling too short and then too wide. The Zimbabwe batsmen were ready to take on the short stuff but bowlers refused to adjust. Nearly 43 percent of the balls India bowled were short of a good length.
• It took some brilliant death bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar to restrict Zimbabwe to 145 for 7 as India conceded just 33 runs from the last five overs, while taking four wickets.

Sangram Singh wins WWP Commonwealth Championship

• Indian wrestler Sangram Singh made the country proud by defeating Canada’s Joe Legend to win the WWP Commonwealth Championship at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in South Africa.
• This was sangram singh’s first professional fight after a hiatus of three years and he signed a death contract for this fight

Australia level Ashes series 1-1 at Lord’s

• England descended to an embarrassing 405-run defeat inside four days at Lord’s as Mitchell Johnson hastened their collapse and Australia levelled the Ashes at 1-1.
• The hosts, set a notional 509 to win after Australia declared on 254 for two shortly before lunch in this second Investec Test, were all out for a hapless 103 in 37 overs by late Sunday afternoon. England’s costly habit of losing their top order cheaply was revisited, and then Johnson’s double-wicket maiden immediately after tea cast aside any remaining doubts.

Haryana boy wins
Junior World Golf title at age 10

• Shubham Jaglan, a 10-year-old son of a milkman from rural Haryana, scripted a scintillating one-stroke win at the Junior World Golf Championships at the Welk Resort Fountain Course in San Diego on Friday.
• His three-day total of seven-under par 179 was better than rest of the field to become the Junior World Champion in his age category.
• Shubham blitzed the golf course over the course of three days of the tournament with as many as thirteen birdies during his three rounds.
• Five of them came during Friday’s final round, which proved to be the difference as he was in the joint lead at the end of round 2.
• Shubham, who had missed out last year with a runner-up finish but through sheer determination, he made sure he got the top billing this year.
• Shubham was taken under the wings of the Golf Foundation pioneered by Arjuna Awardee and Asian Games gold medallist, Amit Luthra.
• The foundation saw the potential and have given him their unconditional support to make the game accessible to him and he is repaying their faith with his outstanding results.

Indian hockey coach sacked

• Current Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal would sit on a chair when Ajax manager Ronald Koeman would put his team through the paces.
• Not once or twice, but for a whole week. Van Gaal was technical director of Ajax then. In one instance, he also asked Zlatan Ibrahimovic to position himself in a particular area — and the striker scored. All this was a complete disrespect of the manager’s authority
• Koeman may have won that battle with Van Gaal [he used the media to force the latter out] — but another Dutch coach — in another sport, hockey, has lost his job.
• Paul Van Ass claimed today that he was sacked by Hockey India (SAI and Batra have claimed otherwise — so this is still a subject of some debate). This is after Hockey India chief Narinder Batra gave a post-match team talk to the side after the 3-2 wins over Malaysia in the Hockey World League semifinals in Belgium. Van Ass, rightly, asked Batra to leave the field — team talks were his department — and while the HI chief left the pitch, he made sure Van Ass knew that his behaviour was not acceptable.ckey India

Eden garden will host World Twenty20 final

• The iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host the World Twenty20 final in April next year, the Indian board said on Tuesday as it announced the venues for the tournament.
• The BCCI named eight venues for the biennial event, which has been staged across three cities in each of its previous five editions.
• The 16-nation men’s tournament will be played alongside the women’s event across various venues in India from March 11 to April 3.
• Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamsala, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi will be the other venues for the competition, the board said in a statement.
• India co-hosted the 50-over World Cup in 2011 with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and went on to win the tournament
• BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya will head a managing committee for the 16-team tournament featuring 10-Test playing nations and six associate teams.
• The final schedule will be announced in consultation with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
• The 2016 event will be the sixth edition of the popular tournament that began in 2007. The last event was won by Sri Lanka in Bangladesh in 2014.

Duleep Trophy vanish from BCCI calendar

• The Indian cricket board on Tuesday clarified that the prestigious Duleep Trophy has been shelved and that the tournament remains an “integral part of the domestic calendar” and will be the curtain-raiser of the 2016-17 domestic season.
• Several reports on Monday suggested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has scrapped the traditional tournament for good from the upcoming 2015-16 domestic season.
• “BCCI wishes to clarify that this is incorrect and reiterate that the Duleep Trophy remains an integral part of the domestic calendar,” the board said in a release on Tuesday.
• “India will play 12 Test matches at home in the next season (2016-17) between October-March. Duleep trophy will be the curtain-raiser for the forthcoming domestic season and provide a platform for the players to stake a claim.”
• The BCCI on Monday revealed its plans to conduct 900 matches in six months during its 2015-16 domestic season, which will start from October this year and end in March 2016. The 2015-16 domestic fixtures list, released on Monday, did not have a place for the Duleep Trophy.
• The BCCI decided not to hold the Duleep Trophy in the 2015-16 seasons in order to accommodate the 2016 World Twenty20 championship, which will be played in India after the completion of the domestic season in March 2016

Hockey magician Major Dhyan Chand to be honoured in British Parliament

• Indian hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand will be confered with the ‘Bharat Gaurav’ Lifetime Achivement Award by NRI orgainsation Sanskriti Yuva Sangstha at the House of Commons inside the British Parliament of July 25.
• On behalf of Dhyan Chand, his son and former Indian hockey player Ashok Kumar will receive the award.
• Dhyan Chand had helped India win three successive gold medals in Olympics. To his credit, he had scored over 400 goals in his international career.
• Dhyan Chand was one of the nominees in 2014 for the prestigious Bharat Ratna, an award which cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and scientist C N Rao eventually received.
• In 1936, when India won the gold medal in Berlin Olympics, Hitler offered Dhyan Chand to join the German team but he denied the offer.

Shubham Jaglan wins second junior world golf title in two weeks

• Ten-year-old Shubham Jaglan added another feather to his cap when he created history by winning the IJGA World Stars of Junior Golf event in Las Vegas on Thursday.
• The son of a milkman from rural Haryana shot a three round score of 106 winning by a five-stroke margin, ahead of two Americans Justin Dang and Sihan Sandhu and Thailand’s Pongsapak Laopakdee for the Boys 9-10 years category title at the Angel Park.
• Last Sunday, Jaglan had clinched a one-stroke win at the Junior World Golf Championships at the Welk Resort Fountain Course in California.

Finally, BCCI takes interest in conflicts of interest

• Call it the Justice Lodha Committeeeffect. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally decided to tackle the menace of conflict of interest. Board secretary Anurag Thakur has shot off a letter to state associations, instructing them to to sign a declaration stating they have no conflicts of interest.
• Thakur wants associations to ensure that every official declare the absence of “any personal or family allegiance, bias, inclination, obligation or any interest of whatsoever nature, directly or indirectly which may in any way affect or provide any financial or any other benefit to me, my family or close relations or which may tend to interfere with or affect my objectivity, independence, impartiality and neutrality in any decision making process, acts and conduct relating to or arising out of discharge of my office of president or honorary secretary of (the respective association)...”
• The declaration also states that, “In the event of any act, function of the association or any decision making process or related to any tournament or otherwise, any conflict of interest do arise, I shall forthwith disclose the same and refrain myself from being associated with the same in any manner whatsoever or by whatever name described.”
• Every state association receives a generous annual grant from the BCCI. According to sources, the payout is about Rs 35 crore. The associations use this money to run the show.
• Often, officials belonging to these associations’ award contracts for generators, water tanks, food, refreshments, clothing, kits, etc to companies owned by them or to people known to them. There have been allegations that some officials, who work in an honorary capacity, receive ‘cuts’ from such deals. This is one of the main reasons why officials cling onto their chairs for decades.
• The BCCI is now trying to address this issue. Thakur writes that the issue of conflict of interest has “caused enough consternation in our organisation” and that the BCCI “needs to collectively address and avoid for the future to come”.
• Thakur’s concerns are valid. The BCCI finds itself in this mess largely because of N Srinivasan, the former president whose India Cements Ltd owns the Chennai Super Kings. Both Srinivasan and the board have been pulled up by the Supreme Court for failing to address this issue. Now, CSK stands suspended from the IPL for its role in the betting and spot-fixing scandal.
• Given that the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee has sought an additional five months to suggest ways and means to improve the functioning of the BCCI, Thakur’s letter assumes extra significance. After all, the BCCI wants to show the world that it is keen on setting its house in order.
• Thakur acknowledges that the BCCI needs to “protect the reputation and institutional integrity so as to earn broad trust, faith and confidence in all our activities”

Shubham Jaglan:
Indian Tiger Woods in the making

• NEW DELHI: An Indian tiger cub is prowling the golf courses in the USA. And he is hunting trophies by the week.
• Prodigy Shubham Jaglan, the 10-year-old son of a milkman from hinterland Haryana, swung his way to the IJGA World Stars of Junior Golf crown in Las Vegas, winning by a handsome five-stroke margin. Last week, he had clinched the IMG Academy junior world championship for the 9-10 age categories in San Diego.
• “It’s a dream come true. My year’s hard work has given me all these titles,” he told a TV channel.
• The young master already has the next tournament at Pinehurst in his sights. Winning at Pinehurst would make it a junior grand slam of sorts for him. “That will be a huge achievement for me,” said Shubham.
• Coached since the age of seven by India’s former top golfer Nonita Lall Qureshi, Shubham comes from Israna, a village in Haryana’s Panipat district.
• Supported by the Golf Foundation, a charitable society formed by golfers such as Amit Luthra to help talented, underprivileged golfers, he now lives with his family in Ashram, a south Delhi colony.
• Before being spotted by Nonita, the young golfer trained at an abandoned agriculture field and practised his bunker shots from a concrete mixer filled with sand. He learnt most of his early golf watching pros on YouTube.
• Shubham, who featured in Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate last year, has won over 100 tournaments so far. And this is just the beginning.

Oman qualify for
World Twenty20 for first time

• LONDON: Oman qualified for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in India with a five-wicket victory over Namibia in Ireland.
• It will be the first time the Gulf country, coached by former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis, have reached a major international tournament.
• Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea by six wickets to claim the other qualifying place and book a spot in the tournament for the fourth time in a row.
• Scotland, Ireland, Hong Kong and the Netherlands will also join the 10 test-playing nations in the 16-team tournament.

Dhoni still most marketable sportsperson

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s One Day International cricket captain, has been ranked ninth in a list of the most marketable sportspersons in the world, prepared by the London School of Marketing (LSM).
• He ranks ahead of the likes of Argentina’s football star Lionel Messi and Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt.
• Dhoni, 34, considered one of the finest finishers in the game, was also placed ahead of football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, as well as tennis players Andy Murray and Serena Williams.
• While compiling the list, LSM researchers looked at the brand value of the individuals, along with their current income from sponsorships and the percentage of their total earnings these accounted for. It also considered their presence on social media.
• Swiss tennis star Roger Federer was named the most marketable sportsperson in the world, followed by golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at the second and third positions, respectively.
• Despite his loss in this year’s Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, Federer is considered one of the most influential sportspersons in the world. He has 17 Grand Slam singles titles to his credit.
• Tennis stars dominate the list, with Djokovic seventh, followed by Rafael Nadal. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, the only two women to make it to the top 20, have been ranked 12th and 20th, respectively.

India finish fourth in U-21 hockey meets

• India finished fourth after being thrashed 0-3 by England in the men’s Volvo International Under-21 hockey tournament here on Saturday.
• Edward Horler (seventh and 47th minutes) and Samuel Hatherley (68th minute) scored for England as India struggled throughout the match.
• India conceded the first goal just seven minutes into the game as Horler scored a field goal.

New professional league all set to give wrestlers a leg-up

• The Wrestling Federation of India joined the ‘league bandwagon’ as it launched the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) on Monday.
• The PWL, scheduled from November 8-29, will witness world’s top 66 wrestlers including eight current world champions. Around 20 Olympic medallists will represent six city-based franchises.
• Wrestling icons of the country like two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, World Championship bronze medallist Bajrang, the famous Phogat sisters Geeta and Babita and Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medallist Geetika Jakhar walked the ramp in ‘Spartan-like’ warrior outfits at the launch of the league.
• Sushil later said that the league would help country’s grapplers by giving them ‘international exposure’ at home.

Women’s archery team
makes 2016 Olympic cut

• India women’s recurve team earned Olympic quota for 2016 Rio Games while the men’s trio failed to advance after squandering a handsome lead at the archery World Championships, in Copenhagen on Tuesday
• Pitted against seventh seed Germany, Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Laxmi Rani Majhi and Rimil Buriuly showed nerves of steel to bounce back from 1-3 to coast to a 5-3 win and make the last eight, the yardstick for making the Olympics cut.
• The experienced men’s team of Rahul Banerjee, Mangal Singh Champia and Jayanta Talukdar however had heartbreak as they squandered a 4-2 lead before losing 26-29 to second seed Italy in a thrilling tiebreaker.
• Banerjee, Talukdar and Champia can still earn individual berths by finishing among 32 when the individual section that gets underway on Wednesday.
• Coached by Poornima Mahto, the women’s team on the other hand showed tremendous character after Karina Winter, Elena Richter and Lisa Unruh took away the first set 46-59.
• The Indian women’s trio levelled the second 5-5 to make it 3-1, while the Germans won the third by a narrow 51-50 margin to make it 3-3

Sports Ministry
forms panel to redraft NSDCI

• The Union Sports Ministry has decided to redraft the contentious National Sports Development Code of India (NSDCI) 2011, forming a working group for the same.
• The NSDCI, which includes all the orders and instructions issued by the sports ministry including restrictions on age and tenure of sports administrators in the country, came into force from January 31, 2011 even though the code has triggered several controversies over the years in terms of its implementation by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and various National Sports Federations (NSFs).
• “Since (2011) a lot of developments have taken place in the sports sector, necessitating more accountability and transparency in the functioning of the sports bodies.
• Hence, further amendments to the various provisions of NSDCI need to be re-examined and to bring about suitable amendments to relevant provisions of the NSDCI.
• To facilitate holding of consultations and prepare a revised draft of the NSDCI, it has been decided to constitute a working group,” the Sports Ministry said in a release.
• The working group would be headed by retired Delhi High Court judge C.K. Mahajan and examine the existing NSDCI from every aspect of governance.
• Besides sports administration, the group would also look into the legal angle and finetune/revise the same. It would also look into the process of streamlining state bodies and preparation of NSFs’ Electoral College. The group has to submit the revised draft within three months.
  Dale Steyn joins 400 Test wicket club
• Dale Steyn became the second South African bowler to take 400 Test wickets after he dismissed Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal on the opening day of the second Test in Dhaka on Thursday.
• The 32-year-old fast bowler reached his landmark when South African skipper Hashim Amla took a chest-high catch at first slip in Steyn’s third over of the match.
• Shaun Pollock is the only other South African to pass the 400-mark, taking 421 wickets before retiring in 2008.
• Steyn, who is playing his 80th Test, became the 13th cricketer to take 400 or more wickets in Test matches.
• Steyn joined Richard Hadlee as the second fastest bowler ever to take 400 Test wickets.
• He is one of only three currently active cricketers to achieve the feat, joining India spinner Harbhajan Singh and England pacer James Anderson.
• Steyn is the 13th cricketer to take 400 or more wickets in Test matches.

Sahara gone Paytm on

• One97 Communications, owners of Paytm, today acquired the title sponsorship rights for India’s domestic and international cricket matches at home for a period of four years with a bid price of Rs 203.28 crore.
• The decision to award the rights to One97 Communications till 2019 was taken at the BCCI’s marketing committee meeting.website
• The base price per match was Rupees 1.68 crore and the final price comes to Rs 2.42 crore per match. The amount per match is 40 lakh more than what Micromax, who was the only bidders in the 2014-15 seasons, gave the Board last year.
• From now on, the domestic Ranji competition will be known as the ‘Paytm Ranji Trophy’.
• There were only two bidders for the scheduled 84 matches (Tests, ODIs and T20Is) in India during the upcoming seasons as the rights have been awarded till 2019.
• The bids were opened at the BCCI marketing committee meeting that lasted for around five hours.

Unmukt named India A captain for tri-series

• Delhi batsman Unmukt Chand was on Saturday appointed India A captain for the upcoming ODI cricket tri-series involving Australia A and South Africa A starting in Chennai on August 5.
• Karnataka batsman Karun Nair has been appointed Unmukt’s deputy as the All-India Senior Selection Committee picked a 15-member squad.
• All the matches will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium with the final scheduled on August 14.
• Meanwhile, Ambati Rayudu has been picked to lead the India A side in the two-Test series against South Africa A starting August 18 in Wayanad.

Ashwin gets Arjuna Award

• India off-spinner R Ashwin is not too worried about the presence of senior prosHarbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra in the 15-man squad for the three-Test tour ofSri Lanka later this month.
• Ashwin, who registered a five-wicket haul in the one-off Test against Bangladesh in June, said he is confident about playing a key role on the spin-friendly Lankan pitches.
• Ashwin’s record in the sub-continent is impressive. He has taken 100 wickets in 16 Tests in Asia, but his performance in overseas Tests has been dismal (24 wickets in nine Tests).
• However, Ashwin was not comfortable about a question relating to the future of his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, the Chennai Super Kings. “You tell me the road map and I’ll use it. I don’t know what to say,” he said.

Rajat Chauhan wins India’s first individual medal in World Archery

• Rajat Chauhan created history by winning a silver medal in the World Archery Championships in Copenhagen on Saturday.
• This is India’s first individual medal in the World event. The 20-year-old marksman, who won the team gold medal in the Asian Games last year, went down fighting to local favourite Stephan Hansen of Denmark 147-143 in the compound individual final event.
• The women’s recurve team of Deepika Kumari, Chekrovolu Swuro and Laishram Bombayla Devi had
  
   

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