General Awareness

SPORTS - February 2016

Feb 2016

May 16, 2023

Sourav Ganguly-led ICC Cricket Committee Abolishes 'Soft Signal' Rule

The ICC abolished the contentious 'soft signal' by on-field officials, which had often been criticised by experts as it is believed to have created more confusion for TV umpires after a decision was referred upstairs.
The 'soft signal' was used to determine the validity of catches taken inches off the ground, which couldn't necessarily be confirmed through naked eye.
Till now the on-field umpire would either signal 'out' or 'not out' based on their gut feeling. And the third umpire was compelled to go by 'soft signal' as most of the footages proved to be inconclusive.
The ICC announced changes to the 'playing conditions' after the CEC approved the recommendations from the men's cricket committee led by Sourav Ganguly and the women's cricket committee.
The major change involved the soft signal being scrapped, with umpires no longer required to give a soft signal when referring decisions to the TV umpire. The on-field umpires will consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are taken.
The other big announcement involved making helmets mandatory for high-risk positions. Compulsory use of helmets will be for the following: when batters are facing fast bowlers, when wicketkeepers are standing up to the stumps, when fielders are close to the batter in front of the wicket.
There was also a minor addition to the free hit rule with any runs scored off a free hit when the ball hits the stumps will be counted as runs scored from now. This would mean that batters can now be bowled off a free hit and attempt a run for the same.
The changes will come into effect on June 1, 2023 with the Lord's Test between England and Ireland, a four-day one-off match.

Shubman Gill Breaks Sachin Tendulkar's Massive Record

Gujarat Titans and Team Indian opener Shubman Gill became the first to complete a unique quadruple of centuries with tons in all formats of the game apart from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Gill, who scored his maiden century in IPL 2023 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, also scored tons in Tests, ODIs and T20s this season. Three of these centuries in T20I, Test and IPL, have come at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Gill en route his century, reached his 50 off just 22 balls but without a single six in the half-century. It was the fastest fifty by a batter without hitting a six, breaking the record of Sachin Tendulkar of Mumbai Indians – who achieved this feat against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in IPL 2010.
Gill and Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar also became the first opposing pair to complete a century as well as five-wicket haul in the same innings in the IPL.

Vuppala Prraneeth India's 82nd Grandmaster

V. Prraneeth, a 15-year-old chess player from Telangana, achieved the title of Grandmaster, becoming the sixth from the state and the 82nd in India. He secured this milestone by defeating GM Hans Niemann from the US during the penultimate round of the Baku Open 2023. This victory also helped him surpass an Elo rating of 2500, specifically 2500.5. Prraneeth obtained his first GM-norm and the title of International Master (IM) in March 2022. He earned his second GM-norm at Biel MTO in July 2022, followed by his final GM-norm at the second Chessable Sunway Formentera Open 2023 after nine months.

May 15, 2023

Ayushmann Khurrana Joins Indian Team as Ambassador for Special Olympics Journey to Berlin

Ayushmann Khurrana was chosen to inspire and support the Indian contingent participating in the upcoming Special Olympics for individuals with intellectual disabilities, set to take place in Berlin from June 17 to June 25. Expressing gratitude, the actor considers himself lucky to have met numerous exceptional individuals throughout his journey.
Germany will host the famous event for the first time. Moreover, Ayushmann Khurrana an all-rounder actor, widely known for his socially uplifting movies, assumed the position of UNICEF's National Ambassador in February 2023.
The Special Olympics will be the 16th edition of the championship to be held in Berlin, Germany. It is an eight-day event which is scheduled to begin on June 17 and will conclude on June 25, 2023. Athletes from all over the world mark their presence on this special occasion to exhibit their talents in various sports categories.

Sherpa Guide Climbs Mount Everest for 26th Time

A Sherpa guide scaled the summit of Mount Everest for the 26th time, equalling the record set by a Nepalese guide for the most ascents of the world's highest peak. Pasang Dawa Sherpa reached the summit (8,849-m peak) along with a Hungarian climber, according to expedition organiser Imagine Nepal Treks. Dawa, who made his first successful climb in 1998, matched the record number of summits with Kami Rita Sherpa.

Shooting World Cup: Rhythm Sangwan Breaks 29-year-Old World Record

Rhythm Sangwan broke a 29-year-old world record but missed a second medal at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Baku, Azerbaijan, finishing eighth in the women's 25 m pistol event.
Rhythm, who won a first-ever individual senior World Cup stage medal with a bronze in the women's 10 m air pistol, shot a stunning 595 to top the 25 m pistol qualification, smashing the world record first created by Diana Iorgova of Bulgaria back in 1994 in Milan.
Rhythm in fact broke two world records on the same day as she also claimed the junior women's 25 m pistol qualification record. That went back even further, 34 years to be precise, when Russian Nino Salukvadze shot 593 at the European Championship in Zagreb. India's Manu Bhaker had equalled that effort in 2018 at the Asian Games in Jakarta.

Grant Bradburn Appointed New Head Coach of Pakistani Cricket Team

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Grant Bradburn's appointment as the men's national team's head coach for two years.
The board also announced that former South Africa cricketer Andrew Puttick signed a two-year-long contract as the batting coach of the men's side while strength and conditioning coach Drikus Saaiman and physiotherapist Cliffe Deacon will continue to work in their roles.
Prior to his roles in Pakistan, Bradburn, a former New Zealand cricketer, worked as the head coach of Scotland men's side.

May 13, 2023

Indian Boxers Secure Historic Three Medals at World Boxing Championships

Deepak Bhoria (51 kg), Hussamuddin (57 kg) and Nishant Dev (71 kg) created history as they assured at least a bronze medal each by reaching the semi-finals in their respective categories at the IBA Men's World Boxing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Indian men's boxers secured three medals for the first time in the history of the World Boxing Championships. Earlier, the best performance of the Indian men's boxers was recorded in 2019 when Manish Kaushik and Amit Panghal clinched medals for the country.

Yuzvendra Chahal Overtakes Dwayne Bravo to Become Highest Wicket-taker in IPL History

Rajasthan Royals (RR) star Yuzvendra Chahal leapfrogged Dwayne Bravo to become the highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history after he scalped his 184th wicket in the tournament history. Playing against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens, Chahal added a feather to his already impressive career and now looks to become the first bowler to scalp 200 wickets in the IPL.
Having come into the contest with 183 wickets, the writing was on the wall for Chahal to become the highest wicket-taker in the history of the game. On the second ball of the 11th over, Chahal produced a magical delivery to force KKR skipper Nitish Rana to hand a catch to Shimron Hetmyer. With this, he leapfrogged Bravo and is also the highest wicket-taker among Indian players.

Sarabjot, Divya Get Gold at ISSF World Cup

India's Divya TS and Sarabjot Singh emerged third time lucky as a pair, winning gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event of the ISSF World Cup.
The Indian pair, who had finished fifth in two earlier World Cup stages in Cairo and Bhopal respectively, broke through with a fine 581 to top the 55-team qualification and were assured of a medal and a spot in the gold medal match.
Up against Serbian legends Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic in the final, the Indians held their own to pull off a nervy 16-14 win and finish atop the podium.
It was a second World Cup gold for Sarabjot in back-to-back tournaments, having won the individual air pistol event in Bhopal in March 2023, while for Divya it was a first senior medal at this level. Ismail Keles and Simal Yilmaz of Turkey won bronze.

May 12, 2023

AIPA Organise Third National Ranking Pickleball Tournament in Margao

The third National Ranking Pickleball Tournament will be organised by the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) from May 19 to 21.
AIPA will conduct the tournament in association with the Goa Pickleball Association and Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Goa.
The competition will be held at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa. The previous two editions were held at Pune in 2019 and at Dombivli, near Mumbai in 2021.
The three-day tournament will witness over 250 participants from 16 states. The players can choose to compete from 16 different categories like Under-14 and Under-19 men's, women's open, 35 plus men, 35 plus women, 50 plus men, and 50 plus women apart from mixed doubles.

Yashasvi Jaiswal Slams Fastest Fifty in IPL's History

Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Yashasvi Jaiswal created history against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and became the quickest batsman to score a half-century in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-handed batsman breached the 50-run mark in only 13 balls. Jaiswal broke K. L. Rahul's record of the fastest fifty in IPL. K. L. Rahul had scored the fastest fifty in 14 balls.
K. L. Rahul and Pat Cummins are in the second position, having used only 14 balls to reach 50 runs. Until 2018, the record was jointly held by Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine who both scored 50 runs off 15 balls. Nicholas Pooran is in sixth place, also scoring a half century in 15 deliveries.

Mastercard Takes Over as ICC's Global Sponsor, Replacing BharatPe

Mastercard took over from BharatPe as the global sponsor of the International Cricket Council (ICC), a multinational financial services corporation based in the United States. Over the past year, Mastercard was actively seeking to secure lucrative sponsorship deals and has already secured the title sponsorship rights for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) international and domestic home fixtures from Paytm.
This multi-year agreement will provide Mastercard with prominent on-screen and in-venue branding opportunities, such as having their logo displayed in 3D on the field and on LED advertising boards near the boundary rope. Additionally, Mastercard will have the chance to create exclusive experiences for its customers during the upcoming ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 in India.

May 11, 2023

India Name 18-member Team for Women's Junior Asia Cup Hockey Tournament

India named an 18-member team for the prestigious Women's Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament, which begins in Kakamigahara, Japan on June 2.
India will play against Korea, Malaysia, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan in Pool A, while Pool B consists of hosts Japan, China, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong China and Indonesia.
The Junior Asia Cup is a crucial event for India as the top-three nations from the tournament will qualify for this year's FIH Junior Women's Hockey World Cup.
India will be led by Preeti, while Deepika was named the vice-captain.

Shooting World Cup: Rhythm Sangwan Gets India off the Mark at WC

Rhythm Sangwan staged a fantastic comeback at the back end of the women's 10 m air pistol final to clinch bronze at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Rhythm finished behind two former Olympics champions, gold medal winner Anna Korakaki of Greece and silver medallist Olena Kostevych of Ukraine.
Rhythm's effort warmed the Indian hearts after Sarabjot Singh and Esha Singh both missed out on medals despite qualifying for the finals in the men's and women's 10m air pistol, respectively.

Andy Murray Wins Victory over Tommy Paul in Aix-en-Provence

Andy Murray, a Scottish tennis player, won his first tournament since 2019 by defeating Tommy Paul, the world No. 17, 2-6 6-1 6-2 in the final of the ATP Challenger event in Aix-en-Provence. This victory not only marked his first title since Antwerp in 2019 but also his first clay court title since the Rome Masters 1000 in 2016, which boosts his world ranking to No. 42, the highest in five years. Despite struggling with form and consistency, Murray managed to defeat three top-20 players this year (2023), and he aims to continue his winning streak as he prepares for the upcoming French Open, which will start on May 22.

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