General Awareness

SPORTS - March 2021

Mar 2021

Feb 16, 2023

Racewalker Akshdeep Singh Becomes the First Indian to Qualify for the Paris Olympics

India's Priyanka Goswami and Akshdeep Singh qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics and as well as the 2023 World Athletics Championships in 20 km Racewalk after attaining the automatic qualification standard at the India Open National Racewalking Competition in Ranchi.
Goswami, who also competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, clocked an impressive 1:28.50 to surpass the women's 20km qualification standard of 1:29.20 set for both the Olympics and World Championships.
Akshdeep Singh emulated the feat in men's 20km racewalk with a national record effort in Ranchi. He clocked 1:19.55 to become the first-Indian to complete a 20km racewalk in less than 1 hour and 20 minutes. The previous national record stood in the name of Sandeep Kumar at 1:20.16. Akshdeep also surpassed the qualification standard for 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2023 World Championships set at 1:20.10 for men.

FIFA Confirms USA, Mexico, Canada Automatically Qualify for 2026 World Cup

USA, Mexico and Canada earned a spot in the next edition of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, which the three nations will be jointly hosting. While FIFA usually allows host nations to surpass qualification rounds, the fact that three countries were to jointly host the 2026 edition had raised queries whether this time too the same rule would come in to play.
It must be noted that USA and Mexico have usually eased into World Cups by going through the CONCACAF qualifying event with ease. Canada, on the other hand, qualified for the recently-concluded event in Qatar after a 36-year hiatus. At Qatar 2022, Canada lost all three of its group-stage matches.

Sania Mirza to Mentor Women's Premier League Team RCB

India's tennis icon Sania Mirza was appointed as the mentor of Royal Challengers Bangalore women's team in the Women's Premier League.
Mirza retired from the sport after the Australian Open earlier this year, where she and her partner Rohan Bopanna finished runners-up in the mixed doubles event.
On the appointment of Mirza as mentor, Rajesh V. Menon, head and vice president of RCB said, "We are glad and honoured to welcome Sania Mirza as mentor of the RCB women's team. She is the perfect role model with her success stemming out of her sheer hard work, passion, and determination, despite many challenges in her playing career."

Feb 15, 2023

BCCI Signs up Saudi Tourism as IPL sponsor

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) roped in Saudi Tourism Authority as an official partner or sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Saudi Tourism will replace edtech company Unacademy, which last year (2022) had indicated that it would not associate with the IPL as a sponsor this year (2023).
The BCCI said that Saudi Tourism was the second Saudi entity to sponsor the IPL after Saudi Aramco was onboarded as the sponsor of the Orange Cap and Purple Cap, which are given to the leading batsman and wicket-taker at the T20 tournament.

Ladakh to Host India's First Frozen-lake Marathon 'Last Run' at Pangong Tso

India's first "frozen-lake marathon" at Ladakh's Pangong Tso at a height of 13,862 feet will be held on February 20 and the army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were roped in to implement a "proper action plan" for the event.
The 21-kilometre marathon, with Lukung as its starting point, will end at Maan village. Seventy-five selected athletes from India and abroad are participating in the run, giving them an opportunity to make a bid for a Guinness world record for the world's highest "frozen-lake marathon".
The marathon is called the "Last Run" to highlight the issue of climate change.
It is being organised by the Adventure Sports Foundation of Ladakh (ASFL) in collaboration with the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Leh, the Tourism Department and the Leh district administration.

Feb 14, 2023

WPL Auction: Smriti Mandhana Goes to Royal Challengers

India's star opener and vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana, emerged as the most expensive player in the first-ever auction for the Women's Premier League (WPL). Mandhana was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for Rs. 3.4 crore in an auction dominated by Indian players.
Overseas women players such as English cricketer Natalie Sciver and Australian all-rounder Ashleigh Gardner came close to Mandhana's final price, having been picked up for Rs. 3.2 crore each by Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants, respectively.
The second costliest Indian player was all-rounder Deepti Sharma who was bought by UP Warriorz for Rs. 2.6 crore, while the captain of the Indian national squad, Harmanpreet Kaur, went to Mumbai Indians for Rs. 1.8 crore.

FIFA Club World Cup Final: Real Madrid Beats Al Hilal

Real Madrid won the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Club World Cup for a record-extending fifth time after beating Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal 5-3 in the final in Rabat, Morocco. Madrid last won the tournament in 2018. It also lifted the trophy in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Madrid also won three Intercontinental Cups in 1960, 1998 and 2002 — a match between European and South American champions, which merged with the Club World Cup in 2005.
The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the sport's global governing body. The competition was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship.

Shubman Gill and Grace Scrivens ICC Men's and Women's Player of January 2023

India batter Shubman Gill was named ICC Men's Player of the Month for January 2023 following a series of impressive innings in the ODI format, while England U-19 skipper Grace Scrivens became the youngest player to be named for the women's honour. The awards were decided in a global vote conducted among media representatives, ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and fans registered at the ICC website.

Fifthth Khelo India Youth Games Concludes in Bhopal

The Fifth Khelo India Youth Games 2022 concluded. Maharashtra secured the top position in the medal tally with 161 medals including 56 gold, 55 silver and 50 bronze medals.
Haryana grabbed second position by winning 128 medals including 41 gold, 32 silver and 55 bronze medals. Host Madhya Pradesh remained at third place with 96 medals including 39 gold, 30 silver and 27 bronze medals. Rajasthan and Delhi were in the fourth and fifth position, respectively.
Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Singh Thakur and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were the chief guests of the concluding ceremony.

Wu Yibing Becomes First Chinese Man to Win ATP Tour Title

Wu Yibing became the first man from China to win an ATP title as he held off home hero John Isner 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 7-6(12) in a thrilling final to claim the Dallas Open.
China's men have barely made an impression in tennis's elite circuit but Wu's breakthrough could inspire generations to come in the East Asian nation.

Feb 13, 2023

Rene Zondag, PBI President Inaugurates Tennis Center in Pune

Peter Burwash International (PBI), one of the top tennis instruction programmes, has partnered with the Ileseum Club in Bavdhan, Pune, opened a second training facility in India.
The first PBI centre at the Padukone-Dravid Centre in Bengaluru is successfully guiding some of the prominent players like Sahaja Yamalapalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Rishi Reddy, through its Director Cesar Morales. The high performance centre has over 200 players.
The second centre in Pune, which is set to expand further, including to other cities like Mumbai, Solapur and Chennai, will have Milos Milunovic as its technical director.

Shot Putter Toor Wins Gold in Asian Indoor Championships

India's national record holder in the men's outdoor shot put clinched the gold medal with a personal indoor best of 19.49 m at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2023, held in Astana, Kazakhstan. Tajinderpal Singh Toor fouled on his first attempt but hurled the winning throws of 19.49 m throw in his third and fifth attempts to claim his first gold medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.
The Asian Games gold medallist in 2018 and the outdoor Asian champion in 2019, Toor earlier won a silver medal at the last edition of the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran in 2018 with a 19.18 m throw.

Ravichandran Ashwin Becomes the Fastest Indian to Pick up 450 Test Wickets

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reached his 450th Test wicket in the first Test match of the four-match India vs Australia Test series. Ashwin overtook Kumble to become the fastest India bowler to reach this feat, picking up the 450th wicket on his 89th Test match.
The Indian off-spinner is now the second-fastest bowler in the world to reach 450th Test wicket, only behind Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan, who completed the feat in his 80th Test match.

BCCI Shifts Third India-Australia Test from Dharamsala to Indore

The third Test between India and Australia scheduled to be played from March 1-5 was shifted from Dharamsala to Indore.
The match was shifted after BCCI curator Taposh Chatterjee's report deemed the re-laid outfield as unfit for an international match.

Jean-Eric Vergne Wins Formula E in Hyderabad

The much-awaited Formula E made a grand debut in India with its all-electric car race on the street circuit. After an action-packed qualifying session and the 32-lap final race, Jean-Eric Vergne of team DS PENSKE automobiles emerged the winner for the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix Round 4.
The winning trophy was presented by Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur. Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and Antonio Felix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) settled for second and third places, respectively.

Feb 12, 2023

National Ranking Archery Tournament in Delhi

Top Indian archers like Abhishek Verma, Atanu Das and Vennam Jyothi Surekha were seen in action in the National Ranking Archery Tournament held at the DDA Yamuna Sports Complex in Delhi.
The preliminary elimination rounds of the event were held on February 10 and the final rounds of the compound and recurve events were staged on February 11 and 12.
The NTPC National Ranking Archery Tournament, organised by the Delhi Archery Association under the aegis of the Archery Association of India (AAI), featured senior, junior and sub-junior (cadet) recurve and compound competitions for both men and women.
The total prize purse of the tournament was Rs. 50 lakh, double the amount given in the last edition.

Women's Senior National Hockey Championship from Feb 15

Twenty-nine teams will take part in the Hockey India Senior Women National Championship to be held in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh from February 15, which will kick-start the domestic season.
Odisha had won the title last year (2022) after defeating Karnataka 2-0 in the final.

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