Kiren Rijiju Inaugurates Khelo India State Centre of Excellence for Rowing in Srinagar
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) for rowing at the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council Water Sports Academy. At present, the KISCE will focus on rowing and will be provided a first-time grant of Rs. 145.16 lakh and an annual recurring grant of Rs. 96.17 lakh.
This is one of the two KISCEs from Jammu and Kashmir, with the Maulana Azad Stadium for fencing in Jammu being the other.
Currently, there are 24 KISCEs across 23 states and union territories and each of them focuses on Olympics sports.
Suyash Mehta First Indian-origin Referee in NBA
What started as a part-time job soon turned into a passion for Suyash Mehta, as it eventually saw him become the first Indian-origin referee in National Basketball Association (NBA). Since joining the world's top-most basketball league, which features some of the sport's MVPs like LeBron James, Steph Curry, the 29-year-old has gone on to officiate in several high-octane NBA matches.
Paula Badosa Ousts Ashleigh Barty at Volvo Car Open
Paula Badosa beat top-ranked Ashleigh Barty at the Volvo Car Open.
The Spaniard reached the tournament semi-finals in her first time at the season's opening clay-court tournament. And she was rarely pressured by Barty on the way to her first victory over a No. 1 player.
Hideki Matsuyama Becomes First from Japan to Win Men's Major
Hideki Matsuyama scripted a new chapter in Japanese golf history as he became the first player from the country to win the Masters Tournament, which is much revered there.
Ten years after Matsuyama first came to play at Augusta in 2011 post winning the Asia Pacific Amateurs, he took the main prize. That year in 2011 Charl Schwartzel took the Jacket from Phil Mickelson, and both were in the field this week, too.
Matsuyama became only the second Asian male golfer to win a major following YE Yang's triumph at the 2009 PGA Championship. Two Japanese women have won Majors too. Hisako Higuchi won the 1977 LPGA Championship, while Hinako Shibuno won the 2019 Women's British Open.
Apr 11, 2021
Vishnu Saravanan 2nd Indian Sailor to Qualify for Tokyo Olympics
India will compete in more than one sailing event in an Olympics for the first time after Vishnu Saravanan qualified for the Tokyo Games in Laser STD Class after finishing second in the Asian Qualifier in Oman.
Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Games in Tokyo in the laser radial event in the Mussanah Open Championship, which is an Asian Olympic qualifying event.
Saravanan, who was third till the penultimate day, won the medal race to jump to second place overall and book a Tokyo Olympics quota.
The Indian pipped Thailand's Keerati Bualong, who was second, for the Tokyo Games spot. Singapore's Ryan Lo Jun Han was first overall in the Laser STD Class points table.
Apr 10, 2021
Harendra Singh Named Head Coach of US Men's Hockey Team
Former India hockey coach Harendra Singh, who trained both the national men's and women's teams at different stages of his career, has been appointed as the new head coach of the US men's team.
Singh, who was bestowed the Dronacharya award in 2012, served as the chief coach of the senior India men's hockey team from 2017 to 2018. Before that, he was also in charge of the Indian women's team for some time.
Tokyo Olympics-bound Sania Mirza Included in TOPS
Indian tennis star Sania Mirza was included in the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), four years after she opted out of the programme.
Sania was selected in the TOPS during the 56th meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell in Delhi.
She had opted out of the scheme when she was selected last in 2017 because of an injury breakdown which had led to a lay-off.
Sania has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics based on her protected ranking before she took a break from the game due to pregnancy.
Sania is currently ranked 157th in the world but as per WTA rules when a player takes a lay-off from the game longer than six months on account of injuries or pregnancy, they can apply for a "special ranking" (also sometimes known as a "protected ranking").
Apr 09, 2021
Nethra First Indian Woman Sailor to Qualify for Olympics
Nethra Kumanan became the first Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Olympics after she was assured of a top-place finish in the laser radial event of the Asian Qualifiers in Oman. She has a 21-point advantage over her nearest rival, India's Ramya Saravanan, with one race to go. Kumanan will be the 10th Indian to qualify for a sailing event in the Olympics, but all the earlier nine have been male athletes.
Apr 08, 2021
FIFA Bans Chad Indefinitely from Global Football over Government Interference
FIFA has banned Chad from global football until further notice over government interference in the running of the country's football federation.
The move comes after the Minister of Youth and Sports dissolved the Federation of Chad Football Associations in March.
After the announcement by the Chadian government the Confederation of African Football disqualified the national team from last month's final two rounds of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Chad do not have any upcoming international fixtures having been knocked out of 2022 World Cup qualifying by Sudan in 2019.
Hurkacz Beats Teen Sinner to Win Miami Open
Poland's Hubert Hurkacz claimed his first ATP Masters 1000 title by beating Italian teenager Jannik Sinner in the Miami Open final.
Hurkacz won 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to become the first Polish singles player to win one of the ATP's top-level events.
The world number 37 is the lowest-ranked player to win a Masters event since Tomas Berdych in Paris in 2005.
Sinner, 19, was the youngest Masters finalist since Rafael Nadal in 2005.
Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer all skipped this year's tournament, though Hurkacz still beat world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas and world number eight Andrey Rublev on his way to the final.
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