1. Argentina becomes number one football team in the world in FIFA rankings 2023
Tags: Sports Sports News
On 6th April 2023 The (FIFA) released the latest rankings of international football teams and Argentina topped the FIFA rankings for the first time in six years.
An Overview of the News
The top five teams in the FIFA rankings 2023 are Argentina, France, Brazil, Belgium and England.
The next FIFA World Rankings will be published on 20 July 2023.
FIFA is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal at the international level.
It was established in 1904 to oversee international competition between the national federations of several European countries, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
FIFA is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and is responsible for organising major international tournaments such as the World Cup, the Women's World Cup and the Club World Cup.
The organisation also maintains the Laws of the Game, which are the rules governing how football is played around the world.
FIFA has 211 member associations, making it one of the largest international organisations in the world.
The current President of FIFA is Gianni Infantino, who was elected to the position in 2016.
About Argentina
It is a South American country bordered by Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean.
It is the second largest country in South America, the fourth largest in the Americas and the eighth largest in the world.
The country has a diverse geography, including the Andes Mountains, the Pampas grasslands, and the Patagonian desert.
Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1816.
Argentina claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, Georgia and the Sandwich Islands.
President - Alberto Fernandez
Capital - Buenos Aires
Currency - Argentine peso
Official language - Spanish
2. MS Dhoni among five indian cricketers to get MCC Life Membership
Tags: Sports Sports News
The prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), based at cricket's mecca Lord's, on April 5 conferred its Honorary Life Membership to five Indian cricketers, including former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
An overview of the news
Apart from Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami have been given this honour.
MCC CEO Guy Levander gave this membership to a total of 19 cricketers keeping in mind their contribution to international cricket.
South Africa's Dale Steyn, England's Kevin Pietersen, Morgan, Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez, Bangladesh's Mashrafe Mortaza and New Zealand's Ross Taylor are among those who got membership.
As captain, Dhoni won the T20 World Cup in 2007, the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.
The former keeper-batsman played 538 international games across all formats, scoring over 17,000 runs during the same period.
Yuvraj Singh was also an integral part of the Indian team that won the first T20 World Cup in 2007 and the home World Cup in 2011.
3. New Zealand’s Kim Cotton becomes first woman on-field umpire in full-member men’s T20Is
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
New Zealand’s Kim Cotton on 5th April became the first woman on-field umpire in a full-member men’s T20I during New Zealand’s second match against Sri Lanka in Dunedin.
An overview of the news
The 48-year-old Cotton has officiated as both on-field and TV umpire since 2018, in addition to 24 women's ODIs and 54 women's T20Is.
Cotton first made an appearance in the men's game in 2020 as a TV umpire for the tied match between India and New Zealand in Hamilton.
Cotton has also officiated in three T20 World Cups and an ODI World Cup since 2018, including the finals in 2020, 2022 and 2023.
Previously, Australia’s Claire Polosak had become the first female match official in a men’s Test match when she donned the fourth umpire’s role during the 2021-22 Border Gavaskar Trophy Test between India and Australia in Sydney.
4. Weightlifter Sanjita Chanu banned for 4 years by NADA
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
Indian weightlifter and two-time Commonwealth Games winner Sanjita Chanu has been banned for four years by India's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA).
An Overview of the News
The ban was imposed after Chanu tested positive for the anabolic-androgenic steroid Drostanolone, banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), during the National Games to be held in Gujarat in September-October 2022.
Chanu's provisional suspension was announced by NADA soon after the sample collection, and her four-year ban has now been formally announced.
As a result of the ban, Chanu would be stripped of her silver medal from the National Games.
Several other Indian athletes who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics last year including Shivpal Singh, Kamalpreet Kaur, and Dhanalakshmi Sekar, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Navjit Kaur Dhillon and long jumper Aishwarya Babu have also been found to have violated anti-doping rules.
Drostanolone is primarily used to treat advanced inoperable breast cancer in women, but is often abused by athletes as a performance-enhancing drug.
About National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA)
It is the national anti-doping organisation of India and is responsible for ensuring that athletes in India compete in a doping-free environment and the organisation was established in 2005 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
It is affiliated with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and follows the WADA Code for Anti-Doping Measures.
Its main functions include testing for prohibited substances, educating athletes and coaches about anti-doping measures, and sanctioning athletes who violate anti-doping rules.
It has a team of trained Doping Control Officers (DCOs) who test athletes in various sporting events.
The organisation also has a Registered Testing Pool (RTP) of elite athletes who are subject to testing at any time, both in competition and out of competition.
Headquarters - New Delhi
Establishment - 24 November 2005
Affiliation - Indian Olympic Association
Chairman - Sports Minister (India)
official language - English; Hindi
Purpose - Anti-doping in sports
5. Sports Ministry approves financial assistance for 12 para shuttlers
Tags: Sports Sports News
Recently the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Ministry has approved financial assistance to 12 Para-Badminton players including Pramod Bhagat and Manasi Joshi to participate in the upcoming Brazil Para-Badminton International Tournament.
An overview of the news
Brazil Para-Badminton International tournament is a Level 2 event and part of the Paris Paralympics pathway for 2023.
The funding has been approved under the Ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and will provide financial assistance to athletes and their support staff.
The funding will include an out-of-pocket allowance (OPA) for athletes and support staff for travel, visas, insurance costs, boarding and lodging, their entry fees for competition and other daily financial needs.
TOPS Para Shuttlers who will be covered under this
Pramod Bhagat
Manasi Joshi
Krishna Nagar
Sukant Kadam
Nitesh Kumar
Manoj Sarkar
Suhas Yathiraj
Tarun Dhillon
Mandeep Kaur
Nithya Sre
Parul Parmar
Manisha Ramadass
Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)
It was created in July 2014 under the auspices of the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) with the objective of identifying and preparing potential medal prospects for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The idea of the scheme is to look to the future and fund a developmental group of athletes who have the potential to bring medals to the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028.
6. Former cricketer Salim Durani passes away at the age of 88
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
Former India all-rounder cricketer Salim Durani passed away on 2 April after a prolonged illness. He was 88 years old.
An overview of the news
Salim Durrani was living in Gujarat’s Jamnagar with his younger brother, Jahangir Durani.
He was born on 11 December 1934 in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan.
Later Durrani's family settled in Karachi. During the India-Pakistan partition, Durani's family had settled in India.
He was known as a brilliant all-rounder.
He made a significant contribution in the series against England in 1961-62. In the last two Tests, Salim led India to victory.
He took 8 wickets in Kolkata and 10 wickets in Chennai Test. India won the 5 match test series 2-0.
He was the first cricketer to be honored with the Arjuna Award. He was given this honor in 1961.
He played the last Test match for India in February 1973 against England at Brabourne Stadium Mumbai.
After this he retired from cricket. After retirement, he also tried his hand in the film industry. He worked in the Bollywood film 'Charitra'.
Durani played 29 Tests for India and scored 1202 and took 75 wickets.
In first-class cricket, Durani has 8545 runs and 484 wickets in 170 matches.
7. Unity Cup Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament 2023
Tags: Sports Sports News
Unity Cup Cricket Tournament 2023 organized jointly byHUDCO and NBCC on 1st April, 2023 at Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi.
An overview of the news
It aims to encourage team building and promote the Fit India Movement of the Government of India.
It was inaugurated by Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
The tournament was organized between the mega teams of MoHUA, CPWD, NBCC and HUDCO.
The series of exciting matches began with the opening match played between MoHUA and CPWD.
MoHUA won the final by 20 runs from NBCC in the finals.
Manoj Joshi lifted the winning Trophy on behalf of MoHUA Team.
The sporty event was followed by presenting 'Man of the Match' to Maninder from MoHUA.
8. Sprinter Lashinda Demus was awarded the Olympic gold medal after a decade
Tags: Sports Awards Sports News
More than a decade after the 2012 London Games, Lashinda Demus, a sprinter from the United States, was awarded an Olympic gold medal at the age of 40, Czechia's Zuzana Hejnova a silver and Jamaica's Kalisz Spencer a bronze. Medal awarded.
An Overview of the News
The International Olympic Committee stripped Natalya Antyukh, the original gold medalist in the 400 metres hurdles, of her title due to her involvement in the Russian doping scandal.
Antyukh beat Demus by just 0.07 seconds at the London track.
Historical evidence recovered from the Moscow testing laboratory database allowed the Athletics Integrity Unit to disqualify Antyukh's results from July 2012 to June 2013.
About London Olympics 2012
Held in London, UK from 27 July to 12 August 2012.
Over 10,000 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated and competed in 26 sports.
The United States topped the medal table with 104 medals, including 46 gold.
China finished second with 88 medals, including 38 gold.
Great Britain finished third with 65 medals, including 29 gold.
9. Sri Lanka fail to qualify directly to ICC Cricket World Cup 2023
Tags: Sports Sports News
Sri Lanka failed to qualify directly for the ICC ODI World Cup after defeat by New Zealand in Hamilton on 31 March.
An overview of the news
In the last match of the three-match ODI series, New Zealand won by 6 wickets.
The New Zealand team had already qualified for the World Cup, but Sri Lanka had a special chance of making a direct entry to the World Cup by winning the last match of the three-match ODI series.
A total of 10 teams will participate in the World Cup 2023, out of which a total of 7 teams have qualified so far.
In the World Cup 2023, the top 8 teams in the points table were to get a chance to qualify.
The Sri Lankan team finished 9th in the points table after their loss to New Zealand on 31 March.
Sri Lanka will now be required to play in the ICC World Cup qualifiers which will be held in Zimbabwe in June - July in which the top two teams will qualify for the ICC ODI World Cup.
For the first time in 44 years, the Sri Lankan team will play qualifiers to make it to the World Cup.
At the same time, there will be a fight between West Indies and South Africa for the 8th position. The West Indies team is currently at the 8th position in the points table.
The ICC World Cup, hosted by India, will begin on October 5 this year.
Teams that qualified for the tournament - New Zealand, England, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, Afghanistan and West Indies.
10. Indian hockey player Salima Tete has been appointed as the Athlete Ambassador of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF)
Tags: Person in news Sports News
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Indian women's hockey team midfielder Salima Tete has been appointed as the Athlete Ambassador from India by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) for two years.
An Overview of the News
It was announced during the AHF Congress held in Mungyeong, South Korea on March 23, 2023.
AHF athlete ambassadors are Lee Jong Joon (South Korea), Abdul Hannan Shahid (Pakistan) and Asai Yu (Japan).
Salima Tete, as an AHF Athlete Ambassador, will play a key role in the international representation and development of athletes.
She will also work towards promoting awareness of the rights and welfare of athletes in the region.
Salima Tete received the AHF Emerging Player of the Year (Women) award on March 24, 2023 for her outstanding performance in 2022.
About Asian Hockey Federation (AHF)
It is the governing body for field hockey and is responsible for organising international field hockey events in the region.
It is a member of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and works closely with the FIH to promote the sport of field hockey around the world.
The AHF is responsible for organising several field hockey tournaments in Asia, including the Asia Cup, the Asian Games and the Asian Champions Trophy.
The AHF is committed to promoting gender equality in the sport of field hockey and has established a women's committee to oversee the development of women's hockey in Asia.
President - Dato' Fumio Ogura
Formation - 1958
Established - Tokyo, Japan
Headquarters - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Patron - Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah
