1. France captain Hugo Lloris announces retirement from international football
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
France team captain Hugo Lloris announced on 9 January his decision to retire from international football at the age of 36.
An overview of the news
He took this decision three weeks after losing the final against Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Lloris made his international debut in November 2008 at the age of 21 in a friendly match against Uruguay. He is also the most capped player forFrance in the World Cup.
He surpassed Lillian Thuram's record of 142 matches. Lloris represented the France team in 145 matches.
In the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, France lost the match toArgentina in a penalty shootout after a 3–3 draw through full time and then extra time.
Argentina won the shootout over France 4–2.
Hugo Lloris is the fourth captain to lead his team to two consecutive World Cup finals. This feat was first achieved by Karl Heinz Rumeneige of Germany.
Legendary footballer Diego Maradona also led Argentina to two consecutive World Cup finals under his captaincy.
Lloris has represented France in four World Cups and three Euro Cups and captained Les Blues to the World Cup trophy in 2018.
2. Welsh footballer Gareth Bale retires from international, club football
Tags: Sports Sports News
Walsh legendary football player Gareth Bale announced his retirement on 9 January. At the age of just 33, he has announced his retirement from club and international football.
An overview of the news
Bale is one of Wales' greatest ever players. He played record matches for his country and also made many records in terms of scoring goals.
He was instrumental in helping Wales win two European Championships. With this, he led his team to the semi-finals of Euro 2016, and also to the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
The Los Angeles forward has played for Southampton, Tottenham and Real Madrid.
He played his last match during Wales' World Cup group stage match with England on 29 November.
Bell played in the forward position and was part of Wales' squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He also played the previous season in Major League Soccer for Los Angeles FC.
3. Khelo India Youth Games 2022 torch, theme song and mascot unveiled
Tags: Sports Sports News
State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the mascot and theme song for the fifth edition of Khelo India Youth Games to be hosted by Madhya Pradesh.
An overview of the news
The mascot of Khelo India Youth Games 2022 is 'Asha'. While the theme song is 'Hindustan Ka Dil Dhadka Do...' sung by famous singer Shaan.
The torch of Khelo India Youth Games was named Amarkantak, on which the figure of Maa Narmada is also engraved.
On this occasion, CM Shivraj announced to give Rs 5 lakh for sports training to the sportspersons who have won medals in Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics and to give direct DSP posts to the players who have won medals.
Khelo India Youth Games 2022
The Games will be hosted in Madhya Pradesh from 31 January 2023 to 11 February 2023.
For the first time water sports namely Kayaking Canoeing, Canoe Salaam and Fencing will be part of this edition of Khelo India Games.
It will be organised in eight different cities of the state.
The eight host cities designated are Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Mandla and Balaghat.
More than 8 thousand 500 athletes and sportspersons are expected to participate in this sporting event.
The 4th Khelo India Youth Games was held at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula (Haryana) from 4 to 13 June, while some matches were also played in Chandigarh.
Khelo India Youth Games winners list
Edition | Host City | Winner | Runner-up |
2018 | New Delhi | Haryana | Maharashtra |
2019 | Pune | Maharashtra | Haryana |
2020 | Guwahati | Maharashtra | Haryana |
2021 | Panchkula | Haryana | Maharashtra |
4. India's star female tennis player Sania Mirza has announced her retirement
Tags: Sports Sports News
India's star female tennis player Sania Mirza has announced her retirement in January 2023. This year's Australian Open and Dubai Tennis Championships will be her last tournaments.
An Overview of the news
She will play in women's doubles at the Australian Open in January 2023 with Kazakhstan's Ana Danilina, which will be her last appearance at any Grand Slam.
Sania missed the US Open last year due to an elbow injury.
International Tennis Career of Sania Mirza
Sania has won the mixed doubles title of Australian Open in 2009, French Open in 2012, US Open in 2014.
Apart from this, she has won the 2016 Australian Open, 2015 Wilmington, 2015 US Open title in women's doubles.
Sania Mirza has won many titles and honours in her career. She has been awarded the Arjuna Award in 2004, Padma Shri in 2006, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2015 and Padma Bhushan in 2016.
5. South African all rounder Dwaine Pretorius announces retirement from international cricket
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South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius has announced his retirement from international cricket on 9 January 2023.
An Overview of the news
Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed this. He made his international debut in 2016.
The 33-year-old Dwayne represented South Africa in all three formats of cricket.
He played 30 T20 Internationals, 27 ODIs and three Test matches. This includes two World Cups.
Pretorius had his best bowling performance in T20 Internationals in 2021 with 5-17 against Pakistan.
Dwayne Pretorius will now be seen in cricket action in IPL 2023. Pretorius will represent Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming IPL. Chennai Super Kings bought Pretorius for his base price of Rs 50 lakhs.
6. Talon Grikspoor of the Netherlands won the singles title at the Maharashtra Open tennis tournament in Pune
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The Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor prevailed in three-set final against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi to win his maiden ATP World Tour title as the first-time finalists dished out a gripping game of tennis in Pune on 7 January.
An overview of the news
Grikspoor (World No. 95) won a thrilling 4-6 7-5 6-3 title against his French opponent in two hours and 16 minutes to clinch the fifth edition of Tata Open Maharashtra title.
Both the players put on a scintillating performance in front of a packed Center Court crowd at the Balewadi Stadium and enthralled the fans with their breathtaking shot-making and tenacity.
The two had played a lot of junior tennis together, and in the 2021 season, were on a winning spree of Challengers, with Grikspur winning eight of those titles, Bonzi winning six.
It has been almost a decade since the Netherlands won a singles title on Tour.
South Asia's only ATP 250 was organised by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with the Government of Maharashtra for the fifth year in Pune.
Earlier, the Indian pair of N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan finished runners-up in doubles after going down 4-6, 4-6 against fourth seeded pair of Sander Gille and Joran Willijn in the final.
Gille and Vliegen secured their sixth ATP Tour title.
7. DEXA: BCCI introduces new selection criteria for Team India
Tags: Sports Sports News
The BCCI announced a major change in the selection criteria of players on 1st January.
Important facts
To review the team's performance in 2022, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Roger Binny and secretary Jay Shah met India captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Chetan Sharma on January 1.
The future of Indian cricket was discussed in the meeting, which was also attended by National Cricket Academy (NCA) director VVS Laxman.
The new criteria have been brought in to ensure the fitness of players before their selection as the team has been facing a serious injury crisis for the last one year.
The fitness of Indian cricketers has been a matter of concern with players like Deepak Chahar not playing regularly.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is also out for a long time due to a back injury.
What are the new selection criteria?
The new rule brought back the Yo-Yo test and made it mandatory for players to be selected for the national team.
Players must take a 'DEXA' before being selected for the Indian team across all formats.
Emerging players have to play enough domestic seasons to be eligible for selection in the national team.
What is a Yo-Yo test?
The Yo-Yo test is an aerobic endurance fitness test that involves running between markers placed 20 metres apart at increasing speed.
The test was introduced during Virat Kohli's tenure as India captain and initially the passing score was 16.1, which was increased to 16.5.
What is Dexa?
DEXA, also called 'bone density test', is an X-ray technique used to measure bone strength.
From this it can be ascertained whether there is any risk of breaking or losing bones of the test taker or whether a player is at risk of fracturing any part of the body.
It also helps measure body composition and record body fat and muscle mass.
8. Ronaldo joins Saudi club Al Nassr with record $214 million contract
Tags: Person in news Sports News
After leaving the Manchester United club on 30 December 2022, Portugal team captain Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Important facts
Ronaldo left Old Trafford after a television interview last month. He said that he has been cheated by the club.
Al Nassr issued a statement saying that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will be under contract until 2025.
Although he did not reveal any financial details, Ronaldo's contract is estimated by the media to be worth more than 200 million euros ($214.04 million), the highest salary in football history.
Ronaldo will move to Saudi Arabia after a stellar spell at Spanish club Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, winning two La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, four Champions League titles and three Club World Cups.
Ronaldo's inclusion will provide a boost to the Saudi Arabian club, which is looking to add to its nine Saudi Pro League titles.
About Al Nassr
Al-Nassr is a club from Saudi Arabia that competes in the Saudi Pro League. It is one of the most successful teams in the country. It was formed in 1955.
Al-Nasr, nicknamed Al-Alami or Faris Najd, is located in the capital city of Riyadh. It is formally managed by Rudi Garcia of Roma, Marseille and Lyon.
Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar joined in 2021 and is a key player for the team.
Brazilian defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo and former Arsenal shot-stopper David Ospina signed for the club in 2022.
9. Hockey Haryana Women’s U-18 team wins Khelo India Youth Games 2022
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Hockey Haryana's women's team won the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 Women’s Under 18 Qualifiers title after defeating Madhya Pradesh 2-0 in the final at Bhubaneswar on December 30.
Important facts
In the final match, Pooja and Gurmail Kaur scored a goal each for Haryana to turn the match in their favour.
Odisha stepped up to claim third place after beating Jharkhand by 2-1 in the 3rd and 4th place encounter.
Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand have qualified for the Khelo India Youth Games (Women) to be held in Madhya Pradesh next year.
Awards List
Best Goalkeeper: Kavita (Haryana)
Best Defender: Yogita Verma (Madhya Pradesh)
Best Midfielder: Manisha (Haryana)
Best Striker: Bhumshika Sahu (Madhya Pradesh)
10. Hockey Madhya Pradesh clinches Khelo India Youth Games 2022 Men's U-18 title
Tags: Sports Sports News
In hockey, Madhya Pradesh clinched the title by defeating Odisha 6-5 in the Khelo India Youth Games 2022 Men's Under-18 qualifier title in Bhubaneswar on 30 December.
Important facts
In a thrilling final, Jamir Mohammad was the star of the final, scoring a hat-trick, while Ali Ahmed, Mohammad Zaid Khan and captain Ankit Pal scored one goal each for Madhya Pradesh.
On the other hand, Anmol Ekka, Paulus Lakra, Deepak Minz and Akash Soreng scored one goal each for Odisha.
Haryana defeated Jharkhand 2-0 to secure the third position in the competition. Amandeep and Roshan scored the goals for Haryana.
With this, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana and Jharkhand have qualified for the Khelo India Youth Games to be held in Madhya Pradesh next year.
Award List
Best Goalkeeper : Ravi (Haryana)
Best Defender : Sundaram Rajawat (Madhya Pradesh)
Best Midfielder : Prem Dayal Giri (Odisha)
Best Striker : Ali Ahmad (Madhya Pradesh)
