1. Sports Ministry to organise 'Meet the Champion' initiative in 26 schools
Tags: Sports Sports News
The Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry will organise - 'Meet the Champion' initiative in 26 schools across the country on the occasion of National Sports Day 29 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Some of the prominent athletes will be a part of this initiative. These are Commonwealth Games and World Championships Gold Medalist Nikhat Zareen, Paralympics and CWG medalist Bhavina Patel, Tokyo Olympics and CWG medalist Manpreet Singh among others.
The Sports Authority of India is also celebrating this year's National Sports Day as part of the Fit India campaign.
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Nishith Pramanik will hold a special virtual interaction with some of the country's sports and Fit India fitness icons on the importance of fitness and sports in India.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
What is 'Meet the Champions' Initiative?
It is a unique school visit campaign that was kicked off by Olympic Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra in December 2021.
This campaign has reached different parts of the country in the last few months.
During the school visit, the champion athlete shares her experiences, life lessons and tips on eating right and provides an inspiring boost to school children as a whole.
2. National Sports Day
Tags: Sports Important Days Sports News
India celebrates National Sports Day on 29 August every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyanchand.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The day raises awareness about physical activity, sports and overall health.
The day is also dedicated to the eminent sports persons and sports champions of India, who have made a significant contribution to the sport to make the country proud.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will organize the 'Meet the Champion' initiative in 26 schools across the country on the occasion of National Sports Day.
Some prominent athletes including Commonwealth Games and World Championships gold medalist Nikhat Zareen, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games medalist Bhavna Patel, Tokyo Olympic and Commonwealth Games medalist Manpreet Singh will be part of the initiative.
Theme of 2022 - 'Meet the Champion'
History of the day :
The first National Sports Day was celebrated in India on 29 August 2012.
Major Dhyan Chand, widely known as 'Hockey Wizard' and 'The Magician', was born on August 29, 1905 in Uttar Pradesh and National Sports Day is celebrated to commemorate his birthday.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Significance of the day :
Its primary objective is to promote awareness about the importance of sports in the daily life of all citizens and to be physically active.
Various programs, seminars etc. are also organized by the government to increase awareness about the importance of physical activities and sports in life.
The day is used as a platform to launch various sporting schemes.
About Major Dhyan Chand :
He was a member of the Indian Men's Hockey team.
He was born in Allahabad (Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh on August 29, 1905.
He was instrumental in helping India complete its first hat-trick of Olympic gold medals with victories at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics.
3. Karim Benzema, Alexia Putellas win UEFA best player awards
Tags: Sports Sports News
Karim Benzema and Alexia Putelas have won the UEFA Best Player Awards in the men's and women's categories respectively.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Karim Benzema is a French professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and as a striker for the France national team.
Alexia Putelas is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Barcelona club, and captains the Spain national team.
Benzema scored 15 goals in the Champions League for Real Madrid and was instrumental in their 14th European title.
With this award he has also strengthened his claim for the Ballon d'Or award to be given in October.
Alicia Putellas has been voted the best female footballer for the second time in a row.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Angelotti has been named the best coach in the men's category.
In the women's section, England's Sarina Wigman has been adjudged the best coach.
4. Rajasthan CM unveiled the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games mascot 'Sheru
Tags: Sports Sports News
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot unveiled the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games mascot 'Sheru' at the indoor hall of Sawai Mansingh Stadium recently.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games is proposed to be organised from 29 August to 1 September at the Gram Panchayat level, from 12 September to 15 September at the block level, from 22 September to 25 September at the district level and from 2 October to 5 October at the state level.
The games are being organised in collaboration with the Sports Department, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, Education Department, Health Department and local administration.
Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympic Games Kabaddi ( Category - Boys/Girls), Shooting Ball (Category - Boys), Kho-Kho (Category-Girls), Volleyball ( Category-Boys/Girls), Tennis Ball Cricket (Category -Boys/Girls) and Hockey (Category -Boys/Girls). 6 sports including girl's category).
Rural Olympics is open to all age groups. About 30 lakh players are participating in these games and 2 lakh teams have been formed.
A budget provision of Rs 40 crore has been made for Rural Olympic Games.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Major sporting events and their mascots held in 2022 :
Commonwealth Games 2022 - Perry the Bull
Khelo India Youth Games 2022 -Dhaakad
Khelo India University Games 2022 -Veera
19th Asian Games 2023 - Smart Triplet
'Winter Olympic Games' 2022 -Bing Dwayne Dwayne
5. India on 3rd spot at International Astronomy & Astrophysics Olympiad
Tags: Sports News
India has secured the third position in the medal tally of the 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA).
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) was held in Kutaisi, Georgia from August 14 to 21, 2022.
India finished joint third with Singapore with the students winning three gold and two silver medals.
India's individual performance was as follows - Raghav Goyal, Mohd. Sahil Akhtar and Mehul Borad won gold while Malay Kedia and Atharv Nilesh Mahajan won silver.
This year 209 students from 37 main and 6 guest teams participated in IOAA. In addition, 24 students from 6 countries took part online.
In the medal tally, Iran's official team got 5 gold, guest team got 4 gold and 1 silver medal.
Overall 28 Gold, 38 Silver and 55 Bronze medals were awarded in this IOAA.
Raghav Goel won the special award for the best solution to the most challenging theoretical question.
International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics :
It is an international competition, involving the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.
This competition is for high school students under the age of 20.
Participating students solve theoretical, data analysis, observational problems individually in time bound situations over a period of 10 days.
6. Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra confirms participation in Lausanne Diamond League
Tags: Sports Sports News
Olympic champion and World Championship silver medalist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has said that he will participate in the Diamond League to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland on August 26.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This will be Chopra's first competition after winning a silver medal at the World Championships and being ruled out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham due to injury.
Neeraj suffered a groin strain in the final of the World Championship on July 24 in Eugene, USA, due to which he got injured.
Chopra had skipped the Commonwealth Games due to injury.
He is currently in Saarbrücken, Germany with his coach Dr Klaus Bartonitz and physio Ishan Marwah.
About Neeraj Chopra :
Neeraj Chopra is a track and field athlete competing in javelin thrower.
Neeraj created history by winning the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2021 by throwing the 87.58m javelin.
He is the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to win a gold medal in athletics at a World Championship level.
Neeraj Chopra was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in March 2022.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Major medals won by Neeraj Chopra :
2022 Kuortane Games (Gold Medal)
2021 Tokyo Olympics (Gold Medal)
2022 Paavo Nurmi Games (Silver)
2022 Kuortane Games (Gold Medal)
2018 Commonwealth Games (Gold Medal)
2017 Asian Athletics Championships (Gold Medal)
2016 South Asian Games (Gold Medal)
7. FTX Crypto Cup - R Pragyananand beat Magnus Carlsen in the final round but loses to the top prize
Tags: Sports Sports News
Indian chess player R Pragyanand defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen for the third time in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup held in Miami, USA on 22 August.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- 17-year-old chess player Pragyanand had earlier defeated Magnus Carlsen two times and now he has created history by defeating Magnus for the third time.
Pragyananand beat World No. 1, Magnus Carlsen 4-2 in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup and won three consecutive games, including two in the blitz tie-break.
However, Pragyanand finished second in the final standings of the tournament.
Despite losing to Pragyanandan, Norway's Carlsen finished first in the tournament's final standings with 16 match points, while India's Chess Grandmaster Pragyanananda finished second with 15 match points and Alireja Firoza third with 15 match point.
He also played a key role in the India 'B' team that won the bronze medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai recently.
Final placings :
- 1. Magnus Carlsen 16 match points
- 2. R Praggnanandhaa 15 match points
- 3. Alireza Firouzja 15 match points
- 4. Liem Le 12 match points
- 5. Jan-Krzystof Duda 11 match points
8. Maharashtra declares ‘Dahi Handi’ an official sport
Tags: State News Sports News
Like Kho-Kho and Kabaddi, Dahi Handi has now been given the status of a sport in Maharashtra. It will be considered as a kind of adventure sport.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told the Vidhan Sabha that Govindas joining Dahi Handi would be given benefits of government schemes, 5 percent reservation in government jobs.
Govinda will now also be given insurance cover. If an accident occurs while playing Dahi Handi and in such a situation a Govinda dies, then an amount of Rs 10 lakh will be given as assistance to the relatives of the concerned Govinda.
In case of serious injury on Govinda's eyes or both legs or both hands or any two important parts of the body, the state government will give him an assistance of Rs.7.5 lakh.
In such a situation, if any Govind's hand, leg or any part of the body is lost, then in such a situation, he will be given an assistance amount of 5 lakh rupees.
What is Dahi Handi ?
Dahi Handi is celebrated on the occasion of Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna.
Dahi Handi is part of the Janmashtami festival, where young participants called 'govindas', dressed in colourful clothes, form and break a human pyramid to reach a pot hung in the air.
Dahi Handi was first started here in 1907 on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami.
The tradition of Dahi Handi, which started in Mumbai in 1907, has been going on for the last 104 years in Ghansoli village near Navi Mumbai.
9. Wrestler Antim Panghal becomes first ever Indian woman to win gold at U20 World Championships
Tags: Sports Sports News
Antim Panghal created history as she became the first Indian female wrestler ever to clinch gold at the Under 20 Wrestling World Championships.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- She defeated Altyn Shagayeva of Kazakhstan 8-0 in the final of the 53kg weight category.
She topped the podium in the 53kg category at the World Championships being held in Sofia, Bulgaria on 18 August.
Six other Indian wrestlers have reached the finals of the Under-20 World Championships before Panghal, but the 17-year-old Panghal is the first Indian woman to win gold.
Prior to this, she has won bronze at the Cadet World Championships (2021) and gold at the Asian Junior Championships (2022).
He also won a silver medal at the Under 23 Asian Championship this year.
It is being held in Sofia, Bulgaria from 15 to 21 August 2022.
10. FIFA suspends All India Football Federation (AIFF)
Tags: Sports Sports News
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World football governing body FIFA has suspended the Football Federation of India (AIFF) with immediate effect due to third party interference.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The decision was taken unanimously by the Bureau of the FIFA Council.
The suspension has been decided due to undue influence of third parties, which is a serious violation of FIFA law.
The suspension means that the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022, to be held in India from 11-30 October 2022, will not take place in India as planned.
India's Supreme Court in May dissolved the AIFF and appointed a three-member committee to govern the sport, amend the AIFF's constitution and hold elections pending for 18 months.
FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation sent a team led by AFC Secretary General Windsor John to meet the stakeholders of Indian football.
A roadmap was prepared by the team for the AIFF to amend the rules by the end of July and conclude the elections by 15 September.
Earlier, FIFA had threatened to suspend the Football Federation of India for third party interference.
How can the ban be lifted?
FIFA said the lifting of the ban needed to address two main concerns.
The mandate of the CoA has to be completely repealed.
To gain complete control over the day-to-day affairs of the AIFF administration.
Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) :
It was established on May 21, 1904, by seven national associations — Belgium, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
It is the highest governing body of football in the world.
It is a non-profit organisation.
It regulates football and promotes football around the world.
It is modernising football to be global, accessible and inclusive in all aspects.
FIFA currently consists of 211 member countries. It is headquartered in Zurich and its current president is Gianni Infantino.
