1. Dinesh Karthik Appointed SA20 League Ambassador
Tags: Person in news Sports News
Dinesh Karthik, an Indian commentator and former wicketkeeper, has been appointed as the league ambassador of South Africa's premier T20 cricket tournament, SA20 League, ahead of the 2025 edition.
An Overview of the News
Karthik becomes the first Indian player to be associated with the SA20 League.
He has signed with Paarl Royals as an overseas player for the 2025 season.
Career and Retirement
Retirement from Cricket: Dinesh Karthik announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in June 2024.
International Career: Karthik represented India in 26 Tests, 94 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 60 T20Is. He was also part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Connection with Former Teammates
Joining AB de Villiers: Karthik will join his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Delhi Daredevils teammate AB de Villiers as one of the league's ambassadors.
SA20 League Overview
Tournament Background: The SA20 League, also known as Betway SA20 for sponsorship reasons, is organized by Cricket South Africa (CSA) and was first contested in 2023. The 3rd season is scheduled from 9th January to 8th February 2025.
Franchise Teams: The tournament features six franchises: MI Cape Town, Joburg Super Kings (JSK), Durban SuperGiants (DSG), Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals, and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC). These teams are owned by the same entities that own Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
2. Noah Lyles Wins Gold in Men’s 100-Meter Sprint
Tags: Sports
Noah Lyles secured the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
An Overview of the News
His time of 9.784 seconds narrowly edged out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson, who finished with 9.789 seconds.
This victory marks the end of a 20-year drought for American sprinters in this event.
Lyles edged out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by 0.005 seconds; seven men finished under 9.90 seconds.
Medal Standings: Team USA’s Fred Kerley won bronze with a time of 9.81 seconds.
Race Highlights: Lyles surged in the final stretch and the Stade de France crowd added to the excitement.
Future Goals: Lyles aims to succeed in the 200-meter and 4×100-meter relay, seeking a sprint treble similar to Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis.
3. Manu Bhaker to Lead India as Flag Bearer at Paris 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony
Tags: Sports News
Manu Bhaker has been chosen as India’s flag bearer for the Paris 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony on August 11.
An Overview of the News
The 23-year-old Manu Bhaker confirmed the news on her social media page and thanked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the honor.
Performance and Achievements at Paris 2024
Paris 2024 marks Manu Bhaker's second appearance at the Summer Games.
Bhaker won India’s first medal in shooting since London 2012 at Paris 2024.
She became the first Indian woman to win a medal in shooting and the third Indian post-independence to win two Olympic medals, after Sushil Kumar and PV Sindhu.
Bhaker opened India’s medal tally with a bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol and won another bronze alongside Sarabjot Singh in the 10m air pistol mixed event.
She narrowly missed a podium finish in the 25m pistol event, finishing fourth.
Other Indian Athletes and Historical Context
Wrestler Bajrang Punia was India’s flag-bearer for the Closing Ceremony at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
For the Opening Ceremony in Paris, PV Sindhu and Sharath Kamal carried India’s flag during the Parade of Nations on the Seine river.
All three of India’s medals so far at the Paris 2024 Olympics have come from the shooting contingent.
Swapnil Kusale won a bronze medal in the men’s 50m three-position rifle event.
4. Novak Djokovic Wins His First Olympic Gold
Tags: Sports
Novak Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal in the men’s tennis singles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final match.
An Overview of the News
The final score was 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in favor of Djokovic. The match was highly competitive and featured two tiebreaks.
Career Achievements:
Djokovic, 37, has a record 24 Grand Slam titles and the most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rankings by any player.
Previously, he won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Historical Significance:
Djokovic joins an elite group of players, including Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf, and Serena Williams, who have won all four Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic singles gold.
Context and Rivalry
Djokovic has now won three out of six matches against Alcaraz.
Despite this loss, Alcaraz has been dominant this year, winning the French Open and Wimbledon titles back-to-back.
5. Manu Bhaker & Sarabjot Singh Win Bronze in 10m Air Pistol at Paris 2024
Tags: Sports
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh secured a historic bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Paris Olympics 2024.
An Overview of the News
This makes Bhaker the first athlete from independent India to win two medals in a single Olympics edition.
Badminton Highlights
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated the Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in straight sets (21-13, 21-13) to top Group C and advance to the quarter-finals.
Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa lost their Group C match in women's doubles against Australia’s Setyana Mapasa and Angela Yu (21-15, 21-10).
Hockey Update
The Indian men’s hockey team secured their second win in the group stage with a 2-0 victory over Ireland.
Harmanpreet Singh scored both goals, leading India to the top of Pool B with seven points from two wins and a draw.
Archery and Rowing
Bhajan Kaur reached the Round of 16 in the women's individual archery event.
Balraj Panwar finished 5th in the men’s single sculls quarterfinal and did not advance to the medal rounds.
Boxing Result
Amit Panghal lost to Zambia’s Patrick Chinyemba with a score of 4:1 in the 51kg Round of 16 bout.
6. Jiya Rai Becomes World's Youngest and Fastest Female Para Swimmer to Cross the English Channel
Tags: Sports
Indian athlete Jiya Rai has become the world's youngest and fastest female para swimmer to cross the English Channel.
An Overview of the News
At 16 years old, she completed the 34 km stretch from Abbots Cliff in England to Pointe de la Courte-Dune in France in 17 hours and 25 minutes.
Inspiring Career
Jiya is an internationally renowned open water para swimmer with a world record in open water swimming.
She has achieved several milestones despite her disability, including swimming across Palk Bay.
She has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMB) – 2022.
Dedication and Recognition
Jiya dedicated her English Channel swim to raising awareness about autism.
She is the daughter of a naval personnel stationed in Mumbai.
7. Swapnil Kusale Wins Bronze at Paris 2024 Olympics
Tags: Sports
Swapnil Kusale won the bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions final.
An Overview of the News
This is India's first-ever Olympic shooting medal in the 50m 3P event.
It is the third medal for India in rifle shooting at the Olympics:
Abhinav Bindra’sgold in men’s 10m air rifle at Beijing 2008.
Gagan Narang's bronze in the same event at London 2012.
Competition Details:
Venue: National Shooting Center in Châteauroux.
Kusale was sixth after the first 15 shots in kneeling positions with a score of 153.3.
Consistent shooting in prone and standing positions helped him climb to third at the end of stage 1.
In stage 2, Kusale maintained his position in the top three with shots of 10.5, 9.4, and 9.9.
A final shot of 10.0 secured the bronze but not enough for gold contention.
Medalists:
Gold: Liu Yukun (People’s Republic of China) with a score of 463.6.
Silver: Serhiy Kulish (Ukraine) with a score of 461.3.
Bronze: Swapnil Kusale (India) with a score of 451.4.
Qualifiers:
Kusale finished seventh in the qualifiers with a total of 590.
Fellow Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished 11th and missed the cut.
India’s Performance in Shooting at Paris 2024
Total Medals in Shooting: Three
Manu Bhaker: Bronze in the women’s 10m air pistol individual event.
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh: Bronze in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.
Swapnil Kusale: Bronze in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions.
Women’s 50m Rifle 3P Event:
Anjum Moudgil and Sift Kaur Samra did not progress to the final.
Moudgil finished 18th with a score of 584.
Samra finished 31st with a score of 575.
8. Manu Bhaker Wins Bronze at Paris Olympics
Tags: Sports Sports News
Manu Bhaker has won a bronze medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol final at the Paris Olympics.
An Overview of the News
Bhaker is the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympicmedal. Bhaker scored 221.7 in the final event.
This bronze medal isIndia’s first medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
She showcased exceptional skill and composure against Korean shooters Kim Yeji and Oh Yeh Jin.
In tennis:
Indian table tennis player Sreeja Akula advanced to the next round.
She achieved a resounding victory over Sweden’s Christina Kallberg in the Round of 64 in the women’s singles event on 28 July.
Summer Olympics 2024
The 2024 Summer Olympics are officially known as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
Branded as Paris 2024, the event is scheduled to take place from 24 July to 11 August 2024.
The opening ceremony occurred on 26 July 2024.
Paris is the main host city.
Events will be held in 16 additional cities across Metropolitan France.
There will also be one competition venue in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
9. Manu Bhaker Wins Bronze at Paris Olympics
Tags: Sports Sports News
Manu Bhaker has won a bronze medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol final at the Paris Olympics.
An Overview of the News
Bhaker is the first Indian woman shooter to win an Olympicmedal. Bhaker scored 221.7 in the final event.
This bronze medal isIndia’s first medal at the ongoing Paris Olympics.
She showcased exceptional skill and composure against Korean shooters Kim Yeji and Oh Yeh Jin.
In tennis:
Indian table tennis player Sreeja Akula advanced to the next round.
She achieved a resounding victory over Sweden’s Christina Kallberg in the Round of 64 in the women’s singles event on 28 July.
Summer Olympics 2024
The 2024 Summer Olympics are officially known as the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.
Branded as Paris 2024, the event is scheduled to take place from 24 July to 11 August 2024.
The opening ceremony occurred on 26 July 2024.
Paris is the main host city.
Events will be held in 16 additional cities across Metropolitan France.
There will also be one competition venue in Tahiti, French Polynesia.
10. Nita Ambani Re-elected as International Olympic Committee Member in Paris
Tags: Person in news Sports News
Nita Ambani has been unanimously re-elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from India at the 142nd IOC session in Paris.
An Overview of the News
Nita Ambani was first elected to the IOC in 2016during the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Pioneering Role: As the first Indian woman to join the IOC, she has significantly contributed to promoting India's Olympic vision.
Contributions and Achievements
Hosting IOC Session: Played a pivotal role in India hosting its first IOC session in Mumbai in over 40 years, highlighting India's global sporting ambitions.
Future Ambitions: India is planning to bid for hosting the 2036 Olympics.
Reliance Foundation and Sports Initiatives
Foundation Leadership: As the founder and chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani focuses on empowering Indians through sports, education, health, art, and culture.
Impact: Reliance Foundation’s sports programs have reached over 22.9 million children and youth in India.
India House at Paris 2024
India House Initiative: Reliance Foundation is opening India House at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Purpose: India House will act as a "home away from home" for athletes, celebrate their achievements, and share India’s Olympic journey with the world.
International Olympic Day
International Olympic Day is celebrated annually on June 23.
The themefor Olympic Day 2024is 'Let's Move and Celebrate'.
This theme aims to inspire people worldwide to engage in daily physical activity and embrace the joy of movement.
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
Non-governmental sports organization
Based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Governs National Olympic Committees (NOCs).
Oversees the worldwide Olympic Movement.
Formation - 23 June 1894
Founders - Pierre de Coubertin, Demetrios Vikelas
Headquarters - Olympic House, Lausanne, Switzerland
President - Thomas Bach
