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Mascots for Olympics & Paralympics unveiled

Mascots for Olympics & Paralympics unveiled
Japan has unveiled the names of its mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The mascot for Olympics is “MIraitowa” which means ‘eternal future’. The mascot for Paralympics is “Someity” which means ‘so mighty’. The Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on July 24, 2020, and run through until August 9. The Paralympics will take place between August 25 and September 6 2020.

Olympic torch relay to start in Fukushima

Organizers of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics say the torch relay will start in Fukushima, an area hit by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. The relay will start on March 26, 2020 in Fukushima and will head southward to Okinawa before making its way north again and arriving in Tokyo on July 10. The route was approved by the organizing committee.

World’s First All-Digital Art Museum at Tokyo

The world’s first digital art museum opened at the MORI Building Digital Art Museum in Tokyo, a collaboration between the developer and art collective TeamLab. Owing to projection-mapping technology, the artworks react to movement and touch, inviting visitors to imagine they possess new superpowers. In 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics visitors to Tokyo will experience something unique.

Japan’s women clinch Uber Cup

Japan’s women clinched the Uber Cup, the Womens World Badminton Championship, defeating Thailand 3-0 in Bangkok. It ends an Uber Cup drought for Japan that stretches back to 1981. The Uber Cup is second in prestige only to the Olympics as a national team event. As of the 2018, China is the most successful team, having won fourteen times. Japan is second, having won it six times.

S Korea, US began joint military drills

South Korea &US have kicked off their annual joint military exercises after they were delayed about a month for Olympics.Foal Eagle field exercise, which involves combined ground, air, naval & special operation troops, will continue for a month while the computer-simulated Key Resolve is scheduled for 2 weeks. The two drills would involve 23,700 US troops & 300,000 South Korean forces.

Tommy Haas announced his retirement

Former world number two tennis player Tommy Haas officially announced his retirement from tennis. Haas, who won the silver medal for Germany at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finished his career with 569 wins. His most recent singles titles came in 2013 when he won in Vienna and Munich. Haas reached a career-high number two ranking in 2002, and finished eight seasons ranked in the top 20.

Bronze for Sakshi

Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik had to settle for a bronze medal in Asian championship. She lost by 6-6 to eventual silver medallist Xiaojuan Luo of China in a 62kg first round bout. In the repechage rounds, Sakshi defeated Jiae Choi of Korea 11-0 and Ayaulym Kassymova of Kazakhstan 10-7 to bag the bronze.

Mascot chosen by children for 2020 Olympics

The mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics selected by elementary school kids were unveiled. The Olympics mascot is a blue-checked, doe-eyed character with pointy ears and ?special powers?, while the Paralympics mascot sports pink checks and can ?talk with stones and the wind?. A total of 6.5 million children cast their vote to select the mascots.

Parupalli Kashyap wins Austrian Open

India’s Parupalli Kashyap overcame Malaysia’s June Wei Cheam in straight games in the men’s singles final to clinch the Austrian Open International Challenge.This is Kashyap’s first international title in over 3 years. Kashyap is the only male player from India to reach the Quarterfinals of men’s singles at 2012 London Olympics. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award by Govt of India in 2012

VP to inaugurate Theatre Olympics

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the 8th edition of the Theatre Olympics at Lal Quila in New Delhi.The theme of the festival is – “Flag of Friendship”. The 51-day long nationwide theatre extravaganza will be held in 17 cities, including Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Patna. It is for the first time that India is hosting the event & more than 25 thousand foreign artists will participate.

India To Host 8th Theatre Olympics

In an effort to put India firmly among the top nations in the world theatre map, the country will play host to the 8th Theatre Olympics, the greatest carnival of thespianism.The 51-day theatre extravaganza which will be inaugurated at Red Fort It will see 450 shows including 65 shows by international artistes, 600 ambient performances and 250 youth forum shows.

Keshavan comes 34th at his 6th Olympics

Four-time Asian champion India’s Shiva Keshavan on Sunday finished 34th out of 40 in the men’s singles luge event at PyeongChang Games, his sixth Winter Olympics campaign.The 36-year-old Himachal Pradesh-born athlete’s best finish at the Games had come in 2006 in Turin when he finished 25th. Shiva is one of the two Indians who qualified for the 2018 Games.

Koreas to march under single united flag

North & South Korea have agreed to march together under a single “unified Korea” flag at next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea.The 2 countries have marched under the flag before, in rare shows of unity, first at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships, and at a number of sporting events since. The nations have also agreed to form a joint North & South Korean women’s ice hockey team.

Wrestler Sukhchain dies in road accident

Renowned wrestler and coach Sukhchain Singh Cheema, a Dronacharya awardee, died in a road accident at Patiala bypass.Sukhchain Singh Cheema was son of Rustum-e-Hind Olympian Wrestler Kesar Singh Cheema and father of Rustum-e-Hind Olympian Palwinder Singh Cheema, also an Arjuna Awardee. Sukhchain Singh Cheema won Bronze medal in 1974 Tehran Asian Games.

Bobsledder banned for life from Olympics

Russian bobsledder Alexey Voevoda has been given a life ban from the Olympics for anti-doping violations at the Sochi Games where he won two gold medals.The decision comes two weeks after the IOC banned Russia from next year’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics for what it called “unprecedented systematic manipulation” of the anti-doping system. He won gold in the two-man and four-man bobsled.

Saurabh claims Youth Olympics Games spot

Saurabh Chaudhary has qualified for Youth Olympics Games with a gold medal & a junior world record in 10m air pistol at the ongoing Asia Youth Olympics Games qualification tournament in Japan.He became the third Indian to bag quota places for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games at the 10th Asian Airgun Championship.He shot a record score of 243.1 in the final to storm to the top of the podium.

IOC bans Russia from Winter Games

Russia has been banned from competing at next year’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang by the International Olympic Committee.However, the Russian athletes would be able to take part in the Games, as independent competitors under the Olympic flag.The punishment is the culmination of a 3 year investigation into state-sponsored doping leading up to and during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

5 Russians banned for Doping

5 more Russian competitors from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics have been banned for life over anti-doping rule violations by IOC. Dmitrii Trunenkov and Aleksei Negodailo, both in the gold-medal winning four-man bobsleigh team, plus biathlon relay silver medalists Yana Romanova and Olga Vilukhina, who also won silver in the 7.5 km event. Sergei Chudinov was also disqualified for doping.

Sandeep banned for failing dope test

Wrestler Sandeep Tulsi has been handed a four-year ban by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel of the NADA. He is from Sonepat. He has tested positive for methandienone, an anabolic steroid. Sandeep Yadav’s sparring partner and roommate Narsingh Yadav was also ousted from the Olympics in 2016 and given a four-year ban for failing a dope test after Court of Arbitration for Sports.

Dipa Karmakar honoured with D.Litt.

India’s star gymnast Dipa Karmakar has been conferred a D.Litt. degree from the National Institute of Technology Agartala. She is the first Indian woman gymnast to have qualified for the Olympics and finished 4th in the final round of vault event at the Rio Olympics. She is now preparing for the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia’s Jakarta and 21st Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia.

Gagan Narang won Silver in Commonwealth

4 : Olympic bronze-medalist Gagan Narang won a silver medal in the men’s 50m rifle prone event at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. Annu Raj Singh has also won the bronze medal in the women’s 50m pistol competition. Narang, who is appearing in his first major tournament since the 2016 Rio Olympics, shot a total of 617.6 in the qualification to end fourth.

Countries hit with doping ban

Russia & China were among 9 countries suspended from weightlifting for a year in an attempt to combat an epidemic of doping. The decision by International Weightlifting Federation followed re-testing of anti-doping samples from 2008 & 2012 Olympics. Countries with at least 3 doping offenses from those Olympics were suspended. Russia was also banned from weightlifting event at 2016 Olympics in Rio

P.V. Sindhu for Padma Bhushan

Olympic silver medallist shuttler P.V. Sindhu has been recommended for the prestigious Padma Bhushan by the Sports Ministry. World No. 2 Sindhu has been in stellar form since winning a silver medal at Rio Olympics and is the second athlete after MS Dhoni to have been nominated for the honour this year. In March 2015, Sindhu was awarded India’s fourth highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri.

Sindhu jumps to World No 2

Indian shuttler PV Sindhu has jumped two places to World No 2 in the latest Badminton World Federation women’s singles rankings. This is the second time in her career that Olympics silver medallist has occupied the second spot. Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying retained her top spot while London Olympics bronze winner Saina Nehwal was static at the 12th spot.

Sports Minister appointed

Rajyavardhan Rathore replaced Vijay Goel as the new Sports Minister in the latest cabinet reshuffle of the Narendra Modi govt. Rathore was named as MoS (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Rathore had won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics.

National Sports Day

National Sports Day in India is celebrated on August 29, the birthday of Dhyan Chand, one of the greatest field hockey players of all time. On this occasion, President Kovind will give away the Sports Awards. Known as ‘The Wizard’ in the world of hockey, Dhyan Chand scored more than 400 goals during his international career & earned 3 gold medals for India during 1928, 1932 & 1936 Olympics.

Govt removes 1 from Dronacharya nominees

Sports Ministry has dropped para-sports coach Satyanarayana from the list of this year’s Dronacharya awardees. Satyanarayana’s name was chucked off the list due to a criminal case pending against him. Satyanarayana has coached Mariyappan Thangavelu, who won a gold in Rio Paralympics. Dronacharya Award is annual sports coaching honour of India given by Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.

PV Sindhu as deputy collector

Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu was appointed as the deputy collector, a Group-1 service post, in Andhra Pradesh govt. Chandrababu Naidu had promised a Group-I post to Sindhu when she won the silver medal in Olympics. The govt had also presented her a cash award worth Rs. 3 cr. She has been working with BPCL since 2013 & is currently an assistant manager (sports) at its Hyderabad office.

India to Host 8th Theatre Olympics

India will host Theatre Olympics in 2018, 1st since event’s inception in 1993. Running from 17 Feb to 8 April, event will see over 500 plays & 700 ambiance performances by artistes from across the globe. It will simultaneously be held in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai & 10 other cities. National School of Drama will organise the event in coordination with Union Culture Ministry.

India finishes fifth in u-18 rugby

The Indian girls U-18 rugby team finished fifth in rugby sevens (7-a-side) event at the Paris World Games 2017. Seven teams took part in the event, held as part of France’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The 12-member team won two of the five matches it played. India in its first match defeated the United Arab Emirates with a completely one-sided score of 50-0.

SJFI annual awards winners

The Sports Journalists Federation of India has decided to confer the best Sportsperson of the Year Award to the Rio Olympics silver medallist P V Sindhu. The Best Team of the Year award was bagged by the Indian junior hockey squad which won the World Cup in Lucknow last December. Both the awards would be presented at the 40th convention of the SJFI to be held in Indore in September.

McDonald’s Ends Olympics Sponsorship

Fast food giant McDonald’s has ended its 41-year sponsorship with International Olympic Committee, pulling out of its contract 3 years early. McDonald’s have been a sponsor since 1976 and has contributed more than $1bn in every four-year cycle for the Games. Despite pulling out with immediate effect, McDonald’s will continue at next year’s Pyeongchang winter Olympics as a domestic sponsor.

Controversial anti-terror law passed

Japan passed a controversial anti-terror law that sparked street protests and warnings from critics that it would stomp on citizens’ privacy rights and lead to over-the-top police surveillance. The government argues it is necessary to prevent terrorism ahead of the 2020 Olympics. The legislation would criminalise plotting and preparing to commit 277 “serious crimes”.

Zverev wins Rome Masters, beats Djokovic

Germany’s Alexander Zverev stunned four-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to win the Rome Masters tennis tournament. 20 year old Zverev claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title after becoming the youngest player in a decade to reach a final at this level. With this win he will move up to No. 10, up from his previous career-high of No. 17.

Djokovic appoints Agassi as new coach.

World number two Novak Djokovic has appointed former world number one Andre Agassi as his new coach. Agassi will join Djokovic ahead of the French Open. Recently Djokovic split with longtime coach Marian Vajda and 2 other team members. Djokovic has been in poor form ever since winning French Open last year with a win-loss record of 20-5 this year with no titles since winning in Doha in Jan.

Andhra Pradesh amends Act for PV Sindhu.

Andhra Pradesh Legislature passed a Bill to appoint Olympics silver medal winning shuttler P V Sindhu as a Group-1 officer in the government, by amending the state public services Act. Government decided to amend section 4 of the aforementioned law to enable appointment of Sindhu directly in the cadre of a revenue divisional officer.

Nita Ambani made member of IOC

Nita Ambani, who became India’s first woman International Olympic Committee member last year, has now been made a member of two important commissions of the global sports governing body, including the prestigious Olympic channel and the Olympic education Commission. Ambani would be one of the 16 members of the Olympic Channel Commission. It is based in Madrid, Spain.

Mann Kaur sets world record

Mann Kaur broke her world record to clinch gold in 100m at the World Masters Games — considered the Olympics for veterans — in Auckland, New Zealand. She completed the race in 1 minute and 14 seconds. Mann Kaur made headlines last year when she become the world’s fastest centenarian by clinching gold in 100m at the American Masters Games in Vancouver with a time of 1 minute 21 seconds.

President of kabaddi federation elected

Mridul Gehlot and Dinesh Patel were elected unanimously president and general secretary of Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India. The elections were held here under the the supervision of Justice I S Israni. Observers from the Sports Ministry, Indian Olympic Association, International Kabaddi Federation and Asian Kabaddi Federation were also present for the elections.

Video gaming at 2022 Asian Games

Video gaming will be featured as a full sport at the 2022 Asian Games, with competitors in electronic sports set to receive medals for their digital prowess. The Olympic Council of Asia says it will introduce esports to the official program of the Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. It will also be a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.

Forbes super-achievers under 30 list

Many Indians, including gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Sakshi Malik and Alia Bhatt, are among Forbes’ list of super achievers from Asia under the age of 30. Karmakar who became the first Indian female gymnast to ever compete in the Rio Olympics is top Indian in the list. The list also features Sharath Gayakwad India’s first Paralympic swimmer, coach and Arjuna award winner who has won 96 medals.

Shyam Kumar wins gold in Thailand Int’l

Indian boxer K Shyam Kumar (49kg) clinched a gold medal at the Thailand International Tournament in Bangkok without even stepping inside the ring for his summit clash. Shyam, who won a gold at the 2015 edition of the event, was to take on Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan in the final. He however pulled out after an injury.

Appointment of Foreign Coaches

Keeping in view the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the sports ministry has approved Athletics Federation of India proposal to appoint two foreign experts—one each in race walking and 400-metre sprint. Australian Dave Smith will take charge of the national race while Galina P Bukharina will oversee the national 400-metre squad.

No NHL in 2018 Olympics

The National Hockey League(NHL) will not take part in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The decision brings an end to years of tense bargaining between the International Olympic Committee, International Ice Hockey Federation and the NHL over the league’s continuing participation in the Winter Games. The NHL had participated in every Winter Olympics since the 1998 Nagano Winter Games.

Turkish athletes lose Olympic medals

Turkish female distance runners Elvan Abeylegesse and Gamze Bulut are set to be stripped of silver medals from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games after being handed bans. The sanctions will also mean the reallocation of medals awarded a decade ago at the 2007 Osaka athletics world championships. Bulut was handed a four-year ban for a violation of the athletes’ biological passport rules.

Sindhu, the brand ambassador of Pepsico

PepsiCo has roped in Rio Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu as brand ambassador for its sports drink Gatorade. It also has plans to have Sindhu work with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute during the period of partnership to better understand her training and match-day nutrition. Sindhu became the 1st Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal in 2016.

18 medals in Olympics World Winter Games

India’s special athletes continue to make India proud by winning 18 medals so far in the ongoing 2017 Olympics World Winter Games in Austria. The medal tally includes 6 gold, 4 silver and 8 bronze. The team of 89 differently-abled sports persons of the Special Olympics Bharat (SOB) is participating in the competition. Over 2600 athletes from 105 nations are taking part in the event.

12 Olympians as National Observers

The Centre has designated 12 Olympians as National Observers in their respective disciplines to assist the Govt, Sports Authority of India, and National Sports Federations (NSFs) concerned in the preparation and implementation of the long term development plan. These National Observers will be playing a key role in the implementation of action plans for Mission Olympics 2020, 2024 and 2028.

K T Irfan wins bronze in Asian 20 km Race

National record holder K T Irfan clocked an impressive timing to win a bronze in the 20 kilometre men’s event in the Asian Race Walk Championships in Japan. He had set the national record while finishing 10th in the 2012 London Olympics. In the women’s 20 kilometre event, India’s Priyanka failed to climb the podium as she finished fourth.

Gopi, Athare win men’s and women’s races

Rio Olympian Thanackal Gopi won the men’s title in the second edition of the IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon held on 26 February 2017. Monika Athare claimed the honours in the women’s section. In Men’s full marathon, Gopi clocked 2 hours, 15 minutes and 37 seconds to win the race in his first appearance in the event.

Sindhu rises to career-best world No.5

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu continued to reach new heights as she became the second Indian woman to break into the top 5 in the latest BWF World Rankings. Sindhu, who clinched the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold title last month, achieved a career-best ranking of world No. 5 and is currently the best-placed Indian. Saina Nehwal is the only other Indian woman in the top 10 at 9th position.

Sports Ministry constitutes TOPs scheme

The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has reconstituted TOP committee with objective of identifying and supporting potential medal prospects for 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games under Target Olympic Podium scheme. The committee will be headed by Abhinav Bindra & its members are Anil Khanna, Prakash Padukone, PT Usha etc

Bolt loses relay gold for Beijing

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt has lost one of his nine Olympic gold medals and his perfect triple treble of Games’ sprint victories. His team mate Nesta Carter was found guilty of doping at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Carter was found in re-tests of his sample to have taken the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine meaning Jamaica’s 4×100 metres relay team must give back their gold medals.

Saina wins Malaysia badminton title

Saina Nehwal is back to her winning ways after recovering from a career-threatening knee injury suffered during Rio Olympics. The Indian badminton ace beat Thailand teenager Pornpawee Chochuwong 22-20, 22-20 in the final of the Malaysia Masters Grand Doubts were raised on Saina’s future after her early exit from Rio.

Alibaba Sign Marketing Deal for Olympics

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has become a major sponsor of the Olympics. Alibaba has signed a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that runs until 2028.The deal is worth $800m. It will also sponsor the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. Alibaba joins McDonald’s,Coca-Cola & Visa on the IOC’s highest level TOP partnership programme for the next 6 Games.

Anurag Thakur Elected as Head of HPOA

Anurag Thakur was unanimously elected head of the Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association, HPOA for a four-year term. He was elected at the HPOA’s Annual General Meeting at Dharamsala. Mr Thakur had to step down as BCCI President owing to the Supreme Court ruling on Lodha Committee reforms. Nirwan Mukherjee was the observer from the Indian Olympic Association for the polls.

3 Chinese Weightlifters Stripped of Gold

Three Chinese women’s weightlifting gold medallists at the 2008 Beijing Olympics were disqualified for doping following a reanalysis of their drug tests. Cao Lei, the 75kg champion, Chen Xiexia, the 48kg gold medallist, and Liu Chunhong, who won the 69kg category, were stripped of their 2008 titles. The Chinese trio, tested positive for the banned GHRP-2, a human growth hormone.

Russian Gymnast Kudryavtseva Retires

Russian rhythmic gymnast, Yana Alexeyevna Kudryavtseva, announced her retirement. Her retirement ends her glittering career. She was the latest in a long line of world-class rhythmic gymnasts from Russia, who won every Olympic gold medal in the discipline since 2000. During her entire career, she had won 13 All-around World Championships from 2013 to 2015.

Former Olympic Champion Vuarnet Dies

Former French Olympic downhill skiing champion Jean Vuarnet has died. He gave his name to a world-famous brand of sunglasses, won gold in the downhill event in the 1960 Winter Olympics in California. He is credited with inventing an aerodynamic crouch for downhill skiing known as the “egg”. Vuarnet was also the first person to win the event using metal skis.

TT Champ Li Xiaoxia Announces Retirement

China’s table tennis Olympic champion Li Xiaoxia has announced her retirement. Li helped China win the team gold medal at the Rio Olympic Games when she also finished the runner-up in the singles event. She is the eighth table tennis Grand Slam winner in history with singles crowns from the 2008 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, 2012 Olympics in London & 2013 world championships in Paris.

Sports Ministry Suspends IOA

Government has de-recognised the Indian Olympic Association(IOA) on the issue of nominating Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Chautala as its life presidents. Kalmadi & Chautala were elevated to the honorary position. Sports Ministry has suspended the deemed recognition of IOA. Kalmadi was jailed in connection with the CWG scam while Chautala is facing charges in disproportionate assets case.

Murray Knighted in New Year Honours List

Andy Murray received a knighthood in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours list. He was previously named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2012. Joining Murray in being knighted in British sports is Mo Farah, who retained his 5,000& 10,000-meter titles at the Rio. The full New Year Honours lists recognise the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK.

Sir Bradley Wiggins Retires from Cycling

Five-time Olympic champion Sir Bradley Wiggins has announced his retirement from cycling. Wiggins became Britain’s most decorated Olympian in August when he won the team pursuit gold on the track in Rio, his fifth gold and eighth Olympic medal. He secured eight world titles on the road and track. He set the world record for the furthest distance ridden in one hour.

Meghalaya to Host 2022 National Games

Meghalaya will host the 2022 National Games. Indian Olympic Association, IOA accepted Meghalaya’s bid to host the National Games overshadowing four other bidders Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgargh and Uttarakhand. Meghalaya will be the third northeastern state after Manipur and Assam to host the National Games. Goa will host the next National Games in November 2017.

Kalmadi, Chautala IOA Life Presidents

Suresh Kalmadi and Abhay Singh Chautala were appointed as life presidents of Indian Olympic Association. Before Kalmadi & Chautala, only Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who served as acting IOA chief between 2011 and 2012, was made the Life President. Kalmadi served as IOA president from 1996 to 2011. Chautala served as the president of Indian Olympic Association from December 2012 to February 2014.

Ethiopian Running Legend Miruts Dies

Miruts Yifter, an Ethiopian running legend who inspired world-class athletes like Haile Gebrselassie has died. He earned his nickname of `Yifter the Shifter` when he claimed 10,000 gold in Russia with an electrifying burst of speed over the final 300 metre. The athlete won two gold medals at the 1980 Moscow Olympics at age 40 and a bronze at the 1972 Munich Games.

Keshavan Grabs Gold at Luge Championship

India’s first Winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan clinched a gold medal at the Asian Luge Championships. He finished with a time of 1 minute, 39.962 seconds and top speed of 130.4 km/h to clinch the title. Japan’s Tanaka Shohei came in second with a combined time of 1:44.874 second. Luge involves competitors lying on their backs on a tiny sled & racing down an icy track without brakes.

Mary Kom, Vikas Get AIBA Special Awards

5-time world champion & Olympic bronze-medallist Mary Kom was presented the AIBA Legends award for her trailblazing boxing career. Vikas Krishnan was handed the APB (AIBA Pro Boxing) Best Boxer trophy. Kom was christened ‘Magnificent Mary’ by AIBA after her fourth world title back in 2008. The awards were presented at the International Boxing Association’s 70th anniversary gala in Montreux.

Murray Wins Sports Personality of Year

Andy Murray has been voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for a record third time. Murray, the 2013 and 2015 winner, took Olympic gold, claimed his second Wimbledon title & became tennis’ world number one in a remarkable 2016. Triathlete Alistair Brownlee was second and show jumper Nick Skelton third. Brownlee became the first man to retain the Olympic triathlon title at Rio 2016.

Phelps to be Given Lifetime Award

Record-breaking swimmer Michael Phelps will be honoured with the lifetime achievement award at BBC Sports Personality show. American Phelps won his 23rd Olympic gold in his final Games as he bowed out in Rio. The most decorated Olympian of all time, he claimed five golds and a silver this year. He has amassed a total of 28 medals since making his Games debut in 2000.

Rio Gets UNESCO World Heritage Status

Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, nicknamed the Marvelous City, officially entered the UN’s list of world heritage sites in recognition of its soaring granite cliffs, urban rainforest & beaches. Rio got a big tourism boost during the 2014 football World Cup & this August’s Olympic Game. However, persistent high crime, last year’s Zika epidemic & political instability have hurt the city’s image.

Russian Boxer Lose Rio Olympic Medals

Romanian weightlifter Gabriel Sincraian & Russian boxer Misha Aloian have been stripped of their 2016 Olympic medals after failing doping tests. Sincraian won bronze in the men’s 85kg event, tested positive for exogenous testosterone. Aloian, silver medalist in the -52kg boxing event, failed a test for tuaminoheptane. The buildup to the Games was overshadowed by the specter of doping.

Indian Team Bags Silver in WRO

Team “High Voltage” from India (Gurugram) won a silver in the Regular Junior High category in the 13th World Robot Olympiad (WRO). The championship was jointly organised by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) & India STEM Foundation (ISF). Over 2,000 students from over 50 countries showcased innovative solutions using robotics technology to reduce, manage& recycle waste.

PV Sindhu Loses Hong Kong Open Final

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu lost in the Final of the Hong Kong Open Super Series tournament. She lost to fourth seed Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, in straight games, 15-21, 17-21. This was Ying’s fifth victory over Sindhu. The ace Indian has defeated the Taiwanese thrice in the past. Ying had stunned world number one Carolina Marin of Spain in the semi-finals.

PV Sindhu Becomes No 1 Indian shuttler

PV Sindhu became the number one Indian player in BWF rankings as she went past compatriot Saina Nehwal. The Rio Olympic silver medallist moved two places to claim ninth spot as Saina, slipped five places to be at 11th position in world rankings. In men’s singles, Ajay Jayaram jumped four places to reach the 19th spot. H S Prannoy also improved two spots to climb to the 25th place.

Eliud Wins Men’s Delhi Half Marathon

Reigning Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya won the men’s race of Delhi Half Marathon. Ethiopia’s Worknesh Degefa clinched the women’s title. Kipchoge clocked 59 minutes and 44 seconds to cover the 21.097km distance. Degefa clocked one hour, seven minutes and 42 seconds to clinch the title ahead of fellow Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh and Helah Kiprop of Kenya.

Sindhu wins maiden Super Series

Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu clinched her maiden Super Series Premier title after edging out Sun Yu of China in the finals of the USD 700,000 China Open badminton tournament. Sindhu, who became the toast of the country after becoming the first Indian women to win a silver at Rio Games, continued her rampaging run. She lifted the title after beating Sun by 21-11 17-21 21-11.

Sindhu into Semifinals of China Open

Rio Olympics silver medallist PV Sindhu has advanced to the semifinal of the Thiahot China Open Super Series tournament in Fuzhao. PV Sindhu got the better of China’s He Bingjiao 22-20, 21-10 in 30 minutes. She will now play South Korea’s Ji Hyun Sung for a place in the final. Sung defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 22-2010-2121-18. Meanwhile, it was curtains for Ajay Jayaram.

IOC Strips 10 Athletes of Olympic Medals

The International Olympic Committee stripped 10 athletes of medals from the 2008 Olympics after banned substances were found during retests of samples from the games. The IOC says the 10, nine of whom hail from former Soviet nations, had all tested positive for various steroids. No gold medalists were among the 10, though there were three silver medalists from weightlifting & wrestling.

Aditi Ashok Wins Women’s Indian Open

Golf sensation Aditi Ashok scripted history as she became the first Indian woman to win a Ladies European Tour title by clinching the Hero Women’s Indian Open at Gurugram. She shot an even par-72 in the final round to win the title. She held her nerve to get the better of American Brittany Lincicome and Spain’s Belen Mozo. Aditi won a prize purse of 60,000 dollar.

Punjab National Bank Win Surjit Hockey

Punjab National Bank, Delhi beat Army XI (6-5) to win the 33rd Surjit Hockey Tournament at Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium. The decision of the match came from penalty shootouts. Winners Punjab National Bank bagged a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a trophy. The runners-up received ` 2.50 lakh and a trophy. Gagandeep Singh (Jr) of PNB was declared the best player of the tournament.

Vitaly Melnikov Banned 8 yrs for Doping

Russian swimmer Vitaly Melnikov has been banned for eight years for a second positive doping test, during training for Olympic qualifying races. This was his second positive test in 2 years. He was stripped of an individual silver medal in backstroke and a team relay gold. This suspension, which runs through April 21st, 2024, is likely to effectively end Melnikov’s career.

Western Railways Win Surjit Trophy

Mumbai’s Western Railways women’s team clinched the title in the 33rd Surjit Hockey Tournament. They defeated Haryana XI 4-2 in the title clash played at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar. The winners were presented a cash award of 1 lakh rupee and trophy and runners-up got 75000 rupees and Trophy. Jaspreet Kaur of Haryana XI was declared the best player of the tournament.

Briton Stanning Announces Retirement

Two-time Olympic champion Heather Stanning has announced her retirement from rowing. She ends her all-conquering partnership with Helen Glover. Stanning & Glover became GB’s first female rowers to win back-to-back Olympic golds when they retained the coxless pairs title in Rio. Their Olympic gold at London 2012 was the hosts’ first of the Games, and also the first in British women’s rowing.

Andy Murray Becomes World No 1

Andy Murray became the first British tennis player to be crowned world number. Murray needed to reach the final of the Paris Masters to replace Novak Djokovic & did so when Milos Raonic pulled out before their semi-final. He has won Wimbledon and Olympic gold in 2016, reached 11 finals in 12 events & won a personal record 73 matches. Novak Djokovic had topped the rankings for 122 weeks.

Ministry Tell NSFs to Identify Prospects

The Sports Ministry has directed the National Sports Federations (NSFs) to identify potential medallists for the 2020 Olympics. The move is to ensure that the core probable get support of dedicated world class support staff on a continuing basis. The Ministry has further advised NSFs to prepare the programme of training and exposures of the medal prospects for the year 2017.

World Cup Top-Scorer Klose Retires

Germany’s prolific Miroslav Klose, the all-time World Cup top-scorer announced his retirement at the age of 38. Klose hit a record 16th goal in World Cup finals during the semi-final thrashing of hosts Brazil two years ago. Klose now plans to join Germany’s coaching staff after an invitation from head coach Joachim Loew. His final appearance for Germany was in the 2014 World Cup

Abhinav Bindra to Head NRAI Review Committee on Rio Debacle

Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra was named Chairman of a 5 member review committee to probe the shooters’ Rio Games debacle but has recused himself from questioning them as he was himself a part of the team. The committee is also mandated to recommend concrete steps that NRAI must immediately undertake to ensure that this is not repeated in future Olympics.

IOA Chief Ramachandran awarded the Olympic Order

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, N. Ramachandran was awarded the Olympic Order for his outstanding services to the Olympic movement. The Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement and is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, that is, recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport. It was established in May 1975.

AP announces ` 3 cr cash award, Group I cadre job for Sindhu

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has decided to felicitate the Olympic badminton star PV Sindhu with ` 3 crore reward in cash, a 1,000 sq yard site in the new capital city of Amaravati and a Group I cadre job in the State. The Cabinet also approved a ` 50 lakh cash reward to Pullela Gopichand, the former badminton star and coach of Sindhu.

P V Sindhu wins silver in women’s singles badminton: Rio Olympic 2016

India’s P V Sindhu today created history by winning a silver medal in women’s singles badminton event at Rio Olympics 2016. She is the first Indian female and first ever Indian shuttler to win an Olympic silver. Carolina Marin of Spain beat P.V. Sindhu of India to take gold and Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara won bronze medal. She also became the fourth Indian to win a silver at the Olympics.

USA wins 1,000th Olympic gold medal

Simone Manuel anchored the U.S. women’s 4×100 metres medley relay team to the 1,000th gold medal in her country’s summer Olympic history, and the second of her career. Australia won the silver, with Cate Campbell touching out just 0.01 ahead of bronze medallists Denmark.

Ethiopian sets world record in 10,000 metre run

Ethiopian runner Almaz Ayana ran 10,000 metres in 29:17.45 minutes, to set a new world record and win the gold medal at the Rio Olympics. Ayana smashed the 23-year-old record of 29:31.78 minutes set by China’s Wang Junxia in 1993. She becomes the first woman to break a 10,000-metre world record at an Olympic Games.

India’s sole weightlifter out of Rio Olympics

India’s only weightlifter at the Rio Olympics, Sathish Sivalingam was ousted from the men’s 77 kg weightlifting event at the Games. The lifter finished fourth in his group after lifting 329 kg, as against his group’s best lift of 346 kg. Sivalingam had earlier won the gold medal in the same category at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Phelps 3rd to win Gold in the same event at 4 Olympics

Michael Phelps won the gold medal in the 200m individual medley to become only the third athlete to win an individual Gold in the same event at four Olympics. This was Phelps 22nd Olympic Gold and 4th consecutive in 200m individual medley starting 2004. Long jumper- Carl Lewis and discus thrower- Al Oerter are the others to have achieved the feat.

Gymnast Dipa Karmakar becomes first Indian to qualify for Vault Finals

Dipa Karmakar, the Indian Gymnast, created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to enter the Olympic final at the Rio Olympic Centre. The 22-year-old qualified for the final round in the Individual vault final of artistic gymnastics after finishing eighth on the standings. Competing in the third sub-division, Dipa had an average score of 51.665. She scored 14.850 by performing her much-vaunted ‘Produnova’ vault cleanly on the vault, 11.666 on the uneven bars, 12.866 in balance beam and 12.033 in floor exercises. While American Simone Biles, the three-time world all-round champion topped the charts with a score of 16.050.

IOA announces cash award for medal winning athlete in Rio Olympics

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has announced a cash award of 50 lakh rupees for the gold medal winning athlete in the Rio Olympics. While 30 lakh rupees for silver and 20 lakh rupees for bronze. In addition, the coaches will be awarded an equivalent of 50 % of the amount that the athletes receive. Apart from IOC, Indian Railways has also announced a cash award of 1 crore rupees for its athlete who wins a gold medal at the Rio Olympics. While silver medallist will get 75 lakh rupees and bronze medal winner 50 lakh rupees. For the athletes who manages a top-8 finish, the reward will be 30 lakh rupees and for mere participation 5 lakh rupees.

Olympics 2016 opens with a glittering ceremony in Rio De Janerio

The 31st Summer Olympic Games has opened in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, with a vibrant opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium. Acting Brazil President Michel Temer declared open the Games. The theme of Rio De Janerio Olympic is world peace and environment. This time in Rio more than 11,000 athletes from 209 countries are all set to compete, including India, and a refugee Olympic team.

IBJA announces awards for Indian medal winners at Rio 2016 Olympics

India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) has announced 500 gms Sovereign Gold Bonds and silver to the Indian medal winners at the Rio 2016 Olympics. The Sovereign Gold Bonds of 500 gms will be awarded to the Gold Medal winners and 1 kg silver will be awarded to Silver Medal winners. As India is scheduled to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And this time, the Indian Olympic Association is going to send the nation’s largest ever delegation in Summer Olympic history.

Nita Ambani elected as the first Indian woman member of IOC

Noted sports promoter and founder chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani has been elected as an individual member of International Olympic Committee. With this, she became the first Indian woman to join the prestigious body which governs Olympic sports in the world. She had been nominated for the same in June by the IOC Executive Board and was elected by IOC members in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday at the 129th IOC Session. The 52-year-old Nita is the only individual member from India and her appointment at the world body is until she attains the age of 70.

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