Current Affairs July 2018 - Sports

1 - India won Kabaddi Masters title

India has clinched Kabaddi Masters title defeating Iran 44-26 in the summit clash in Dubai. India and Iran are the top two sides of the world. The Captain of the Indian team was Ajay Thakur.

The 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters was a 6 nation Kabaddi Masters series which was held in the United Arab Emirates. The tournament featured defending world champions India, Pakistan, Iran, Republic of Korea, Argentina and Kenya.

2 - Dutee Chand sets national 100m record

Dutee Chand broke her national 100 metres mark as she clocked 11.29 secs in the semi-finals of the 58^th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships. She won the finals in 11.32 secs, way ahead of the Jakarta Asian Games qualifying mark of 11.67 secs.

Dutee qualified in 100m and 200m in the Asian Games while Hima Das booked the Asiad ticket in 200m and 400m. The gold medal winners in the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games had clocked 11.33 and 11.48 respectively.

3 - Dravid, Ponting and Taylor inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

Former captains Rahul Dravid of India, Ricky Ponting of Australia and retired England Women wicketkeeper-batter Claire Taylor were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Rahul Dravid became only the fifth player from India to be named in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame while Ponting is the 25^th from Australia to do so. Dravid and Ponting have both scored more than 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs. Taylor, who scored 1,030 runs in 15 Tests, 4,101 runs in 126 ODIs and 615 runs in 21 T20Is, was named the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2009.

4 - Australia defeat India to win Men's Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy 2018

Australia defeated India in the final to win the Men's Rabobank Hockey Champions Trophy 2018. The final was held in Breda, Netherlands. European champions, the Netherlands, claimed the bronze medal.

In terms of the individual awards, Australia's Aran Zelewski was named Best Player while India's PR Sreejesh took the Best Goalkeeper prize. The Best Rising Player went to Jake Harvie of Australia, with Argentina's Gonzalo Peillat's six goals earning him the Hero Top Scorer title.

5 - Lee Chong Wei won 12^th Malaysia Open title

Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei won historic 12^th Malaysia Open title after he defeated Japan’s Kento Momota by 21-17 23-21 in the final. Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan won the women's final against Chinese He Bingjiao.

Other results −

• Mixed doubles − Zheng Siwei-Huang Yaqiong defeated Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping- 21-19, 21-18.

• Women’s doubles − Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi defeated Chen Qingchen-Jia Yifan- 21-12, 21-12.

• Men’s doubles − Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda defeated Hiroyuki Endo-Yuta Watanabe- 21-8, 21-10.

6 - Aaron Finch posts highest ever T20I score

Aaron Finch posted highest ever T20I score breaking his own record for highest ever score in the format with a stunning 172 from 76 deliveries in Harare, battting against Zimbabwe.

Finch also became the highest scoring captain in the format. Finch scored his half-century from 22 deliveries and his second T20I century from 50 balls. He along with D Arcy Short, put together 223 runs for the highest partnership in T20I cricket.

7 - Max Verstappen won Austria Grand Prix

Max Verstappen won his first Formula One race opf the year in the Austria Grand Prix. It was Verstappen's fourth career victory. Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel came second and third respectively. Romain Grosjean was fourth while Kevin Magnussen was fifth.

2018 Driver Standings −

8 - Sports Authority of India set to be renamed as Sports India

Union Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Rathore has announced that national sports body, Sports Authority of India (SAI), will be renamed as 'Sports India'.

The sports body, established in 1984, organised its 50^th General Body meeting, where it was also decided that coaches will be given a say in decision making and daily expenses of food for athletes are being raised. A committee will be formed for the same that would look after the budget and make plans accordingly.

9 - Bajrang Punia bagged Gold in Tbilisi Grand Prix

India’s Bajrang Punia won gold at the Tbilisi Grand Prix in the 65kg category whereas Deepak Punia won bronze in the 86kg category. Bajrang Punia defeated Iranian wrestler Mehran Nasiri in the final whereas Deepak Punia defeated Osman Gosen of Turkey.

The Tbilisi Grand Prix 2018 was played in Georgia among 38 countries and 302 judoka. It is the 6^th time that Georgia hosted Tbilisi Grand Prix. Tbilisi Grand Prix is focus of the judo world.

10 - Sreejesh to represent Indian Hockey team at Asian Games 2018

Veteran goal keeper PR Sreejesh is set to represent the 18-member Indian men's hockey team at 18^th Asian Games. Chinglensana Singh Kangujam will act as his deputy in the 18^th Asian Games. Other players such as Akashdeep Singh, experienced SV Sunil, Mandeep Singh and Dilpreet Singh will play from forward line. Rupinder Pal Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar and Amit Rohidas, Surender Kumar and Birendra Lakra will perform as team’s defence.

18^th Asian Games is a pan-Asian multi-sport event, scheduled to be held from 18 August to 2 September 2018 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

11 - India's weightlifter Dalabehera bagged bronze in Junior World Weightlifting

Indian weightlifting champion Jhilli Dalabehera won bronze at 2018 IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championship. She lifted 167 kg (75 kg + 92 kg) in 48 kg to score third position on the podium. With this victory, Jhilli Dalabehera became second woman lifter to win a medal in the Junior World Championships. The first woman was Saikhom Mirabai Chanu who won medal in 2013.

The 2018 Junior World Weightlifting Championship was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Iran scored topmost position in World team rankings.

12 - Dipa Karmakar clinched gold medal at Gymnastics World Cup

India's premier gymnast DipaKarmakar clinched a gold medal in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin in Turkey. This is Dipa's first medal in a World Challenge Cup. She had topped the qualification also with a score of 13.400.

Dipa has also qualified in balance beam finals by finishing third in the qualification with a score of 11.850. She has been included in the 10-member Indian gymnastics team for the upcoming Asian Games.

13 - India Finished 3^rd in the Asia Cup Archery

India bagged three silver medals and a bronze to finish joint third with Iran in the Asia Cup World Ranking Tournament Stage 3 in Taipei. Korea topped the tally with 14 medals, 8 of them being gold. Taipei was second with 5 medals, two of them being gold.

The tournament was completed in just two days, on 9-10 July, to avoid incoming typhoon Maria. World Archery is the international governing body for the sport of archery.

14 - Men's hockey team included in TOPS

The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Sports Ministry has approved a monthly allowance of Rs 50000 for each of the 18 members of the men'shockey team under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The decision to include hockey was taken after India's performance improved under new coach Harendra Singh as they finished runners up in the Champions Trophy in the Netherlands.

Athletes from different sports have been included in Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) individually but it is first instance that an entire team has been made beneficiary of the financial assistance scheme.

15 - Novak Djokovic won men's singles Wimbledon title beating Kevin Anderson

Novak Djokovic clinched the men's singles title of the Wimbledon in London by beating Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. It was Djokovic's 13^th major, which puts him just one behind Pete Sampras who retired in 2002 with most men's singles majors to his name.

Novak Djokovic contested his 22^nd Grand Slam final. He has a 13-9 win-loss record in major finals and has won three of his four previous Wimbledon championship matches. Anderson is the first South African to reach Wimbledon final in 97 years.

16 - PV Sindhu lost to Nozomi Okuhara in summit clash of Thailand Open

Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu lost to Nozomi Okuhara of Japan in the summit clash of Thailand Open in Bangkok. Kanta Tsuneyama of Japan won the Men's singles against Tommy Sugiarto. The Thailand Open is a HSBC BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament and is one of only seven Super 500 level tournaments.

Other Results −

• Men's Doubles − Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda

• Women's Doubles − Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu

• Mixed Doubles − Hafiz Faizal and Gloria Widjaja

17 - Angelique Kerber won the Women's Singles Final of Wimbledon 2018 final

Angelique Kerber stunned 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams to lift her first Wimbledon title. The 11^th seeded German defeated Serena, a seven-time winner, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3 to add to her 2016 Australian Open and US Open trophies.

With the win, Kerber has become the first German woman to win the title since Steffi Graf in 1996. Mike Bryan and Jack Sock won the men’s doubles final. Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won the women's doubles title. Nicole Melichar and Alexander Peya won the mixed doubles title.

18 - France won the World Cup 2018

France defeated Croatia by 4-2 to win the World Cup 2018 held in Russia. The title is France’s second, and its first since it won on home soil in 1998.

Croatia’s Luka Modric won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player, and Kylian Mbappé was honored as the tournament’s best young player. England forward Harry Kane finished as the top scorer with 6 goals in seven games and won the Golden Boot Award. Belgium Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove Award after conceding only 6 goals in 7 games. Spain won the Fair Play Award.

19 - Hima Das created history after winning gold in World Junior Athletics

Indian sprinter Hima Das created history after she became the first Indian woman to win a gold at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships 2018. She clocked 51.46 seconds in 400-metres in women’s final.

Andrea Miklos of Romania was second in the race while USA's Taylor Manson was third. Das is the first Indian -- men or women -- to have won a gold in a track event at the world level. She belongs to Dhing village in Assam's Nagaon district.

20 - Ramesh Powar appointed as interim coach of Indian women's cricket team

Ramesh Powar has been appointed as the interim coach of the Indian women's team until the BCCI finds a suitable replacement for Tushar Arothe. Arothe, a former Baroda all-rounder, resigned from the post after reported differences with senior players who were not happy with his coaching methods.

Ramesh Powar is an off spin bowler and lower order batsman affiliated with both, the Mumbai Ranji team as well as the Indian national team. Powar has played in 2 Test matches and 31 ODIs for India.

21 - India bagged seven Gold medals in Vojvodina youth tournament in Serbia

Indian boxers ruled the ring at the Golden Glove of Vojvodina youth tournament at Subotica in Serbia, ending with a whopping seven Gold medals to claim the overall top spot. India claimed the top position with 17 medals - 7 Gold, 6 Silver and 4 Bronze. The Gold medal winners were Aman, Akash Kumar, S.Barun Singh, Vijaydeep, Nitu, Divya Pawar, and Lalita.

Russia fetched 11 medals - 3 Gold, 2 Silver and 6 Bronze, but ended up third behind Kazakhstan, who had a better gold medal count with 5 in their overall haul of seven medals.

22 - Lewis Hamilton won Hungary Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won the Hungary Grand Prix and extended his lead at the Formula One championship against Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton has extended his lead to 24-points. Sebastian Vettel was second in the race and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was third. Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull was fourth while Valtteri Bottas was fifth.

Hamilton is the reigning world champion. It was Hamilton's sixth Hungary Grand Prix win. It was the 67^th win of his F1 career.

23 - World Junior Wushu Championships held in Brazil

The 7^th World Junior Wushu Championships (WJWC) 2018 was held in Brasilia, Brazil. The Indian team won four silver medals and five bronzes (total 9 medals) at the event.

In Sanshou, a Chinese self-defense system and combat sport, Babulu (42kg sub-junior), Saleem (56kg sub-junior), Savita (48kg junior) and Rohit (80kg junior) won silver medals. The three bronze medals for India were won by Himanshu (56kg junior), (Shruti 60kg junior), and Janhvi (52kg junior).

24 - Kohli touched career-high 911 points in ICC ODI rankings

According to the ODI rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC), India captain Virat Kohli strengthened his position at the top of rankings for batsmen by touching a career-high 911 points. Kuldeep Yadav broke into the top-10 of the bowlers' chart at sixth.

Yadav has broken into the top-10 for the first time in his career. He is the second India bowler and fifth spinner to feature in the top-10 after number-one ranked Jasprit Bumrah. Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is the top ranked all-rounder. In the Team Rankings, number-one ranked England has moved to 127 points.

25 - Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra bagged Gold at Sotteville Athletics meet in France

India's ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has bagged a Gold medal at the Sotteville Athletics meet in France by throwing 85.17 metres. He had won a Gold in the recently held Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast.

Moldovan Andrian Mardare settled for the Silver with a throw of 81.48 metres, while Edis Matusevicius of Lithuania took home the Bronze with 79.31 metres. 2012 Olympic champion Keshor Walcott ended fifth with a 78.26-metre throw.

26 - WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to be Chef de Mission for Asiad

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been appointed Chef de Mission (CDM) for the upcoming 18^th Asian Games.

Raj Kumar Sacheti, Satyavrat Sheoran, Balbir Singh Kushwaha and Dev Kumar Singh have been appointed as the deputy Chefs de Missionto lead the contingent's participation. The 2018 Asian Games, officially known as the 18^th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta Palembang 2018, is scheduled to be held from 18 August to 2 September in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

27 - IOC added 7 medal events to 2022 Beijing Winter Games

The International Olympic Committee has added seven events to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, creating a program of 109 gold medals. The IOC approved women's monobob, big-air freestyle skiing for men and women, plus mixed team events in short-track speedskating, ski jumping, ski aerials and snowboard cross.

The IOC is also looking to reduce organizational costs at the 2022 Games by inviting 41 fewer athletes to Beijing than the 2,933 competitors in Pyeongchang.

28 - Manu-Sumeeth retain Lagos International title

Defending champions Manu Attri and Sumeeth Reddy retained the men's doubles title at the Lagos International badminton tournament in Nigeria. The duo defeated Vaibhav and Prakash Raj 21-12, 21-12 in the finals.

Kuhoo Garg and Ria Mukherjee combined to beat Krishma Wadekar and V Harika 21-10 21-18 in women's doubles final. Manu and Manisha paired up to secure the mixed doubles gold by defeating Kuhoo and Rohan Kapoor 21-17 22-20 in another summit clash. Russia's Ksenia Polikaprova won the women’s singles while Misha Zilberman of Israel, claimed the men's singles title.

29 - 734 youngsters shortlisted for complete scholarship under KHELO INDIA Scheme

A total of 734 youngsters were shortlisted for scholarship under the Khelo India Talent Development Scheme. The scheme is a unique programme to nurture sporting talent.

A talent identification committee was formed comprising Arjuna Awardees and Dronacharya Awardees to shortlist and propose the names of the beneficiaries to the High Powered Committee, which cleared the above numbers after due diligence. An annual stipend of Rs. 1.2 lakhs will be given to the players on a quarterly basis.

30 - Tokyo 2020 Paralympic mascot named Someity

The mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were named during a ceremony in Tokyo. The Olympic mascot, a blue-checked pointy-eared figure, was named as Miraitowa combining the Japanese words 'mirai', meaning future, and 'towa', which means eternity.

Its Paralympic counterpart, who is pink-checked and wears a cape, was named Someity after a variety of cherry blossom called Someiyoshino. The name sounded similar to 'so mighty' in English.

31 - Lakshya Sen bagged gold in Jakarta

Rising Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen bagged Gold medal by lifting the Asia Junior Badminton Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. Placed sixth, Lakshya defeated top seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Indonesia in straight games, 21-19, 21-18 in the final.

The 16-year old had defeated China's second seed Li Shifeng and fourth-placed Ikhsan Leonardo Imanuel Rumbay of Indonesia en route to the summit clash. Lakshya had won a Bronze medal in the 2016 edition of the Championships.

32 - Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker becomes world’s most expensive goalkeeper

Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after he joined Liverpool from Roma for a world record £56 million. The 25-year-old Brazilian has beaten Ederson Moraes (£34.7 million, Benfica to Manchester City).

Alisson is set to replace Loris Karius. Alisson represented Brazil at various youth levels before making his senior international debut in 2015 whereafter he represented the nation at the Copa América Centenario in 2016 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

33 - All India Football Federation Awards 2017 Announced

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has named India and Bengaluru FC Captain Sunil Chhetri as the AIFF Player of the Year 2017. Kamala Devi bagged the 2017 AIFF Woman Player of the Year.

Other Awards −

34 - Fakhar Zaman is the quickest to 1000 runs in ODIs

Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman has just become the fastest man to reach 1000 runs in one-day internationals. He reached 1000 runs in 18 ODI innings. The previous best record was held jointly by five different players - Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Quinton de Kock, and Babar Azam, who made those runs in 21 innings.

Zaman also became the first Pakistani batsman to score a double-century in an ODI. He made his ODI debut in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

35 - Muhammed Anas breaks his own national record in 400m race

India's sprinter Muhammed Anas Yahiya has broken his own record on his way to the gold medal in the men's 400 metre category at the Cena Noveho Mesta nad Metuji meet in Prague. Anas clocked a time of 45.24 seconds to break his own record of 45.31, set at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia 2018.

In the women's event, MR Poovamma won gold with a timing of 53.01 seconds. Anas is the third Indian after the legendary Milkha Singh and KM Binu to qualify for the Olympics in the men's 400m category.

36 - India bagged 8 medals at Jr Asian Wrestling Championship

India won 8 medals in the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship which concluded in New Delhi. The medals comprised 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze. Sachin Rathi won the gold after winning the bout in the 74 kilogram category. Deepak Punia also won the gold in the 86 kilogram category.

Iran with 189 points topped the team championship. India with 173 points finished second while Uzbekistan with 128 points came third.

37 - Olympic Medalists to now receive Rs 20,000 pension per month

The Union Government has revised the rate of pension for sportspersons. At present, the government gives lifelong pension to 588 players under the scheme of ‘Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons'.

• Olympic and Para Olympic medallists: Rs 20000 pm

• Gold medallists at World Cups and World Championships in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines: Rs 16000 pm

• Silver and bronze medallists at World Cups in Olympic and Asian Games disciplines − Rs 14000 pm

• Gold medallists of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Asian Games: Rs 14000 pm

• Silver and bronze medallists of the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Asian Games: Rs 12000 pm

38 - Lewis Hamilton won German Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won the German Grand Prix and retook the Formula One championship lead from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton is the reigning world champion. It was Hamilton's record-equalling fourth German Grand Prix win. Michael Schumacher had won four German Grand Prix titles. It was the 66^th win of his F1 career.

Mercedes's Valtteri Bottas was second while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was third in the race. Hamilton has 188 points in the championship as against 171 of Vettel's.

39 - Pawan Shah smashed second highest individual score in Under-19 internationals

In Cricket, Pawan Shah smashed 282, the second highest individual score in Under-19 internationals as India posted a mammoth 613 for 8 against hosts Sri Lanka in the first innings on the second day of the final 'Youth Test' in Hambantota.

His score came off 332 balls with 33 boundaries and a six in just under seven hours.

He failed to beat Australian Clinton Peake's 304 not out against India in Melbourne in 1995, which is still the highest score at this Under-19 level.

40 - Indian Women's Compound Archery Team becomes No 1 ranked team

The Indian women’s compound archery team created history by becoming the No 1 ranked team in the world rankings in the recently published chart. The Indian women's compound team has 342.6 points, six points ahead of second-placed Chinese Taipei.

Deepika Kumari and Abhishek Verma are the only Indians in top 10 in the individual categories, both enjoying the seventh position in the recurve and compound sections respectively.

41 - Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Pinki win gold in Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul

Bajrang Punia won his second consecutive international gold while at the Yasar Dogu International in Istanbul, Turkey. His opponent Andriy Kvyatkovskyy from Ukraine withdrew from the 70 kilogram final due to an injury. In the women's competition, Pinki was the lone gold medallist in the 55kg category with her 6-3 win over Ukraine's Olga Shnaider in the final.

Indian wrestlers returned with 10 medals, including seven by women, from the ranking event.

42 - Sourabh Verma won Russian Open Badminton trophy

Ace Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma won the Russian Open Badminton trophy at Vladivostok. In the title clash, Sourabh defeated Japan's Koki Watanabe, 18-21, 21-12, 21-17, and win his first title of the season. Sourabh had won the Chinese Taipei Masters in 2016, and finished runners-up at Bitburger Open the same year.

In the Mixed Doubles, the pair of Rohan Kapoor and Kuhoo Garg, lost in the Final against the Russian-Korean team of Vladimir Ivanov and Min Kyung Kim 19-21 17-21 to settle for a runners-up finish.

43 - FIFA World Cup 2018 − Key Points

• France became the Champion team of the FIFA World Cup 2018. It was the second WC title for France, having previously won it in 1998.

• France received 38 Million USD in prize money.

• Croatia was the runner-up for the FIFA World Cup 2018.

• The final of the FIFA WC 2018 was played in Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

• Official mascot of the 2018 FIFA World Cup was Zabivaka.

• The official song of the tournament was "Live It Up" with vocals from Will Smith, Nicky Jam and Era Istrefi.

• VAR (Video Assistant Referee) system was used for the first time FIFA WC 2018.

• Antoine Griezmann of France won the Man of the Match award in the Final match of FIFA World Cup 2018.

• Luka Modric of Croatia won the Golden Ball Award for the Best Player of the World Cup.

• Golden Glove Award 2018 for the best goalkeeper was awarded to Thibaut Courtois of Belgium.

• Golden Boot Award in FIFA World Cup 2018 was awarded to Harry Kane of England.

• Spain won the Fairplay Award for being the most disciplined team in the World Cup.

• Young Player award in FIFA World Cup 2018 was awarded to Kylian Mbappe of France.

• Kylian Mbappe of France became the first teenager to score a goal in the final since Pele in 1958.

• The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar.