(Current Affairs) Sports | December: 2013

Sports

CRICKET

TENNIS

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F1/MOTOR RACING

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VARIOUS

CRICKET

BCCI terminated Pune Warriors from the IPL

The BCCI on 26 October 2013 terminated Pune Warriors from the IPL after the Sahara-owned franchise failed to pay its payments and refused to furnish the bank guarantee for the next season. The decision was taken at the Cricket Board’s all-powerful working committee meeting. BCCI wanted the team to furnish a bank guarantee of 170.2 crore rupees to remain a part of the league next year. Sahara has been demanding the completion of the arbitration proceedings on the issue of franchise fee, which, it feels, should be lowered since the BCCI did not deliver on its promised number of IPL matches for the team. Pune Warriors were purchased by Sahara for 370 million US dollars (1702 crore rupees) in 2010 and it was the most expensive franchise on the IPL roster.

TENNIS

WTA Championships

Serena Williams, the world number one tennis player on 27 October 2013 won the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships at Istanbul after defeating Li Na 2-6, 6- 3, 6-0. With this win, she managed to retain the WTA Championships title with her. This was her overall seventy eighth title and eleventh title of this year.

Serena Williams with 78 wins out of 82 matches in 2013 will finish as the top ranked player after 2002 and 2009 for the third time. This is the fourth success of Serena Williams in the WTA Championships. With this
win, she became the first player to retain the title after Justice Henin in 2007. This win also made her the eighth female player, who has won 11 or more titles in a year. Martina Hingis won 12 titles in the year 1997.

Sania Mirza in Top 10

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza came into the top 10 of the world women’s doubles by gaining two spots to ninth place in the latest WTA Team Rankings issued on 21 October 2013.

Sania Mirza jumped from 11th spot to 9th spot. The 26-year-old Sania moved up as a result of other players dropping points. Sania Mirza had won back-to-back titles as she lifted the China Open trophy, followed by
another triumph in Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in the month of October 2013. Her partner Cara Black of Zimbabwe too gained a position to be at number 13. Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci hold on to the joint number one ranking, while Su-Wei Hseih climbed two spots to number four and Katrina Srebotnik moved one spot higher to number three.

FOOTBALL

First Official Football Match hosted by Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace held its first official football match to mark FA’s (Football Association’s) 150th anniversary on 7 October 2013. The match was played between Civil Service FC, the only surviving one of the eleven clubs that met to found The FA in 1863, and Polytechnic FC, which was formed in 1875. According to the FA, the nationwide network consists of more than 400000 individuals, including everyone from the players’ parents, coaches, referees and administrators that help provide the opportunity for people to enjoy football. The Football Association is also known simply as the FA.

It is the governing body of football in England. It is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in England. It was formed in 1863.

VARIOUS

Tehran Air Gun Shooting Championship

Indian shooters bagged 37 medals at 6th Air Gun Shooting Championship which concluded in Tehran, Iran on 26 October 2013. This includes nine golds. They also won 12 silver and 16 bronze medals. Eight of the gold medals were clinched in the junior and youth categories. Kapil Kumar (10m Air Pistol Jr. Men), Samarjit Singh (10M Air Pistol Youth Men), Malaika Goel (10M Air Pistol Youth Women) and Sanjeev Rajput (50M Rifle Prone Men) won individual Gold Medals. India had sent a big contingent of 65 shooters in senior, junior and youth category. This competition was the most successful in terms of good exposure specially to juniors and youth category shooters. It is important to note that three out of four individual gold medals were won by juniors and youth category shooters.

Queen’s Baton Relay Launched At the Buckingham Palace

The Queen’s Baton Relay was launched on 9 October 2013 at the Buckingham Palace, London. Chris Hoy, the Scottish cycling star carried the Commonwealth Games baton to Buckingham Palace on 9 October 2013 for starting the relay which in turn will conclude with opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in 2014 in Glasgow. The message written by Queen Elizabeth II, the head of the Commonwealth is written in the baton which started its 248-day journey around 70 nations and territories. The message written by Queen Elizabeth II will remain secret till the opening ceremony at Glasgow’s Celtic Park on 23 July 2013. Scottish sprint legend Allan Wells was the first athlete to receive this baton from the Queen to begin its journey. It is important to note that this year Indian sportspersons will not get a chance to hold the Queens Baton of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and run in relay on 12-13 October 2013. The Queen’s Baton will remain in India for two days, 12- 13 October 2013. After arriving in India on 11 October 2013, the Baton will reach Agra. Thereafter, the Baton will return to Delhi on 13 October 2013 and then proceed to Dhaka.

Meaning and Importance of the Queen’s Baton Relay

  • The Queen’s Baton Relay is like the Olympic Torch Relay.
  • It is like the relay across the world before the beginning of the Commonwealth Games.
  • The importance of the Baton is that it carries the message from the Head of the Commonwealth, who at present is Queen Elizabeth II.
  • As a custom, the Queen’s Baton Relay begins at the Buckingham Palace in London.
  • At the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, the final relay runner gives back the baton to the Queen or the representative of the Queen, who then reads aloud the message officially at the Opening Ceremony.
  • The Queen’s Baton Relay was at first introduced at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales.
  • The 2014 Queen’s Baton’s handle is made out of Elm wood and is crafted by making use of the old boat building technique called bird mouthing.

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