SPORTS DECEMBER 2014

SPORTS DECEMBER 2014

• Tendulkar-Ambassador for ICC 2015 world cup and National Games
  Sachin Tendulkar was named as the 2015 world cup Ambassador. This is the second time that he was named, consecutive times he was made as an Ambassador. The announcement came on 22nd December. In his role as ambassador, Tendulkar will promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament, which is the third biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 14th February to 29th March. Tendulkar retired from international cricket last year after representing India in 200 Tests, 463 One-Dayers and one Twenty20 International. In a career spanning 24 years, the 41-year-old scored a total of 34,357 international runs and 100 centuries.
  
  Tendulkar added the missing World Cup title to his long list of achievements in his sixth attempt in 2011. He is the all-time leading run-getter in World Cup history with 2,278 runs in 45 matches at an average of 56.95. For his 673 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, he was awarded player of the tournament as India finished runner-up to Australia.
  
  The 11th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup will be started in Christchurch on 14th February when co-hosts New Zealand take on former champion Sri Lanka.
  
  A total of 49 matches will be played across 14 venues, seven in New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington) and seven in Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney).
  
• National Games theme song released
  The theme song of the 35th National Games released by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on 24th December. It was written by Javed Akthar and composed by Hariharan. The song lasts for three minutes. It is a mix of languages — Hindi, Malayalam and English. The song has been sung by K.J. Yesudas, Salim Merchant, Shreya Ghoshal, Benny Dayal, Shweta Mohan and Akshay Hariharan, besides the composer. It will form one of the highlights of the opening ceremony on January 31.
  
  The function also witnessed the formal release of the promotional video of the Games starring the Games’ Goodwill Ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar.
  
• India won chess Olympiad
  Top seeds India bagged the gold medal in the World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad at Gyor in Hungary in a tight contest on 22nd December. India beat Turkey in the 10th and final round to clinch the title ahead of Russia and Iran at the FIDE tournament held at the University of West Hungary.
  
• Sania launches Badminton academy
  Badminton champion Saina Nehwal on 24th December launched her first sports academy in association with NCR-based real estate player Gaursons India Ltd at their township Gaur City in Greater Noida. The 18-acre sports complex is part of Gaur City and has a cricket stadium, football field, athletic tracks, and basketball and volleyball courts.
  
• Ankita wins first ITF title
  India’s Ankita Raina defeated British teenager Katy Dunne in straight sets in final to lift her maiden USD 25,000 ITF singles title at the Deccan Gymkhana on 27th December.
  
• Dhoni stumping record
  Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni broke the world record for most number of stumpings in international cricket after he effected his 134th dismissals on day two of the third cricket Test against Australia on 27th December.
  
  Dhoni set the record at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). He surpassed Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara when he stumped Mitchell Johnson off the bowling of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for his world record dismissal. He reached the landmark in his 460th innings while Sangakkara has 133 stumpings from 485 innings. Dhoni has 38 stumpings to his name in Tests, 85 in ODIs and 11 in T20s. The second-placed Sangakkara of Sri Lanka has 20 stumpings in Tests, 93 in One-day Internationals and 20 Twenty20s.
  
• Germany won
  Germany won champions trophy at Kalinga Stadium, Bhuvaneshwar, Odisha on 14th December. In finals Germany defeated Pakistan. In the tournament India stood at 4th place, in the contest for third position between India and Australia, the latter won.
  
• Boxer Sarita Devi banned for one year, fined
  Indian female boxer L. Sarita Devi was on 17th December banned for one year and fined Swiss francs 1,000 by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) for refusing to accept her 2014 Asian Games bronze medal. The world boxing body also handed down two-year bans, ending Oct 1, 2016 to the 29-year-old boxer's husband Thoiba Singh and coach B.I. Fernandez, and barred her coach Lenin Meitei for one year ending Oct 1, 2015. Fernandez was also fined Swiss francs 2,000 and Meitei Swiss francs 1,000.
  
  The AIBA, however, relieved Indian boxing chief coach G.S. Sandhu from all charges of misdemeanour. The ban will run till October 1, 2015, providing her an opportunity to represent the country in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
  
• India won World Cup
  India defeated defending champion Pakistan to win the fourth cricket World Cup for the Visually Challenged, on 7th December. In reply to Pakistan’s 389, India scored 392 with two balls to spare. India beat Sri Lanka in the semi-finals, while Pakistan ousted England.
  
• SC proposes high-powered committee to cleanse cricket
  Supreme Court on 9th December proposed for setting up high powered committee to suggest measures for cleansing Indian cricket. A bench of justices T.S. Thakur and F.M.I. Kalifulla observed that the committee will look into the conflict of interest involving BCCI's President-in-exile N. Srinivasan and its findings will be binding on BCCI. The bench hinted that the committee will consist of retired judges.
  
  SC directed postponement of elections: The Supreme Court 10th December deferred BCCI President's election till the end of January. A bench headed by Justice T.S. Thakur directed postponement of the Annual General Meeting of the BCCI for election of office-bearers till 31st January. The bench said postponement of the meeting scheduled for 17th of this month is necessary as the arguments in the IPL betting and fixing scam are continuing.
  
• Sindhu won Macau series
  Two-time World Championship bronze medallist P.V. Sindhu won her first title of the season by successfully defending the $120,000 Macau Grand Prix Gold trophy after seeing off Kim Hyo Min of Korea in the women’s singles finals, in Macau on 30th November.
  
• Gwlady won
  French woman Gwladys Nocera won the eighth edition of the Hero women’s Indian Open at the Delhi on 6th December, she won by five strokes over her nearest competitors.