SPORTS FEBRUARY 2013

SPORTS FEBRUARY 2013

• Australia won the ICC Women’s World Cup Trophy after defeating West Indies by 114-runs on 17 February 2013 at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Australia clinched the title for the sixth time in the history of women’s cricket World Cup it last won the title in 2005. Australia scored 259 runs (this is the highest score in Women’s World Cup Final) at the loss of 7 wickets in 50 overs and West Indies lost all its wickets at the score of 145. New Zealand’s Suzie Bates elected as player of the tournament for scoring 407 runs with three half-centuries in the series.
  
• Ranchi Rhinos beat Delhi Wave riders 2-1 to win the inaugural Hockey India League (HIL) in the match at Astroturf Hockey Stadium on 10 February 2013. Apart from winning the trophy, Ranchi Rhinos took away 2.5 crore Rupees. Mumbai Magicians player Sandeep Singh hit maximum goals (11) in the tournament.Hockey India League (HIL) was played from 14 January 2013 to 10 February 2013 in which 5 teams Delhi Waveriders, Jaypee Punjab Riders, Sahara India Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Dabur Mumbai Magicians and Patel-Union Ranchi Rhinos participated. The tournament was played at 5 places- Delhi, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ranchi. Renowned hockey players of the world participated in the Hockey India League (HIL). 34 matches in all were played during the tournament.
  
• South African “Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius appeared in courton 15 February, charged with the murder of his girlfriend an incident that has stunned the country. Reeva Steenkamp, a model and budding reality TV show participant, was shot and killed at Pistorius' upmarket home in an eastern suburb of the South African capital in the predawn hours of 12 February, sending the country reeling. South African media reported that Paralympic and Olympic track star Pistorius shot his girlfriend four times through a bathroom door at his Pretoria home. Police said the victim was shot four times at Pistorius' villa in a gated community. Officers found a 9 mm pistol inside the home and arrested Pistorius on a murder charge. Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games. He didn't win a medal but did make the semifinals of the 400 meters and the final of the 4X400 relay, propelling the world's best-known Paralympian to the level of an international track star.
  
• Zhuang Zedong(72), the table tennis legend of China, died in Beijing on 10 February 2013 fight with cancer. Zhuang Zedong is a three-time world table tennis champion. He won a range of events in 1960s. Zhuang Zedong remained a crucial figure in ping-pong diplomacy of 1971 and is popularly also called the Architect of Ping-Pong Diplomacy. Ping-pong diplomacy means exchange of the table tennis (ping-pong) players between China and US. This was done to normalise relations between these two countries.
  
• Members of the International Olympic Committee have voted to dropping wrestling from the 2020 Summer Olympics Games. The proposal came as a surprise, as wrestling is one of the oldest Olympic sports. The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) executive board voted on 12 February, to remove wrestling from the 2020 Summer Olympics Games, however the move is not yet final. The board recommended dropping wrestling as it was not a part of the 25 "core sports" list.The IOC is seeking to drop one sport in order to make way for a new event in the hopes of “renewing and renovating the program for the Olympics,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. However, the vote came to many as a surprise since wrestling has been an Olympic sport since the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Other sports, including modern pentathlon and taekwondo were saved.
  
• Pankaj Advani made history at the BetVictor Welsh Open on 14 February, as a 4-1 victory over Graeme Dott saw him become the first Indian player to reach the quarter-finals of a world ranking event. Advani, 8-time world billiards champion playing as a newcomer on the main snooker tour this season, went 2-0 up in the second-round match in Newport with breaks of 63 and 73.The 27-year-old from Pune has now defeated two former world champions at this tournament.
  
• Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lankan all-rounder cricketer was appointed the Captain of the test and one-day cricket team of Sri Lanka on 14 February 2013 for a period of one year. Mathews replaced Mahela Jayawardene, who announced to quit captaincy after Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia. Dinesh Chandimal, the wicket-keeper batsman was appointed as the vice-captain in the test and one-day format of the game and will lead the country as a captain in the T20 format of the game. Lasith Malinga was appointed as the vice-captain for the T20 team
  
• Serena Williams became the new World number one women’s tennis player. Serena Williams who is aged 31 years thrashed Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 and reached Semifinals of Qatar Open Tennis Championship in Doha. On entering the semi-finals, she achieved the top position after a period of two and a half years. Serena Williams will compete against Maria Sharapova in the Semifinals on 16 February 2013. Maria Sharapova reached semi-finals after defeating Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4.
  
• Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 8 February 2013 was slapped a penalty of 52.24 crore rupees by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for being indulged in anti-competitive practices. The CCI ordered BCCI to deposit the penalty within 90 days from the date of issue of orders. The CCI in its verdict claimed that BCCI abused its dominant position and directed it to cease its all practices of denying market access to the potential competitors. The regulator also stated that the stance of BCCI was of serious concern and quantum of penalty which should be levied that is proportional to the seriousness of violation. A complaint was filed by Surinder Singh Barmi in November 2010 against BCCI and his allegations were based on issues related to a Professional League Tournament and Indian Premier League (IPL) conducted by the BCCI. The issues were related to irregularities in granting the rights of franchise of the team ownership and award of sponsorship rights as well as media rights of the league. This complaint against BCCI was sent to the CCI’s Director General in December 2010 for hearing.
  
• The 2013 Pyeongchang Special Olympics World Winter Games finished on 5 February 2013 after a week of competition among differently-abled athletes. The games took place from 29 January 2013 to 5 February 2013. Almost 200000 spectators witnessed the games in venues- Pyeongchang and Gangneung. India returned with 46 medals in 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games at Pyeong Chang, South Korea. The differently-abled athletes of India won 46 medals in all- 13 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze from mentally-challenged 2200 athletes participating from more than 120 nations in the games. The medal tally of India doubled from World Winter Games 2009. These games were completed in eight categories of sports- alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, figure skating, short track speed skating, floor hockey and floor ball.
  
• International Cricket Council, ICC rankings for test cricket was released on 4 February 2013 in Dubai. South Africa emerged as the world number one team in the category and is followed by England, Australia, Pakistan and India. In the latest rankings released by the ICC Hashim Amla, the South African batsman has emerged as the best batsman in the category and with this he became the first batsman to hold the number one dice in both Test and One-day format of the game since 2007, before this Ricky Pointing was the cricketer to hold this position. Michael Clarke, the Australian batsman was racked at second position in the ranking. Dale Steyn, the South African bowler holds the top position in the bowling ranking and is followed by his teammate, Vernan Philander. South African, Jacques Kallis has retained his position as the number one test all-rounder with versatile performance. Pragyan Ojha is the only Indian to feature among the top ten bowlers in the test rankings released.
  
• Britain-based Rebecca Adlington, the Olympic champion announced retirement from all forms of competitive swimming on 4 February 2013. Adlington, 23 is from Mansfield. She won ,2008 - Olympic Games 400m gold,2008 - Olympic Games 800m gold,2009 - World Championship 400m bronze,2011 - World Championship 400m silver,2011 - World Championship 800m gold,2012 - Olympic Games 400m bronze,2012 - Olympic Games 800m bronze.
  
• Sachin Tendulkar on 8 February 2013 equaled the record of Sunil Gavaskar of 81 first class hundreds in first class cricket at Mumbai. He managed to equal Gavaskar’s record after scoring an unbeaten 140 runs in Irani Trophy against Rest of India in the first innings of the tournament of Mumbai team.