SPORTS JUNE 2013

SPORTS JUNE 2013

• Brazil destroyed world and European champions Spain 3-0 to win a third straight Confederations Cup title held in Maracana Stadium on 30 June. The turbo-charged samba stars roared to victory with two goals from Fred and a stunning strike from Neymar, dominating a weary Spanish side whose strength was sapped after edging Italy on penalties in Thursday's semi-final. Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said the result as the perfect fillip as he plots a course to an assault on next year's World Cup finals in Brazil.
  
• Spanish counterpart Vicente del Bosque meanwhile admitted his side had been outclassed. There are no excuses. Brazil were better than us. We must congratulate them, del Bosque said.
  
• The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) on 29 June 2013 was awarded a chance to host two major events of International Cricket namely World Twenty20 for the first time in 2016 and its fourth 50-over World Cup in 2023 by ICC (International Cricket Council). BCCI also got the chance to host the second edition of ICC World Test Championship scheduled in February-March 2021. The inaugural edition of the Test Championship will be hosted by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) June-July 2017.
  
• Afghanistan was granted the Associate membership of the ICC, making it the eighth Asian nation and the 38th overall to get the status. Looking at the immense progress shown by Afghanistan, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had last year sent the nomination request in 2012 and the decision to grant Afghanistan the status was taken by the ICC at its ongoing annual conference, which concluded in London on 29 June 2013.
  
• Afghanistan now join Hong Kong (1969), Kuwait (2005), Malaysia (1967), Nepal (1996), Singapore (1974), Thailand (2005) and UAE (1990) as ICC Associates from the Asian region. The new Associate membership will help Afghanistan get more funds from the ICC and also give much-needed exposure to the team. The ICC is now likely to pay Afghanistan 850000 US dollars based on the Associate status, instead of 700000 US dollars as the annual fund. From a country torn by war to a rising cricket playing nation, it has been a remarkable journey for Afghanistan, who became an Affiliate member of the ICC in 2001 when they travelled to Pakistan for their first tour.
  
• India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 on 23 June 2013 against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham with a five-run victory. India made a total of 129 runs in 20 overs for seven wickets. It then restricted England to 124 for eight. Ravindra Jadeja was declared as the Man of the Match after he took two wickets and scored unbeaten 33 runs. He was also awarded with the Golden Ballfor grabbing maximum number of wickets in the series. Sikhar Dhawan was declared as the Man of the Series. This was the second Champions Trophy title of India. Earlier, it had won the title jointly with Sri Lanka in the year 2002. The ICC Champions Trophy is the One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament which is organised by International Cricket Council (ICC). It is considered important event in cricket, only after the Cricket World Cup. The ICC Champions Trophy was inaugurated in the year 1998 as ICC Knock out Tournament. It was later named as Champions Trophy in 2002. Since the year 2009, the number of teams participating in the ICC Champions Trophy has remained eight. These are the eight highest-ranked ODI teams.
  
• Manjeet Singh bagged a Silver medal for India at the 3rd China Open boxing tournament on 22 June 2013. In the final of the super heavy weight category (+91kg), the 21-year-old Indian went down to china’s Akepeer Yusuf. Although Manjeet lost in the final, he became the only Indian boxer to reach the final of the third China Open boxing tournament. It was his first international tournament.The boxing tournament was held in Guiyang, China. The Indian men's team returns from the event with one silver and three bronze medals won by Sunil Kumar (52kg), Ajay Kumar (56kg) and Jaideep (75kg). The bronze medal winners had lost in the round of four
  
• Roger Federer on won his first title of the year on 16 june, the world number three beating Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 in the ATP final at Halle,Germany.This was the 31-year-old Swiss great's sixth Halle title and the 77th title of his career.
  
• India topped in the medal tally in the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship by winning 17 medals in the tournament on 16 June 2013. India secured three gold, five silver and nine bronze medals in the championship. The tournament was held from 13 June to 16 June 2013 in Phuket, Thailand. On 16 June 2013 the final day of the tournament, Pradeep Kumar (60 kilogram) and Sumit (96 kilograms), won Gold in the Junior Asian Wrestling Championship in Phuket, Thailand. Vikas (66kilogram) and Pradeep Kumar (74kilogram) captured silver medals after they lost the final bouts at the Saphan Hin Indoor Sports Complex. Mandeep (55 kilogram) secured bronze medal in the championship. With two silvers and one bronze won on the final day of the tournament, India finished at the top of the freestyle team rankings of the championship. The championship was held under new FILA (Federation Internationale Desn Luttes Associees) rules. It is also known as International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles.

• Rafael Nadal on 9 June 2013 won his 8th Men's Singles Title of the French Open Tennis Tournament. In the final at Paris, Nadal beat Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. With this, he became the first player to win 8 Singles Titles at the same Grand Slam Tournament. It was his 12th Grand Slam title overall. While in other events, Serena Williams won the Women's Singles title of French Open Tennis tournament. She defated Maria Sharapova by 6-4,6-4.Bob and Mike Bryan won their record 14th major doubles title by defeating Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut of France 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 in the French Open men's doubles final. The Russian duo of Elina Vesnina and caterina Makarova lifted the Women's Doubles title. They defeated top seeded Italian's Sara Irrani and Roberta Vinchi by 7-5, 7-2.
  
• The Indian players Rajat Chouhan and Manjudha Soy won a silver medal at the World Cup (Stage-II) Archery competition held in Antalya, Turkey on 16 June. They lost against the Italian world champions Sergio Pagni and Marcella Toniolli. This is a second World Cup silver for Railways girl Manjudha, who hails from Jharkhand, while it`s a first-ever silver in the mixed team event in the compound section.Earlier, Rajat Chouhan and Manjudha Soy entered the final of the compound mixed section by defeating Great Britain 151-149, Russia 156-154 and Canada 154-147 en route to the final. India has never won a Gold in the Compound section, and their previous best in this format was in the Ogden World Cup 2011 (Stage-III) when the Women’s team of Manjudha, Gagandeep Kaur and Jhano Hansdah had won a silver.
  
• Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel won the Canadian Grand Prix Formula One championship. He claimed the 29th victory of his record-breaking career. It was the 25-year-old German’s third win this season. The Canadian Grand Prix is an annual auto race held in Canada starting in 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967.
  
• Indian youngster K. Srikanth on 9 June 2013 won the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton trophy. In the Men's Singles title, 13th seed Srikanth defeated top seed and local favourite Boonsak Ponsana in straight games, 21-16, 21-12, to bag his career's maiden title. While, defending champion Saina Newal bow out in the quarterfinals. Thailand Open Badminton 2013 was held in Bangkok.
  
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 10 June 2013 suspended Raj Kundra, the co-owner of Rajasthan Royals for allegedly betting on IPL matches. He has been suspended from having any involvement in cricket till the police probe in the matter was completed. The decision on Raj Kundra was taken by the emergent working committee of BCCI that met on 10 May 2013. The committee also said that the two-member panel comprising Justice T Jayaram Chouta and Justice R Balasubramanian, who are probing similar charges leveled against Chennai Super Kings team official Gurunath Meiyappan, will investigate the case of Kundra and his franchise. The suspension imposed by the working committee on Raj Kundra will stay until the pendency of enquiry.
  
• Serena Williams won her second French Open title on 8 June, 11 years after her first triumph, defeating title-holder Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 in the final. It was the 31-year-old American's 16th Grand Slam title win, taking her to within two of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova who are tied for fourth on the all-time list. For Sharapova it was a 10th straight loss to her American nemesis dating back to 2004 when she defeated her in the Wimbledon final and the WTA Championships when she was just 17.At 31 years, 247 days she is the oldest women in the Open Era to win the French Open title, taking over from Chris Evert who set the previous mark in 1986.It was Serena Williams 16th Grand Slam singles title She is the second oldest women in the Open Era to win the French Open title
  
• Top-ranked American twins Bob and Mike Bryan on 8 June 2013 won their record 14th major doubles title by defeating Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut of France 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 in the French Open men's doubles final. In the tiebreaker, the Bryan brothers rallied from 4-2 down to clinch the victory. The Bryans had won their only other French Open in 2003. They lost in the final in 2005, 2006 and 2012. Llodra and Mahut were hoping to become the first Frenchmen to win the doubles since Yannick Noah and Henri Leconte in 1984.
  
• Indian Skipper MS Dhoni received the ICC ODI Championship Shield and a cheque of 175000 US dollars for leading the number One ODI team on the annual 1 April cut-off date. Indian team claimed the number-one spot from England after winning the series 3-2 in January 2013. India won eight out of 13 ODIs while losing five in the 12-month period between 1 April 2012 and 1 April 2013.This is the first time since the current ranking system was introduced in 2002 that India finished as the No1 ranked One-Day International (ODI) side. David Morgan, former President of the International Cricket Council (ICC), presented the Shield to Dhoni.