Current Affairs Dec 2015 - Sports

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News 1 - Rory McIlroy bagged European Tour Golfer of the Year award.

Rory McIlroy on 15 December 2015 was named the European Tour Golfer of the Year. He received the award for the third time in four years. Previously, McIlroy was named the European Tour Golfer of the Year in 2014 and 2012. His official World Golf Ranking is Number One.

News 2 - Shiva, Mandeep among four boxers to receive IOC Olympic scholarships.

Four Indian boxers, namely Shiva Thapa, Mandeep Jangra, Gaurav Bidhuri and Sumit Sangwan on 15 December 2015 were selected by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) for a scholarship.

Under the scholarship, the boxers will get a sum of 800 US dollars (about 53 thousand rupees) every month till August 2016, provided they qualify for the Olympic Games. They will also get an additional 5000 US Dollars (about 3 lakh 34 thousand rupees) to cover their transportation cost for participation in the Olympic qualifying events.

News 3 - Vijay Kumar won gold in the 59th National shooting championship.

Vijay Kumar on 13 December 2015 won the centre fire pistol gold in the 59th National shooting championship at the Dr Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad in New Delhi. The 15 day event began on 1 December 2015.

To win the gold, Vijay Kumar scored 588 points to pip Gurpreet Singh by two points. Vijay Kumar had won the silver medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol event in 2012 Olympics held in London.

Other gold medalists in the Championship

• Gurpreet Singh – 25m standard pistol.
• Pemba Tamang - Rapid fire pistol.
• Achal Pratap Singh Grewal – Air pistol & Standard pistol events.

News 4 - Japan's Nozomi Okuhara, Kento Momota won singles titles at World Dubai Superseries Finals.

Japanese shuttlers Kento Momota and Nozomi Okuhara on 13 December 2015 won the Men's singles and Women’s singles title respectively at the BWF World Superseries finals held at the Hamdan Sports Complex, Dubai.

Okuhara defeated China’s Wang Yihan by 22-20, 21-18 to grab the women’s singles crown. Not much later, Momota crushed Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen by 21-15, 21-12 and clinched the Men’s singles title.

News 5 - Rohit Sharma to launch cricket comic series 'Hyper Tygers’.

Cricketer Rohit Sharma along with Graphic India, UK-based ISM Komix and Cornerstone Sport are set to launch a new environmental superhero team called 'Hyper Tygers’. The digital comic will be free to read on all devices from February 1 through Sharma’s Facebook page and the Graphic POP! Mobile app.

News 6 - Mascot and Logo of 2016 South Asian Games unveiled.

Orgnaising committee of 12th South Asian Games (OC-SAG) on 13 December 2014 unveiled mascot of the games and logo at ITA Cultural Center Machkhowa in Guwahati, Assam.

The mascot Tikhor is a one horned rhino and is the brand ambassador of the games carries the message of peace, stability, amity and progress in the South Asian region. On the other hand, the logo has eight petals representing the countries participating in the mega event. The mega event will be jointly held in Guwahati and Shillong from 6 February to 16 February 2016.

News 7 - Anirban Lahiri wins Order of Merit crown of Asian Tour.

India’s star golfer Anirban Lahiri (28) has won the coveted Order of Merit crown of Asian Tour for year 2015. In the 2015 season world No. 41, Lahiri has earned $1,139,084, which is way ahead of second-placed Scott Hend of Australia, who has earned $491,631.

News 8 - Australia defeated Belgium to win Hockey World League Final.

Australia on 6 December 2015 defeated Belgium by 2-1 to win 2014-2015 Men’s Hockey World League Final, which was held at Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium, Raipur. India defeated world number two and defending champions Netherlands by 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out, and clinched the bronze medal in the tournament.

A total of 8 teams competed for Hockey World League Final. The teams were India, Germany, Argentina, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Belgium and Great Britain.

News 9 - Indian cyclist Deborah Herold became World No. 4 Cyclist.

Indian cyclist Deborah Herold on 11 December 2015 became the first Indian female cyclist to be ranked fourth in the World Elite Women Ranking for the 500m time trial event. The ranking was issued by cycling world body International Cycling Union (UCI).

Besides this, the Indian team also improved its world ranking to 13th. India is the highest ranking Asian country in 500m time trial. China fetched the 15th spot in the ranking.

News 10 - Elizabeth Susan Koshy clinched gold in 59th National Shooting Championships.

Elizabeth Susan Koshy on 11 December 2015 won the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Gold at the 59th National Shooting Championships held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting range in New Delhi. Anjum Moudgil and Gaayathri N won the silver medal and bronze respectively.

News 11 - Abhay Singh won U-19 Singapore Squash Open.

India’s Abhay Singh won the Under-19 Singapore Squash Open. In the final of the Old Chang Kee Singapore Open, he defeated second seed Alwin Chai of Malaysia. With this win, Abhay, the world number one junior player, has won seven junior titles in the year 2015. Out of these seven titles, two of them are international titles.

News 12 - Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Bala Devi bagged top AIFF honors.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh (BFC) and Striker Bala Devi on 20 December 2015 were named Player of the year and Footballer of the year, respectively. These awards were announced at the AIFF Annual General Body Meeting held in Margao, Goa.

News 13 - OUE Singapore Slammers crowned Champions of IPTL 2015.

The hosts Singapore Slammers on 20 December 2015 beat Micromax Indian Aces in the final to win the crown of the Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL) – 2015, played at Singapore Indoor Stadium. The champions won the prize money of 1 million US dollars, while the runners-up got 500000 US dollars.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the Male category was Ivan Dodig (Aces), while in the women category, the MVP was Belinda Bencic (Slammers). Both the MVPs won 50000 US dollars each as prize money.

About Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL)

Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL) was founded by Mahesh Bhupathi in 2014. It’s the first city-based professional league in the world, played in the respective countries. In its 2014 inaugural edition, four teams had participated with Micromax Indian Aces winning the crown of IPTL 2014. It had five city-based teams, namely OUE Singapore Slammers, Micromax Indian Aces, OBI UAE Royals, Legendari Japan Warriors and Philippine Mavericks.

News 14 - FC Barcelona won 2015 FIFA Club World Cup.

FC Barcelona on 20 December 2015 won the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup by defeating Argentina’s River Plate 3-0. The final match was held at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.

At the end of the annual event, Suarez collected the Player-of-the-Tournament and Golden Boot awards. So far, the event was held for 12 times and Barcelona tops the table of winners with three titles overall. The 2013 title was won by FC Bayern Munich that was held in Morocco.

News 15 - Chennaiyin FC crowned 2015 ISL champion.

Chennaiyin FC was crowned as the champions of the 2nd Indian Super League (ISL) Football tournament on 20 December 2015. In the final played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, Chennaiyin defeated the hosts FC Goa, 3-2.

Mendoza, who finished as the tournament's highest scorer with 13 goals, bagged the 'Golden boot' as well as the 'Hero of the League' award.

Coaches of the two teams

News 16 - Mahela Jayawardene awarded honorary lifetime membership of MCC.

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene on 9 December 2015 was awarded with an honorary life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), London.

Jayawardene became the 14th Sri Lankan to be awarded with MCC Honorary Life Membership. Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas were awarded with the same.

About Marylebone Cricket Club.

• MCC is a cricket club in London.

• It was founded in 1787.

• It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8 8QN.

• It was formerly the governing body of cricket both in England and Wales as well as worldwide.

• In 1993, many of its global functions were transferred to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

News 17 - Rohit Sharma became co-owner of UP Warriors in Pro Wrestling League.

Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma on 9 December 2015 became the co-owner of the Pro Wrestling League team, UP Warriors. The team includes celebrated Indian wrestlers like Sushil Kumar and Joginder Kumar.

Pro Wrestling League

The Pro Wrestling League (PWL) is an initiative of ProSportify and Wrestling Federation of India. It is the richest wrestling event ever.

The six-city based tournament will commence at New Delhi's KD Jadhav Stadium on 10 December 2015. Its semifinals will be held on 25 and 26 December 2015, with the final on 27 December 2015. Each team will have 9 players – 5 Indians and 4 foreign (5 men, 4 women).

  Six participating teams of this league are −

• Mangalayatan University Dilli Veer
• UP Warriors
• Haryana Hammers
• Punjab Royals
• Revanta’s Mumbai Garuda
• Bengaluru Yodhas

News 18 - Chen Long and Carolina Marin bagged 2015 BWF Player of the Year Awards.

Chen Long of China and all England as well as World Champion, Carolina Marin of Spain on 7 December 2015 bagged the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Male and Female Player of the Year Awards, respectively in Dubai.

Marin held off competition from Zhao Yunlei, Saina Nehwal and Bao Yixin. On the other hand, Long retained the Male Player of the Year award that he won last year.

China’s rising star and World Junior Champion in Mixed Doubles and Men’s Doubles Zheng Si Wei grabbed the Eddy Choong Award for Most Promising Player of the Year.

BWF, for the first time, honoured para-badminton players with the year-end awards. Lee Sam Seop of Korea was named Male Para-Badminton Player of the Year. Helle Sofie Sagoy was awarded with the Female Para-Badminton Player of the Year.

News 19 - Pune, Rajkot became interim IPL franchisees to replace CSK, RR.

Pune and Rajkot on 8 December 2015 became the interim franchisees in the Indian Premier League (IPL) till 2017. The will take place of the suspended teams of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). The Pune franchise was bought by Kolkata-based business tycoon Sanjiv Goenka's company New Rising, while the Rajkot bid was won by Intex Mobiles through reverse bidding.

News 20 - New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum announced retirement.

New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum on 22 December 2015 announced retirement from all forms of international cricket. He will retire after the two home test series against Australia, which will begin in February 2016.

In April 2015, he was conferred with the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2014-15.

News 21 - Andy Murray won 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award.

Andy Murray of the UK on 20 December 2015 received the 2015 BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) Sports Personality of the Year award in London. For Murray, it was the second award in three years. He received the previous award in 2013.

About BBC Sports Personality of the Year award

• It is the annual sports award presented by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

• The winner is the sportsperson, judged by a public vote, to have achieved the most that year.

• The recipient must either be British or reside and play a significant amount of their sport in the United Kingdom.

• The winner is selected by a public-vote from a pre-determined shortlist.

• In 2014, the award was received by Formula One racing driver, Lewis Hamilton.

News 22 - International Tennis Federation announced winners of 2015 World Champions.

International Tennis Federation (ITF) on 22 December 2015 announced winners of 2015 World Champions. The awards were conferred on the basis of players’ performance in the 2015 season. They will receive their awards at the 2016 ITF World Champions Dinner on 31 May 2015, in Paris, during Roland Garros.

List of ITF 2015 World Champions

News 23 - FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee banned Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini from football for 8 years.

The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee on 21 December 2015 banned FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA Michel Platini. They were banned for eight years from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and international level. They have also been fined 40000 US dollar and 80000 US dollar respectively.

The Ethics Committee of football's global governing body that suspended the duo was chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert. The decision was made in the wake of payment of 20 lakh Swiss Francs (CHF), which was transferred to Platini by Blatter in February 2011.

News 24 - Winners for the 2015 ICC Awards announced.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 23 December 2015 announced the winners for the 2015 ICC Awards in Dubai, the UAE. The awards were based on performance of individuals and teams, for both men and women, between 18 September 2014 and 13 September 2015.

List of ICC Awards 2015 Winners

News 25 - Shiva Keshavan clinched silver at Asian Luge Championship.

Shiva Keshavan on 27 December 2015 grabbed a silver medal in the 18th edition of the Asian Luge Championship held in Nagano, Japan. The first place was claimed by defending champion Hidenari Kanayama of Japan and South Korea's Kim Dong-Hyeon got the third place.

News 26 - Gujarat clinched maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Gujarat on 28 December 2015 clinched the maiden Vijay Hazare Cricket Trophy. In the final, Gujarat defeated Delhi by 139 runs at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The 2015–16 Vijay Hazare Trophy was the 14th season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

News 27 - Bjorn Isberg named as Tournament Director of 2016 Hockey India League.

Sweden's Bjorn Isberg on 30 December 2015 was appointed as the Tournament Director of Coal India Hockey India League (HIL), the premier league for hockey in India. On the other hand, Muthukumar Balakrisnan from Malaysia was given the role of the Assistant Tournament Director in the 4th edition of the Coal India Hockey India League. Andy Mair from Scotland was named as the umpire's manager for the league.

News 28 - International Cricket Council announced OPPO as Global Partner.

The International Cricket Council on 10 December 2015 announced new global partnership with OPPO, one of the world’s leading mobile telephone device companies. ICC roped in OPPO on a four-year deal which runs from 2016 until 2020.

News 29 - Robert Lewandowski awarded with four Guinness World Record certificates for scoring five goals. in nine minutes.

Polish professional footballer Robert Lewandowski’s nine-minute, five-goal haul for German Football Club Bayern Munich against Wolfsburg was officially recognised on 30 November 2015 by Guinness World Record.

He broke a series of records including Fastest Bundesliga hat-trick (3 minutes 22 seconds), Fastest Four Goals in a Bundesliga Match (5 minutes 42 seconds), Fastest Five Goals Scored in a Bundesliga Match (8 minutes 59 seconds), Most Goals Scored by a Substitute in a Bundesliga Match (5 goals).

News 30 - India’s Thakur Anoop Singh won gold medal in World Bodybuilding and Physique Championships.

India’s Thakur Anoop Singh on 28 November 2015 won gold medal in the 7th (WBPF) World Bodybuilding and Physique Championships. He won the medal in the fitness physique category.

Along with him, Arambam Boby (Manipur) also won gold in the championship. For him, it was the 4th world title in his career.

News 31 - November 2015 Edition of FIFA World Rankings announced; Belgium topped the list.

The November edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings was released on 3 December 2015. In the final rankings of 2015 Belgium topped the list. Indian team jumped six places to reach the 166th spot.

Top 10 teams in November 2015 edition.

• Belgium (1)
• Argentina (2)
• Spain (3)
• Germany (4)
• Chile (5)
• Brazil (6)
• Portugal (7)
• Columbia (8)
• England (9)
• Austria (10)

News 32 - India won four-match Test series against South Africa, 3-0.

India on 7 December 2015 won the four-match Test series against South Africa 3-0. In the fourth and final match played at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, India defeated South Africa by 337 runs. The test series between India and South Africa was named as Freedom Trophy. The trophy was dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, who won independence for their respective countries through nonviolence.

Man of the Series − Ravichandran Ashwin.

News 33 - Maharashtra won Wheelchair Basketball Championship.

Maharashtra defeated Punjab to win the 2015 National Wheelchair Basketball Championship. The competition opened on the eve of the International Day of People with Disabilities. Nine states took part in the competition, which include Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.