Sports Current Affairs

Gulveer Singh, a 26-year-old Indian athlete, won the gold medal in the men’s 5,000 meters race at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Japan on 28 September 2024. He set a new national record with a time of 13 minutes and 11.82 seconds, breaking his previous record of 13 minutes and 18.92 seconds.

Earlier this year, Gulveer also broke the men’s 10,000m record at the Ten Track Meet in California, finishing in 27 minutes and 41.81 seconds, surpassing the 16-year-old record held by Surender Singh. However, he missed the Paris Olympics qualification time of 27:00.00 by over 41 seconds.

Indian snooker Kamal Chawla secured his first IBSF World 6-Red title by defeating Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal 6-2 in the final on 25th November 2024, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This victory is especially meaningful for Chawla, who had been the runner-up in the 2017 edition of the tournament.

Alongside his triumph, India won three bronze medals: Malkeet Singh in the men’s category, Vidya Pillai, and Keerthana Pandian in the women’s category. Pillai, the defending women’s champion, was unable to retain her title, losing 2-4 in the semifinals to Hong Kong’s Ng On Yee.

Indian wrestler Sangram Singh made history by becoming the first Indian male wrestler to win an MMA  (mixed martial arts) fight. He achieved this at the Gama International Fighting Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 22 September 2024.

Sangram, who is also a Commonwealth heavyweight wrestling champion, won the match in just 90 seconds against his Pakistani opponent, Ali Raza Nasir. This victory was also the fastest win by any Indian fighter in the 93 kg division of the championship.

India’s teams delivered outstanding performances at the 45th International Chess Federation (FIDE) Chess Olympiad, held in Budapest, Hungary. Both the men’s and women’s teams won the Gold on 22 September 2024.

In the open section, India’s men’s team secured their first-ever gold, with Arjun Erigaisi’s crucial win over Slovenia’s Jan Subelj in the final round. China, who was in second place, lost points to the USA, allowing India to officially claim the title. The men’s team included Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, and Srinath Narayanan.

The Indian women’s team also won gold, defeating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 in the final. The women’s team featured Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev, and captain Abhijit Kunte.

India’s men’s hockey team won the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy for the fifth time on September 17, 2024 at Hulunbuir, China. India defeated China 1-0 in a closely contested final.

Jugraj Singh scored the decisive goal in the 51st minute, while captain Harmanpreet Singh led a strong defense to secure the win. India remained undefeated throughout the tournament, with key victories against Japan, Malaysia, and Korea in the semifinals.

In the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament, India reached the final by defeating South Korea 4-1 in Hulunbuir, China on September 16. Harmanpreet Singh scored two goals, while Uttam Singh and Jarmanpreet Singh scored one each. Yang Jihun scored the only goal for South Korea.

India will now play against China in the final on September 17, aiming for their second consecutive gold. In the first semifinal, China beat Pakistan 2-0 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw.

India is the only unbeaten team, having already defeated China, Japan, Malaysia, Korea, and Pakistan in the tournament.

Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Men’s Javelin Throw Final at the Diamond League in Brussels on 14 September 2024, with a throw of 87.86m. He missed the top spot by just 1 cm, with Anderson Peters (Paris Olympics bronze medallist) winning with 87.87m. Julian Weber of Germany finished third with a throw of 85.97m.

This is Neeraj’s second consecutive runner-up finish in the Diamond League. In 2023, Neeraj lost to Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic, with a throw of 83.80m compared to Vadlejch’s winning distance of 84.24m.

Manipur’s T.G. English School won the Junior Boys title of the 63rd Subroto Cup, defeating Meghalaya’s Myngken Christian Higher Secondary School 4-3 in a sudden-death tiebreaker. The final, held at BR Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi, on 11 September 2024, ended 1-1 in regulation time.

Manipur’s Namdigong Kamei scored in the 32nd minute, while Meghalaya’s Banpliebok Khongjoh equalized with a penalty in the 64th minute. In the tiebreaker, Meghalaya missed a key spot-kick, giving Manipur the victory. It was the first time in 44 years that a team from Manipur won the Subroto Cup. Despite playing with 10 men for 20 minutes, Manipur secured the title.

The Subroto Cup, one of Asia’s oldest tournaments, promotes grassroots football development in India.

Indian Hockey team has qualified for the semifinals of the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy after a dominant 8-1 victory over Malaysia in the round-robin stage at Hulunbuir in China on 11 September 2024.

Rajkumar Pal scored a hattrick, and Araijeet Singh Hundal netted two goals, contributing to India’s third successive win in the tournament. Jugraj Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, and Uttam Singh also added goals. For Malaysia, Akhimullah Anuar scored their only goal.

India now tops the standings with nine points, and the semifinals will be held on September 16, followed by the final on September 17.

Jannik Sinner won the US Open Grand Slam title on September 8, 202 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Sinner, a 23-year-old Italian, defeated American Taylor Fritz in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 7-5).

Sinner became the first Italian man to win the singles title at Flushing Meadows. This is Sinner’s second Grand Slam title of the year.

Sinner solidified his position as world number one, a ranking he achieved earlier in 2024. He joined tennis legends by winning both the Australian Open and the US Open in the same year. Sinner’s 2024 season includes a Tour-leading five titles.

Q.: Who won the 2024 US Open Grand Slam title in men’s singles?

A) Novak Djokovic
B) Daniil Medvedev
C) Jannik Sinner
D) Taylor Fritz

Answer: C) Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner won the US Open Grand Slam title on September 8, 202 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City.

India will bid to host the Youth Olympics in 2030 and the Summer Olympics in 2036, as announced by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on 8 September 2024.

India’s sports budget has increased significantly from approximately $143 million in 2014-15 to around $470 million currently, contributing to strong performances at the Asian Games (107 medals) and Asian Para Games (111 medals).

Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha highlighted that the assembly is occurring at a critical time in the evolving global sports landscape, and Olympic moments continue to inspire hope, unity, and peace.

The Paris Paralympics 2024 concluded with a closing ceremony on September 8, 2024, in Paris. The Paris Paralympics demonstrated progress in sports, competition organization, and gender parity.

4,400 athletes from 168 Paralympic delegations participated in the event.

The Paralympic flag was passed from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to IPC President Andrew Parsons and then to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as Los Angeles will host the 2028 Paralympics.

The Indian contingent had its best performance at the Paralympics, winning 29 medals (7 gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze).

Indian para-athlete Praveen Kumar won a gold medal in the men’s high jump final at the Paris Paralympics on 6 Sep 2024. Praveen set a new Asian record with a jump of 2.08 meters. The silver and bronze were won by USA’s Derek Loccident (2.06 meters) and Uzbekistan’s Temurbek Giyazov (2.03 meters), respectively.

India’s medal tally at the Paralympics has reached 26, including six golds, nine silvers, and 11 bronzes. This is India’s highest gold medal count at a Paralympic Games, surpassing the five golds won at Tokyo 2020.