January 2012.docx

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January 2012

Canadian Milos Raonic won the ATP Chennai Open by defeating

Janko Tipsarevic

Canadian Milos Raonic won the ATP Chennai Open by defeating world number nine Janko Tipsarevic

6-7 7-6 7-6 in the final on 8 January 2012. Milos Raonic was named the best newcomer in 2011

after he rose from 156 to 31 in the rankings.

Raonic slammed 35 aces on the way to his second career title in a rousing clash that lasted three

hours and 13 minutes. Tipsarevic had won the opening set it was the first time in the tournament

Raonic. Neither player was however able to gain a service break in the entire match, with all three

tie-breaks ending 7-4.

Raonic wasted two of the four match points he earned in the tie-breaker of the final set before

converting the third when Tipsarevic netted a forehand return. Raonic`s biggest weapon was his

booming serve.

The victory fetched Raonic his second tour title on three final appearances after the triumph in San

Jose.

The singles final match also turned out to be the longest final in the history of the Chennai Open.

Doubles Category

Leander Paes lifted the Chennai Open doubles title on 8 January 2012. Paes partnered with Janko

Tipsarevic to defeat Israeli pair of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram 6-4, 6-4 to claim his sixth trophy in the

Nungabakkkam Stadium.

Paes had won the Chennai Open doubles title in 2011 with his now-estranged partner Mahesh

Bhupathi.

Paes-Tipsarevic split the winners prize-money of $21800 besides earning 125 ATP points while

Erlich-Ram took home $11480 and 75 points.


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Kerala Men emerged Winners at the the 60th Senior National

Volleyball Championship in Raipur

Kerala men defeated Uttarakhand 25-22, 25-22, 25-13 to win the National title for the fourth time,

in the 60th senior National volleyball championship, at the Balbir Juneja Indoor Stadium, Raipur on11 January 2012. Kerala had last won its men's title by beating Tamil Nadu in 2001 in Raipur. It

repeated the feat a decade later after 72-minute final.

Uttarakhand had first won the title in 2002. In 2012, lack of bench strength and ageing players led

to Uttarakhand's defeat. Serices ranked third ahter defeating Tamil Nadu.

Tom Joseph was judged the Man of the Tournament while Terin Antony emerged Woman of the

tournament.

The Railway women extended their hegemony by winning the 27th title by defeating Kerala 25-12,

25-14, 25-16in a one-sided final in the womens category. West Bengal defeated Andhra Pradesh

25-23, 25-13, 25-18 to finish third in the womens category.

Rajasthan defeated Tamil Nadu to win the 78th Ranji Trophy

Rajasthan coached by R R Jadeja won its second consecutive Ranji Trophy title by defeating Tamil

Nadu at the MA Chidambaram stadium, Tamil Nadu on 23 January 2012.

Rajasthan won the 78th Ranji Trophy on the basis of its mammoth 326-run lead in the first innings.

Rajasthan declared its second innings at 204 for five at tea on the fifth day.

Robin Bist of Rajasthan notched up 92 (185b, 13x4) becoming the only batsman in the Ranji season

to cross 1000 runs. The short right-hander became the first man in three seasons to breach the

1000-run barrier in a Ranji season, joining an elite club that now has 12 members. Bist became the

first Rajasthan batsman to aggregate 1,000 runs in a Ranji season. The previous was Hanumant

Singh's 869 runs in 1966-67.

V A Saxena of Rajasthan was judged Man of the Match in the 78th Ranji Trophy final.


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The Rajasthan Cricket Association announced a cash award of Rs 1.31 crore for its triumphant State

team. The BCCI also announced a cash prize of Rs 2 crore for the team.

Cricketers who scored 1000-plus runs in a Ranji season:

1415 VVS Laxman (Hyderabad), 1999-2000

1280 - Vijay Bharadwaj (Karnataka), 1998-99

1260 - Wasim Jaffer (Mumbai), 2008-09

1089 Ajinkya Rahane (Mumbai), 2008-09

1075 - Sridharan Sriram (Tamil Nadu), 1999-00

1066 Dheeraj Jadhav (Maharashtra), 2003-04

1037 Jacob Martin (Baroda), 1998-99

1034 - Raman Lamba (Delhi), 1996-97

1034 Robin Bist (Rajasthan), 2011-12

1033 Ajay Sharma (Delhi), 1996-97

1018 - WV Raman (Tamil Nadu), 1988-89

1008 - Rusi Modi (Bombay), 1944-45

Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal to win the 100th Edition ofthe Australian Open at Melbourne

The 2012 Australian Open tennis tournament was played in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia

from 16 January to 29 January 2012. 2012 marked the 100th edition of The Australian Open which

is the first Grand Slam event of the year. The tournament consisted of events for professional

players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles play. The host broadcaster of the event was the

Seven Network.

Novak Djokovic emerged victorious in the mens single category while Victoria Azarenka lifted the

trophy in the women category .

In the mens doubles Leander Paes and Radek tpnek won the title by defeating Bob Bryan and


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Mike Bryan. Paes completed a career Grand Slam with the title while Stepanek won his first ever

Slam.

In the womens doubles Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva, both from Russia defeated Sara

Errani and Roberta Vinci, 57, 64, 63 to win the title. The mixed event was won by Bethanie

Mattek-Sands and Horia Tecu.

Australian Open Mens Final Winner: Novak Djokovic

The 2012 mens final went past the 2008 Wimbledon final time record, finishing after 5 hours and 53

minutes of play. It was the longest match in the history of the Australian Open, and in fact, the

longest ever singles final in the Open Era in Grand Slam history.

Serbias Novak Djokovic was the defending champion in the Auatralian Open and won in the final 5

7, 64, 62, 67(57), 75 against Rafael Nadal of Spani. He thus started the 2012 season as

reigning World No. 1 for the first time of his career. It marked the 5th grand slam of his career and

his 3rd Australian Open. It also marked the first time that he had defended a grand slam title.

Australian Open Womens Final Winner: Victoria Azarenka

Belarusian Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova of Russia to win first Grand Slam title. She

over took Caroline Wozniacki as the number one ranked player on the WTA Tour. She became the

latest World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association from 30 January 2012. It was Azarenka's 2nd

title of the year and 10th of her career.

Australian Open Mens Doubles Winners:Leander Paes (India) and Radek tpnek (Czech

Republic)

Paes won his first mens doubles title at the Australian Open and in the process completed a long-

awaited career Grand Slam in the doubles. Following is the list of Leander Paes Grand Slam mens

doubles triumphs:

1999 French Open (with Mahesh Bhupathi)

1999 Wimbledon (with Bhupathi)

2001 French Open (with Bhupathi)

2006 US Open (with Martin Damm)


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2009 French Open (with Lukas Dlouhy)

2009 US Open (with Dlouhy)

Paes also won a total of 6 Mixed Doubles titles- 3 Wimbledon,2 Australian Open,1 US Open

Australian Open Womens Doubles Winners: Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva (both

from Russia)

Australian Open Mixed Doubles Winners: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) and Horia Tecu

(Romania)

Amalraj won Maiden National Title at the 73rd Senior National and

Inter-State TT Championships

A Amalraj won his maiden national title by defeating A Sharath Kamal in the final of the 73rd Senior

National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in Lucknow on 29 January 2012. After the two

traded blistering shots, Amalraj inched ahead from 7-all to lead 10-8.

It was a title double for Amalraj, as had won the men's doubles along with Sanil Shetty, defeating

Harmit Desai and Devesh Karia of Gujarat (3-2) 12-10, 8-11, 10-11, 11-6, 12-10 in the final.

The victory was however marred by controversy. After defeating the six-time national champion

Achanta Sharath Kamal, Amalraj in a fit of excitement leapt on to the table and hurled his bat before

pumping his fists. His over the top celebration of his victory drew a yellow and then a red card.

Competition manager N Ganeshan recommended to the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI)

deduction of 25 per cent of his prize money purse of Rs 2.1 lakh as punishment.

In the womens category Poulami Ghatak exacted revenge of her 2011 loss in the final to K Shamini.

Poulomi defeated Shamini in four straight games for her seventh national crown. Poulami exploitedShamini's unforced errors to the hilt to triumph 4-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7).


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February 2012

Haryanas Ajay Mittal won Gold Medal at the 55th National

Shooting Championships for Shotgun

Haryanas Ajay Mittal won the gold medal at the 55th National Shooting Championships for shotgun

on 1 February 2012 by defeating stalwarts like Sodhi and Athens Olympics silver medallist

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in the final.

Delhis Sangram Dahiya finished second, followed by Rathore and Sodhi. Ajay Mittals younger

brother, Ankur Mittal finished fifth and another Delhi lad, Shayan Masood, sixth.

Ankur Mittal also won the juniors competition, with Masood second and Andhra Pradeshs Asher

Noria third.

Ajay Mittals father, Ashok, who combined with his sons to win the bronze medal in the team

competition for Haryana too, behind winners Delhi and runners- up Punjab.

In the non- Olympic womens double trap competition, Bihars Shreyasi Singh won the gold with a

score of 92 out of 120, breaking her own national record of 90. Army shooters Seema and Varsha

Tomar won the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Shreyasi also pocketed the juniors gold ahead of MadhyaPradeshs Varsha Varman and Uttar

Pradeshs Malika Wig.

Egypt defeated India 2-1 in the final of the SDAT-WSF Under-21

Squash World Cup

Egypt defeated India 2-1 in the final of the SDAT-WSF Under-21 Squash World Cup on 5 February

2012. Marwan El Shorbagy defeated Ravi Dixit 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7 while Karim Abdel Gawad bt

Ramit Tandon 12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8. However Dipika Pallikal manged to score a point by

defeating Nour El Sherbini 11-7, 4-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-5.

England defeated France 2-0 (Charles Sharpes bt Lucas Serme 14-12, 7-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6; Emily

Whitlock bt Cyrielle Peltier 11-5, 11-7, 11-7) to finish third.


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After Ravi Dixits defeat, Dipika Pallikal fought hard to bring India back into contention by winning a

five-game marathon against Nour el Sherbini. However, Ramit Tandons defeat dealt a blow to

India. Tandon, who beat a much higher ranked opponent in the sefi final on 4 January had to do it

all over again at the Express Avenue Mall against Gawad, who is placed close to 300 places above

him in the world rankings. Gawad finally managed to close the game 11-8 to win the match and the

inaugural U-21 World Cup for Egypt.

Sahara Reversed Its Decision to Withdraw Sponsorship of Indian

Cricket Team

Sahara Group on 17 February 2012, agreed to reverse its decision of quashing all the commercial

ties with Board for Cricket Control in India. The decision was taken after series of meetings heldbetween The BCCI and the Sahara Group to resolve the contentious issues, Sahara had cited as

reasons behind voiding the deal.

As per the agreement the BCCI extended the date for buying the players, from 17 February to 29

February. The deal is to provide the Pune Warriors with an opportunity to buy players from other

franchises and have also re-activated their auction purse.

The board also agreed to address Sahara Groups demand for reduction in franchise fee. It also gave

its consent to the company to seek a strategic partner to run the IPL franchise.

Existing sponsorship agreement between BCCI and Sahara Group involves Rs 3.34 cr. per Test, One-

day and T 20 international. The deal is to end on 31 December 2013. Sahara in 2010 had bagged

the IPL Pune Franchise in a bid worth Rs. 1700 cr.

Sahara Group has been sponsoring the Indian Cricket Team since 2001. On 4 February 2012 the

company had decided to withdraw its sponsorship to all the form of cricket under BCCI, giving the

raging disputes between the two parties on variety of issues.

Dow Chemicals Remain to be the Sponsor of London OlympicsThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 16 February 2012 announced that Dow

Chemicals will remain a sponsor of the London Olympics.

The Indian Olympic Association had appealed to the IOC and London Games Organizing Committee

to withdraw the Dows chemical sponsorship from the London Olympics.


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The International Olympic Committee turned down the appeal of IOA maintaining that Dow

Chemicals, the parent company of Union Carbide had no role in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984. It

insisted Dow Chemicals did not have any ownership stake in Union Carbide until 16 years after the

disaster and 12 years after the USD 470 million compensation agreement was approved by the

Supreme Court of India.

IOA had repeatedly expressed its opposition to Dow Chemicals sponsorship to London Olympic

Games, attributed to its ownership of the Union Carbide which caused the worst industrial disaster in

India in 1984.

Income Tax Department Stated BCCI owes Rs.371crore to it in Year

2009-10

The Income Tax department of India in a Right to Information reply on 19 February 2012 disclosed

the tax amount pending with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). According to the

department the BCCI owes Rs.371crore to the Income Tax department.

The BCCI's total income for assessment year 2009-10 stood at over Rs.964 crore. The IT

Department had demanded a tax of over Rs.413 crore on its gross income for the year 2009-10. But

the BCCI paid only Rs.41.91 crore against the total amount of 413 crore. As a result, the BCCI still

owes over Rs.371.67 crore to the government as income tax for year 2009-10.

The figures were disclosed by the BCCI under the Right to Information act. An RTI application was

filed by activist S.C. Aggarwal seeking the details of tax pending with the BCCI.

The BCCI, one of the worlds richest sporting bodies, used to get income tax exemption as a

charitable organisation under Section 11 of the I-T Act 196. But now the government has denied

this exemption and the BCCIs earnings now fall under business income category.

South African Jbe Kruger clinched his Maiden European Tour title

South African Golfer James Barry Kruger won Avantha Masters Golf tournament in New Delhi on

19 February 2012. Popularly called Jbe Cruger, it was his maiden European Tour title. The 25-year-

old Kruger made four birdies and overcame a bogey on the 17th to finish with a 14-under total of

274 in New Delhi.

Jorge Campillo of Spain and Marcel Siem of Germany jointly secured the second position. Campillo

and Siem were two shots back in the match.


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Jose Manuel Lara of Spain and Australian Marcus Fraser finished joint fourth at 11 under.

About Kruger:

James Barry "Jbe" Kruger is a South African Golfer, who in year 2007 turned to be professional

Golfer. He has won twice on the Sunshine Tour

Kruger finished second on the Asian Tour three times in 2010, while his best previous result on the

European Tour was third at the Africa Open the same year.

Krugers topmost position in this year's European Tour has been ninth which he had secured at the

Joburg Open in South Africa.

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina won Marseille Open Title

Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina clinched Marseille Open final by beating Michael Llodra on 26

February 2012.

Del Potro who turned a professional tennis player in 2005 has won total ten ATP titles in his career.

Del Potro claimed his first Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open, defeating Nadal in the semifinal,

and Roger Federer in the final. Potros highest ATP ranking was four.

South Africa defeated Indian Women Hockey team in the Final of

Olympics Qualifier

South African Women Hockey team on 25 February 2012, defeated Indian Women Hockey Team to

qualify for the London Olympics 2012. South African squad scored 3 goals while the Indian squad

could manage to hit only one goal.

Holland, Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, Britain, South Korea, New Zealand and the United

States have already made it to the Olympics.

Indian Women Hockey Team had got its maiden and sole Olympics entry in 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Since then it has not been able to break the qualifiers round, a gateway to the Olympics.


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March 2012

Roger Federar defeated Andy Murray to win Dubai Open Singles

Title

World no. 2 Roger Federar defeated third seeded Andy Murray in the singles final of Dubai Open on

4 March 2012.

The 30-year-old Federer, who lost his number 1 seed to Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic ,

recorded an easy 7-5, 6-4 win over Briton Andy Murray. It is fifth Dubai Title of Federar, who has so

far won 72 tour titles.

Roger Federar has record 16 grand slam title to his credit. Federer has been the part of a record 23

career Grand Slam tournament finals, including a men's record ten in a row.

Indian Tennis Duo Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna clinched

Dubai Doubles Title

Indian Tennis pair of Mahesh Bhupati and Rohan Bopanna won the doubles title of Dubai Open on 3

March 2012. The Fourth-seeded duo defeated Polish pair of Poles Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin

Matkowski.

It was the maiden title for the Indian tennis duo, who reigned in almost all the department of gameand secured a 6-4, 3-6, 10-5 win over the Polish tennis duo to lift the winners trophy.

The Dubai Open doubles title is Bhupatis 50th career title while first with Bopanna. The title also

marked the fourth Dubai title for Bhupathi, as he had claimed the title earlier in 1998 with Leander

Paes, in 2004 with Fabrice Santoro and in 2008 with Mark Knowles.The title marked sixth ATP title

of Bopanna's career.

South Africa recorded 3-0 Victory against New Zealand

South Africa made a 3-0 clean sweep against New Zealand with a five-wicket victory in the third and

final one-day international in Auckland on 3 march 2012.

The South African squad led by AB Devilliers had recorded six wicket victories in first two matches of

the series. Debutant South African pacer Marchant de Lange claimed four wickets in the match.


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Pakistan appointed Dav Whatmore as its National Team Coach

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed Dav Whatmore as its national team coach on 4 March 2012.

Whatmore would remain on the position for next two years.

Englishman Julian Fountain was slated as the fielding coach of the team. Asia Cup tournament, to be

held in the later part of March 2012, would be the first assignment of both the new coaches.

Whatmore, played seven tests for Australia, has an impressive record as a coach of different teams.

While he led Sri Lanka to world cup victory in 1996, he also led Bangladeshi team to their first test

match and subsequent series win in 2005.

Prior to Whatmore, three foreigners including Englishmen Richard Pybus and Bob Woolmer and

Australian Geoff Lawson have been assigned with the task to coach Pakistani team in the past.

Indian National Women Kabaddi Team won first edition of World

Cup Kabaddi Title

Indian national women Kabaddi team clinched maiden Women World Cup Kabaddi championship

title on 4 March 2012. In a thrilling match held in Patna, capital of Bihar, Indian women team

defeated Iran 25-19.

Japan secured third rank while Thiland came fourth in the championship. Earlier in the day, India

deferated Japan 60-21 to enter the final while Iran beaten Thailand 46-26 to make it to the final.

The global sports event witnessed the participation of 16 countries. The four day event received a

great following in India.

Anjum Chopra to lead the Indian women's cricket team in Home

Series against Australia

Veteran Anjum Chopra was slated to captain the Indian women's cricket team in the limited-overseries against Australia, starting on 12 March 2012 in Ahmedabad.

Mithali Raj was selected as the vice-captain of the 15-members squad which is set to take on

Australia in three ODIs and fiVeteran Anjum Chopra was slated to captain the Indian women's

cricket team in the limited-over series against Australiave Twenty20 matches.


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The fifteen members squad comprise; Anjum Chopra (capt.), Mithali Raj (vice-capt.), Jhulan

Goswami, Poonam Raut, Archana Das, S. Subhalaxmi, Reema Malhotra, Rumeli Dhar, Ekta Bist,

Gauhar Sultana, Sunitha Anand, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mamta Kanojia, Sulakshana Naik and Nooshin-

Al-Khadeer

Saina Nehwal suffered a Crushing Defeat at All England

Championship

Indias ace Badminton playerSaina Nehwalsuffered a straight-game defeat in the women's singles

quarterfinals of theAll England Championshipat Birmingham on 9 March 2012.

The Fourth seeded Nehwal lost to seventh seeded Li Xuerui of China in a forty-minute match at the

National Indoor Arena.

Saina on 8 March 2012had defeated French shuttler Hongyan Pi to make it to the quarter finals of

the championship.

Saina in 2010 had reached the semi finals of All England Championship. In 2010 she had won three

Super Series titles -Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong beside the Commonwealth Games gold

medal.

Indian Ace Badminton Player Saina Nehwal won the Swiss OpenGrand Prix Gold Trophy

Indian ace badminton player and World no five Saina Nehwal retained the Swiss Open Grand Prix

Gold trophy by securing a victory over China's Shixian Wang in a 48-minute summit clash at Basel,

Switzerland on 18 March 2012. With the victory at the Swiss Open GP she won her first title of 2012.

The world number five Indian defeated third ranking Shixian 21-19 21-16 and thus defended her

title.

Saina began with a healthy 11-3 lead in the first game. Saina had an early 3-0 lead in the second

game forcing Shixian to claw her way back to 11-8 at the break. Saina caught up with Shixian at 13-

13 after the breather and then registered four straight points from 15-all to eventually win the game

comfortably.


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Saina had earlier defeated Japan's Minatsu Mitani in the semifinals. She had defeated Mitani 21-16

21-18 in 35 minutes to set up a summit clash with Shixian.

Saina had reached the quarterfinal of the All England Championship in early March 2012. She has

also managed to reach the semifinals at the Malaysia Open and the quarterfinal in the Korea Open

in January 2012.

National Anti-Doping Appeal Panel backdated the

Commencement of One-Year Suspension of Four Athletes

The National Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (NADAP) on 20 March 2012 ruled that the sample collection

dates were being chosen as commencement date of suspension for the four Indian athletes facingban in the doping case.

The NADAP ruling has increased the prospects of banned athletes taking part in the London

Olympics 2012.

Ashwini A.C, Priyanka Panwar, Sini Jose, Tiana Mary Thomas four Indian women athletes were

awarded with a one year ban by the NADAP last year. Given that all the four athletes suspended

earlier from provisional suspension dates, Ashwini A.C. and Priyanka Panwar would now return to

competition on June 26 while Sini Jose and Tiana Mary Thomas can come back on June 11.

WADA had appealed against the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP) verdict last month and said

that the four athletes should be sanctioned a two years ban starting on the date of the decision

rendered by the appeal panel.

Pakistan defeated Bangladesh to lift Asia Cup Trophy 2012

Pakistan defeated host Bangladesh to lift Asia Cup Cricket Trophy on 22 March 2012. Pakistan while

batting first scored 236. Bangladesh while chasing the target finished 2 runs short and scored 234.

Mushfiqur Rehman led Bangladesh team was for the first time in its cricketing history reached tofinal of a big tournament. Pakistan squad was led by Mishbah Ul Haq.

Asia Cup tournament which started in 1984,is held every two years. The tournament sees

participation of all four test playing nation in the continent. India who was the winner of maiden

Asia Cup Trophy in 1984 has claimed the trophy for five times. Sri Lanka and Pakistan have lifted

the trophy for 4 and 2 times respectively.


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Ferrari Driver Fernando Alonso won the Formula One Malaysian

Grand Prix

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso on 25 March 2012, won the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix. The

Spaniard defeated Mexican Sergio Perez and British national Lewis Hamilton who came second andthird respectively.

Alonso, a two-time World Champion had won his first Formula One World Driver's Championship title

at the age of 24 years and 58 days, in year 2005.

Alonso was the third-youngest driver ever to start a Formula One race when he made his debut in

year 2001 with Minardi at the Australian Grand Prix.

M.C. Mary Kom and Sarita won Gold Medals in the Asian Women'sBoxing Championship

Indian women boxers M.C. Mary Kom and Sarita on 25 March 2012, clinched two gold medals in the

Asian women's boxing championship at Mongolian capital Ulaanbator.

Mary Kom, the five-time world champion, routed the two-time world title winner and 2010 Asian

Games gold medalist Ren Cancan of China 14-8. Sarita, the 2006 world title winner, smashed

defending champion Chorieva Mavzu of Tajikistan 26-15.

Success of Indian female boxers at Asian women's boxing championship in the Olympic weight

categories has boosted the prospects of the Indian women boxers' qualification to the London

Olympics 2012.

Making its presence felt substantially, the Indian team claimed two gold, four silver and two bronze

medals at the championship.


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April 2012

Top Seeded Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray to lift Miami

Masters Trophy

World number one Novak Djokovicwon the Miami Masters titleon 1 April 2012. Djokovic defeated

fourth seededAndy Murrayin the final.

It was the third Miami Open Title win for Djokovic who also won it in 2007 and 2011. Only six-time

champion Andre Agassi won more men's titles.

Serbian Tennis star had defeated 21st seeded Juan Monaco of Argentina in the semi-finals. Andy

Murray made it to the finals after Rafael Nadal pulled out of the tournament given his knee injury

right before his scheduled semi-final match against Murray.

Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek claimed the Doubles Title of

Miami Masters

Seventh seeded, Indo-Czeck pair of Leander Paes and Radek Stepanek claimed the doubles title of

Miami Masters on 31 March 2012. Paes by winning the Miami Titles took the total number of his

career titles to 50.

The pair had defeated the world No.1 pairing of Americans Bob and Mike Bryan in the semifinals on29 March 2012.

Paes, who became the 24th player in ATP Tour history to complete 50 doubles titles, claimed 24270

dollars in prize money and 250 points.

Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Maria Sharapova to clinch Miami

Masters Title

Fourth seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, on 31 March 2012, defeated Russian Tennis star Maria

Sharapova to clinch Miami Masters women singles Title. Sharapova, a three-time Grand Slam

champion, had been deprived of victory in four Miami Opens finals. She was also the runner-up in

2005, 2006 and 2011.


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While, Poland's Radwanska had defeated seventh seeded Marion Bartoli in the semi-finals,

Sharapova had beaten Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals.

PHF called off Three-nation International Hockey Tournament

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on 4 April 2012 called off its planned three-nation international

hockey tournament after India pulled out of the event. India's pullout came after Malaysia, the third

team in the proposed tournament, withdrew two days back. The PHF had scheduled the tournament

from 9 April to 13 April 2012.

India decided not to send the team to Pakistan due to security concerns.

Indian Squash Player Saurav Ghosal won the $120000 El Gouna

International Open

Top Indian squash player Saurav Ghosal won a 3-2 victory over Robbie Temple of England at the

$120,000 El Gouna International Open in El Gouna, Egypt on 9 April 2012. Ghoshal defeated

Robbie8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 in a match that lasted 85 minutes. Ghosal had earlier lost to

Willstrop at the Canary Wharf Classic tournament in March 2012.

The left-handed qualifier Englishman, Robbie had made headway in the opening games and sailed

through the first two games easily. Ghosal however lifted his game and made a strong comeback in

the third and the fourth game. He made an aggressive start to the fifth game and eventually took

the final set with great ease.

Croatias Ivan Ljubicic announced Retirement from Tennis

Croatias Ivan Ljubicic announced retirement from tennis on 15 April 2012 after he suffered a 6 -0,6-

3 defeat to Ivan Dodig at the Monte Carlo Masters. Ivans career high ATP ranking was number 3.

He won his first ATP singles title at Lyon in 2001.

He entered professional tennis in 1998. He won two ATP titles and was the runner-up at 6 ATP

events.


17/27

Korean City of Changwon slated as the Venue for Shooting World

Championship 2018

The shooting World Championship of 2018 was awarded to Korean city of Changwon on 17 April

2012. The decision regarding the venue of the championship was made at the General Assemblymeeting of International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) in London.

The Korean government, as per the reports, has earmarked 30 million dollar to enhance the

amenities in the shooting complex and organize the world championship with six shotgun ranges,

100 targets each in 10 metres and 50 metres apart from 14 lay-outs in the 25-metre range.

The last World Championship was held in Munich, Germany, in 2010 and the next championship will

be held in Granada, Spain, in 2014.

China's Xiao Jia Chen defeated Saina Nehwal in the Asian

Badminton Championship

China's Xiao Jia Chen defetaed ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, in the second round of the Asian

Badminton Championship on 20 April 2012. The 40th ranked Chen outplayed the Fifth seeded

Nehwal in a closely contested match.

Saina in the first round of the championship had defetaed Kaori Imabeppu of Japan.

With regard to Olympic qualification, the significant loss was that of the mixed doubles pair of Jwala

Gutta and V Diju. They lost to Koreas Sa Rang Kim and Hye In Choi. Jwala and Diju are currently

ranked No.16 in the world and will have to maintain or improve their ranking in order to make the

cut for the London Games.

Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic to clinch His Eighth

Consecutive Monte Carlo Masters

Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal on 22 April 2012 clinched his eighth consecutive Monte Carlo

Masters. The second seeded Nadal defeated Serbian Novak Djokovic in the final.

The Monte Carlo Title is Nadals first since French Open title in 2011and the 47th of his ATP career.

Prior to this the top seeded Djokovic had defeated Nadal in seven title face-offs.


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Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had defeated Gilles Simon and Tomas Berdych respectively in the

semi finals of the tournament.

Chinas Chen Jin defeated Du Pengyu to clinch the AsianBadminton Championship Mens Singles Title

The third seeded Chinas Chen Jin defeated fellow countryman and fifth seeded Du Pengyu in the

mens finals of Asian Badminton Championship in China's eastern city of Qingdao on 22 April 2012.

Chen, 24, needs to stay ahead of rival Peter Gade of Denmark in order to assure his desirable spot

at the Olympics 2012.

Chen had a walkover in the semi-finals on 21 April after fellow Chinese badminton superstar andfour-time world champion Lin Dan withdrew due to injury.

Rafael Nadal defeated David Ferrer to clinch Barcelona Open Title

Worlds second ranked tennis player Rafael Nadal defeated sixth seeded David Ferrer to clinch the

Barcelona Open Title on 29 April 2012. Nadal, following his Barcelona Open Title, became the first

player in the Open Era to win two tournaments seven times. Before the Barcelona Open Title he had

won the Monte Carlo Title for the eighth consecutive time.

The Bracelona Open victory was Nadals 21st straight victory on clay court. A king of clay court, only

Roger Federar and Novak Djokovic have been able to defeat Nadal on the clay court.


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May 2012

Shon Wan Ho defeated Lee Chong Wei to win India Open

Badminton

Shon Wan Ho of Korea defeated Chinese defending champion Lee Chong Wei in the final clash and

clinch his maiden Super Series title, at the India Open badminton on 28 April 2012.

The world number 17, Sho, who had already made it to London Olympics 2012 after beating former

All England champion Peter Gade in the quarterfinals, overpowered Lee in almost all the

departments of the game.

In the women's singles final at India Open badminton Championship, Li Xuerui of China beaten

Juliane Schenk of Germany to lift the winner's trophy.

In the men`s doubles, the Thai pair of Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit beaten second seeds

Sung Hyun Ko and Yeon Seong Yoo of to emerge victories.

Second seeded Indonesian pair of Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir defeated fifth seeded Sudket

Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam of Thailand to lift the mixed0doubles title.

Aditya Mehta defeated Pankaj Advani to clinch the 28th Asian

snooker title

India's top-seeded snooker player Aditya Mehta defeated compatriot and seven-time world

champion Pankaj Advani to win 28th Asian snooker title concluded in Doha, on 29 April 2012. Mehta

is only the third Indian to clinch the Asian Snooker Championship. With the victory of Mehta, the

Asian trophy is set to return to India after a gap of eight years.

In the semi finals Aditya Mehta had triumphed over the reigning world champion Hossain Vafaei of

Iran, while, Pankaj Advani, had defeated Thailand s Noppon Saengkham to set up the final clash.

Pankaj Advani won the silver followed by Hossein Vafaei who managed to win bronze. Over 40

players from 15 Asian countries had participated in the event.


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Sushil Kumar won the World Wrestling Qualifying Tournament,

secured a Berth for London Olympics

Ace Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar won the 66kg freestyle title at the World Qualifying Tournament in

Taiyuan, China on 27 April 2012. The wrestler with this victory got his berth secured for the LondonOlympics 2012. Sushil overpowered Georgia's Otar Tushishvilli 3-0 in the final showdown.

Former world champion and Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Sushil Kumar had qualified for the

London Olympics following his failure in first two attempts. It was his third attempt.

Sushil had suffered a crushing defeat in the first two attempts. First he failed to defend his world

championship title and then lost in the second round of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers held in Astana,

Kazakhstan on 30 March to 1 April 2012.

Spanish Football Club Real Madrid clinched Its 32nd Spanish

League Title

Spanish Football club Real Madridclinched its 32nd Spanish league title and first in four years on 2

May 2012, overshadowing Lionel Messi breaking a 39-year European club scoring record with a hat

trick to take his season total to 68 goals.

It was Madrids first Spanish league title after 2008. The Spanish club with the help of the threegoals of Gonzalo Higuain, Mesut Oezil, Cristiano Ronaldo registered a 3-0 win over the Barcelona.

Barcelona had won all three previous seasons of Spanish league championship.

Real Madrid and Barcelona bothy are the Spanish professional football clubs. Their rivalry at the

football ground is famous among the football fans. The two clubs have won a large number of titles

in their long illustrative history. British football club Manchester United and Italian football club AC

Milan are two other major football clubs.

Indian Women Squash Team won its Maiden Asian Squash

Championship

Indian women squash team won its maiden gold at the 16th Asian Squash Championshipin Kuwait

on 5 May 2012. The women team created a history by defeating the top seeded Hongkong team in


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the title clash. Indian women 71st seeded ed Joshna Chinnappa and 14th seeded Dipika Pallikkal

defeated world number sixteen Joey Chan and world number seven Annie Au respectively.

Prior to this, the best performance of Indian women squash team had come in 2010 at the last

championship held in 2010 in Chennai, when the team had managed to clinch the silver.

The Indian men's team, however, suffered a 0-2 defeat against Pakistan in the conclusive contest.

Indias national champion Saurav Ghosal and Siddharth Suchde lost to Pakistan's first ranked Farhan

Mehboob and Farhan Zaman respectively.

Asian Squash Championship had started off in 1981. The inaugural edition of the championship was

held in Karachi in Pakistan.

Sriram Balaji defeated Swiss Joss Espasandin to win ITF FuturesMen's Tennis TitleFifth ranked Sriram Balaji defeated Swiss Joss Espasandin in the summit clash of the MCC-SR

Subramaniam Memorial ITF Futures men's tennis tournament in Chennai on 5 May 2012.

While Balaji received the reward of 65000 rupees the Swiss player got 45000 rupees as the reward.

Sanmar Groups Chairman N Sankar, presented the prizes and Mrs Subramaniam, gave away the S RSubramaniam Rolling Trophy to winner Sriram Balaji.

Krishna Poonia created New National Record, claimed Silver at

Altius Track Crew Throwdown Meet

Indias leading discus thrower Krishna Poonia on 7 May 2012 created a new national record by

winning the silver medal at the Altius Track Crew Throwdown meet in Maui Island, Hawaii. Krishna

hurled the discuss to 64.76 meters and broke the existing national record of Seema Antil who had

hurled 64.64 meters.

Present Olympic champion Stephanie Brown Trafton of USA clinched the gold with a throw of 66.86

meters, while Gia Lewis-Smallwood bagged the bronze with throwing 63.97 meter. Krishna had

made it to London Olympics after winning a gold in the womens discus throw event of the Fling

Throw Meet in Portland, USA earlier this summer.


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Indian Athletes bagged Four Gold, One Silver and Four Bronze

Medals at Asian Grand PrixIndian athletes bagged four gold, one silver and four bronze medals, in the first leg of the Asian

Grand Prix in Bangkok on 8 May 2012. Sajeesh Joseph bagged gold in the men's 800m in 1:47.78

while, MR Poovama clinched the women's 400m in 52.94.

The men's 4X400m relay team of Joseph Abraham, Jitin Paul, Shake Mortaza and MP Kunhu

pocketed gold in 3:08.00 while the women team of Saraswati Chand, Debashree Majumdar,

Ratandeep Kaur and Poovama also did the same.

Sahana Kumari got India a silver in women's high jump. Renjith Maheshwary got bronze in men's

4X100m relay, Sinimol Pualose pocketed bronze in triple jump women's 800m. Ghamanada Ram

won bronze in mens 800m.

Roger Federer defeated Tomas Berdych to win Madrid Open Title

Swiss tennis star Roger Federer defeated Czech Tomas Berdych to win Madrid Open title on 13 May

2012. The Madrid Open title is set to reinstate Federer as the no. 2 spot in the world tennis ranking,

the position he had earlier lost to his rival Rafael Nadal.

The third seeded Federer also leveled the record of Spaniard Rafael Nadal to win 20 Masters titles.

Federer held the no.1 position for record 285 weeks, just one week short of the record 286 weeks

occupied by American tennis legend Pete Sampras. Federer has to his credit a record 16 Grand

Slam singles titles. He was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record four

consecutive years from 2005 to 2008. He also topped the list of the "100 greatest tennis players of

all time" (male or female) by Tennis Channel in 2012.

Malaysia defeated Pakistan to clinch Junior Hockey World Cup

2012 Title

Malaysia defeated Pakistan to win the Junior Hockey World Cup 2012. The Malaysian team hadearlier defeted Iran, Japan, South Korea and India to make to the final.

The Junior Hockey world cup was started in 1987. Prior to Malaysia only three countries have

claimed the title. Pakistan has won the title for the maximum number of three times, India for two

times and South Korea for 1.


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Manjeet Singh Panghal defeated Gurleen Singh to claim the Junior

National Boxing Title

Manjeet Singh Panghal defeated Gurleen Singh to clinch the 69kg title in the 45th National junior

boxing championship at Patiala on 16 April 2012.

Defending champion P.L. Prasad recorded a convincing 14-5 win over K. Sagar to retain his 49kg

crown. Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) won the team championship with 44 points, while

Punjab's Amritpreet Singh (91kg) was adjudged the best boxer of the championship.

Maria Sharapova defeated Li Na to retain Italian Open title

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova defeated Li Na of China to retain the Italian Open title on 20

May 2012. The match was twice interrupted by rain but Sharapova eventually emerged as the

winner beating world no. 9 Li Na.

The Second-seeded Sharapova has to her credit a total of 26 WTA singles titles, including three

Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open. She was

also the winner of the year-end WTA Tour Championships in 2004.

Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich to win its First Champions

League Title

Chelsea, the English football club defeated German football club Bayern Munich to win its first Union

of European Football Association (UEFA) Champions League Title on 19 May 2012. Didier Drogba hit

the crucial penalty in the penalty shootout to win it 4-3 for the English club. Before the penalty

shootout, both the teams were level at 1-1.

Didier Drogba scored the maximum number of goals for Chelsea this season. He hit a total of 34

goals and was instrumental in getting the team its first ever Champions League Title. He was also

declared the UEFA Man of the Match for the match-winning performance in the final clash.


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Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to clinch Italian Open Title

Spaniard Rafael Nadal defeated world no. 1 Novak Djokovic to claim his sixth Italian Open Title on

21 May 2012. It was Nadals second straight final victory against the Serbian tennis maestro. Earlier

Nadal had defeated Djokovic in the Monte Carlo Finals on 22 April 2012.

Before Monte Carlo, Djokovic had defeated Nadal in seven straight finals including Italian Open

Title in 2011.

Nadal with this victory also got back the second spot in the world tennis ranking which was earlier

occupied by Roger Federer following his victory at the Madrid Open Title on 13 May 2012.

Kolkata Knight Riders beat Chennai Super Kings to win Indian

Premier League Season 5Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated the defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to win

their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai on 27

April 2012.Gautam Gambhir led Knight Riders successfully chased down the target of 192 in 19.4

overs in the summit clash of IPL-V.

Manvinder Singh Bisla, the wicket keeper batsman, with his aggressive knock of 89 runs off just 48

balls secured the victory for the Knight Riders. He was also declared the Man of the Match. South

African all-rounder Jacques Kallis also played a good knock as he scored 69 runs off 49 balls. Sunil

Naraine, of the Kolkata Knight Riders, won the Man of the Tournament award for his impressive

bowling show through out the event. He picked up 24 wickets at an average of 13.50 and an

economy rate of 5.47, which was the best in the league. Chris Gayle of Royal Challengers Banglore

and Morne Morkel of Chennai Super Kings emerged as the highest run getter and leading wicket

taker of the tournament respectively. Gayle scored 733 runs while Morkel topped the list of highest

wicket taker with 25 wickets. Chris Gayle also hit the maximum number of sixes (59) in the IPL

season 2012.

A total of 9 teams had participated in the fifth season of IPL which had commenced on 4 April 2012.

Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians were the four

teams which had made to the final four following a marathon league round. A total of 76 matches

were played in the entire tournament.

Kolkata Knight Riders, co-owned by Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan could not make to the final in all

the previous seasons. The team in its first three seasons was led by the former Indian skipper

Saurav Ganguly.


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Praveen Rana clinched the 66kg Title at First Hari Ram Indian

Grand Prix Wrestling Championship

Praveen Rana, the young Indian wrestler, clinched the 66kg freestyle title on the final day of the

first Hari Ram Indian Grand Prix wrestling championship at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on 27April 2012.

The grappler overpowered Georgian Lobjanidze in the tough final battle and won his maiden

international gold medal at the senior level. He beat Iran's Nasiri and Mongolia's Khultee on his way

to the finals. Delhi-based Rana is also a 2011 World junior medalist.

India also managed to win three bronze medals on the concluding day of the event. Manoj in 66kg

category, Pawan Kumar in 84 kg category, and Gursharan Kaur in women 72 kg category got India

bronze.

Overall India came third in men's category followed by Georgia and Mongolia. In womens category,

Mangolia finished at the top followed by US and Japan. India was spotted at fourth position.

Mark Webber of Red Bull raced ahead to win the Monaco Grand

Prix

Mark Webber of Red Bull raced ahead to emerge victorious in the Monaco Grand Prix on 27 May

2012. He won the Monaco Grand Prix for the second time. He had first won the Monaco race in2010. His second victory at Monaco helped him to surpass Australian icon Sir Jack Brabham on the

streets of Monaco who won the Monaco Grand Prix once. With his second victory Webber thus

became the first Australian to win the famous Monaco Grand Prix twice. Webbers victory at Monaco

was the eighth victory of his career. Also with his victory he won Red Bull the teams third victory in

a row.

The victory enabled him to join the likes of Niki Lauda, David Coulthard and Juan Manuel Fangio, all

of who have two Monaco Grand Prix victory to their credit. Germanys Nico Rosberg finished second

for Mercedes, while Ferraris Fernando Alonso was third.

Mark Webber made his debut in 2002. He had won the first FI race in 2006. In the British Grand Prix

2011, Webber won the Hawthorn Memorial Trophy for 2010.


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Defending Champion Vishwanathan Anand beat Boris Gelfand to

clinch FIDE World Chess Title

Ace Indian chess player Vishwanathan Anand on 30 May 2012 claimed the FIDE ( Federation

Internationale des Echec) World Chess Title for the record fifth time. The defending championAnand beat Israeli opponent Boris Gelfand in a rapid-chess tie-breaker. Anand received 1.5 million

dollar as the winning amount, while rival Gelfand bagged 1 million dollar.

The world title is Anands fourth in a row as he had also claimed the title in 2007, 2008, and 2010.

The 42-year-old had claimed his maiden world title in 2000 after beating Latvian Alexei Shirov in

Tehran. He is also the first Asian to win the FIDE world chess championship.

Born on 11 December 1969 in Madras, Anand's breakthrough success in professional chess came in

1983 when he won the Indian Under-16 and Under-19 championships successively and went on to

win a place in the countrys adult championships. In 1985, at the age of 16, Anand was crowned asan International Master, the youngest Asian player to hold this title. In 1986 he won the Indian adult

championship, and in 1987, at his fourth attempt, he won the Under-20 World Championship. Anand

had won his first world title in 2000 and reining over the championship since 2007.

What is FIDE ?

FIDE, the international federation for chess, was founded in Paris on 20 July 1924, and got

recognition by the International Olympic Committee as an International Sports Federation in 1999.

The federation with a total of 170 members is among the biggest sports organizations in the world.

It organizes over forty official championships world over for youngsters, men, women and seniors.


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June 2012

January 2012.docx

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