Notes:
On 14th January 2019, the 1st National Level Sports Meet for the students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) was held at G.M.C Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad. The event has a participation of 1777 students comprising of 975 boys and 802 girls representing 20 States of the country. The striking feature of Sports meet has been the platform made available to tribal students studying in EMRS from the remote corners of North East India to Himachal Pradesh in North to Kerala in South and Gujarat in West to exhibit their latent talent in sports which would otherwise not be possible in normal course. The three day event had competitions in 13 different disciplines of track and field that includes Hockey, Wrestling, Football, Archery, Volley Ball, Kabaddi, Handball, Kho Kho and Athletics.The scheme of EMRSs is one of the flagship intervention of the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs introduced in the year 1997-98 to ensure tribal students get access to quality education in the remote tribal areas.

Notes:
Mohammed Ali Qamar, India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal in boxing, has been named as the chief coach for the Indian women boxers. With this new role, he became the youngest ever person to get the top job. Ali Qamar replaced veteran Shiv Singh as the women’s coach. Prior to this, Ali Qamar was an assistant coach in the national camp for more than a year. Ali Qamar had created history in the 2002 Manchester edition of the Commonwealth Games, when he became the first Indian ever to win a Commonwealth Boxing Gold.

Notes:
Detained Chinese lawyer, Yu Wensheng has won the Franco-German Human Rights Award for his exceptional contribution to the protection and promotion of human rights. His wife, Madam Xu Yan, received the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law on her husband’s behalf from the French and German ambassadors to China at an event organised by the German embassy in Beijing on January 14, 2019. Wensheng is best known for suing the Beijing government over the city’s once chronic pollution – was detained in January 2018 and charged with “inciting subversion of state power”. Prior to his arrest, he had circulated an open letter calling for five reforms to China’s constitution, including the institution of multi-candidate presidential elections.

Notes:
D Gukesh from Chennai has become the 2nd youngest Grandmaster (GM) in the world and the youngest Indian to achieve the feat at 12 years, seven months and 17 days. He erased the mark set by his state-mate R Praggnanandhaa in June 2018. He achieved his third and final GM norm at the ongoing 17th Delhi International Open Chess tournament in Delhi after beating compatriot D K Sharma in the ninth round. Gukesh becomes India’s 59th Grand Master. Sergey Karjakin from Ukraine holds the record for the world’s youngest- ever grandmaster, having qualified for the title at the age of 12 years and 7 months in 2002.

Notes:
Manu Sawhney, a veteran media professional, has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He will join the organisation in February and take formal charge of his position in July, once incumbent David Richardson steps down following the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Sawhney is the former CEO of Singapore Sports Hub and Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports.