Sports Current Affairs MCQs

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Gautam Gambhir, a former Indian cricketer, has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, replacing Rahul Dravid. Announced by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on July 9, 2024, Gambhir’s term will last three years. He will oversee the team in key tournaments like the 2026 T20 World Cup, 2027 ODI World Cup, and 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Gambhir starts his role in July with a tour to Sri Lanka.

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India’s Sabeera Haris won the bronze medal in the women’s trap event at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Italy, shooting 29 out of 40 targets. Carey Garrison of the US took gold with 40 out of 50 targets, and Italy’s Sofia Gori earned silver with 39 hits. Indian shooters Bhavya Tripathi and Rajkuwar Ingle finished 26th and 33rd, respectively.

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The Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) program targets school children aged 9-18, aiming to hunt talent nationwide and curb addiction through sports. Launched in 50 centers, it assesses 50,000 applicants across 10 sports. In FY 2024-25, it aims for 20 lakh assessments via Talent Assessment Centres. Using AI and IT for transparent selection, KIRTI promotes sports excellence and mass participation, supporting Khelo India’s twin objectives.

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Indian shooting legend Abhinav Bindra has been awarded the Olympic Order by the IOC for his outstanding contributions to the Olympic Movement. The ceremony will be held on August 10 during the 142nd IOC Session in Paris. Bindra, India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist, won the men’s 10m air rifle event at the 2008 Beijing Games. He has also served on the ISSF Athlete Committee and the IOC Athlete Commission.

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The 33rd edition of the Olympics began in Paris, featuring 32 different sports, including new additions like breakdancing (Breaking), surfing, skateboarding, and sport climbing. The first-ever Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, and the Games occur every four years. The five Olympic rings symbolize the ‘five parts of the world’ where the Olympic movement prevails. The Olympic motto, ‘Citius-Altius-Fortius,’ translates from Latin to ‘Faster-Higher-Stronger’ in English.

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At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Swapnil Kusale won a bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 Positions event. This is India’s third Olympic medal in rifle shooting, following Abhinav Bindra’s gold in 2008 and Gagan Narang’s bronze in 2012. Liu Yukun of China won gold, and Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish took silver. The competition was held at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux, Paris.

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Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal in men’s javelin throw at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a throw of 89.45 meters, his best of the season. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold with a record-breaking throw of 92.97 meters, marking Pakistan’s first gold in javelin throw. Grenada’s Anderson Peters secured the bronze with a throw of 88.54 meters. The podium highlighted the fierce competition and diversity of the Games.

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Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, 29, announced her retirement after being disqualified from the Olympics for being 100 grams overweight before her gold medal bout in the 50 kg category. She appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to be awarded a joint silver medal, citing severe dehydration from extreme weight-cutting measures. Phogat, a three-time Olympian in different weight classes, became the first international wrestler to defeat reigning champion Yui Susaki and the first Indian female wrestler to reach an Olympic final in 2024. She is a multiple Commonwealth Games gold medalist and has won two World Wrestling Championship bronze medals.

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The 33rd Summer Olympics ended on August 11, 2024, in Paris, France, with the Olympic flame being extinguished by IOC President Thomas Bach and French swimmer Leon Marchand. The Olympic flag was handed over to Los Angeles, USA, which will host the 34th Summer Olympics in 2028. India sent a 117-member team to the Paris Olympics and won six medals: one silver and five bronze. Medal winners included Manu Bhaker (bronze, two events), Swapnil Kusale (bronze), the Men’s Hockey Team (bronze), Neeraj Chopra (silver in javelin), and Aman Sehrawat (bronze in wrestling).

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Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from international and domestic cricket on August 24, 2024. His last match was for Punjab Kings in the IPL in April 2024. Dhawan played 269 international matches, scoring 24 hundreds—17 in ODIs and 7 in Tests. His final game for India was an ODI against Bangladesh in December 2022. Known as ‘Gabbar,’ Dhawan made his ODI debut in 2010 and set a record for the fastest Test century by a debutant in 2013. He scored over 5000 runs in ODIs with a 40-plus average and 90-plus strike rate. Dhawan played for Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings in the IPL, scoring 6769 runs.