Sports Quiz

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World No.1 Grandmaster (GM) Magnus Carlsen (Team Liquid) won the inaugural Chess Esports World Cup 2025. He defeated GM Alireza Firouzja (Team Falcons) by winning both sets 3-1 in a best-of-three final. Carlsen lost only one game, in the first round of the second set. He earned a prize of US$ 250,000 and 1000 points for Team Liquid. GM Hikaru Nakamura (Team Falcons) beat GM Arjun Erigaisi (Gen.G Esports) 3.5-2.5 to secure third place. The Chess Esports World Cup 2025 was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

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The Punjab government has lifted the ban on traditional heritage sports in August 2025. These include bullock cart races, dog races, horse races, and pigeon racing. The ban was in place since 1997 due to concerns over animal cruelty. Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann announced the decision during a public event in Ludhiana. New legislation ensures these events will be conducted without cruelty to animals. The move aims to reconnect people with Punjab’s cultural identity and rural heritage.

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Lalita Babar is a renowned long-distance runner from Maharashtra, specializing in steeplechase and marathons. She represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won the Arjuna Award in 2016 for her contributions to athletics.

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The Annasaheb Magar Sports Stadium in Pune is named after Annasaheb Magar, a Congress MP from Khed (1977-1980), and is owned by the PCMC. It features a pavilion, multi-sport facilities, and houses one of Pune’s main swimming pools.

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Wadia Park is a multi-purpose stadium situated in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. It houses the district’s main sports office, and has facilities for cricket, football, swimming, gymnastics, and other sports. The stadium hosted several first-class cricket matches from 1957 to 1979.

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The Shiv Chhatrapati Award is Maharashtra’s highest state sports honor, instituted in 1969-70. It is awarded to outstanding sportspersons in the state, includes a cash prize, memento, and lifetime free MSRTC travel, and covers 24 men’s and 12 women’s disciplines.

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Recently, it was announced that the first-ever Khelo India Water Sports Festival will be held at Dal Lake in Srinagar from 21st to 23rd August. It is part of the growing Khelo India sports calendar after the first Khelo India Beach Games in Diu in May. The festival will feature five sports: kayaking and canoeing, rowing, water skiing, shikara race, and dragon boat. The event aims to broaden sports opportunities across India and make Khelo India more inclusive. This will be the fifth Khelo India event in 2025 after Winter Games, Para Games, Youth Games, and Beach Games.

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World Sports Journalists Day (WSJD) is celebrated annually on July 2nd to recognize and honor the contributions of sports journalists. The official theme for World Sports Journalists Day 2025 is “Championing Fair Play: Reporting with Integrity and Impact.” Its objective is to respect the professional integrity and courageous reporting of sports journalists. It also aims to highlight the role of communication media in promoting sports culture. The day acknowledges how journalism helps maintain transparency in sports.

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Kila Raipur Sports Festival, known as Punjab’s Rural Olympics, is held every February in Ludhiana, Punjab. It features traditional rural sports such as bullock cart races, animal races, kabaddi, and Punjabi folk dances. The festival began in 1933 by philanthropist Inder Singh Grewal.

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Jalandhar is called Punjab’s Sports City, famous for manufacturing sports goods. It hosts the Surjit Hockey Stadium and is a key hub in both national and international sports equipment supply. Punjab also leads in Astro turf hockey fields and synthetic athletics tracks in India.