Top 50 Sports Current Affairs Questions for All Competitive Exams

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Dhruv Sitwala defeated Pankaj Advani 5-2 to win the 2024 Asian Billiards Championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This victory marks Sitwala’s third Asian billiards title, having previously won in 2015 and 2016. Advani, aiming for his third title and a hat-trick of championships, fell short in the final.

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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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World Chess Day, celebrated annually on July 20th, marks the establishment of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Paris in 1924. UNESCO proposed this day in 1966, recognizing chess for its intellectual benefits and cultural diversity. Originating in India as “Chaturanga” nearly 1500 years ago, chess is promoted as a game for all ages and backgrounds. FIDE was founded by chess organizations from eight countries.

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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 host Sri Lankan women’s cricket team won their maiden Women’s Cricket Asia Cup, upsetting the defending champion Indian team. In the final of the 9th Women’s Cricket Asia Cup, held on 28 July 2024 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, the hosts defeated India by 8 wickets with 8 balls to spare. Sri Lanka became the third team to win the Women’s Cricket Asia Cup, after India (seven times) and Bangladesh (once). All matches were played in Dambulla. In the semi-finals, India defeated Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to reach the finals.

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India won the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Nations League final, defeating Nepal 3-2 in Kathmandu. This victory marked India’s second title in the league. Despite a previous loss to Nepal in the league stage, India secured the championship in the finals. The final match displayed high competition and skill between both teams. India took Gold, Nepal secured Silver, and Iran settled for Bronze in the tournament.

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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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PR Sreejesh, who recently led India to a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics, has been appointed as the new head coach of the Indian junior men’s hockey team. His transition from a key player to a coach is notable, especially after his crucial saves helped India win against Spain. Hockey India celebrated Sreejesh’s move, recognizing his inspiring journey and expecting his coaching to positively impact the young athletes.

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Rohit Sharma, Indian men’s cricket team captain, won the 26th CEAT International Cricketer of the Year Award for his outstanding performance in the 2023-24 season. Under Rohit’s captaincy, India reached the final of the 13th ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, where he scored around 1800 runs, including 597 in the World Cup. Virat Kohli received the Best ODI Batter of the Year award, scoring 1377 runs in the 2023-24 season and surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s record with 50 ODI centuries. Rahul Dravid was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions as a player and coach.

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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.