IFS Officer Vinay Kumar Appointed As Ambassador Of India To Russia

• Vinay Kumar, a seasoned diplomat who served as India’s envoy in hotspots such as Afghanistan and Myanmar in recent years, was on Tuesday named as the new ambassador to Russia.
• Kumar, an officer of the 1992 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), has been the ambassador to Myanmar since late 2021. He will replace Pavan Kapoor, recently appointed the new secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, in Russia.
• Kumar, a graduate of IIT-Kharagpur, served as India’s envoy in Kabul from 2018-20. He also did a stint as joint secretary (South) in the external affairs ministry and served in India’s permanent mission to the United Nations in New York.
• Moscow, along with Washington, London, Tokyo and Canberra, is among the top postings for an Indian diplomat and Kumar will be responsible for steering India’s relations with Russia at a delicate juncture. India has faced considerable pressure from the West over its stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine while working behind the scenes to help end the conflict.

Suryaveer Singh Bhullar unanimously elected president of Indian Pickleball Association

• Suryaveer Singh Bhullar has been unanimously elected as the president of the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA).
• The polls took place during the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• During his tenure as president of the Gujarat State Pickleball Association (GSPA) over the past two years, Suryaveer has played a major role in fostering the expansion of Rickleball throughout the state of Gujarat.
• Gujarat has emerged as the epicenter of Pickleball, boasting the highest number of courts and players in the country.
• Suryaveer’s leadership has also secured the prestigious World Pickleball Championship for Gujarat this year, slated to take place in Ahmedabad from October 24-27.
• Upon assuming the presidency of IPA, he outlined his ambitious roadmap for the future, emphasising the strategic growth of Pickle ball across India.

Akhil, Anish, Niraj shine as India win six medals at the Polish Grand Prix

• Akhil Sheoran, Anish Bhanwala, and Niraj Kumar shine as Indian shooters win six medals, including two gold, at the Polish Grand Prix.
• Sheoran set a new world record in the men’s 50m rifle 3P match, while Bhanwala clinched gold in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event.
• Anish Bhanwala continued India’s winning streak by claiming gold in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event at the Jozef Zapedzki Grand Prix.
• Navy shooter Niraj Kumar also impressed, winning two bronze medals in the men’s 3P matches, making him the only Indian to secure two medals at the event.
• Shriyanka Sadangi and Ashi Chouksey also added to India’s medal tally by winning bronze and silver respectively in the women’s 3P events at the Grand Prix.

Dame Laura Kenny announces retirement from cycling

• Great Britain’s most decorated female Olympian, Dame Laura Kenny, has announced her retirement from cycling.
• Kenny, 31, has announced her decision just months before the Olympic Games in Paris.
• It means she will not have the opportunity to add to the Olympic medal tally from a decorated career including five gold medals at the games.
• A veteran of three Olympic campaigns with Team GB, Kenny was one of the stars of the London games in 2012.
• The star, who is married to former cyclist Jason, won two golds in 2012, two more in 2016 and a gold and a silver at the Tokyo games.

International Olympic Committee

• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
• President: Thomas Bach
• Founded: 23 June 1894
• Director General: Christophe De Kepper

Indian Wells: Alcaraz, Swiatek win titles

• Arriving at Indian Wells with lingering doubts about his twisted right ankle, Carlos Alcaraz departs as a two-time champion, defying the odds.
• In a remarkable display of resilience, he clinched the BNP Paribas Open title for the second consecutive year, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final, marking his first triumph since his Wimbledon victory last year.
• Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek secured the women’s title with a commanding victory over Maria Sakkari in just over an hour.
• Throughout the 12-day tournament, Swiatek conceded a mere 21 games across six matches, averaging a remarkable 3.5 games per match.
• Alcaraz achieved the feat by becoming the first man to successfully defend his Indian Wells title since Novak Djokovic’s three consecutive victories from 2014 to 2016.

Aruna Tanwar wins gold in Asian Para­taekwondo qualifiers, books tickets for Paris 2024

• India’s para-taekwondo player Aruna Tanwar secured a spot in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris after she clinched a gold medal in women’s 4 7 kg category in the Asian Para-Taekwondo Qualifying Tournament in Tai’an, China.
• Hangzhou 2022 bronze medallist Aruna, who became the first Indian para-taekwondo player to qualify and participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
• She will now participate in her second Paralympic Games in Paris, the Sports Authority of India informed.
• Nepal and the Philippines besides India also clinched a Paralympic quota place for Paris 2024 with Palesha Goverdhan of Nepal bagging her quota in women’s 57 kg.
• Allain Ganapin (men’s -80 kg) of the Philippines also qualified for his second Paralympics and will now prepare for his Olympic debut.

China's Lin Xiaojun bags 500m gold at short track speed skating worlds

• China’s Lin Xiaojun claimed the men’s 500m title at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships, bagging his seventh gold at the tournament.
• The Olympic champion finished in 41.592 seconds to clinch the title, while Kazakhstan’s Denis Nikisha came second.
• The bronze medal went to Canada’s Jordan Pierre-Gilles.
• It was the second victory for China, after Sun Long has topped the podium in the men’s 1,500m, which marked China’s 100th gold medal at the short track speed skating worlds.

World Short Track Speed Skating Championships

• The World Short Track Speed Skating Championships are a senior international short track speed skating competition held once a year to determine the World Champion in individual distances, relays and Overall Classification.

Indonesia secure men's singles title at All-England Open

• Jonatan Christie defeated his good friend and compatriot Anthony Ginting to win badminton’s All England Open in Birmingham.
• Indonesia was guaranteed its first men’s singles champion since Hariyanto Arbi won his second of two titles in 1994.
• The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world’s oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England.
• Note: There were two instances when it was halted- from 1915 to 1919 (due to World War I) and from 1940 to 1946 (due to World War 11).

All England Open Badminton Championships

• Founded: 1899
• Location: Birmingham (2024); England

Current champions:

• Mens Singles: Jonatan Christie
• Women Singles: Carolina Marin
• Mens Doubles: Fajar Alfian & Muhammad RianArdianto
• Womens Doubles: Baek Ha-na & Lee So-hee
• Mixed: champions Zheng Siwei & Huang Yaqiong
• Prize money: USDl,300,000 (2024)

Exercise TIGER TRIUMPH - 24 begins

• In consonance with the established partnership between India and the US, a bilateral tri-Service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise between both countries, Tiger Triumph – 24, is scheduled on the Eastern Seaboard from 18 to 31 Mar 24.
• Indian Navy aircraft, Indian Army personnel and vehicles and Indian Air Force aircraft and helicopters along with the Rapid Action Medical Team (RAMT) would be participating in the exercise.
• The US would be represented by US Navy Ships with embarked troops of the US Marine Corps and US Army.
• The exercise is aimed at developing interoperability for conducting HADR operations and refine Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enable rapid and smooth coordination between forces of both countries.
• The Harbour Phase is scheduled from 18 to 25 Mar 24.
• On completion of the Harbour Phase, the ships, with the troops embarked, would sail for the Sea Phase and undertake Maritime, Amphibious and HADR operations in accordance with injected situations.

Indian Olympic Association dissolves ad hoc committee for wrestling

• The ad-hoc committee for wrestling, formed in December 2023, was dissolved by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) with immediate effect.
• The IOA dissolved the committee after the ban on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was lifted in February by the United World Wrestling (UWW).
• The IOA order said that there was no further need to run the WFI activities through an ad-hoc committee.
• The IOA, however, directed the WFI to appoint a safeguarding committee/officer at the earliest for timely redressal of sexual harassment and other abuse claims.
• It also asked the WFI to conduct the election of the Athletes Commission in a time-bound manner.
• The latest order by the IOA instructed the WFI to repay the loan provided by the IOA to the ad-hoc committee for managing the wrestling federation’s operations