1) Harika Dronavalli wins Fide Women’s Grand Prix trophy.
- In the final round of the FIDE Women`s Grand Prix in Chengdu, China, Koneru Humpy defeated Antoaneta Stefanova to catch up with her compatriot Harika Dronavalli on the shared first place with 7/11 points each.
- Harika was awarded with the winner`s trophy due to better tie-break - a win in the head-to-head match.
- The organizer of the tournament is the Chinese Chess Association, in partnership with the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
2) Vijender becomes WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion.
- Vijender Singh became the WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight champion with a convincing win over Australian Kerry Hope even as pro boxing made a rousing start in the country.
- Vijender remained unbeaten, this time by unanimous decision, even though his reputation as the `Knockout King` took a backseat.
- The win also saw Vijender climb to 15th in the world in his category even as the former world number four Hope looked rusty and unable to counter Vijender’s well-timed punches.
3) Dipika Pallikal, Saurav Ghosal clinch national squash titles.
- Dipika Pallikal Karthik dethroned defending champion Joshna Chinappa to regain the women`s title in the 73rd Senior National Squash Championship.
- The men`s crown was captured by title holder and top seed Saurav Ghosal, who created history by winning it for the 11th time, defeating fourth seed Harinderpal Singh Sandhu in five hard-fought games at the Otters Club.
- World no. 19 Dipika, who was playing in the nationals after a five-year gap when she won in 2011, made it to the tops once again by beating arch-rival Joshna.
4) Pakistan defeat England at Lord’s after 20 years.
- Pakistan register a 75-run win over England, inside four days, to go 1-0 up in the four-match Test series at Lord’s.
- The win is Pakistan’s fourth-ever at Lord’s, last coming way back in 1996. Before that, they won in 1982 and 1992.
- Mohammad Amir, back from a five-year ban for spot-fixing, sealed victory when he clean bowled Jake Ball.
5) Abdul Wahid Tanveer wins 2Wheeler MRF Rally of Coimbatore.
- Abdul Wahid Tanveer of Team TVS clinched the 2016 MRF MoGrip FMSCI National Rally Championship for two-wheelers.
- Bengaluru-based Wahid, riding a TVS RTR 450, clocked 1 hour 02 min, 13 seconds to complete the challenging Special Stages set around the wind farms near the Kethanur (Palladam) area.
- The total distance of the route was approximately 145 km and total distance of the special stages was about 70 km.
- The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) was founded in 1971. It is a long-standing member of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA), the world bodies for 2/3 and 4 wheeler motor sport respectively.
6) Ban all Russians from Rio Olympics: WADA.
- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) called for Russia to be completely banned from the Rio Olympics and other international sport.
- The move comes after the release of a WADA - requested report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren that says Russia used a complex state-supported doping scheme at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
- Russia, which had strongly denied any state involvement, is already banned from international athletics by the world body, the IAAF, because of doping exposed last year.
7) Himachal wins champion trophy in All India Electricity Board Kabaddi tournament.
- Himachal Pradesh won the champion trophy in the 41st All India Electricity Board Kabaddi tournament held at Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu.
- Himachal Pradesh defeated Punjab 36-22.
- More than 15 teams from Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Delhi, and Haryana Electricity Boards competed in the four-day tournament.
8) China sends 416 athletes to Rio Olympics.
- China is sending 416 athletes in total to the Rio de Janeiro Games, including 35 former Olympic champions.
- China’s team includes 160 men and 256 women, who will compete in 210 events across 26 sports.
- China’s youngest competitor is 14-year-old swimmer Ai Yanhan. Beijing 2008 Olympics shooting champion Chen Ying, 39, is the oldest and will be appearing at her fourth Olympics.
- China won the second largest number of medals at the 2012 London Olympics after the United States, including 38 golds.
9) Samuels named West Indies Cricketer of the Year.
- Marlon Samuels was named the ODI Player of the Year and Cricketer of the Year at WICB`s annual awards.
- With 258 runs at an average of 36.85, he finished as the second-highest run-getter behind Australia captain Steven Smith in the tri-series in West Indies.
- Samuels had played a starring role in West Indies` World T20 title win in India.
- Stafanie Taylor scooped the Women`s T20 Player of the Year and ODI Player of the Year awards.
- Darren Bravo was named the Test Player of the Year while Dwayne Bravo took the Caribbean T20 Player of the Year award. Chris Gayle, meanwhile, bagged the T20 Player of the Year award.
10) Sony bags exclusive broadcast rights for International Champions Cup.
- Sony Pictures Networks India has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to telecast the 2016 edition of the International Champions Cup in India.
- The matches this year will be held across North America, Europe, Australia, and China, and will see 17 of the top clubs from across the world participating in the highly anticipated season opening tournament.
- The International Champions Cup 2016 is the first tournament of the 2016-17 football season and will kick-off the 2016-17 club season across the world.
11) Virat Kohli becomes first Indian captain to hit double hundred outside India.
- Virat Kohli the record breaking machine, added more milestones to his name on the second day of the first Test against West Indies.
- The latest record for the Indian skipper sees him go past Mohammad Azharuddin with the highest score by an Indian captain away from home.
- With his double ton, Kohli also enters the elite list of visiting captains with highest scores in West Indies – a list that includes the likes Sir Leonard Hutton, Steve Waugh, Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting.
12) Kiwi freediver William Trubridge sets world record.
- Kiwi William Trubridge has come back to set a new free diving world record of 102m.
- Trubridge plunged into the darkness of the world`s deepest marine cavern, Dean`s Blue Hole in the Bahamas.
- The world record is Trubridge`s 18th and his third of the year having broken his own free immersion (rope assisted dive).
13) Spain announces Lopetegui as Del Bosque`s replacement.
- Spain`s football federation named Julen Lopetegui as the new coach of the national team, replacing Vicente del Bosque.
- Del Bosque stepped down after eight years in charge following Spain`s elimination in the round of 16 of the European Championship.
- A former goalkeeper who started a handful of games for Real Madrid and Barcelona, Lopetegui played for Spain in the 1994 World Cup.
- Lopetegui coached Spain`s youth squads from 2010-14. Del Bosque left after leading Spain`s most successful generation of players to titles at the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship.
14) Allardyce set for England job confirms FA chairman Dyke.
- Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has confirmed Sam Allardyce will be hired as England’s next manager at an FA board meeting at Wembley.
- Allardyce has been selected by a three-man panel who decided the Sunderland boss was the best bet on a short-list.
- Dyke is due to step down after three years as FA chairman.
15) Keni Harrison breaks 28-year-old world hurdles record at Anniversary Games.
- American Keni Harrison broke a 28-year-old world record in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.20 seconds at the London Anniversary Games.
- Harrison, 23, was already the fastest woman in the world this year, but will not be at next month`s Olympics after finishing only sixth in the US trials.
- Harrison has run six of the seven fastest times this year, and two of the four fastest ever.