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| SPORTS TRIBUNE | Saturday, September 1, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
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Drug
syndrome: the harsh realities Cheema
is world champion From
swimmer to tennis star TEEING-OFF
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Drug syndrome: the harsh realities THE suspension of woman weightlifter Kunjarani Devi for six months by the International Weightlifting Federation brings home the all too harsh fact of the drug menace haunting the Indian sports scene. Kunjarani who has won more than 50 medals on the international stage, is reported to have tested positive for the stimulant, strychnine, at the Asian Championship held at Jeon Jun, South Korea, in the second week of July. The lifter had won two gold and a silver medal in the 48 kg category in the championship. She has been asked to return the medals. Kunjarani has denied taking any drugs and has gone on appeal. The immediate effect of her six-month suspension will be felt in the forthcoming Afro Asian Games to be held in Delhi in November. India will be without one medal prospect. A lifter of remarkable talent, Kunjarani has been rated as one of the top lifters in the world and has even occupied the No 1 position in her weight category for a short period. Knowing the lifter’s record one is tempted to believe that there was something drastically wrong with the whole process gone through at the time of testing. Kunjarani has talked about procedural irregularities during the time of testing. The subterfuge may or may not stand scrutiny since she has signed on the dotted line. Perhaps there was no one to advise her from the Indian camp. It is rather sad that this sort of thing happened with Kunjarani, one of the most experienced woman lifters in the country. In fact she could well be said to be a pioneer in this field, having began her affair with the barbell nearly 15 years ago and representing the country with a rare degree of success in a majority of internationals. But one has to face facts. An Indian weightlifter has tested positive and has been suspended for six months. That is the undeniable fact. Kunjarani may now have the doubtful honour of being the first woman from India to be tested positive but there is no denying that weightlifting as a discipline has always been susceptible to drugs and such pressures and Indian men have been caught and suspended in the past. In fact it started way back in the early 90s when an Indian lifter was tested positive during the Commonwealth Games. Since then the Weightlifting Federation has been very particular and careful and has even kept back a number of lifters from going abroad for competitions on the basis of tests carried out at home. From Kunjarani’s experience, however, one wonders if the results of those tests were authentic. By its own admission the facilities at the SAI centre in Delhi is not adequate and foolproof. Kunjarani, it is reported, was cleared by the tests carried out in Delhi. There are lessons to be learnt from the present case. First and foremost one must accept the realities of the situation; accept that Indian sportsmen and sportswomen are not all that innocent and that drug abuse is certainly an “in-thing” with quite a number of our gladiators. Kunjarani may be the first woman to be “caught” but she is certainly not the first Indian in the net. One recalls the time when our powerlifters were caught and suspended to add to the lifter in the Commonwealth. And then there is the case of a few of the athletes coming under the shadow of the drug detectives, and being sidelined for a few years. Once we accept the fact the drug taking is common enough then it is easy to find the remedial measures. First and foremost the government must update the laboratory at the SAI in Delhi and to get it recognised by the international body. After that the next step is to conduct routine checks to ensure that the sports community is kept free from drugs. Regular testing will then ensure that only drug-free sportspersons would be taking part in competitions abroad. Drug abuse by sportspersons must be stopped and it must be stopped not by punishment alone but by making them see and realise the dangers from it. Another step in this direction is to get the government to issue instructions to the chemists not to sell any medicine which may contain some of the banned elements without a prescription from a qualified doctor. At the moment quite a few of the drugs are reportedly available in the open market and not all the chemists observe the rules regarding regular prescriptions. Some sort of tightening is very necessary in this direction. The federations of course have a special responsibility and not all of them appear to have understood the seriousness of drug abuse. In fact most of the federation officials and coaches are reportedly quite ignorant about the various types of drugs and medicines and the effect they have on the sportspersons. The federations should work to bring out a handbook on the subject and ensure that each and every coach makes a thorough study of it. This is not a very tall order. As a matter of fact nothing could be more easy than to keep a ready reference of this nature and if necessary use it educate the sportspersons on a regular basis on the subject. A thorough knowledge in sports medicine and the possible objectionable elements present in drugs given for common ailments like cold and cough could save the coach and the sportspersons quite a lot of embarrassment. One would like to think that Aparna Popat who was suspended for six months by the International Badminton Federation was a victim of chance. She apparently suffered from a cold and the medicine she took to fight it contained some banned drugs. But neither she nor the coach knew of it at that time and certainly the Arjuna Awards Committee were equally ignorant when they decided to bypass her name for the honours. But then the whole process in India is so full of contradictions that while it one case the committee is reported to have quoted the action by the International Badminton Federation to suit to deny Aparna Popat an Arjuna Award the same group of people reportedly appear to overlook similar complaints against some people in other disciplines. One sincerely hopes Kunjarani will be reinstated with full honours and that she will look back on the present episode as a bad dream. Her positive testing for drugs and the sentence of six months suspension however should serve as a wake-up call to the entire sports fraternity. Drug abuse is not only bad for health but it is almost criminal. It amounts to taking unfair advantage on the field of sport and performances recorded under outside influence have no meaning at all. |
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Cheema is world champion IN 1952, when matman K.D. Jadhav, a Maharashtrian, won a bronze medal in the Helsinki Olympics, the entire Indian wrestling community was agog with jubilation, and rightly so. For more than three decades after that, no Indian sportsperson could win the world title in any sport discipline. It is champagne and caviare time now in the wake of Palvinder Cheema’s superlative performance in the ninth freestyle and Greco-Roman Junior World Wrestling Championship in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), held from August 9 to 13, where he won a gold medal in 130 kg weight category, beating Ali Nazarazi of Iran in the final. “I cannot believe it. It is a dream come true,” Cheema said after the bout, though it was not a fluke victory as he had beaten the Russian top matman Alexander Mokaba, who was world champion in 2000, in the semis. There were world’s top notch wrestlers from as many as 21 countries and Cheema’s performance is the best thing to happen to Indian wrestling which had lately declined. Compatriot Ramesh Kumar (69 kg) too won a gold medal along with Cheema which proves that the Indian wrestling scenario has overcome the murkiness that loomed large for quite sometime on our matmen. Assistant Sub-Inspector (Punjab Police) Cheema is the grandson of the late Kesar Singh Cheema, a renowned wrestler and contemporary of the great Gama. Kesar Singh Cheema was not only an Olympian but also Rustam-e-Hind, a title he held from 1951 to 1961. For Kesar Singh, wrestling was a passion. I was a frequent visitor to his residence, popularly known as Kesar Bagh in Patiala. It is still fresh in my mind the stories he told me about Gama and his lifestyle. “When Gama was awake, most of the time he trained, and when he got tired, he slept. During leisure time, he played chess. He was fully patronised by the Maharaja of Patiala. In 1946 the late Maharaja Yadavindra Singh told him to leave to Pakistan else he will get killed in the wake of Partition and he left for Lahore where he died a pauper.” One fine evening I was with Kesar Singh Cheema at his residence. I was having a pow-wow with him when a child of about five years of age came sobbing and complained to his grand-father that he has been scolded by his mother. Kesar Singh Cheema took him in his lap and said to me: “He is the future wrestling champion of India.” The boy was Palvinder Cheema, now a celebrity. Palvinder Cheema basically trains at the akhara in Kesar Bagh run by his illustrious father Sukhchain Cheema, an international wrestler himself. “I provide free lodging and training facilities to the upcoming wrestlers who come to my akhara. Till date I have produced half a dozen international wrestlers: Palvinder Cheema, Ramesh Kumar, Sandip Dhaiya, Sajjan Pal, Mahipal, Gurmukh Singh. The akhara was run by my father who died in 1990 when I took over it,” says Sukhchain Cheema. Palvinder Cheema was born on November 11, 1982, weights 128 kg and is 6’-6” tall. He won the Rustam-e-Hind title on November 28, 1999 at Hoshiarpur (Punjab) and went on to win the Rustam-e-Asia title on March 23, 2001 in Dubai, besides a string of other accomplishments and awards. Cheema’s success story belongs to his father and mother, Mrs Harjinder Cheema, who have encouraged and inspired him to the fullest. Says Mrs Harjinder Cheema in a modest tone: “I have always encouraged my sons to pursue wrestling with zeal. I was a hockey player as also an athlete and therefore I encourage my sons to sport.” Palvinder Cheema’s younger brother is about 15 years of age and is an upcoming wrestler called Tejpal Cheema. Kesar Bagh seems to be a hallowed place. For, it was here that the famed Gama trained and tested the prowess of the best of wrestlers in the country before he migrated to Pakistan. All credit to the national wrestling coaches, especially the foreign wrestling expert from Belarus, Stanislav Harlo, Sukhchain Cheema, P.S. Sondhi who worked very hard in the national coaching camp at the NIS before the Indian wrestling contingent left for Tashkent to participate in the ninth Junior World Wrestling Championship. The senior world wrestling championship is in New York from September 25 and if Cheema participates in it, all eyes in the country will be focused on his performance. |
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From swimmer to tennis star SANIA
Mirza, the only Indian player to get direct entry at the US Open in the junior category, started playing the game when she was just six. An avid swimmer as a child, Sania took to the racquet on the advice of her father Imran Mirza, a civil contractor who used to play cricket. “Initially she was reluctant but soon realised her own potential,” said the proud father of the 15-year-old. This will be her third successive appearance at Grand Slam tournaments this season, after playing at the French Open and Wimbledon. Imran — who used to bring out the monthly magazine Sports Call — said he could spot his daughter’s extraordinary talent, as he had been a sportsman himself. In fact, the upper middle class family boasts of many sportspersons — former Indian cricket captain Ghulam Ahmed was a relative. A student of Class 10 at Nasr School in Hyderabad, Sania has put India on the map of international tennis. Her world singles ranking is 37 in the under 18 category while her doubles ranking is 73. She became the youngest Indian to play at Wimbledon in June. Sania’s mother Nasima, a housewife, accompanies her during her tours. The tennis player has a six-year-old sister, Anaam. Sania began playing at the Nizam Club in Hyderabad. She learnt the game at Sinnet Tennis Academy in neighbouring Secunderabad before finally moving to Ace Tennis Academy in the USA. Her father feels Sania’s temperament is her strongest point. “Very few people of her age have a cool temperament.” From the beginning, Imran said, she was advised to enjoy the game and put in her best, irrespective of victory or defeat. “The secret of her success is that she is never under any kind of pressure.” With sheer hard work and determination she soon emerged as a promising player on the women’s circuit. Sania, whose strong points are her ground strokes and aggressive approach, played her first international tournament in 1999 when she represented India at the World Junior Championship at Jakarta. Victory at this event boosted her confidence. She won several national tournaments including the Adidas Masters Tournament for under 14s and under 16s. She was also the winner of the ITF junior world ranking tennis tournament in Mumbai last year. Her victories at last month’s tournaments in Egypt and South Africa improved her world ranking to 37. She entered the girls’ singles quarterfinal of Grade-Four Smash Tennis International World Ranking Junior Championship in Cairo and won the girls’ singles and doubles titles at Movenpick Grade-Three International Tennis Junior Tournament at Giza, Egypt. She was the semi-finalist in the Kwala Zulu tournament in South Africa. She won six singles and five doubles in various grades of world ranking junior tournaments during the last year and a half. Since no tennis academy in Hyderabad has a synthetic surface, Sania currently practises at a private court under the watchful eyes of her coaches Prahlad Jain and Praveen Bhargava. “I hope she will continue her winning spree. I am confident that more international exposure will further improve her game,” said Bhargava. G.V.K Reddy, chairman of the G.V.K Group that is sponsoring Sania, is confident she will bring more laurels to the country. “With her splendid performance she is setting an example for youngsters,” he said.
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TEEING-OFF VIVEK
Bhandari had won a major title four years ago. He had raised visions of expectancy that he would continue to burn the courses in India and abroad. But his luck ran out as he suddenly developed a “neck” ailment, which stood between him and his golf development. In Bangalore, Bhandari, a gentleman player of exceptional temperament and technique, wore the same smile that he had worn four years ago. Free from any pain, he played like a champion. He was consistent in everything that he did on the picturesque course. He bagged the Hero Honda Open title, stealing a decisive march over his rivals. Bhandari, a stylist, shot 13 under-par 275 to win Rs 1.62 lakh of the total prize money of Rs 10 lakh. He seemed satisfied with his display. As he played the final hole and realised that he was a comfortable winner. He, in his typical style, merely said: “My luck seems to have changed”. Only 29, Bhandari is a player to like and admire. He stays humble in victory and modest in defeat. Friendly and helpful to all, particularly the caddy clan, his triumph after such a long drought, delighted everyone. Even his rivals were pleased that he had returned to display his talent and skill. What is most remarkable about him is that his behaviour and attitude off the course are impeccable. If Bhandari’s physical problems do not resurface, he should be able to make his clubs talk as the season unfolds. Those who have watched him play, feel that he is a type of a player, who should secure, more laurels than he has so far. Kolkata’s caddy-turned-pro Feroz Ali, came from behind to become runner-up with 281. He also played superb golf. His final round of five-under 67, showed what a fine exponent he was. Jyoti Randhawa was not in his elements. He played erratically. He could fire 284. His final round of 75 saw him feel disappointed with his game. Zaheer in Action Pakistan’s Zaheer Abbas gave evidence of his prowess as he played four-ball with another legendary cricket player, Kapil Dev. Other two in the fray were Johnny Suri, former Delhi Golf Club captain, and Rajesh Tomar. Zaheer, a little heavier than what he was during his cricket days, hit the ball long. He was also consistent in his short game. It was great to watch two great cricket players in action. Zaheer, who made a stop-over at Delhi after attending the Asian Cricket Championship Technical committee meeting at Kolkata, was disappointed that the ATC was not exactly taking off as India had pulled out of the competition. He feels — as many others do — that politics should not be mixed with sports. But this is easier saying than happening because sub-continent sports is in the clutches of politicians. The four-ball was won by Kapil Dev and his partner, but both Zaheer and his friend, Johnny impressed everyone. Who won or who lost was of little consequence. |
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England restore pride ENGLAND restored their battered pride and reputation to some extent by winning the fourth Ashes Test against Australia by six wickets. The hero of their unexpected but remarkable victory was Mark Butcher who hammered a splendid unbeaten 173. His career best sterling knock set up his side’s superb victory over the world’s best cricket team. Butcher had been discarded a year-and-a-half ago and was not considered for the current Ashes series. Hit by a string of injuries to some key players, England had no option but to recall him. And he justified his recall by producing a match winning and magnificent performance in the fourth Test and thus rescued England from being white-washed in the five-match series. He treated the best bowling attack of the world with utter disdain. His 181-run partnership with skipper Nasser Hussain was simply amazing. His was one of the great Ashes performances. Hats off to him! TARSEM S. BUMRAH,
Batala Indian victory India’s victory in the second-Test is laudable. Both Dravid and Ganguly faced Muralitharan with confidence. The victory against Sri Lanka was not only a big comeback but also gave the Indians psychological advantage. Let us hope the Indian cricketers keep up the good show. PROF
Y. L. CHOPRA, Bathinda Harbhajan’s batting Spineless batting by the Indian cricket team has eroded our prestige considerably. After the humiliating debacle in the one-day series we are back to square one in the Test series against Sri Lanka. Top batsman seen to be determined not to perform any better. The tail always performs better. Harbhajan and others have shown the way how to bat. In the second Test at Kandy he scored 44 runs in 32 balls. What a performance! Any lesson for Ganguly ? KARNAIL SINGH,
Ranjit Sagar Dam |
