S P O R T

Greene, Jones for Sydney
SACRAMENTO (California), July 16  — At last, US sprint superstars Maurice Greene and Marion Jones are officially headed for the Olympics.

Sprinters Maurice Greene (C), Curtis Johnson (L) and Jon Drummond(R) celebrate on the podium after finishing 1,2,3 in t he men's 100 m race at the US Olympic Trials in Sacramento on Saturday. Greene won with a time of 10.01 seconds, Johnson was second with a time of 10.066 and Drummond was third with a time of 10.070 seconds. The three sprinters qualified for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney — Reuters

SA planning legal action
JOHANNESBURG, July 16  — Mr Irvin Khoza, Chairman of South Africa’s World Cup 2006 bid committee, is to meet a top Belgian lawyer in Brussels on Tuesday over a possible legal challenge to the vote which handed the tournament to Germany.

Football team ready for UK tour
London, July 16  — An Indian football team is scheduled to play three exhibition matches in Britain, two against local clubs and one against Bangladesh, later this month.

Zimbabwe beat West Indies
CHESTER-LE-STREET, July 16  — Zimbabwe beat West Indies by six wickets in the one day match at the Riverside Ground here today. Set to score 288 runs for victory Zimbabwe managed to score 290 for four with five balls remaining in the last over.

Cronje as guilty as Waugh, Warne?
SYDNEY, July 16  — Disgraced South African captain Hansie Cronje believes he is guilty of the same offence that led to fines to Australian Test cricketers Mark Waugh and Shane Warne in 1995.

George Best hits the bottle again
LONDON, July 16 — George Best, the Manchester United footballing legend, is drinking again after doctors warned one more drink could kill him, Britain’s News of the World reported today.

Code of conduct at Toronto
CHENNAI, July 16  — The Indian cricket board will enforce its code of conduct for the players from the Sahara Cup limited overs series against arch rivals Pakistan beginning at Toronto from September 9.

Lewis downs Botha in 2nd round
LONDON, July 16  — Britain’s Lennox Lewis successfully defended both his WBC and IBF world heavyweight titles here last night when referee Larry O’Connell stopped his fight with South African challenger Francois Botha in round two.

Countdown—12	Russian mafia posing a dilemma for security
SPORTS officials believed to be members or associates of the Russian mafia are on their way to Sydney for the Olympic Games, posing a dilemma for Australian immigration and security officials, a new book claims. The Great Olympic Swindle by investigative writer Andrew Jennings includes exclusive secret intelligence report from the United States, Russia and France which show that one of Moscow’s most powerful mobsters, Gafur Rakhimov, is a player in Olympic politics who could influence who wins medals.

Anand falls behind
DORTMUND, Germany, July 16  — Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand (5) of India fell behind in the race for the top prize when he was held to a draw by Hungarian Peter Leko (5) in the eighth and penultimate round of Sparkassen chess meeting super tournament being played here.

Manalo lifts Asian snooker title
MUMBAI, July 16  — Marlon Manalo of the Philippines prevailed over Noppadon Sangnil of Thailand 8-6 in the best-of-15-frames final to win the Asian Snooker Championship at Hong Kong.

REGIONAL SPORT BRIEFS

• Gymnastics team

• Sangeet pride of Abohar
  
  
  
  

 

Greene, Jones for Sydney

SACRAMENTO (California), July 16 (AFP) — At last, US sprint superstars Maurice Greene and Marion Jones are officially headed for the Olympics.

Greene, holder of the men’s 100m world record, erased the bitter memory of his failure to qualify for the 1996 Games with a 100m victory yesterday at the US Olympic Athletics Trials.

Even sweeter, he was joined by his HSI clubmates Curtis Johnson and John Drummond, who finished second and third, separated by only four-hundredths of a second.

“I made the Olympic team! I made the Olympic team!” crowed an ebullient Greene after he recovered from a mistake at the start to win the 100m final in 10.01sec. Johnson was second on 10.066 and Drummond third in 10.07.

Brian Lewis, who beat Greene in Helsinki last month, had the heartbreak berth, finishing fourth and out of the Olympic running in 10.09.

“I just feel great,” Greene said. “I came here to win the 100m and 200m, and the first half is over.

“I just want to know why I can’t have a final without stumbling,” said Greene, whose blocks slipped in Helsinki when he lost to Lewis. “But I’ve been in enough races now that if I make a mistake in the beginning, I can stay calm.”

In contrast, Jones made a picture-perfect start to her 100m, overtaking reigning Olympic champion Gail Devers at the 50m mark and winning easily in 10.88.

Devers, only the second woman to win consecutive 100m Olympic titles, faded, leaving Inger Miller and Chryste Gaines to finish second and third. “Crossing the finish line, I couldn’t have known how emotional it would be,” said Jones, who held her arms aloft and beamed as she crossed the line.

Although Jones has hammered home her desire to win five gold medals in Sydney for more than a year, the fact that she is now bound for Australia was slow to sink in.

“I don’t think it has hit me yet,” she said. “It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work, and now I’m on this team.”

She’ll be joined in Sydney by her husband, shot put world champion CJ Hunter, who finished second in a tightly-contested final won by Adam Nelson with a throw of 22.12m — best in the world this year. Jones found her expected victory unexpectedly emotional, but Miller and Gaines considered their performances a vindication.

Miller, eager to disprove critics who say her 200m world title would never have come had Jones been healthy enough to run that final, was clearly smarting over Michael Johnson’s published comments doubting her commitment and focus. “I think Michael has a lot to say,” Miller said. “Maybe he should untwist those beads in his hair. They’re a little too tight.”

That dig drew a guffaw from Greene, who has himself been stung by the remarks of his 200m rival.

“What can I say? Maybe he’d get some sense if he did,” Greene laughed as his manager gestured to him to keep quiet.

Miller, who has at times appeared irked by the attention focused on Jones and her five-gold campaign, said she had no quarrel with Jones’ ambitions — nor any desire to assist them. “She wants five gold medals. I want three. That puts me in the position of trying to stop her from doing it,” she said

“And I’m trying to stop both of them,” Gaines chimed in. “Somebody’s not going home with something.”

While Johnson’s knack for ruffling feathers was in evidence, the man himself calmly continued his inexorable progress with the fastest time of the 400m semi-finals.

The 200 and 400m world record-holder, trying to repeat the Olympic 200-400 double he achieved in Atlanta, posted a time of 44.63.

SA planning legal action

JOHANNESBURG, July 16 (Reuters) — Mr Irvin Khoza, Chairman of South Africa’s World Cup 2006 bid committee, is to meet a top Belgian lawyer in Brussels on Tuesday over a possible legal challenge to the vote which handed the tournament to Germany.

“It is imperative not just for South Africa, but for the future of football as a whole, that we get to the bottom of this,’’ Mr Khoza told Reuters today.

“Why must we keep quiet? What happened was unprecedented and we need to sort it out for the good of the game.’’

According to a report in the Sunday Telegraph in Britain, the South Africans were contacted by the Belgian lawyer who is an expert in Swiss law and who thinks the country may have legal grounds to call for a fifa re-vote.

Earlier this month, fifa’s 24-man executive voted 12-11 in favour of Germany to host the 2006 World Cup after the crucial abstention of Oceania representative Charles Dempsey who said he was subjected to intolerable pressure.

When the South African bid committee arrived back home from Zurich they immediately appointed lawyer Michael Katz with the task of investigating the voting process.

After a week of meetings, Mr Khoza says they have several options at their disposal.

“We are not clutching at straws here. The majority of the world agrees that what is taking place in fifa at present is wrong”.

“If Charles Dempsey was threatened with his life not to vote, then fifa must investigate that if it is a truly transparent organisation”.

“We have several options available to us, but I don’t want to pre-empt anything. This is a very sensitive issue and as such we want to be sure of our facts,’’ Mr Khoza said.

Mr Khoza is not concerned about the possible repercussions a legal challenge could have on South Africa’s image. Fifa president Sepp Blatter has already stated that the vote will stand.

“Fifa is a democratic organisation. If this Belgian lawyer believes that, under Swiss law, we have a case then we have to investigate it”.

“As I said, this is not just about South Africa. There are a lot of stakeholders in world football who fall under fifa. It is in their interests as well that we get to the bottom of this issue once and for all.’’

Mr Khoza expects to hold a Press conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday to announce the outcome of the meeting in Brussels. 

George Best hits the bottle again

LONDON, July 16 (DPA) — George Best, the Manchester United footballing legend, is drinking again after doctors warned one more drink could kill him, Britain’s News of the World reported today.

Best, 54, drank himself into oblivion on Thursday then slumped unconscious on a park bench. He was subsequently admitted to a health farm where the staff put him under 24-hour observation to make sure he stayed alive.

“He fell off the wagon after a row with his wife Alex. She is destroyed by this,” a friend told the populist weekly.

Best was found clutching a half-full bottle of champagne, curled up on a damp park bench and slumped into an alcoholic stupor after almost drinking himself to death.

Best began drinking on Thursday evening after an argument with 28-year-old Alex. He stormed out of their Chelsea home, headed for his local pub and ordered his first alcoholic drink in 18 weeks.

After sinking his first drink, George moved on to a wine bar in London’s West End.

Football team ready for UK tour

London, July 16 (IANS) — An Indian football team is scheduled to play three exhibition matches in Britain, two against local clubs and one against Bangladesh, later this month.

“This is the beginning of a new story for Indian football,” Mr Raj Purohit, who has organised the tour, told IANS. “Indian football needs this kind of experience and exposure to have a chance to compete in World Cup matches,” he added.

Mr Purohit was instrumental in getting Indian forward Baichung Bhutia a contract with Bury Football Club in the English second division league. Bhutia, who has scored several impressive goals for Bury, will lead the Indian team.

India will play English clubs Fulham on July 22, West Bromwich Albion on July 26 and Bangladesh on July 29. The three games will be telecast live on the state-owned Doordarshan. Indian football is not as far from the world league as everyone imagines, Mr Purohit said. The success of Bhutia has set the field for the Indian team, he added. “If an Indian player can do so well in the English league, we felt it was time for the whole Indian team to have a go,” he said.

Mr Purohit said, “India has many more Bhutias waiting to be discovered. That can happen only if the Indian team begins to play outside India.” Britain was chosen as the venue for these matches because of the “tremendous enthusiasm” of Indians here. “Indians here support Manchester United, Fulham and others but now they will be able to cheer an Indian team,” Mr Purohit said.

“I am very pleased that the Indian and Bangladeshi football teams will be coming to tour Britain,” Minister of Sports Kate Hoey said in a message. “There is immense interest in football in this country among our Asian communities, but the tour will have much wider appeal,” he added.

Everyone involved with the tour recognises that “the three games offer a unique opportunity for Indians, Bangladeshis and home supporters to witness this landmark event,” she said.

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Priya Ranjan Dashmunshi said: “It’s very exciting for players and supporters alike and we anticipate sellout crowds at the games and large TV audiences around Asia.”

The Indian team (club in brackets) — Goalkeepers: Sandip Nandy (Mohun Bagan), Vikrant Sharma (Delhi), Prasanto Dora (Tollygunge Agragami). Defenders: Hussain Mustafi (Mohun Bagan), Mahesh Gawli (Churchill Brothers), Prabhjot Singh (JCT), Daljit Singh (JCT). Midfielders: Basudeb Mondal (Mohun Bagan), Hardeep Saini (JCT), Renedy Singh (East Bengal), Jo Paul Ancheri (F.C. Kochin), Syed Sabir Pasha (Indian Bank). Forwards: Baichung Bhutia (Bury), Francis Xavier Silveira (Churchill Brothers), M. Bijen Singh (East Bengal), I.M. Vijayan (F.C. Kochin), Hardeep Gill (JCT).

Zimbabwe beat West Indies

CHESTER-LE-STREET, July 16 (Reuters) — Zimbabwe beat West Indies by six wickets in the one day match at the Riverside Ground here today. Set to score 288 runs for victory Zimbabwe managed to score 290 for four with five balls remaining in the last over.

Earlier, openers Sherwin Campbell and Wavell Hinds gave West Indies their best start of the triangular series. Campbell and Hinds completed a half-century stand in 13 overs. Zimbabwe have already booked their place.

West Indies previous best first-wicket partnership was 33 by Campbell and Adrian Griffith in the opening game of the tournament against Zimbabwe at Bristol.

Hinds, producing fluent off drives, a rasping square cut and a fine back foot force which all went to the boundary, played the dominant role after West Indies had won the toss on an overcast day with a chilly wind.

Left-hander Hinds was 41 not out and Campbell had made an unbeaten 26 as West Indies reached 79 without loss after 19 of their 50 overs.

West Indies made one change from the side thrashed by 10 wickets by England here on Saturday, replacing fast bowler Franklyn Rose with leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo. 

Cronje as guilty as Waugh, Warne?

SYDNEY, July 16 (AFP) — Disgraced South African captain Hansie Cronje believes he is guilty of the same offence that led to fines to Australian Test cricketers Mark Waugh and Shane Warne in 1995.

Cronje, who rocked the cricket world in April when he admitted taking money from bookmakers to influence games, told Channel Nine’s Sixty Minutes programme here tonight that the Australians had made “exactly” the same mistake.

On December 8, 1998 the Australian Cricket Board admitted it secretly fined Waugh and Warne in February 1995 for giving what it called routine pitch and weather details to bookmakers during Australia’s 1994 tour of Sri Lanka.

“They’re basically confessed to taking money from bookmakers and supplying information,” Cronje said.

“And it’s exactly what I did in a lot of my dealings and it is wrong.”

When asked if he sympathised with the two Australians, Cronje said: “I do and I think they will have a bit of sympathy for me.”

Code of conduct at Toronto

CHENNAI, July 16 (PTI) — The Indian cricket board will enforce its code of conduct for the players from the Sahara Cup limited overs series against arch rivals Pakistan beginning at Toronto from September 9.

The three-member committee nominated to approve the draft proposals will meet in Mumbai on July and the code of conduct proposals will be submitted to the Sports Minister on August 1.

“The board will first submit the code of conduct to the sports minister. It will be implemented from the next tournament (Sahara Cup)”, board President A C Muthiah stated it here.

The decision to draft a code of conduct for the players was taken at a meeting between board officials and the then ICC President Jagmohan Dalmiya in Calcutta soon after the match-fixing scandal broke out.

On allegations that the board spent nearly Rs 50 lakhs annually for its meetings and travels, Muthiah said “I have been saying that the BCCI accounts are open to any investigation by government agencies”.

“The accounts are audited by reputed firms and then passed by the general body. Emphasis is given only for development of cricket and expenses on administrative side is just a little over 10 per cent”, he said.

Muthiah also denied that the government had started interfering in board’s functioning after the match-fixing scam.

“There is no interference from the government. Rightly, the government is concerned about what we plan to do and what measures we are going to take after the match-fixing allegations”, he said.

“Russian mafia posing a dilemma for security
officials”
From Andy O’Brien

SPORTS officials believed to be members or associates of the Russian mafia are on their way to Sydney for the Olympic Games, posing a dilemma for Australian immigration and security officials, a new book claims. The Great Olympic Swindle by investigative writer Andrew Jennings includes exclusive secret intelligence report from the United States, Russia and France which show that one of Moscow’s most powerful mobsters, Gafur Rakhimov, is a player in Olympic politics who could influence who wins medals.

The Sydney Morning Herland on Saturday carried the first of three extracts from the book. Jennings details how Rakhimov, a senior official of the scandal-plagued International Amateur Boxing Federation, returned home from the Atlanta Games to a “hero’s welcome,” having positioned himself to take control of international amateur boxing “and the destiny of the boxing federation’s share of profits from the Sydney Games”.

“Rakhimov had come a long way in the few years since the collapse of the Soviet empire. Now there was nothing to hold back his spirit of enterprise, which would link the Olympic money machine to some of the most fearsome criminal gangs the world has ever seen, with a little help from one Juan Antonio Samaranch’s closest associates,” Jennings writes.

Jennings says the leaders of amateur boxing are close and willing associates of Rakhimov and any sensible country would not dream of admitting them. Rakhimov has already been barred from Western Europe.

Jennings says there are also concerns regarding the federation’s Pakistani president, Anwar Chowdhry, whose family enjoy cordial relations with Rakhimov and visit him in Tashkent.

Halal KFC for Muslim visitors
For our Muslim visitors to the Games, if you are looking to eat fast food but want halal then don’t worry. Sydney has an all-halal Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. In the fast-food business, the way of the innovator is not easy. An operation like KFC prides itself on delivering the same range of products from one end of the planet to the other. Diversity means inefficiency. That’s why the achievement of Chahine Chahine is so extraordinary. He has converted his KFC store in Bankstown, south of the main Olympic Stadium in Homebush, into Australia’s first fast-food outlet that is 100 per cent halal. Two years ago, when he was 23, it occurred to Chahine that the KFC store he was managing was missing out on thousands of potential customers because the Bankstown area has the city’s highest concentration of Muslims — mostly from Lebanon. It took two years of experimenting and arguing before he could find a company able to supply halal-killed chickens in the quantities he needed. Given the go-ahead, he removed the bacon fryer from the store, had an inspection to get a certificate from the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, advertised in Arabic newspapers and radio stations, and officially opened last week as halal-only (along with another KFC in Punchbowl).

Sydney 2004?
The really worrying news in recent days for the Sydney Olympics was buried deep in a long story published by The Wall Street Journal. The well-regarded US newspaper quietly dropped the following line in an article about the problems in Athens, host to the 2004 Games: “One International Olympic Committee member has suggested the possibility of holding the 2004 Games in Sydney.” Yep Sydney. In 2004. That would make it six Mondays and four years to go. It wasn’t so much the delays in the Athens preparations that were behind this bizarre suggestion. It was the assassination last month of British Army Brigadier Stephen Saunders by a terrorist group which has got a few people worried. That and the fact that this clique has apparently been hurling rockets and bombs at the Athens offices of upstanding Olympic citizens such as McDonald’s and IBM. Now while Sydney might have had its fair share of problems during the eternal years of preparations, at least they haven’t been killing people. The Olympic Games are simply too big and too slow coming for any city to endure them twice in a row. And besides, who would pay for them? Sure the facilities are all built, so that’s no problem, except maybe for aruging we’d need to leave the volleyball stadium on Bondi beach for four quick years. No, if Athens is off,the IOC will have to look elsewhere. Somewhere new, somewhere different. What about Fiji?

Reprieve for Freeman
The court case against 400-metres world champion Cathy Freeman has been abandoned until after the Olympics. Concerns about the impact of the case on her preparation had been expressed by freeman and the judge. This week, personal details of the dispute between freeman and her former managers, Nick Bideau (Freeman’s former lover) and Peter Jess, were revealed in court affidavits. On Thursday, Mr Jess said the pair had taken a commonsense approach and agreed to Freeman’s request to adjourn all legal proceedings until after the Olympics. The adjournment would leave Freeman free to pursue her Olympic efforts, Mr Jess said, Mr Jess said he and Mr Bideau, had made every attempt to settle the breach-of-contract case, but Freeman’s representatives had refused to negotiate. Freeman claims she was unaware she had earned nearly $ 3.5 million and of the details and beneficiaries of a complex trust structure controlling her finances. Freeman was “shocked and distressed” to receive a tax bill for one of the trusts of $ 400,000. Mr Jess accused Freeman of creating a media campaign to generate sympathy, and had denied the case was disrupting her Olympics preparation. He said she was not ignorant of her finances and sponsorships. — PMG

Anand falls behind

DORTMUND, Germany, July 16 (UNI) — Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand (5) of India fell behind in the race for the top prize when he was held to a draw by Hungarian Peter Leko (5) in the eighth and penultimate round of Sparkassen chess meeting super tournament being played here.

Top seeded Russian Vladimir Kramnik (5.5) moved into the lead with an emphatic win over tail-ender Dr Robert Hubner (2) of Germany. With only one round to go, Anand’s chances of catching Kramnik wrests on FIDE world champion Alexander Khalifman, who will take on Kramnik in the last round. Comparatively Anand has an easy outing against Hubner.

The “Junior6” camp had a gloomy look after Dutch grandmaster Jeroen Piket (3) scored a thumping win over the machine from the black side. Russian Evegeny Bareev’s blunder in an advantageous position elevated Armenian Vladimir Akopian (4.5) in the joint third spot.

Anand was surprised to see Leko opting for ultra sharp pelikan variation of Sicilian defence from the black side. Leko’s new move of his knight on his 13th turn forced Anand completely on defence.

Though the Chennai-born-Indian had a control over the central squares, his unsecured king in the centre and Leko’s pair of bishops placed the Hungarian in better position. The game reached an interesting stage with Anand locking all the avenues of attacks with perfect defensive play.

Here the Hungarian had an attack of nerves. He took everybody by surprise by accepting a draw on 24th move in a position live with ample opportunities for both the players. It was this attitude which had invited strong criticism and rebuke from the German organisers few years back.

Kramnik exhibited his class in one of the best games of the championship when he brushed aside Hubner with aggressive play. Kramnik’s new move was too much for the veteran German who was a candidate for the world championship 25 years ago.

Hubner managed to win a pawn but could not stop Kramnik’s pieces making inroads into the black position. When Kramnik established a total domination, Hubner gracefully resigned on 27th move.

Manalo lifts Asian snooker title

MUMBAI, July 16 (PTI) — Marlon Manalo of the Philippines prevailed over Noppadon Sangnil of Thailand 8-6 in the best-of-15-frames final to win the Asian Snooker Championship at Hong Kong.

Manalo, who finished runner-up in 1997, subdued his Thai rival after a marathon, nine-hour battle which was devoid of sparkle to lift the title for the first time, according to information received here.

In the final, which was held in two sessions, the Filipino jumped to a 5-2 lead after four-and-a-half hours of play when the match was halted by the referee.

Four plus-30 breaks, including the highest of 35, helped Manalo take the lead while Thai number two Sangnil had a best effort of 48, which was also the highest of the title-clash, to show for during this session.

The Thai cueist came back strongly at the start of the second session by clinching the first two frames contested after the break to narrow his rival’s lead to 5-4 but allowed Manalo to steal the 10th with a run of 32.

REGIONAL SPORT BRIEFS

Gymnastics team
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, July 16 — The Gymnastics Federation of India has selected a six-member Indian Junior team, including three girls, for the second ‘Childrren of Asia’ Games to be held at Yakutsk (Russia) from August 4 to 13. According to a press note of the GFI, the team was selected on the basis of trials held at NIS, Patiala. Two Punjab eves figure in team. The team will attend a coaching camp till their departure for the meet.

The team boys: Rohit Jaswal, Udai Bhaskar Singh and Sanjay Chowdhry (all UP); girls: Rohika and Meenakshi (both Punjab) and Nabonita (West Bengal).

Sangeet pride of Abohar
From Raj Sadosh

ABOHAR: After matric topper Jyoti Mittal, another school girl Sangeet Matharu has done proud to the town. She was in the national team for the International Youth Netball Tournament held at Hong Kong. She is the first school girl of the town to participate in an event at the international level. Earlier this distinction was held only by archery boys.