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| Sunday, August 20, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Gibbs, Williams plead guilty JOHANNESBURG, Aug 19 — South African cricketers Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams pleaded guilty today to accepting an offer cash to under-perform in a one-day international match in India. BCCI to discuss Kapil’s
remarks Gopi Chand storms
into last 8 Agassi advances to semis |
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 Marathon secret tied in shoelacesHOW will spectators keep track of Olympic marathoners next month? The secret is all tied up in their shoelaces. In an Olympic first, all competitors will wear a five gram transponder chip in their laces. The transponders will be detected by antennas at 5 km intervals. The antennas will transmit instant signals detailing runners’ positions and split times to media, officials and electronic stadium scoreboards. Dhindsa: efforts on to extradite
Cronje Weightlifting team to be selected today Williams, Hingis move
into last four Ramesh, Kidambi win
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JOHANNESBURG, Aug 19 (Reuters) — South African cricketers Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams pleaded guilty today to accepting an offer cash to under-perform in a one-day international match in India. The players made the confession while appearing before the United Cricket Board (UCB) disciplinary commission into the match-fixing scandal involving former South African captain Hansie Cronje. “They plead guilty to the charges,” said Mike Fitzgerald, senior counsel for the pair. Both admitted to accepting an offer of $15,000 from Cronje before a match in Nagpur earlier this year. Gibbs was also charged with brining the game into disrepute by lying to the UCB when he denied receiving any offers of financial reward after the scandal broke. Mr Fitzgerald called for a suspended sentence for his clients, arguing that both Gibbs and Williams had not carried out the plan to throw the match and were heavily influenced by Cronje. “My submission would be that the appropriate sentence would be a suspended one on the conditions that they do not offend again,” he said. The plan was for opening batsman Gibbs to score fewer than 20 runs, while medium pace bowler Williams was to concede more than 50 runs in his 10 overs. However, UCB representative Brendan Manca called for a harsher sentence saying that the commission would not lose sight of the seriousness of the charges against the cricketers. “If the sentence is totally suspended it might not send out the right signals,” said Manca, adding that the UCB had not instructed him to make any recommendations as to the severity of the sentence. Pieter Strydom, pleaded not guilty to charges of breaching the players’ Code of Conduct and bringing the game into disrepute by agreeing to place a bet on the outcome of a match between South Africa and England in January. Strydom’s legal counsel Izak Smuts said although his client had discussed placing a bet with Cronje, he did not carry out the plan as he was told that the book had been closed when he telephoned an acquaintance with bookmaking contacts. Strydom admitted during earlier hearings that he had agreed to place 50 rand ($7.20) bets on for both of them, but had been unable to secure the odds on the rain-affected match. The sentences on Gibbs, Williams and Strydom are expected to be announced on August 28.
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BCCI to discuss Kapil’s remarks BANGALORE, Aug 19 (PTI) — The cricket board’s working committee will discuss tomorrow the reported statement of national coach Kapil Dev criticising it of being unprofessional, board president A.C. Muthiah said today. “We will discuss it in the board here tomorrow. It will naturally come up. Members will raise the issue”, Mr Muthiah told newsmen here. Kapil Dev had in New Delhi yesterday reportedly criticised the board saying it “should have a spokesman to deal with the media and it should have a specific policy.” “Is he (Kapil Dev) making a general statement or is it a complaint? we do not know”, Mr Muthiah said. Former International Cricket Council chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, reacting to Kapil Dev’s outburst yesterday at New Delhi expressing desire to have nothing to do with the game, said: “He is a great cricketer. But it’s individual (Kapil Dev’s remarks). “What he has said, why he has said neither I know nor I am competent to talk,” Mr Dalmiya told reporters here. But as far as (Dalmiya) is considered, he wanted to have nothing to do with the game once his term as ICC chief was over. “But I am shamelessly hanging around since. I want to prove that I am innocent....you want to come stronger,” Mr Dalmiya, who was questioned by the IT Department in connection with disproportionate assets case, said. Responding to questions, he said it was good in a way that the CBI and the IT Department were probing the issue of match-fixing and disproportionate assets cases. “If you have no skeletons in your cupboard... You come out strongly and you are able to serve better,” he said. Mr Dalmiya said following the match-fixing controversy, cricket in the world had taken a beating and the game was facing a crisis, noting that enquiries were going on in England, India, South Africa, New Zealand and Pakistan. “But the way enquiries are going on, it should not be allowed to become a platform to settle personal scores or seek personal publicity.” Asked if in his opinion the enquiries were now turning into a platform to settle personal scores, he replied, “may be” but did not elaborate. Mr Dalmiya said the Asia Cup would be conducted by the Asia Cricket Foundation (ACF) and not by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). He said the ACC was the parent body the ACF its “important arm”. Earlier, top cricket administrators, led by Mr Muthiah, formally inaugurated the indoor stadium at the Karnataka State Cricket Association here. |
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Gopi Chand storms
into last 8 NEW DELHI, Aug 19 (PTI) — Indian national champion Pullela Gopi Chand, aiming to claim his first Grand Slam title, stormed into the men’s singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open Championship, beating China’s world No 7 Ji Xin Peng in straight games in Kuala Lumpur. The 10th seeded Gopi Chand, the lone Indian in the fray after compatriot Abishek Bakshi had lost to Park Tae Sang of Korea in the second round, kept Indian hopes alive with a 15-13 15-7 victory over this year’s Japan Open winner in the third round at the Malawati Stadium in the Malaysian capital. Earlier in the day yesterday, Bakshi lost 15-3 15-7 to the Korean, who in turn went on to lose to Chen Hong 3-15 8-15 in the third round, according to information received from the International Badminton Federation here today. Six Indians including Olympics-bound women’s national champion Aparna Popat were ousted in the first round itself. Gopi Chand, who reached pre-quarters beating Ramesh Nathan of Malaysia 12-15 15-4 15-2, was again engaged in a close first game against Ji, but managed to scrape through 15-13. In the second game, the 27-year-old Indian maintained the upper hand throughout and did not let his fourth seeded Chinese rival make a comeback. Gopi Chand will take on Malaysia Ong Ewe Hock in the quarterfinals. ‘‘It was close in the first game against Ji. But once I got adjusted to his style, I was able to place my shots accurately. But it will be tough for me tomorrow. Ewe Hock will have the home advantage,’’ said Gopi Chand. Two more men’s seeded players fell by the wayside on the exciting second day at the Malawati Stadium.
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Agassi advances to semis WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (AFP) — Andre Agassi’s injured back passed its ultimate endurance test here on Friday as the reigning us Open champion declared himself fit and ready to begin defence of his Grand Slam crown. Top seed and two-time defending champion Agassi advanced to the semifinals of the $ 800,000
ATP Washington Classic here yesterday, downing fellow American Andy Roddick 6-4, 6-4 in a match twice halted by rain. The 30-year-old American then immediately paired with Sargis Sargsian to win a three-set doubles match on a chilly night. Back spasms caused by a July auto accident that led to his early ouster the past two weeks appear to be over. “Today was the ultimate test,” Agassi said. “I came off a hard match and then went right back out into doubles. Agassi advanced to a semi-final Germany’s David Prinosil, who ousted sixth seed Byron Black of Zimbabwe 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. Second seed Alex Corretja of Spain had a tougher time but subdued Australian Wayne Arthurs 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3 to reach semifinal against German third seed Nicolas Kiefer, who ousted fifth seed Jan-Michael Gambill 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Agassi, seeking his sixth here title in 11 years, needed only 66 minutes on the court to defeated the 17 year old Australian Open junior champion. |
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Dhindsa: efforts on to extradite Cronje NEW DELHI, Aug 19 (PTI) —Sports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has said the government was making concentrated efforts for the extradition of disgraced South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje. “We are in touch with the South African government and the Delhi police is making frantic efforts for the extradition of Cronje to India,” Mr Dhindsa, participating in the ‘Janta Ki Adalat’ programme to be broadcast on Star Plus tomorrow, said, according to a press release today. Talking on the myraid number of legal problems plaguing the investigation of the match-fixing saga, Mr Dhindsa said “I cannot say anything about the legal points, nor do I know much. Bofors kaand hua, chara ghotala hua, usme kya hua? Lekin ye to log jaante hai ki ghotala hua. (What happened in the Bofors scandal and fodder scams? But people know something wrong happened). Law will take its own course”. Mr Dhindsa denied he was biased against cricketers and said, “I have said this in Parliamnet, the guilty will not be spared, but the innocent should not be victims of slander”. He said, “I am formulating a new sports policy whrein the Sports Federations will be made accountable to the nation without affecting their autonomy”. He denied allegations about having said anything about granting autonomy to the BCCI, “Even today I stand by my view on autonomy. I has never asked for an end to BCCI’s autonomy, but definitely, be it any federation, it should be first accountable to the nation”. Asked about India’s stand on bilateral series with Pakistan in the backdrop of violence perpetrated by mercenaries from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Dhindsa said: “Will the nation even now tolerate friendly matches with Pakistan in this atmosphere? In Olympics, the spirit is competitive, not friendly... as for the World Cup, we will consider when there is proposal. Today I cannot commit anything”. When questioned about his federation, he said the cycling federation had shown tremendous improvement under his stewardship. “For the last 10 years the federation had been in a very bad
state and the cyclists had suffered. It had gone from being a priority game to non-priority and no competitions were being held. Now the work has started again”. |
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Weightlifting team to be selected today NEW DELHI, Aug 19 — A 10-member “expert” panel will select the three-member weightlifting team — one male and two female weightlifters — for the Sydney Olympic Games at Patiala tomorrow. The ad-hoc committee of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, under the aegis of the Indian Olympic Association, has constituted a 10-member “seasoned weightlifting experts” panel to pick the lifters, without “fear or favour”. The last date for submission of the Olympic team’s list is August 25, and according to sources, the selection date was fixed for August 20, so that there was enough time for the weightlifters to improve their performance, and get into peak form. Some of the weightlifters had reportedly put on more body weight than their weight category permits, but that can be taken care of as there is still enough time to sort that out as the official weighing-in is done only two hours before the commencement of a particular weight category competition. The weightlifters in contention are T. Muthu (56kg) and Dalbir Singh (plus 105kg) in the men’s section, and Karnam Malleswari (63kg), Kunjarani Devi (48kg) and Sanamacha Chanu (53kg) in the women’s. In the men’s section, Dalbir’s name has been floating around as the probable candidate for the Olympic Games as the Asian and Commonwealth Games silver medallist, who has been selected for the Arjuna Award this year. He has been consistent in his performance, while Muthu has been in and out of the national camp after winning the Arjuna Award last year, due to his father’s illness. India in any case do not fancy their medal chances in the men’s section and therefore it would not make much of a difference whether Dalbir or Muthu gets the nod, though for the lifter concerned, it would indeed be a great honour to represent the country in the Olympics. But it is in the women’s section that the “experts” would find making their choices rather tricky, as the Indian women are perceived to be at least bronze medal prospects in the iron sport which is being introduced in the Olympics for the first time. Twice Asian Games silver medallist Karnam Malleswari may get the nod by the sheer weight of her past achievements, and also because she falls in a different weight category than both Kunjarani and Sanamacha Chanu. The supporters of Sanamacha argue that India earned the lone qualifying slot on the strength of her performance in the Asian Championship at Osaka in April this year where she competed in the 53kg, and struck it rich, while India earned the two other Olympic slots through “invitation cards” due to the efforts of Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Randhir Singh. The critics of Sanamacha, however, point out that she has never won a medal in the world championships, unlike Malleswari and Kunjarani, and in the Athens world championship last year, where she competed in the 48kg category, she had failed in all her snatches, and did not figure among the first 25 lifters. Kunjarani’s supporters say she has won 21 medals in the world championships, and at Athens, her silver medal in jerk, despite lifting in the ‘B’ group, was the only saving grace for India. But she was a total let down in the Asian championship at Osaka. Malleswari’s another plus point is that the foreign coach, Tarananko, was brought in for a second time, particularly on her request, and the selectors obviously would find it difficult to go against the advise of the coach, though it is another
matter that there is considerable resentment against his presence, among the Indian coaches. The expert panel comprises IWF ad-hoc committee members Balbir Singh and Gopal Kanra, former Olympian and Arjuna Award winner L K Das, former international and Arjuna awardee Tamilselvan, K K Sood of Haryana, KPS Nagra, R R Singh, H S Bansal,
Venkaiah Naidu and an official from the Karnataka body. |
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Williams, Hingis move
into last four MONTREAL, Aug 19 (AP) — As the thundering serves and groundstrokes flew past a helpless Amy Frazier, Serena Williams knew she was “in zone.” “Remember this date because I’ll probably never say this again — I’m satisfied with how I played,”
Williams said after her 6-0, 6-1 quarterfinal victory over the 16th-seeded Frazier in the Du Maurier Open yesterday. “I didn’t make many errors. I didn’t hit too hard, too crazy. Whatever she did, I was ready for it. It all came together today.” Williams could recall only twice before being as sharp — for one set of a match against sister Venus in Munich, last year and again in Miami against what she called “some player.” This match was even easier than her two-set third-round win over Anna Kournikova on Thursday, which she had described as “slightly close.” And it seems that when Williams is hot, there’s little her opponent can do. “If I didn’t hit a perfect shot, she’d hit a winner,” said Frazier, who nonetheless was hesitant, as many at Du Maurier Stadium have, to concede the tournament to Williams. “All the top players are powerful, quick and strong,” Frazier said. Top players are all that’s left in the $1.08 million event. In the semifinals, Williams will play No. 7 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, and top-seeded Martina Hingis will face No. 3 Conchita Martinez. Hingis survived a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 battle with No. 8 Sandrin Testud, Martinez beat Anne Kremer of Luxembourg 6-2, 6-4 and Sanchez Vicario defeated Bulgaria’s Magdalena Maleeva 6-1, 6-4. Hingis is 11-0 against Testud, including a trio of three-set wins in the Du Maurier. “I’ve always had that little edge over her,” Hingis said. Hingis has an 8-3 record against Martinez, but lost in their last meeting at this year’s German Open. Martinez crept almost unnoticed into the semifinals. She had a first-round bye, got past Anne Miller in three sets in the second round and won a third-round walkover on Thursday when Julie Halard-Decugis withdrew with a lower back injury. “A dream? No,” said Martinez, 28, who has climbed back to sixth in world rankings after two weak seasons. “It’s pretty real. It was weird not playing in the third round because Julie got injured, but I’m playing good tennis.” For the second straight day, Williams delighted the crowd by doing her postmatch on-court interviews in French. When reporters asked about the warm reception her remarks received, she said: “I don’t think anyone expected me to speak French,” she said. “I’m American. No American has ever learned another language.” Her victory extended the Williams family streak to 28 consecutive wins against all opponents except one another. Between them, Serena and Venus have won four straight tournaments, beginning with Wimbledon.
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Ramesh, Kidambi win AMSTERDAM, Aug 19 (PTI) — International Master R.B. Ramesh returned to his winning ways after a devastating sixth round against Russian GM Tregubov when he beat Dutchman Hendriks in the Lost Boys International Open Chess Tournament, but his chances for the GM norm, though alive, have gone to the wire. Facing pric defence of Hendriks, Ramesh obtained a solid advantage from the beginning on the queenside. He executed a tricky move gaining a double bishop advantage and won a pawn. Then he missed a simple win and complicated the task giving lot of counterplay to Hendriks. In a rook and bishop versus rook and knight ending Ramesh won the game in 64 moves to take his tally to five points Ramesh meets GM Nijboer with white pieces in the penultimate round and needs 1.5 points to make the elusive GM norm from the two rounds. Grandmaster Mikhail Gurevich took the sole lead with six points at the end of the seventh round. Gurevich showed great understanding of the black side of the French defence classical variation to outplay Nijboer of the Netherlands. He sacrificed an exchange for two pawns and won the game in 40 moves and led the table with half a point. Also following in the footsteps of Ramesh, former junior national champion S. Kidambi scored a crushing victory over unrated Hoevens of the Netherlands. Playing the Gligoric variation from the white side against the kings Indian defence, Kidambi got space advantage in the centre. He then won an exchange and gradually outplayed his opponent to take his tally to four points. All the other Indians, however, lost in contrasting manners. T.S. Ravi was clearly better for most of the game against Van der Werf with white pieces and the center-counter opening. Ravi played aggressively on the kingside and pushed back Werf’s pieces to passive positions. He then went on to win a pawn on the queenside with a clever knight manouver. From here on Ravi (4) got into his by now routine time pressure and spoiled the position to lose a pawn himself in a rook and minor pieces ending and with it the game in 70 moves. IM V. Saravanan (3.5) couldn’t solve the opening problems
successfully against unrated Nep of the Netherlands from the black side of the kings Indian defence. Nep won a pawn in the early
middle game and Saravanan had to give a piece to contain white’s pawn from promoting on the queenside. |
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Marathon secret tied in shoelaces HOW will spectators keep track of Olympic marathoners next month? The secret is all tied up in their shoelaces. In an Olympic first, all competitors will wear a five gram transponder chip in their laces. The transponders will be detected by antennas at 5 km intervals. The antennas will transmit instant signals detailing runners’ positions and split times to media, officials and electronic stadium scoreboards. The chips will also be used in road walking, road cycling and triathlon. Cyclists will wear them on the back of their number bibs. Yachts will carry a nautical version of a black box. It includes a global positioning system (GPS) transponder which beams a satellite signal allowing officials to pinpoint their position to within one metre. The plans were unveiled at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium yesterday by Swatch, the official games timekeeper. The company also demonstrated its digital photo finish cameras, which have replaced conventional film. The cameras can relay images directly on to a computer which then sends high quality pictures to giant video screens, TV networks and the Internet. The digital cameras provide a picture of time, not space. So every part of the body or bike or boat is on the finish line at the particular time the image is recorded.” Swatch will also record an athlete’s runway speed in events, including the long jump and the pole vault. It will measure the athlete’s speed between photo cells three metres apart and give an instant read-out for spectators. Track athletes responding to the starter’s gun in less than 100 milliseconds will be automatically false-started. The IAAS has set that time as the minimum possible human response. Swatch will have 250 specialists on hand to look after more than 100 tons of equipment including computers, cameras, photo cells, cables, starting blocks, display boards, electronic shooting targets and fencing contact devices. Security system fails:
A critical element of the security arrangements at Sydney airport for the Olympics, a screening system for items such as plastic explosives, broke down again on Wednesday in the middle of its first major test. The checked bag screening system stopped while scanning all the baggage from a Singapore Airlines flight. The breakdown clogged other parts of the $43million baggage system, which continues to have problems despite assurances from airport management. Industry sources say that if not rectified the breakdown could cause serious security concerns during the Games, when security checks will range from 20 per cent to 100 per cent of bags, depending on the incoming flight. Curbs removed:
One daily pass would now be issued to Reuters, AP and AFP — a move described as a good outcome. Organisers said it was important official broadcasters’ rights over the sports action were protected but that he had always argued large news agencies should not be barred from common areas outside the sports venues. The IOC move comes after the European Union threatened to haul Australia before the World Trade Organisation over the restrictions on foreign broadcasters. More importantly for the IOC, the European Union will be a key player in the negotiation of European broadcasting rights for the Athens Games in 2004. Appeals hold up host teams:
Cycling, triathlon, canoeing, equestrian and gymnastics (trampolining) are locked in appeals, and the largest team of all, athletics (80-90 members), is to be selected during this week’s Olympic trials in Sydney. The Olympic team is expected to number 620, but athletes in several sports may not know if they will be competing until days before the opening ceremony. The AOC conceded it might struggle to meet the August 25 deadline for each country to nominate its Olympic athletes because of the convoluted appeals process. SOCOG General Manager (Sport) Bob Elphinston said August 25 was the closing date for all entries and replacements after that date would only normally be allowed on medical grounds. Taxi fares:
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UP, Railways lead Inaugurating the championship, President of the Haryana Olympic Association, Mr Abhay Chautala, said a lot of encouragement was being provided to sports in Haryana. “Rs 1 crore will be given to the sportsperson from Haryana who gets a gold medal in Sydney Olympic, Rs 50 lakh will be given for a silver medal and Rs 25 lakh for a bronze medal. Besides that the Olympic gold medallist will get an additional Rs 25 lakh from the Haryana Olympic Association”, he said. In the leadings today for the team championships, Uttar Pradesh lead with the Indian Railways close behind. The results: Uttar Pradesh 244.50 pts, Indian Railways 240.15, Maharashtra 212.85, Rajasthan 205.80, Haryana 202.40, West Bengal 197.85, Delhi 195.60, Madhya Pradesh 192.20, Tripura 189.90, Manipur 187.30, Arunachal Pradesh 180.15, Andhra Pradesh 177.65, Chandigarh 176.75, Orissa 149.35, Karnataka 149.35, Gujarat 145.70, Jammu and Kashmir 138.45, Kerala 134.10, Himachal Pradesh 115.80, Assam 97.90, Bihar 75.95, Tamil Nadu 62.80 and Pondicherry 25.40. Ludhiana, Patiala win The championship was inaugurated by Lt-Gen (retd) JFR Jacob, Governor, Punjab, last evening. About 32 teams are participating in the championship and players would be selected from these teams for the Punjab junior teams for the national championship to be held at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, in the first week of September. In the quarterfinal matches played today in the morning sessions Kapurthala girls defeated Muktsar girls and Patiala boys defeated Muktsar boys. The match between Faridkot and Kapurthala boys was very close. Kapurthala boys played aggressively but lost the match by three points. Ludhiana boys defeated Sangrur. The last quarterfinal match in the boys section was played between Jalandhar and Bathinda and Jalandhar boys lost the match. In the girls section Gurdaspur defeated Faridkot 60-43. Ludhiana girls defeated Sangrur 34-17 and Hoshiarpur girls defeated Amritsar 37-30. Vidya of Hoshiarpur played and scored two consecutive baskets. Last evening in the boys section Faridkot defeated Amritsar 56-47 and Sangrur won the match against Mansa 47-42. Muktsar boys defeated Hoshiarpur 68-67 and Patiala defeated Fatehgarh Sahib 25-11. Bathinda boys won the match against Moga 30-17 and Ludhiana routed Nawanshahr 38-4. Jalandhar defeated Gurdaspur and Ferozepore 53-51 and 85-31, respectively. In the girls section Amritsar defeated Jalandhar 64-32 and entered the semifinals. Ludhiana routed Ferozepore 33-4 and Hoshiarpur overwhelmed Patiala 32-6. Amritsar girls beat Bathinda 44-4 and Mansa girls lost the match to Sangrur 29-4. Postponed Dr B.K. Sinha, Director of Sports and Youth Welfare Department, said the function would now be held on August 24 at 11.30 a.m. in Haryana Raj
Bhavan.
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