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| Tuesday, October 17, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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England underdogs:
Hussain
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Lanka unfazed by ICC Cup
show Expert’s comments TV rights: CBI
to register case Sinha takes over as AITA
chief Hingis’ secret of winning at
home
Stage set for sports
festival Malleswari sets sights on Athens
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Kartik scalps nine as Rest crush Mumbai MUMBAI, Oct 16 (PTI) — Rest of India crushed Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai by 10 wickets with plenty to spare after their left-arm spinner Murali Kartik became only the second bowler to bag nine wickets in an innings in the Irani Cup here today. The 24-year-old Kartik took the first nine wickets in the Mumbai second innings before off-spinner Sharandeep Singh secured the last wicket to deny him the rare feat of taking all 10 wickets, by dismissing last man Santosh Saxena. Kartik followed another left-arm spinner Ravi Shastri, who took nine for 101 for the Rest against Delhi in 1980-81, into the record books by returning superb figures of 24-6-70-9 as Rest shot out Mumbai for a meagre 184, 54 minutes into the fourth day of the five-day match. Kartik, who had taken four wickets in the first innings, finished with superb match figures of 13 for 143. Rest, who led the hosts by a handy 129 runs on the first innings, thus needed 56 to win the tie and rattled off 58 for no loss off only 7.5 overs, in just 35 minutes to romp home fifty minutes before lunch and retain the crown which they won last year by drubbing Karnataka at Bangalore. It was the 15th time the Rest were winning the cup since the tournament’s inception in 1959-60. Their success includes a joint title-triumph with the then Bombay in 1965-66. Mumbai, who faced defeat last evening itself when they were 145 for 5 to be effectively only 16 runs ahead of the Rest, lost their remaining wickets for the addition of only 39 runs in 12.1 overs today. Kartik sent back Paras Mhambrey (2) without any addition to the Mumbai total this morning by having the batsman caught at silly point by Mohd Kaif. Ramesh Powar was the next to be dismissed by the Delhi-based Railways tweaker via a catch at short leg to make it 157 for 7. Then Kartik got rid off overnight not out batsman Amol Muzumdar by having the batsman caught in the slips by Rest skipper Vengipurappu Laxman to make Mumbai 175 for 8 in the tenth over. Later, the left-arm spinner sent back Rajesh Pawar, who made a plucky 17 with five fours, when Jacob Martin completed a running catch from slip to short third man. But he was denied all 10 wickets when Sharandeep had tail-ender Saxena caught at mid-off to terminate the Mumbai second innings. Kartik’s morning figures read a very impressive 6-1-12-4 and he used all his guile — varying his flight, pace and length — to deceive the Mumbai batsmen. In the ultimate analysis, Mumbai were outclassed in both batting and bowling by the Rest team astutely led by Laxman who also played a captain’s knock of 167 in a side total of 389 to put the issue virtually beyond the home team. Openers Das, who batted fluently, and Ramesh, who played and missed often, guided the Rest home on a canter to help complete a comprehensive win. Mumbai (first innings): 260 Rest of India (first innings): 389 Mumbai (second innings) (overnight 145-5): V. Mane c Sharandeep b Kartik 37, W. Jaffer c Nehra b Kartik 50, K. Powar c Kaif b Kartik 24, A. Muzumdar c Laxman b Kartik 37, N. Shetty c Martin b Kartik 0, S. Dighe c Laxman b Kartik 4, P. Mhambrey c Kaif b Kartik 2, R. Powar c Das b Kartik 4, R. Pawar c Martin b Kartik 17, N. Kulkarni not out 1, S. Saxena c (sub) Sodhi b Sharandeep 0. Extras (lb 3, lb 5) 8 Total (all out in 62.1 overs, 281 mins) 184, Fall of wickets: 1-89, 2-94, 3-118, 4-123, 5-135, 6-145, 7-157, 8-175, 9-184 Bowling: Ganesh 15-4-50-0; Nehra 8-3-17-0; Shukla 4-0-20-0; Kartik 24-6-70-9; Sharandeep Singh 11.5-5-24-1. Rest of India (second innings): S.S. Das not out 34, S. Ramesh not out 24. Total (for no loss, in 7.5 overs, 35 mins) 58 Bowling: Mhambrey 4-0-18-0; Saxena 1-0-8-0; Kulkarni 2-0-23-0; Pawar 0.5-0-9-0. |
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England underdogs: Hussain KARACHI, Oct 16 (Reuters) — England captain Nasser Hussain today said that his team would be underdogs on their first tour of
Pakistan in 13 years but added his players would not be push-overs. “Of course, they are one of the finest sides, playing in their backyard with a lot of talent at their disposal. But if we didn’t think we could beat them, we wouldn’t be here,” Hussain told a news conference shortly after England’s arrival for a 57-day tour. England will play three Tests and three one-day internationals besides three first-class matches and two one-day warm-up games. The first warm-up will be in Karachi on Friday followed by the first one-day international on October 24. “Every time we go out in the middle for England we go with a conviction that we can win the match and the series”, Hussain said. “But if we think we can beat Pakistan 3-0 we are surely mistaken. They are probably the second-best team after Australia and we have to be realistic about that,” said Hussain, who also toured Pakistan in 1995-96 as England A captain. Pakistan captain Moin Khan said the Pakistan Cricket Board’s recent call for a judicial inquiry into allegations of match-fixing at last year’s World Cup would not affect his players. “The only thing that worries us is we have lost three home series on the trot”, said Moin, referring to losses to Australia and Zimbabwe two years ago and to Sri Lanka earlier this year. “There will be more pressure on us because we will be playing at home and start as favourites,” Moin said. Hussain declined to comment on the 1987-88 series controversy in which umpire Shakoor Rana and England captain Mike Gatting were involved in a finger-wagging incident in the second Test at Faisalabad. “What happened in 1987? I was still at school then. So it has got nothing to do with me. I am looking forward to a flat and good wicket at Faisalabad,” he said. |
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Lanka unfazed by ICC Cup show SHARJAH, Oct 16 (UNI) — The Sri Lankans will like to forget their performance in the ICC knock-out tournament at Nairobi and take on India with a new determination in the opening encounter of the Coca Cola Cup Cricket Tournament, beginning here on October 20. The Sri Lankan team led by Sanath Jaysuriya arrived here yesterday and did some practice at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Sri Lankan coach Dave Whatmore said: “Losing (in Nairobi) was a small portion of disappointment for everyone, but in terms of effect, I would say that every member of the team would be trying even harder to win the Coca Cola Cup.” Whatmore told a local newspaper that the condition of the wicket would dictate the formation of the Sri Lankan team in the tournament in which Zimbabwe features as the third team. The Indian and Zimbabawean teams are expected to arrive here on Thursday. Though India lost to New Zealand in the ICC knock-out tournament final yesterday, they looked a rejuvenated side with the addition of youngsters like Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan. It is to be seen whether India will continue with the same 11 that performed duty at Nairobi because some players, like Vinod Kambil and Ajit Agarkar, were not much impressive in the ICC knock-out tournament. The India-Sri Lanka opener in the Coca Cola Cup on October 20 will be followed by the Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe encounter the next day. India take on Zimbabwe on October 22 while October 23 and 24 will be rest days. On October 25 Sri Lanka will meet Zimbabwe and on October 26 India take on Zimbabwe. It will be India vs Sri Lanka on October 27 and the final will be played on October 29. This will be the first time in the history of Sharjah cricket that a final will be played on Sunday. The winning team will get $ 50,000 while the losing finalist will bag $ 30,000. The third team gets $ 20,000. |
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Expert’s comments HAVING beaten two giants of one-day cricket, Australia and South Africa, the Indians were entitled to feel that New Zealand would be easier opponents and the way they started it did convey the confident frame of mind they were in. Ganguly drove the first ball of the game for a glorious boundary and Tendulkar as if to show he was not going to just stand and watch added one of his own. They are one of the finest pairs of opening batsmen ever in one-dayers and they complement each other well. It is never easy to bat when one opener is finding the boundary easily and the other is struggling to even push for the single. But because both are players capable of hitting the good ball for runs it is extremely difficult to set fields for them. More crucially they do not indulge in trying to outdo each other though it is quite clear that neither wants to be overshadowed by the other. On a pitch as benign as this there was nothing the quicker bowlers could do. Fleming has matured as a captain and he showed that by trying Cairns and Styris on to bowl after only four overs. Styris had done an admirable job in the semis against Pakistan when they had been going at almost a run a ball and this time too he did not let his team down. Cairns who was doubtful to play not only played but bowled two maidens in his first spell which stopped India’s progress and gave New Zealand some breathing space. Tendulkar seemed to have set his mind on a big innings to put his stamp on the tournament for he had been like a cigarette lighter gone awry — producing sparks but not the flame. His innings wasn’t quite the flame that his supporters expected once he got past the half-century mark but it set India up nicely to look for a score of around 300. That was not to be as the innings lost momentum after he departed and but for the captain playing yet another superlative century the Indians would have looked at a score of just over 200. This has been one of the failings of Indian cricket, the inability to score maximum runs in the last 10 overs and while bowling the inability to stop the other team from scoring the maximum in the slog overs. The way NZ had paced their innings against Pakistan and against a better attack would have made the Indians realise that with their limited attack they had to get early wickets and though Prasad provided them the young Zaheer Khan, perhaps, getting carried away and trying to bowl too quick, gave away boundaries regularly in his first two spells. The ever reliable Kumble struck successive blows getting rid of the in- form Twose and dangerous Astle. But at the other end, the boundaries kept coming and New Zealand were always ahead of the run-rate. India’s bowling limitations were totally exposed on this pitch. Even Kumble who bowled so well to start with was expensive towards the end. Zaheer khan showed his inexperience and why Prasad who had bowled so superbly at the start was not allowed to complete his overs will remain a mystery. When he was brought back towards the death he broke the partnership and gave India a glimmer of hope but it was too late. The Indian fielding was patchy with some simple misfields but Robin Singh, Yuvraj Singh, and Tendulkar were brilliant. But to win they need to field much better as a team. India will no doubt ruminate on the rhythm they lost after the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket for they missed out on another 30 runs which would have made a difference to the New Zealand morale. By restricting India to 264 New Zealand went up and they paced their chase wonderfully to go on to record a famous victory. — PMG |
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TV rights: CBI
to register case NEW DELHI, Oct 16 (PTI) — The CBI will soon file another case to probe alleged bunglings in the allotment of rights to telecast matches, agency sources said here. The sources said some documents were being examined by the Anti-Corruption Unit of the agency and very soon a preliminary enquiry (PE) or a regular case would be registered to probe the allegations. The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the agency, which did some preliminary investigation into the allotment rights, has gathered some evidence, the sources said. The registeration of this case would be second in the scandal relating to cricket. The CBI is likely to submit an interim report in the first case relating to match-fixing to Union Sports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa soon. They said several files pertaining to telecast rights of 1996 and 1999 cricket World Cups of Doordarshan had been scrutinised by the agency and the ACB has opined that a case could be registered and a formal enquiry initiated. While 1996 cricket World Cup was jointly hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, 1999 World Cup was hosted by Britain. CBI sources said the investigations would mainly deal with two issues — allotment of television rights from 1996 onwards and money made by middle men, event managers and other officials from these rights. |
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Sinha takes over as AITA
chief NEW DELHI, Oct 16 — Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha assumed charge as president of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) at an impressive function here to usher in the new team and bid adieu to the long reigning team of Raj Kumar Khanna and Ramesh Desai. He promised to keep up the “lofty standards set by R K Khanna and his team and to make AITA one of the best-run sports bodies in the world”. Though Mr Khanna has stepped down as president of the AITA, his association with the AITA will continue as he has been requested by the general house to be the “president emeritus”. Khanna became AITA secretary in 1966-the year in which India entered the Davis Cup challenge round for the first time. But for a brief break, when he stepped down as secretary adhering to the government guidelines of limiting only three terms for the office-bearers of national sports bodies in 1975, Khanna had always been a part and parcel of Indian tennis. Khanna joined International Tennis Federation when he was made a senior vice president and he continued in that post for six years. He was also the president of the Asian Tennis Association for four years. In recognition of his contribution to tennis, the government of India awarded him Padma Shri in 1974 and the Padma Bhushan in 1975. Mr Khanna, along with Mr Ramesh Desai, returned to AITA in 1988 as secretary and treasurer respectively. In the span of 12 years, they turned around the fortunes of AITA, the magnificent R.K. Khanna Stadium in New Delhi is the biggest
testimony of his contribution to the game and another fine stadium in Mumbai. Tennis stadiums have come up in Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin and Hyderabad (in the process of completion) and Indore to widen the reach of the game to all parts of the country. His son, also a chartered accountant by profession, and secretary of the Delhi Tennis Association, will be the new secretary of the AITA, while Prof T.K. Francis of Kerala will continue to function as the treasurer for a second term. Mr Sinha recalled invaluable contribution made by Khanna in making the AITA “one of the ten best sports associations in the world and the best in Asia”. Mr Sinha said his new and dynamic team would spare no effort in taking Indian tennis to lofty heights. “Whatever goals I had set to achieve, I have accomplished”, he told The Tribune. But he is not entirely satisfied with his achievements “as the one thing I am not happy about is that we have not produced enough talented players, despite the sincere efforts of AITA”. And this is the one area in which Sinha and his dynamic secretary Anil Khanna would be concentrating to make India a “tennis power to reckon with”. Anil Khanna has vowed to run the association on a professional line, cutting out frills and making optimum use of the resources for the benefit of the players and for enhancing the standard and reach of the game in the country. Meanwhile, AITA at a general body meeting today unanimously decided to appoint outgoing president R.K. Khanna as Hony Life President and secretary Ramesh Desai as Hony Life Vice-President “in recognition of their services to tennis”. Former Indian Davis Cup captain Jaideep Mukherjea and Raja Narasimha Rao have also been appointed as Hony Life Vice-Presidents. Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha is the new president while Mr Anil Khanna will be the new secretary-general. All the office-bearers were elected “unanimously” for a four-year (2000-2004) term. Vice-presidents: S M Krishna, N Kumar, M Damodaran, D V Bhatia, Ghanashyam Patel, Chintan Parikh, V P Verma and Manik Goswami. Joint-secretary: Bharat N Oza. Treasurer: Prof T.D. Francis. Executive Committee: Prem Kumar, C.S. Sunder Raju, Ashok Kumar, Chandrakant C. Patel, Anil Dhupar, Raktim Saikia, A.B. Prasad, Asit Tripati, G.S. Ahuja, C.P. Kacker and Suman Kapur. |
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Hingis’ secret of winning at home ZURICH, Oct 16 (AP) — World No 1 Martina Hingis finally discovered the secret to winning a title at home. She’s also convinced she’s found the formula to beat power-hitters Lindsay Davenport and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena. Defeating world No 2 Davenport in a gruelling, take-no-prisoners showdown yesterday, Hingis was finally able to give home fans — and herself — a Swiss title after five previously fruitless appearances at the Zurich tournament. The victory filled one of the few holes in Hingis’s resume, the Swiss star having won all of the Grand Slams, Championship and Tier 1 titles on the wta Tour, with the exception of Zurich, the French Open and Moscow, where she has never competed. The victory also went a long way to appeasing home fans, indignant that the Swiss Miss had refused to represent her country at the recent Sydney Olympics. But Hingis says it is the long hours she spent training during the Games that led to her victory in Zurich and a way to conquer the circuit’s Herculean hitters. “I worked and trained very hard during my break while the Olympics were on,” said Hingis, after collecting her 33rd career singles title. “And I think I have found out what is necessary to beat the power players like Lindsay. I watched a lot and tried many things.” “Beating Lindsay is hard as hell. She’s so powerful and has this really big serve so it’s hard to beat her. You have to make her move, but that’s not very easy,” she added, without wanting to divulge too much of her new-found secrets. Davenport had predicted a day earlier that her booming serve would likely decide the match and indeed the American served up a thumping 11 aces throughout the match. However, this time it wasn’t enough. In recent times, Davenport has relied on her potent serve and formidable strokes to get past the subtler Hingis. The American leads their head-to-head meetings 11-9 and went on a five-match winning streak against Hingis at the end of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, including victories in the finals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells. But on the last two occasions, Hingis has come out on top winning the final against Davenport in Miami in March before prevailing in Zurich. “It was very important to beat her in Miami,” said Hingis who won the singles and doubles titles in Zurich and in Filderstadt last week. “In the Australian Open she was the better player definitely. But in Indian Wells I think I was already better there, I just couldn’t take that one extra step to believe in it and to beat her, and finally I did it in Key Biscaine. “This is what I have now, what I worked on to perfect and what I carried into this match.” Since the 1970s, women’s tennis has undergone a major transformation, from the finesse of Chris Evert, to the athleticism of Martina Navratilova, to the forehand power of Steffi Graf and then the double-barreled strength of Monica Seles. Now there’s the thundering strength and cannon-like serve of the Williams sisters, Davenport and France’s Mary Pierce. The last six Grand Slam tournaments have been won by players who rely — not solely, but significantly — on outslugging their opponents, beginning with Davenport’s win at Wimbledon last year, Serena Williams, who won the US Open, Davenport the Australian Open, Pierce the French Open and Cenus Williams at Wimbledon. |
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State funeral for Jarnail
Singh CHANDIGARH, Oct 16 — Legendary footballer Jarnail Singh, who
died in Vancouver, Canada, two days back, will be given a state funeral, according
to highly placed sources in the Punjab Government. Arrangements are being made for holding the last rites at his native village Panam in Hoshiarpur
district. Although the body of the ex-Olympian is yet to arrive from Canada, senior
government functionaries are in constant touch with football officials to ensure a trouble-free passage for members of the family of the deceased who are expected to escort the
body. Among others, Jarnail Singh's son, Harshmohan Singh, will be arriving from Vancouver for the cremation. Allaying fears of security hassles at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi upon arrival of the soccer star's
body, the Union Sports Minister,Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa,has decided to receive the
body, which will then be taken to Panam by road for the last rites. Although
a final word regarding the exact date of arrival is still awaited, unconfirmed
reports today said the body would be reaching by Friday. The only hassle appears to be flight-bookings but as national coach Sukhwinder
Singh, talking to TNS said, the respective airlines is expected to treat the matter on priority keeping in view the stature of the sports star. Meanwhile, condolences
continued to pour in from a shocked football fraternity which is yet to come to terms with the grim
reality. The Punjab Football Association headed by Mr Samir Thapar at a meeting in Phagwara today payed glowing tributes to the former
Olympian. According to Mr GS Virk, secretary of the association, Jarnail
Singh would be remembered for shaping the destiny of Punjab football in the seventies .Condolence meetings were also organised by the International Sports
Association, JCT Football Academy, footballers and wrestlers of Guru Nanak
College, Phagwara, and the JCT football team. According to Prof Sital Singh, among
others who paid tributes to Jarnail Singh were Arjuna awardee Inder Singh, who
incidentally was a team-mate of the ex-Olympian. The Punjab Women's Football
Association, at a meeting in Jalandhar, also expressed shock over the death of Jarnail
Singh. According to Mr Surinder Bhambri, secretary of the association, his
death was a big loss for the football fraternity of the state which always looked up at him for support and guidance. BANGALORE
(PTI): The legendary defender of Indian football, Jarnail Singh, was “the most dependable player and one who always gave his best to the game,” according to former Olympian I Arumainayagam. Arumainayagam, popularly known as “baby taxi” in football circles, turned nostalgic and talked of the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games, where the two played together for the country. “I cannot forget the 1962 Asian Games final, where Jarnail scored the match winning goal. We had lost to South Korea 3-1 in the preliminary rounds, but fought back
brilliantly in the final against the same opponents and won 2-1 to grab the gold”, Arumainayagam told PTI here today. Jarnail Singh, he said, was frank with great patriotism, adding, “the country can never find another Jarnail”. According to him, Jarnail was ‘psychologically down’ after losing his wife, son and good friend Nirmal Singh within a span of three months. |
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Calcutta yet to reconcile with the death CALCUTTA, Oct 16 (IANS) — The sporting fraternity of Calcutta, considered the cradle of Indian football, is yet to come to terms with the death of footballer Jarnail Singh, one of the greatest defenders the country has produced. Singh, who captained India and played for the leading club side Mohun Bagan in the sixties and seventies, died on Friday in Vancouver, Canada. A pall of gloom descended on the football fraternity with several of Jarnail Singh’s contemporaries recalling the heydays of Indian football in which the legendary stopper had such an important role to play. Former India captain Sailen Manna, another legendary defender, refused to believe the news of Singh’s death. “I can remember when in 1957 I watched him for the first time in Punjab. We (Mohun Bagan) had a tour of the state to participate in a few exhibition matches there. I watched Jarnail play in Punjab’s local league matches,” Manna told IANS. Manna, who is credited with having spotted the talented Singh and brought him to Calcutta football, said, “I was impressed at first sight. After returning to Calcutta, I suggested to our club bosses to recruit him.” According to Manna, Singh, who made his debut in Calcutta maidan in 1957 for Rajasthan Club, hogged the limelight ever since he burst on to the Calcutta scene. “He had the only weakness in his heading. Otherwise, he was outstanding. He started his career as a roving half. Later his position was changed and he turned out to be one of the greatest stoppers that the country has seen. It will be really difficult for me to compare between Arun Ghosh and Jarnail. Jarnail had tremendous strength and endurance. That is why he could take a huge workload. More importantly, his final tackling was so powerful that the forwards, whatever skill and fame they had, looked frightened literally to dribble him in a one-to-one situation,” Manna said. Chuni Goswami, another former India captain and arguably the flashiest striker in the country’s football history, remembered Singh as also a skilled forward. Goswami told IANS that “not only could he defend the opposition strikers with sheer accuracy, he was equally successful in playing as a centre-forward. In the 1962 Asian Games semifinal, Jarnail got seriously injured after a collision with an opposing striker. His head wounds had to be stitched. But, he returned to the field after the break with that same kind of penetration like in the first half and eventually even scored.” Recalled a nostalgic Goswami: “Once, a few days before the crucial city league derby against East Bengal, I dribbled him quite a few times during training and jokingly said that he wouldn’t be able to prevent the red-and-gold brigade as he was not being able to stop me during training. And Jarnail took it seriously. I watched for the next few days in training with what tremendous dedication he applied himself during the training sessions. And on the day of the match, Jarnail was almost unbeatable.” Noted football coach Amal Dutta says, “Jarnail failed to succeed as a roving midfielder when he started his career for Rajasthan Club in 1957. He had all the defensive qualities. But his ball feeding skills were not up to the mark. The famous Indian coach, Rahim Saheb, introduced the three-back system a few years later. And Jarnail gained his touch. He became very useful in that system. He was powerful, confident and his covering was impeccable.” Mohun Bagan have decided to float a trophy for the best player of the National Football League in memory of Jarnail Singh. Various football clubs of the Calcutta maidan, which close every year from October 1 to 15, opened today for memorial meetings to condole the death of Jarnail Singh. |
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Stage set for sports
festival CHANDIGARH, Oct 16 — All preparations for organising the XVIth Haryana State Sports Festival at Sir Chhotu Ram Stadium, Rohtak, have been completed. According to Mr Abhey Singh Chautala, President, Haryana Olympic Association, all round best athlete or sportsperson in individual and team games will get Rs 1000 each. The athletes who create new records would also be given handsome cash awards. As many as 16 such sportspersons who won gold, silver or bronze in Asian international championships held recently in wrestling, athletics boxing and judo would be given cash award. — Rs 11,000/- for gold medal, Rs 7,000/- for silver and Rs 5,000/- for a bronze. Besides, a cheque of Rs 25 lakh will be presented to Karnam Malleshwari who won bronze medal in the Sydney Olympics. The competitions will be held in 22 games, namely archery, athletes, basketball, badminton, boxing (men), football, gymnastic, handball, hockey (men & women), kabaddi (circle), kabaddi (National), kho-kho, judo, volleyball, wrestling, weightlifting, fencing, lawn tennis, table tennis, squash (at Gurgaon). Khel ratna Abhey Singh Chautala will inaugurate a multi-purpose hall in Sir Chhotu Ram Stadium at Rohtak at 11.00 a.m. on October 21. About 5000 athletes and technical officials are expected to take part in the sports festival. ROHTAK (FOSR): Jumping deer will be the logo of the sports festival. Giving this information president of the district Olympic Association and Deputy Commissioner Mr Rajesh Khullar claimed that opening ceremony will be spectacular in many ways. Mr Khullar disclosed that Chottu Ram Stadium, where opening and closing ceremonies are to be held, is being tastefully decorated by Mr N.K. Sathi, who has been a curator of several international festivals at home and abroad, including the Harare submit of Non-aligned Movement in 1986 and several editions of Surajkund handicrafts mela. Mr Khullar revealed that a large cut-out of the logo — jumping deer — will greet the spectators in the stadium. It will be placed at a height of 40 feet. Olympic rings were also being installed at the stadium. These will measure 12 feet in diameter. Para jumpers of the Indian Air Force will perform a para jumping show. Fortyeight motorcyclists of BSF will perform dare-devil stunts on the occasion. Tent pegging will also be an attractive event of these ceremonies. Fireworks and a cultural show will be the highlight of closing ceremony. |
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Malleswari sets sights on Athens NEW DELHI, Oct 16 (PTI) — Sydney Olympics bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari is not leaving competitive weightlifting but is concentrating on the next Games to be held in Athens in 2004.In an emotional outburst a day after winning the bronze medal, the champion weightlifter had told Indian reporters in Sydney that she had decided to call it a day. But, after receiving a cheque for Rs 5 lakh from Samsung India here today, Malleswari told PTI she was now preparing for the 2004 Olympic Games and the 2002 Pusan Asian Games. She did not say why she changed her mind but there was a glint in her eyes of determination and wanting to prove her detractors, some of them from her federation itself, wrong. Malleswari said she would continue to train under the supervision of Russian coach Leonid Taranenkeo. “If necessary, I will make a demand for continuing with his services”. Meanwhile, Malleswari is going ahead with her plans for setting up weightlifting academies in the country. The first, she said, would come up on October 23 in Rohtak with active support from the Haryana Government. The second, with the help of her home state of Andhra Pradesh, will be set up in Hyderabad and the date for it would be decided shortly, she said. K.S. Kim, Managing Director of Samsung India, official sponsor of the Indian contingent for the Sydney Olympics, also presented a cheque for Rs 2.50 lakh to Taranenko at the simple function which was attended by Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Randhir Singh, treasurer Raj Chopra and Chef-de-Mission Ashok Mattoo. |
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