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July 4, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Problem of plenty for in-form India ASHES SERIES I had been falsely
interpreted: Gaekwad |
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Venus, Henin, Davenport in semis
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Politics, pride at stake in Paris bid Football probables for National Games Punjab incentive for winners Haryana to take part
in 17 disciplines Women probables School games from August 9 Manjit, Praveen steal the show
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Problem of plenty for in-form India Harare, July 3 With both the teams having confirmed their places in the final, it would be a battle for psychological one-upmanship. India’s batting and bowling departments are overflowing with in-form players and each of the 15 members of the squad look good enough to make it to the final eleven. A lot of youngsters got a chance in this tournament to prove their talent and all of them grabbed the opportunity with both hands and the team management will have a difficult task at hand in selecting the final composition. The main spots of contention are the medium-pacers slots with as many as five seamers vying for the three places and the No 3 place in the batting order where V.V.S. Laxman is still nursing his finger injury that has kept him out of the last two matches. On the other hand, the West Indies too are buoyed by the victory against Zimbabwe in the previous game having raised their performance by several notches when the chips were down. The West Indies defeated Zimbabwe in a nail-biting finish and that must have given them a lot of confidence as they go into tomorrow’s game hoping to maintain that form. But the formidable Indian bowling line-up would surely give them sleepless nights. The team management is still to come out with its plans for the medium pacers with the final composition of the team likely to be announced only tomorrow morning. The three automatic choices in the fast bowling department at the start of the tournament — Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar — were put on alert following the impressive performance by Debasish Mohanty and Harvinder Singh in the last game. Mohanty and Harvinder, playing their first games of the tour, made the most of the opportunity provided to them and returned figures of three for 18 and two for 25, respectively. They bowled a probing line and troubled the batsmen throughout their spell. It will be difficult to keep either of them out of the game tomorrow and that could mean bad news for Agarkar or Zaheer or both. Zaheer, who has bowled consistently well on this tour, also claimed two wickets in the last game conceding 27 runs and it would really be unfortunate if he fails to find a place in the final eleven. There could also be an unexpected move of including four seamers in the side and that would mean keeping off-spinner Harbhajan Singh out. Though Harbhajan has not been quite as successful on this tour as against the Australians in the home series, he has been impressive. With the West Indies batsmen looking uncomfortable even against modest spinners like Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell, keeping Harbhajan out may not be a very good option. In the batting department, Ganguly is slowly looking to inch back to his elegant self and that would certainly cheer up the Indian side. After his painstakingly compiled 85 against Zimbabwe, the Indian captain looked a lot better with his timing and shot selection in the last game against the West Indies before he was unfortunate to be given out. With Laxman still having a bandage around his index finger which he injured in the first game against Zimbabwe, Dinesh Mongia would once looks set to come at No 3 position. Mongia has looked good in this tournament and should he play tomorrow he would also be almost a certainty for the final as Laxman would deem to have missed a lot of action in the last couple of weeks. While Hemang Badani is almost a surety in the line-up, the inclusion of all-rounder Reetinder Singh Sodhi is not clear. The Punjab youngster is an effective medium-pacer, apart from being a middle-order batsman, and a brilliant fielder. For the West Indies, openers Darren Ganga and Chris Gayle have already notched up one 100 and one near-hundred partnerships and the team would be looking up to them to give another sound start tomorrow. Shivnaraine Chanderpaul has failed to live up to his reputation in this tournament and, alongwith captain Carl Hooper, is due for a big score. Wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs and Marlon Samuels have looked good and Wavel Hinds has shown flashes of his immense talent but the West Indies would need all of them to fire tomorrow as also their pacemen. The tall Cameroon Cuffy has been the pick of the West Indian bowlers as both Mervyn Dillon and Reon King have struggled to maintain good line and length. New York based leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo has been impressive with his well-directed, sharply turning leg-breaks. Teams (from): India: Saurav Ganguly (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Mongia, V.V.S. Laxman, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Virendra Sehwag, Samir Dighe, Hemang Badani, Harvinder Singh, Debasish Mohanty, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh. West Indies: Carl Hooper (captain), Chris Gayle, Darren Ganga, Wavell Hinds, Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Cameroon Cuffy, Reon King, Mervyn Dillon, Corey Collymore, Mahendra Nagamootoo. Umpires: Kevin Barbour and Graham Evans.
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ASHES SERIES London, July 3 1948
Australia 4-0 Don Bradman had already secured his place as the greatest batsman in history when, at the age of 40, he made his final tour. While the reflexes may have slowed slightly, Don’s hunger for runs was undiminished, as was his ruthless drive to bury the old enemy. At his disposal, Bradman had perhaps the finest side to take a cricket field. Ray Lindwall swung the ball late at high pace accompanied by the glamourous Keith Miller, a bowler of pace and hostility and a batsman of style and power. England had their own great players in Len Hutton, Denis Compton, Alec Bedser and Godfrey Evans but could not match the might of the Australians. 1953 England 1-0 Coronation year and the Ashes returned to England for the first time in 20 years. Hutton, England’s first professional captain, took his side to the Oval with the series level after four draws, one through fine defensive batting from Willie Watson and Trevor Bailey and another from less admirable defensive bowling from Bailey. A gripping final Test featured Peter May and Freddie Trueman strengthening the home side with Compton, who had suffered with Hutton in the bleak post-war years, hitting the winning runs. 1956 England 2-1 After a blitzing from Frank Tyson and Brian Statham in the 1954-55 series, Australia now succumbed to the off-spin of Jim Laker and the waspish left-arm spin of Tony Lock. Laker took 19 wickets at Manchester, a tally that may never be beaten, while Miller, on his last tour, recaptured past glories with a wonderful all-round performance in the Lord’s Test, Australia’s only Test victory of a dismal tour. 1961 Australia 2-1 Fresh from the glorious series against the West Indies, Australia captain Richie Benaud promised equal entertainment on his final tour. The Australians did play positive cricket throughout and, although troubled by a shoulder injury, Benaud still won a Test against the odds with his leg-spin bowling. The obdurate Bill Lawry was the batsman of the season, standing firm while all around him struggled as Australia extended their impressive record at the Lord’s. 1964 Australia 1-0 England had high hopes of snatching the Ashes back but met their match in Australia’s new captain, the shrewd Bobby Simpson. Peter Burge hooked Trueman to all parts of Headingley to set Australia up for a third Test win and Simpson simply batted England out of the next match to ensure the Ashes would remain with Australia. Simpson stuck 311, his first Test score in three figures, and although Trueman gained some compensation for the Headingley mauling with a record 300th Test wicket at the Oval, England could still not force a win. 1968 1-1 England’s expectations were again dashed after Bill Lawry’s men won the first Test and drew the next three. They did square the series at the Oval when the recalled Basil D’Oliveria hit a handsome 158. After England captain Colin Cowdrey had helped spectators mop up water on the outfield, Derek Underwood bowled his side to victory. 1972 2-2 Ray Illingworth’s veterans just held off Ian Chappell’s cavaliers including Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rodney Marsh, in a riveting contrast between the old and the new. Bob Massie swung the ball bewilderingly in yet another Lord’s victory while Lillee was fast and furious throughout. England won the first Test before Australia had fully warmed up and Underwood won another on a dubious pitch at Headingley which could have been specially for his brisk left-arm spin. 1975 Australia 1-0 Chappell’s team were at their peak in a four-Test series after the first World Cup but encountered some spirited resistance from Tony Greig’s team. David Steele, a white-haried 33 year-old, epitomised their new resolve by standing up to the thunderbolts of Lillee and Jeff Thomson with a succession of heroic innings. 1977 England 3-0 Mike Brearley led a strong England side boasting Bob Willis at his fiery best and Geoff Boycott back in the Test side after a three-year self-imposed exile. Boycott hit his 100th hundred on his return and Australia, without Lillee and distracted by internal divisions with the news that Australian media millionairs Kerry Packer was setting up a rival cricket circuit, were never in the hunt. 1981 England 3-1 A summer of staggering contrasts during which Ian Botham resigned the England captaincy and was then transformed under his old mentor Brearley into an unparalled match-winner. Botham smashed a century after England followed on in the third Test at Headingley, then Willis bowled on in the third Test at Headingley, then Willis bowled the greatest spell of his career to snatch as astonishing victory. A spell of five for one by Botham at Birmingham snatched another Test victory and a marvellous century at Old Trafford meant he had effectively won three Tests in a row against the old
enemy. 1985 England 3-1 Botham, his hair now bleached blond, reinvented himself as a fast bowler and there was runs galore for captain David Gower, Graham Gooch and Tim Robinson. Captain Allan Border was the mainstay of an Australia side weakened by defections to a rebel tour of South Africa. 1989 Australia 4-0 Border, toughened by the years of adversity, was determined to take no prisoners and he had surrounded himself with players with similar determination. Steve Waugh hit big centuries in the first two Test and Terry Alderman wobbled the ball around disconcertingly. England, over-confident at the start of the series, were in disarray at the end. 1993-Australia 4-1 Shane Warne bowled may be the delivery of the century with his very first ball in an Ashes Test, a vicious leg-spinner which ripped across a startled Mike Gatting and took the off-stump. Australia, again under Border, were even more superior to the home side than in 1989 and the only ray of hope for England was a victory at the Oval in the final Test under new captain Mike Atherton. 1997 Australia 3-2 England won the one-day series 3-0 and thrashed Australia in the first Test with Nasser Hussain scoring 287. Thereafter it was all downhill. Glenn McGrath almost bowled Australia to victory at the Lord’s in a rain-shortened match and then it was three straight Australia victories, with a century in each innings to Waugh at Manchester. As in 1993, England won the Oval Test for a slightly flattering series result. |
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I had been falsely interpreted: Gaekwad Vadodara, July 3 Gaekwad, who found himself in the eye of a storm after the weekly, Outlook, hit the stands quoting him as saying that the Indian cricketers took performance-enhancing drugs, said he had been “falsely interpreted” in the interview which was of a “general nature concerning
improved sports medicine and new physical fitness techniques”. The matter of drugs though pursued by the reporter was not discussed,” he said in a press statement here. The former Indian opening batsman who had two stints as coach of the national aquad said regular usage of steroids and cortisone by players did not come up during the interview. “I am extremely upset on the magazine misquoting me as this will not only put cricketers in disrepute but such an act would also strain the long and respectful relations. I have with the players,” Gaekwad said. Standing by the printed words, the newsmagazine
INA release in New Delhi said: “Whatever has appeared in the Gaekwad interview, not a word has been added or deleted,” it said a telephone call as made to Gaekwad on June 7 seeking his views on the “Drugs and Cricket” story. The release said: “He conceded over telephone that use of drugs was common in Indian cricket team and explained how the players were doing everything possible to keep themselves fit and alert. “The interview with Mr Gaekwad lasted for one and half hours. Throughout the interview he maintained that he had nothing to hide and everything was on record.” The magazine said when asked a few days later to specifically name the drugs which the Indian players were using, Gaekwad had said he did not know of any except steroids and cortisones which had been mentioned in the interview.
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Venus, Henin, Davenport in semis London, July 3 Henin won 6-1, 6-0 in 57 minutes and now faces either Grand Slam-seeking Jennifer Capriati, the US fourth seed, for a place in the final. In one of the most ill-matched encounters of the entire championship Henin simply destroyed the 29-year-old Spaniard, who dug her own grave by dropping serve on six occasions and producing six double faults. Henin, who won on her fourth match-point when Martinez netted yet another simple forehand, bludgeoned her way through with a stream of winners from both flanks for a comprehensive victory which throws down the gauntlet to both of her prospective semi-final opponents. Every time Henin shrank — briefly — from closing out the win Martinez flunked her first serve and then her 23rd unforced error brought the curtain down on her challenge. Such was the extent of the Belgian’s dominance she was winning two of every three points on the Spanish serve. Henin, just 19 but with four titles to her name, got the early breaks aided by two double faults and then held a tight service game to open up a 3-1 lead against an opponent she had not previously faced. Jennifer Capriati came back from the brink to beat Serena Williams 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 6-3 in a thrilling Wimbledon quarter-final and keep alive her dream of a Grand Slam of major titles. The fourth seed looked dead and buried at 5-3 down in the second set but she won nine games in succession as Williams confidence deserted her in the all-American battle on Centre Court. Capriati, the Australian and French Open champion, swept into a 5-0 lead in the third set before Williams finally held her serve, broke back for 5-2 and held serve for 5-3. But the 25-year-old Capriati — who also beat Williams in the quarter-finals of the French Open — held on to take her place in the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time since 1991 when she was the youngest player to reach the last four aged 15. Neither player hit the top of their form and fifth seed Williams appeared to have taken a stranglehold when she started to attack the net late in the first set. But Capriati, whose comeback from personal problems is the stuff of fairytales, hung in there and suddenly Williams crumbled. She plays eighth seed Justine Henin of Belgium in the semifinals. Defending champion Venus Williams strode into the semi-finals of the women’s singles at Wimbledon today with a 7-5 6-1 win over French former finalist Nathalie Tauziat. Venus shrugged off several lapses of concentration to win an error-strewn encounter — but she will have to play much better to see off either fellow American Lindsay Davenport in semis. The 21-year-old titleholder stormed 2-0 clear in the opening set but a double fault saw her drop serve to allow Tauziat, finalist in 1998 and making her 16th appearance here, to get on the scoreboard and that set the pattern. The gangling American, who had beaten Tauziat at the same stage of the US Open last year, shrugged that off as a minor irritation and promptly broke twice more with the French veteran struggling to produce any treat at all on serve. But she then spurned five set points before an impatient drive into the net allowed the 33-year-old Tauziat to close to 5-2. Tauziat then held to love and proceeded to hold a raft of set points, staving off the sixth with an athletic volley at the net. Venus then missed a seventh set point as Tauziat broke a second time before the favourite finally got a grip and took the set 7-5 in 40 min on her eighth set point. Tauziat broke at the start of the second but Venus, who last year in defeating Davenport became the first Black American woman to win the title here since Althea Gibson in 1958, hit straight back to level for 1-1. She then ramped up her game as the French challenge faded away to advance in an hour. Third seed Lindsay Davenport of the USA sailed into semis defeating Kim Clijsters of Belgium 6-1, 6-2. She will now clash with defending champion Venus Williams on Thursday.
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‘After beating Sampras I have a chance’ London, July 3 Federer was as cool as a cucumber — usually the domain where Sampras excels like no one else — as he won a titanic five-setter 7-6 (9/7) 5-7 6-4, 6-7 (2/7) 7-5 to enter quarter-final. And the 19-year-old — with his long hair and headband Switzerland’s answer to Bjorn Borg — revealed that he’d seen the light only recently after a frail temperament threatened the realisation of the potential which first surfaced when he won the junior title here in 1998. Federer wasn’t the first — and certainly won’t be the last — to suffer from tennis tantrums — but few are blessed with as much talent to throw away as he is and it looked as if he might stumble on his way to the top of the game. The bad temper primarily manifested itself in the form of racket-throwing — and as Federer admits, he was a bit of a spoilt brat as the junior successes started to come his way. “I was throwing my racquet around like you probably don’t imagine — helicopters were flying all over,” he laughed, clearly cringing at the memory. “I mean, I was getting kicked out of practice sessions non-stop when I was 16.” “This year I’ve started to relax on court. I’m not smashing as many racquets as before,” added the personable teen, who against Sampras was able to channel his energy more effectively than ever. Federer revealed that going into the match he had the insistence of friends and members of his entourage ringing in his ears that “this year you can really beat him.” And on a packed Centre Court with the eyes of the world on him, Federer said he realised then and there that “there’s no way you’re going to quit.” “It’s just a great feeling I’ve never had before,” added Federer, who says he has worked long and hard this past year to develop a serve and volley game to beat the best of them. He also has the stamina to match — and that was just as well as his first ever encounter with Sampras went into a fifth set with the tension rising to boiling point. “I felt good going into the tiebreaker because I knew if I lose it I can go in the fifth set — no problem for me because I was feeling good physically at the time.” Sampras then proceeded to squander two break points and his challenge was broken. “I had the feeling he was raising his game — but I survived it and came back strong.” “This is the biggest win in my life. After beating Pete I think maybe I have a chance.” Such modesty becomes him — and is the stuff of which potential champions are surely made.
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Sampras vows to be back next year London, July 3 But whether he comes back to the All-England Club to lift an eighth title or not July 2 will be a day that sticks in Sampras’ memory — and his throat — for the rest of his life. Swiss 15th seed Roger Federer ended four years of Sampras domination of Centre Court with a thrilling 7-6 (9/7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 7 -5 win in three and a half hours of pulsating tennis which left Sampras contemplating only his third defeat at the All-England Club in a decade. As with anyone who has grown up with the Alps looming large in the background the 19-year-old Federer, who hails from Basel, knows there’s nothing as tough as climbing the highest mountain.
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Henman toils to keep British hopes alive London, July 3 Martin, who will be 31 on Sunday the day of the men’s final, was ahead 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 when they were pulled off as night fell. The match, for a place in the last eight against Switzerland’s Roger Federer, will be continued today. Federer, 19, pulled off the biggest shock of the tournament earlier by knocking out top seed and defending champion Pete Sampras. Henman, like Martin a two-time losing semi-finalist, is aiming to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the singles title at the All-England Club. Fellow Briton Greg Rusedski crashed out to Croatian ace sensation Goran Ivanisevic earlier in the day, leaving the 26-year-old from Oxford to fly the flag. Both players were carrying injuries with Martin playing with his left leg heavily strapped, while Henman was suffering with back problems. Henman got the crowd firmly behind him in the opening stages but failed to build on his early momentum after breaking Martin’s serve and allowed the giant American the chance to hit back. Martin, who is yet to win a Grand Slam after 11 years in the circuit but has reached the 1994 Australian Open final and the 1999 US Open final, broke before taking the set to a tie-break and then defied his years to wrap up the first set in 43 minutes, edging his younger opponent 7-3. Ominously for the British number one, the physio Doug Spreen had to come on a second time after the tiebreak to rub his back, but despite his fitness concerns Henman reacted positively by breaking Martin’s serve in the opening game of the second set.
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Brazil face the unthinkable Rio de Janeiro, July 3 Brazilian teams have won the World Cup a record four times (1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994) and are the only nation to have played at all 16 World Cup tournaments. However, things look grim after a 1-0 defeat in Uruguay the previous day. “Black Sunday,’’ titled the Jornal Do Brasil daily Monday in the wake of the fourth defeat in 13 qualifiers played so far. Living legend Pele said on his website (Pele.net) “This has never happened before.’’ The still injured Ronaldo needed to plead “We must not despair,’’ but the famed TV commentator Milton Neves said: “We are closer to the abyss as ever before.’’ But agony and despair are in the air, as a look at the South American group standings shows Brazil’s trouble. Only the top four teams qualify directly for the finals in Japan and South Korea, the fifth has to play a two-legged playoff with Oceania winners Australia. Brazil are currently fourth with 21 points after 13 of 18 games, but only ahead of number 5 Uruguay on goal difference. Argentina (32 points), Paraguay (26) and even Ecuador (25) rank ahead, while number 6 Colombia is just two points adrift with 19 points. But new coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is undeterred. “Don’t worry, we will qualify without problems. My players were tired after a long season, especially those playing in Europe,’’ he said yesterday. Of those, the Aces Rivaldo, Roberto Carols and Cafu played far below par and veteran Romario could also not avoid another defeat in Uruguay, where Brazil have not won in 24 years since 1977. Brazil dominated most of the action in Montevideo, but the hosts had the better scoring opportunities and a 33rd-minute winner from Federico Magellanes’ successful penalty kick. Brazil are winless in their last three qualifiers and things don’t look easier in their remaining five matches. Three of them are at home, but even lowly peru recently managed a 1-1 draw in Brazil. In-form Paraguay visit Rio on August 15 and Brazil also still face a difficult away match in Bolivia in the high altitude of La Paz. Brazil’s desperation has become so big that Ronaldo, who has not played a full match in almost two years and not at all since re-aggrivating a knee injury in April 2000, is seen as their biggest hope. “I will help wherever I can,’’ Ronaldo said.
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On form this is the best team: D’Souza New Delhi, July 3 The team, announced by Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) secretary-general Jyotikumaran here today, at a function to felicitate the UK-bound Indian squad, is shorn of many senior, seasoned players like Dhanraj Pillai, Mukesh Kumar and Sabu Varkey. The squad is: Devesh Chauhan, Jude Menezes, Dilip Tirkey, Lazarus Barla, Arjun Halappa, S. Thirumanavalan, Baljeet Singh Saini, R. Radhakrishnan, Prabhjot Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh, Daljit Singh Dhillon, Bipin Fernandez, Baljit Singh Dhillon, Kanwalpreet Singh, Bimal Lakra, Samir Dad, Paramjeet Singh and Brojen Singh. Officials: Cedric D’Souza(chief coach) and C.R. Kumar (coach); Saju Joseph (trainer); Dr JPS Sidhu (official); Dr B.M. Parthasarthy (doctor); Mr N.P. Batra (manager); Narinder Singh (assistant manager) and Dr PSM Chandran (official). There are seven new faces in the team who were not part of the squad when they toured Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia recently. They are: Arjun Halappa, S. Thirumanavalan, Kanwalpreet Singh, Bimal Lakra, Samir Dad, Paramjeet Singh and Brojen Singh. The players who have been omitted from the old squad are: Dinesh Nayak, Deepak Thakur, M.K. Prakash, Sukhbir Singh Gill, Tejbir Singh, Indrajeet Singh and Jagan Gentil. “On current form, this is the best team we have”, said chief coach Cedric D’Souza. The Indian team will play festival matches against France (July 7), Japan (July 8) and Scotland (July 10), followed by an acclimatisation camp at Milton Keynes, before proceeding to Edinburg for the World Cup qualifiers. There are 16 teams in the fray for the qualifiers, out of which seven will qualify for the World Cup to be held in Kuala Lumpur next year. The teams have been divided into four groups, and two teams from each group will qualify for the next round, which will be a knockout affair. India have been placed in a comparatively easy group, comprising New Zealand, Egypt and Wales. Japan and Bangladesh are the other Asian teams vying for a World Cup berth. India had lost a hockey series to New Zealand during their recent visit to that country. But Cedric was confident of India making the World Cup grade at Edinburg. “We will definitely qualify”, he declared confidently. The Indian probables had been working hard in the coaching camps, with the focus on the World Cup qualifiers and the Champions Challenge Trophy, to be played in Bhopal from December 10. According to sources, the Champions Challenge Trophy will have teams who had finished at the seventh to 12th places in the Olympic Games at Sydney. A couple of other teams, including South Africa, may also participate in the Challenge Trophy. And then, there will be the Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy in Malaysia and the Junior World Cup in October. Cedric said only those players from among the 42 probables, who attended the coaching camps, were considered for selection for the World Cup qualifiers. He said Dhanraj Pillai was not considered as he did not attend the coaching camp “to make himself eligible for selection”. He, however, added that the senior players would be called for the camp in preparation for the Azlan Shah tourney. Cedric said his strategy for the team was to “hold back as much as possible, and not reveal all your cards”. His immediate target is to put India among the top six in the world. “We can’t dwell on the past. We have to come on the top six. And we have to work towards that goal”, the chief coach noted. Lauding Castrol’s three-year, Rs 3 crore sponsorship deal with the IHF, the chief coach said “it’s our duty as a team to perform and make the sponsors proud. We will not let them down. We have been working tirelessly. Within the next three years, you will see Indian hockey where it should be (at the top). IHF president KPS Gill said the sponsorship deal with Castrol was a unique happening as “it is for the first time in the history of Indian hockey that such sponsorship has materialised. It’s great for Indian hockey, and the players”. |
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Politics, pride at stake in Paris bid Paris, July 3 However, Jospin will likely square off against President Jacques Chirac in next spring’s presidential elections, and the selection of Paris as Olympic host would make his high-profile lobbying effort look very good indeed to voters. In addition, newly-elected Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe’s first act in his post was to welcome the IOC’s evaluation committee during their March visit to the French capital. Although he entered the effort late in the game, a Paris victory in the 2008 Olympics sweepstakes would no doubt raise his popularity and the Socialists’ chances of keeping city hall. The government has certainly pulled out all stops, offering a total budget of $ 3.9 billion for the Olympics and Paralympics, and guaranteeing that the sums will not be changed by future administrations. Of that total, $ 1.9 billion are directly linked to hosting the games. The remaining $ 2 billion have been earmarked for infrastructural improvement. During the IOC evaluation committee’s visit, committee chairman Hein Verbruggen called the financial guaranties “very interesting” because they “would cover possible financial losses”. The committee also praised the fact that 60 per cent of the sporting venues already existed and could be quickly adapted to the needs of the games. In addition, the committee was impressed with the plan to renovate an abandoned industrial district outside of Paris for the games, and that a post-Olympics use was foreseen for the area. As a result, the comittee said in its report that Paris (along with Beijing and Toronto) would host “excellent games” if chosen by the IOC. That although Verbruggen cited the location of the Olympic village in urban surroundings — not far from the Stade de France in the north-east of the city — and the threat of strikes as negative aspects. Paris was not affected, but public transport workers in 40 other cities went on strike for a lower retirement age during the evaluation committee’s visit. The French regard themselves as entitled to hosting the games a third time after 1900 and 1924 as the country is on a sports high following the victories of their national football side in the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships. Paris therefore assembled a broad range of high-profile supporters for its candidacy, including 220 Olympic medal-winners, such as 1956 marathon gold medallist Alaim Mamoun and skiing legend Jean-Claude Killy, as well as film star Jeanne Moreau. In addition, Paris gathered the signatures of some 100 foreign athletes - notably Rumanian gymnastics gold medallist Nadia Comaneci, German triple Olympic champion Heike Drechsler and US tennis legend John McEnroe — as well as 300 artists from 23 countries to support its bid. However, despite an impressive offer and the allure of the city itself, a number of important factors weigh heavily against Paris. The implication of the head of the city’s Olympics candidature committee, Claude Bebear, in a money-laundering investigation involving the insurance company he heads might very well have been a fatal blow. In addition, with US President George W. Bush’s recent declaration that he would have no objections if the games were held in the politically controversial city of Beijing, a potentially valuable ally was lost. Most important, perhaps, is the fact that Paris is in Europe. With a European city, Athens, hosting the 2004 games, it seems unlikely that the IOC would choose the continent to host the games four years later. Sports fans will therefore probably have to wait at least until 2012 before they can enjoy the spectacle of beach volleyball being played beneath the Eiffel Tower.
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Football probables for National Games Phagwara, July 3 Goalkeepers: Kameshwar, Arvind Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Full Backs: Satinder Singh, Raghubir Singh, Gurjeet Atwal, Sumit Bali, Sukhwinder Singh, Ranjit Singh, Balkar Singh, Taranjit Singh, Parminder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Jasbir Singh, Deepak Kumar, Swaran Singh, Surjit Singh, Balwinder Singh; Midfielders: J.Ouseph, Kuldip Singh, Bachitter Singh, Ram Paul, Hardeep Singh Saini, Kuldip Singh, Karnail Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Harbakshish Singh, Gurbinder Singh. Forwards: Dharminder Singh, Sukhveer Singh, Sher Singh, Parveen Kumar, Vijay Pal, Sukhjit Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Gyan Mayon, Kamaljit Singh and Avtar Singh. The camps will be held at JCT Stadium, Phagwara as per the following schedule. First camp of 40 probables from July 5 to 19; Second camp of 35 probables from July 23 to August 12; Third camp of 30 probables from September 1 to 15, 2001. |
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Punjab
incentive for winners Muktsar, July 3 Mr Badal, who was here to preside over the prize distribution function of 48th Senior Punjab Boxing Championship yesterday evening, said that a formal decision to this effect would be taken in the meeting of Cabinet to be held today at Chandigarh. Mr Badal said these steps were being taken to boost interest about sports among the youths so that they perform better and Punjab was able to regain its dominance in the national and international level competitions. Mr Badal said to promote boxing in this district, a ring at the cost of Rs 6 lakh would be constructed. Results: Light flyweight: 1 Rakesh Kumar (Patiala), 2 Anil Pathania (Hpr). Flyweight: 1 Amrinder Singh (Sgr), 2 Nitin Kumar (Patiala). Bantamweight: 1 Mohamad Habib (Mastuana), 2 Narinder Singh (Patiala). Featherweight: 1 Som Nath (Patiala), 2 Mandeep (Mastuana). Light weight: 1 Gagandeep (Mastuana), 2 Gurdeep Singh (Patiala). Light welter weight: 1 Sukhjinder Singh (Bathinda), 2 Satnam Singh (Asr). Welter weight: 1 Jagdeep (Hpr), 2 Paramdeep (Bathinda). Light middle weight: 1 Jagtar Singh (Bathinda), 2 Didar Singh (Mastuana). Middle weight: 1 Narinder Kumar (Sgr), 2 Kuldeep Singh (Bathinda). Light heavy weight: 1 Gursharan Singh (Bathinda), 2 Harbinder Singh (Sgr). Heavy weight: 1 Balbir Singh, 2 Sumaojit Singh. Super heavy weight: 1 Bhagwant Singh (Patiala), 2 Jasvir Singh (Bathinda). |
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Haryana to take part
in 17 disciplines Chandigarh, July 3 Disclosing this here today, Mr Abhay Singh Chautala, president, Haryana Olympic Association, said that the Haryana Government was being approached for announcing suitable incentives and cash awards for the state players bagging medals in team and individual events. He said that the sports associations had been directed to make all out efforts for preparing sportspersons for these games so that they could earn laurels for the state. The associations were being approached to organise regular coaching camps so as to ensure selection of outstanding and talented players for the disciplines in which the Haryana would take part. |
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Women probables Chandigarh, July 3 The players are: Gurmeet Kaur, Baljeet Kaur, Ranjit Kaur, Manjeet Kaur and Aarti (Punjab). Madhu, Babita, Priyanka Kumar Swati and Anjana (Bihar); Balanka, Maymol Rocky, (Goa); Ranjita Mohanty, Sradhanjali Samantray (Orissa); Preena (Kerala). Maria Rebello (Maharashtra); Binashori Devi, S. Kumari, KSH Geeta Devi, SH Rani Channu, O Bem Bem, Sulochana Devi, Tababi Devi, S Rani Devi and Shanti Devi (Manipur); Ranjita Khan, Rehana Khatun, Madhvi Ghosh, Jayanti Barua, Alpna Sil, Sharmila Sapui, Sujata Kar, Sayanti Nandi and Rinku Ghosh (West Bengal); and Mamu Gogai (Assam). |
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School games from August 9 Chandigarh, July 3 Stating this here yesterday, Dr B.K. Sinha, Director, Sports, Haryana, said that the Union Government had sanctioned Rs 9.50 lakh for conducting the state and district level school games competitions, out of which Rs 50,000 would be spent on each district level school games. The first and second winners in district level competitions would be given cash prizes of Rs 150 and Rs 100, respectively, whereas the cast prize of Rs 500 for the first and Rs 200 for the second would be given in the state level school competition. |
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Manjit, Praveen steal the show Bangalore, July 3 Nineteen-year-old Mukthi Saha, who had impressed with her sterling performance during the senior Federation Cup last week, eclipsed the five-year old record of Debi Bose of West Bengal in 100 m hurdles with an impressive timing of 14.04 secs. Debi Bose had covered the distance in 14.37 secs. K.N. Priya of Tamil Nadu (14.69 secs) and Bindushree Madhavi of Andhra Pradesh (14.75 secs) collected silver and bronze, respectively. In the 400-m race, 19-year-old Manjit Kaur of Punjab breasted the tape in 53.25 secs to better the Smitamol record of 54.8 secs set in the one lap race in January this year. Parthima Gaonkar of goa and Bindu Rani of Karnataka with 54.39 secs and 54.67 secs finished second and third, respectively.
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