 |
|
| Saturday,
July 14, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
2008 Olympics go
to Beijing
No IOC
action in 3 ethics cases |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Anand held to quick
draw Tight
security for Saurav
Indian
shuttlers lose in quarterfinals Hero
Honda to sponsor PGA Indian Tour Smith
referee for tri-series Graf’s
pregnancy confirmed Kunjarani
Devi lifts gold Parminder
to lead
|
| 2008 Olympics go to
Beijing
Moscow, July 13 The Chinese capital won the day from a final list which also included Paris, Toronto, Osaka and Istanbul. Beijing won the vote in the second round of voting when it obtained a majority of 56 votes out of the 105 IOC members who voted. Toronto came second with 22 votes ahead of Paris 18 and Istanbul 9. The Japanese city of Osaka was eliminated in the first round, but Beijing did not have an outright majority and a second round of voting was called. Chinese fears that worldwide criticism of the country’s human rights record would derail their bid to host the world’s biggest sports show proved unfounded as they swept aside their four rivals.
Beijing had carried out a sophisticated bid, hiring top public relations companies in both the USA and Europe, to promote their campaign. They also had the behind the scenes support of IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. In the run-up to today’s vote, anti-Beijing protesters had bombarded the IOC members by fax, e-mail and letters, demanding they reject the Chinese capital - a move that backfired. “The IOC does not like being told what to do either by politicians or political groups,” one IOC member told AFP. “The more such groups tell us what to do, the more likely we will go the other way.” Right up to the eve of the vote, Secretary-General of Beijing’s bid Wang Wei, was forced to defend the country’s human rights record. “The human rights conditions in China have improved in the last 50 years, especially in the 1990s with the reform and opening policies,” argued Wang. “We are confident that with the games coming to China we are going to not only promote the economy, but also enhance all social sectors, including education, medical care and human rights.” The dilemma facing the IOC members was summed up by IOC marketing guru Dick Pound shortly before the decision was taken in a heavily protected Moscow World Trade Centre - would China advance if they won the games or would they instead use the games as a propaganda coup and do nothing? “You have to recognise or look at the situation as if it is a glass half-empty or half-full,” said the 59-year-old lawyer, who on Monday will learn whether he has won the election to succeed Samaranch. “I prefer to think of it as an opportunity for the Olympic movement to bring an acceleration for social changes as was the case in Seoul in 1988. “This is for each member to address in their own way,” he added. The members decided today the glass was half-full. Toronto and Paris, Beijing’s two arch-rivals, had campaigned on an Olympics for the athletes. Beijing’s had been a political bid, insisting it was time for China to be brought out of the sporting cold and a chance to bring the east and the west closer together. Osaka and Istanbul’s slender hopes were dashed when the IOC evaluation commission report expressed serious doubts about their bids. Toronto was hampered by the ban on IOC members from visiting the bidding cities, a ban put in place after the Salt Lake City scandal, and their proximity to the USA. Many IOC members blame America for the Salt Lake City affair that saw six members expelled and four forced to resign and Toronto was too close for comfort for them. Paris were unable to shake off concerns that the French capital would be the third European country in a row to host the Olympics - the 2004 games are in Athens and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. AFP  |
|
No IOC action in 3 ethics cases Moscow, July 13 Indonesian member Mohamad “Bob” Hasan, serving a six-year jail term on corruption charges, was suspended in May by the International Olympic Committee Executive Board. The ethics panel had been expected to decide yesterday whether to propose his expulsion at this weekend’s IOC General Assembly here. But the Commission said it needed to carry out further investigation and that Hasan would remain suspended. “So far we only have clues about the case,” ethics investigator Francois Werner told AP. “We need much more information.” Werner said he would travel to Indonesia in the next few weeks to meet with Hasan, a business partner of former Indonesian strongman Suharto and an IOC member since 1994. In February, a Jakarta appeal court sentenced Hasan - one of Indonesia’s richest tycoons during the Suharto era - to six years in jail for his role in a multi-million-dollar scam involving a forest mapping project in the early 1990s. If there is a recommendation for expulsion, it would require a two-thirds vote of the full IOC membership to oust Hasan. The next IOC General Assembly will be in Salt Lake City just before the opening of the Winter Games in February. It would be the first expulsion since 1999, when six members were kicked out in connection with the Salt Lake City vote-buying scandal. Under the Olympic Charter, an IOC member can be expelled if he or she “neglected or knowingly jeopardised the interests of IOC or has acted in a way which is unworthy of the IOC.” The Ethics Commission said it found no reason to sanction General Lassana Palenfo, the IOC member in the Ivory Coast. Palenfo, the No two official in the west African country’s former junta government, was sentenced by a military court in March, along with Brig Gen Abdoulaye
Coulibaly, to a year in prison for their part in an alleged assassination attempt on junta leader General Robert Guei last September.
AP |
|
Chinese
proposes to Samaranch Taipei, July 13 According to Dazhong news website (www.dzwww.Com) yesterday, Cao Junhui, a company consultant in Shenzhen, Gaungdong Province, set up a website in May to express her love for Samaranch. “Dear Mr Samaranch, you have made great contribution to world sports. I am full of admiration for you. But your wife has died and you will soon retire as IOC president. With me joining you, your life will be more colourful, more happy and more fulfilled. I want to express my love to you and hope you can also love me. Even if we cannot get married, I hope we can become friends.”
DPA |
|
Anand held to quick draw Dortmund, July 13 The draw left Anand at one point after two rounds, while Adams following his loss in the first round opened his account in the second with the draw. “Once I saw Mickey had improved greatly on what he played yesterday, there really was nothing for me to continue, so a draw was logical,” said Anand after the game. “I tried a few things, but Mickey had prepared well in it after yesterday.” When the draw was reached. Adams had twin bishops and as the NIIT brand Ambassador, Anand said, “They looked quite good.” The game was Petroff defence and as Adams admitted, Anand was clearly testing the possibility after the Englishman’s disappointing loss in the first round to Leko. The game was the same as the Leko-Adams clash in the first round till the 17th move before Adams moved away from it “For me, it was a relief to get my confidence back after a disappointment against Peter (Leko). Really, I should not have lost that, but it was one of those bad days when I just over looked,” said Adams. Adams has one of the biggest minus scores against Anand among the top five or six in the world. “But then I have come to realise that history doesn’t count for much better, but I am trying to get there,” Anand and Adams have one win each against other at Dortmund and interestingly, it was at Dortmund in 1998 that Adams last registered his last classical win against the Indian. Earlier Viswanathan Anand, after seeming to be on way to victory was held to a draw by young Alexander Morozevich in the opening round last evening. The game reached a draw in 38 moves and it was the Indian who offered it after it became clear he could not go further for a win. Anand playing with black decided to move away from Morozevich’s attempt to get into a closed sicilian. Anand opted for something which resembled an English attack and it went into a Scheveningen. |
|
Tight security for Saurav Kolkata, July 13 According to a senior West Bengal police official today, a near ‘Z’ category security arrangement has been made around “Mangal Chandi Bhavan’’, the sprawling residence of the Indian skipper at Behala in the southern suburb of the city, following a threat from the Kashmiri militant organisation ‘Lashkar-e-Toiba’ against Saurav Ganguly, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and hockey international Dhanraj Pillay. About two dozen policemen cordoned off Saurav’s house for guarding it round-the-clock. Any person intending to enter his house has to undergo stringent security search almost like that of in the airport.
UNI |
|
I will never return, says
Gurcharan Patiala, July 13 In a long distance call from London, where the pugilist is at present trying to find a suitable promoter to forward his interests in professional boxing, Gurcharan told this correspondent that he was aware of the controversy that was sparked off by his sudden disappearance after the Sydney Olympics. Gurcharan was the first ever Indian boxer to make the quarterfinal grade at Sydney. The pugilist, who was a Naik Subedar with the 17th Sikh Regiment criticised the Punjab Government saying the government could dole out Rs 5 lakh to cricketer Harbhajan Singh apart from making him a DSP, why was the government silent on his performance. He said after the Sydney Olympics he felt like a broken man. However, nobody, not even the officials of the IABF, came forward to lend him a helping hand and only offered lip service, he said. Gurcharan disclosed that after his bout with his opponent from Ukrain in Sydney, some fellow sportspersons present at the venue had agreed to collect foreign exchange to enable the IABF to lodge a protest. However, he claimed that a top New Delhi based Sports Authority of India (SAI) functionary (name withheld on request) said there was no use lodging a protest as the “Indians were used to complaining after they lose. “This, he said, was enough to shatter his psyche and from that moment he had made up his mind to leave the country. The pugilist, who won a bronze in the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games said his father Jagir Singh had to run from pillar to post to get a simple telephone connection fro his residence at Machhiwara in Ludhiana district. He said whenever his father would tell the authorities that he was the father of India’s best boxer officials would turn him away saying ‘Ja baba, tu sirf ik fauji da baap bain tu telephone karne vi ki har.” (Go baba you are only an armyman’s father, what will you do with a telephone). The pugilist said even the Army did not think it appropriate to give him a single promotion after his Sydney performance. However, he had full praise for his regiment- 17th Sikh Regiment. Gurcharan said when the Indian team was on the way to New Delhi, enroute to the Czech Republic about four months ago, he managed to ‘disappear’ and boarded a Chicago-bound flight where he stayed with a close friend. At present, he said, he was practising regularly in the gym and had no plans to return to India. In a parting shot at sports officials, Gurcharan said “I was ashamed to be in a country where top sportsmen are in the habit of falling at the feet of petty officials, fearful of disfavour. After Sydney I was a hero but they treated me with scant respect”. |
|
Nightmare
continues for Brazil in Copa America
Cali (Colombia), July 13 The four-time World Cup champions were unrecognisable in a 1-0 loss to Mexico yesterday as they opened their title defence in the Copa America. Earlier, Paraguay flirted with a nightmare of its own but woke up to salvage a 3-3 tie with underdog Peru in injury time of the other Group B game. Going into the tournament, Brazil had high hopes it could put to an end a string of recent disasters, which include a dismal performance in the Confederations Cup and a series of poor results in World Cup qualifying. But nothing went right. The defence was slack, the midfield confused and the attack inoperative as Brazil racked up its sixth straight game without a win. “We failed to finish. We failed at the crucial moment,” coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. “We still don’t have the calm to organise plays and reach the goal.” Mexico’s hopes for the tournament were more modest. New coach Javier Aguirre said his main goal was to prepare the team for its September 2 World Cup qualifier with Jamaica. He left off veterans such as goalie Jorge Campos, defender Claudio Suarez and striker Luis Hernandez and picked a young squad from the Mexican leagues. But after an initial Brazilian flurry, Mexico took control. A corner kick by Alberto Garcia Aspe in the fourth minute found Jared Borgetti, top scorer in the Mexican championship with Santos Laguna. Defender Roque Junior failed to clear, Borgetti controlled the ball on his chest and before it hit the ground fired a right-foot shot to make it 1-0. Brazil’s best chance came in the 18th minute, when a shot by AS Roma midfielder Emerson hit the crossbar. Mexican keeper Oscar Perez then denied Jardel and Giovanni from close range. By the 60th minute, the Colombian fans who had initially rooted for Brazil switched sides and began to chant “Ole, Ole,” as the Mexicans traded textbook passes. “The merit goes all to the boys,” Aguirre said. “They were able to play together in just two days, play a good and intelligent game.” Brazil’s next game is against Peru, and Scolari said he would try to solve the team’s problems with talk sessions. “I have to work on their heads, psychology... So they have confidence to dribble, attack and pass,” he said. “If we have to lose two more games to reach our goal, we’ll lose them. If I don’t reach their intellect, there’s no other way.” Earlier, Peru nearly produced its own upset, but three times the Paraguayans clawed back from a goal down to tie the game. Silvio Garay was the hero, firing in a loose ball in injury time after a scramble in the penalty area. It wasn’t supposed to be that hard. Paraguay is cruising in second place in the South American qualifying group for the World Cup, while Peru has virtually no chance of advancing to the 2002 tournament. The Paraguayans were missing their showman goalie and captain Jose Luis Chilavert, who stayed home, criticizing the lack of safety in Colombia and Peru was without some big guns - Bayern Munich’s striker Claudio Pizarro and playmaker Roberto Palacios. It was Peru that drew first blood. Jorge Soto connected with a blistering header that hit the bar and bounced high, and Abe Lobaton headed the rebound into the far corner. The goal gave the Peruvians renewed confidence, and they attacked with the quick and precise combinations that are their trademark. But Virgilio Ferreira drew Paraguay even with the first of his two goals, drilling in a rebound off Peruvian keeper Oscar Ibanez. The ejection of Paraguay’s Denis Caniza for elbowing Santiago Salazar left them with 10 for most of the second half.
AP |
|
Indian shuttlers lose in
quarterfinals Chandigarh, July 13 In the boys section, India lost 1-3 while in the girls section, they went down tamely 0-3. Hosts Malaysia finished third in both the
sections. China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Cambodia, Sri Landa, Thailand Brunei and India took part in the under-18 age group, where individual events commenced today. The championship is organised by the Malaysian School Sports Council under the Asian School Sport Federation. It may be recalled that The Tribune had published a story before the departure of the Indian team stating that the performance of the team will suffer since the players made to play on wooden surface for 27 days while the matches in Malaysia were to be held on ‘hova courts’. Moreover it was also alleged by various deserving players that they were not considered for the trials for the selection of the team by Mr C.L. Negi, President, School Games Federation of India. Two players from Assam, who gave good performance in the initial days of the camp, were told to withdraw for the trials by Mr Negi on the pretext that they were not in the original list. The move was widely condemned by badminton experts. |
|
Hero Honda to sponsor
PGA Indian Tour Chandigarh, July 13 Making this announcement, Mr Pawan Kant Munjal, Director and CEO, Hero Honda Motors, said: ‘‘We are excited about our new association. We have been associated with golf for several years now and have seen the game grow by leaps and bounds in India. The players have become better and better and their performance has made us proud. We would like to support this growth process further’’. In a press release issued today, the company announced major plans for the Tour, including two new events apart from the existing Hero Honda Masters, an event on the Asian PGA Tour, and the Hero Golf Chandigarh Open. The two new events on the Indian Tour are the Hero Honda Southern Open, to be played at Bangalore, and the Hero Honda Western Open in Pune. Both these events will carry a total cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. The Chandigarh Open had a prize purse of Rs 10 lakh last season. The announcement also puts an end to all speculation about the future of professional golf in India after the withdrawal of sponsorship by ITC Ltd, following the introduction of a legislation banning all tobacco-related companies from sponsoring sports and cultural events. Apart from these events on the PGA Indian Tour, Hero Honda will continue their sponsorship of the Hero Honda Masters, an event on the Asian PGA Tour. Mr Munjal has promised a ‘‘bigger, better’’ version this season with an increase of prize money on the anvil. This will, however, be announced at a later date. The Hero Honda Masters is scheduled for February 2002. Hero Honda’s contribution to the game does not stop with the sponsorship of events. They are also sponsors of ace Indian golfer, Jeev Milkha Singh. They have also been involved with various clinics for youngsters. The 2001-2002 season of the Hero Honda Golf Tour will start from the second week of August. Keeping with the tradition of past four years, the Hindu Open at Cosmopolitan Golf Club, Chennai, will tee off the season. The schedule of the Southern Swing will be released soon by Tiger Sports
Marketing. |
|
Smith referee for tri-series London, July 13 Smith will also referee the following three Test-series between India and Sri Lanka an International Cricket Council press release said here yesterday. ICC umpires for the first two Tests (at Galle and Candy) will be another West Indian Steve Bucknor and Dave Orchard has been appointed referee for the last Test at Colombo. Denis Lindsay, who refereed the recent triangular series between India, West Indies and Zimbabwe, will stay on for the two-Test series between West Indies and Zimbabwe.
PTI |
|
Graf’s pregnancy
confirmed Las Vegas, July 13 The spokeswoman yesterday said Graf (32) was due in mid-December, but she said the couple has not released the sex of the baby. Agassi and Graf, two of best-known names in tennis, have been dating since 1999, but they are not married. Graf retired in 1999 after collecting a record 21 major tennis titles. Earlier yesterday, Germany’s mass-circulation Bild Zeitung reported that Graf was five months pregnant, quoting Graf’s mother, Heidi. “Steffi is pregnant. A boy is coming in November,” the tabloid quoted Heidi Graf as telling close friends, who were not identified. Agassi (31) reached the Wimbledon semifinals last week and is in the midst of a career revival after winning the Australian Open earlier this year and collecting the French Open and US Open titles two years ago.
DPA |
|
Kunjarani
Devi lifts gold New Delhi, July 13 Kunjarani lifted 75 kg in the snatch and 105 in clean and jerk for a total weight of 180 kg to clinch the gold, according to information received here. Sports Minister Uma Bharti, who gave special clearance for the Indian squad to go to Jenoju, expressed her joy and sent a message
congratulating Kunjarani on her medal winning.
PTI |
|
Parminder
to lead New Delhi, July 13 The team: Parminder Singh (captain), M.S. Shabeer Ahmed, S. Sridhar, Robinson, Gopinath, Ranjit Singh, Des Raj, S. Vinay Kumar, Murli Mohan, Suresh Ranot, B.J. Jadeja, Mohit Bhandari. Austin Almida has been named as standby. Chief coach: K.K. Chansoria, coach: P. Ramar.
UNI |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
