SPORTS

Woodlands sports day
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, March 10
Woodlands House School, Sector 8, Panchkula, today celebrated its annual sports day for pre-nursery and nursery children. As many as 200 children in the age-group two to four years took part in this meet. A cultural function was also held.

Tiny tots began the function with rhymes. The programme ended with a dance (Boogie- Woogie) and grand finale- ‘Be careful little eyes’ by nursery children. The medals were given to winners.

Various pre-nursery students who won the races in different groups were Ritik, Anshul, Yatharth, Archit and Deewanshu. In the nursery section the winners were Palak, Tarun, Khushboo and Tanishk.

Inter-zonal football tourney

The Indian Audit and Accounts Department (IA& AD) will hold an inter-zonal football tournament from March 11 to 13 at the Football Grounds, Sector17. In this meet, four IA & AD zones, comprising eight football teams from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana would take part in this meet.

Tributes paid

Rich tributes were paid to Joginder Jogi, a former international player, referee and coach, at his antim ardas and bhog held at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Fountain Chowk, Patiala, yesterday.

The bhog was attended by a large number of sportspersons, officials, coaches, physical education teachers, students and others. Joginder Jogi, who represented India in the 1965 Asian Basketball Championship and subsequently accompanied Indian Women’s Basketball Championship to Asian Championship in 1982, died last week after a brief illness. He was 65.

He had retired as the District Sports Officer, Patiala. Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill and Mr Teja Singh Dhaliwal, president and honorary secretary of the Punjab Basketball Association, expressed their condolences with members of the bereaved family.

Octogenarian paddler still going strong
Arvind Katyal

Chandigarh, March 10
An 87-year-old paddler CK Ramakrishnan from Chennai is here to participate in the 10th National Veterans TT tournament.

Ramakrishnan said he began playing TT in 1929 when wooden racquets and ‘Halex’, Diamond balls were in use. In those days, the number of tournaments was quite less

It was in 1939 when he was invited at Madurai to play against TT stars from Hungary for an exhibition match.

Ramakrishnan, who weighs 40 kg, said he stopped playing TT for a number of years since he served the Royal Indian Air Force as Combatant Air Man from 1942 to 1946.

When he was 50 only then could restart his game. Since 1997 he had been taking part in the National Veterans meet. In 1998, he represented India in the World Veterans TT championship at Manchester (UK) and he was the only player from India in the above 80 section. He said that for veteran doubles, he partnered a player from the UK. Last year he had gone to Lucerne (Switzerland) in June for the World Veterans TT meet.

As many as 56 players in above 80 section took part in this World Veterans TT meet which as per his age was seventh according to age category.

Ramakrishnan said now he was preparing for the 2004 World Veterans TT meet to be held Yokohama (Japan).

He said after decades the point system in the game had changed from 21 to 11. But he said, the new point system did not give a player to show his full talent.

Ramakrishnan said the Indian standards was improving a lot at the international level and he was of the opinion that correct food habits accompanied by the will to play with sincerity could make a player excel.

Ramakrishnan is encouraged by his wife, a musician, to continue playing TT.