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Kumble breaks Kapil’s record
Australia-NZ tie washed out
India hold New Zealand
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Indian Punjab’s Amritpal Singh lands in the
pit at the 6.64m mark, which won him the gold medal in the men’s long jump
event, during the first Indo-Pak Punjab Games in Patiala on Friday. — Tribune
photo by Pradeep Tewari
Members of the Indian Punjab volleyball team make the victory sign after defeating Pakistan Punjab during the first Indo-Pak Punjab Games at polo ground in Patiala on Friday.
— Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari
Badminton got a boost in Patiala
A 1954 file photo of PEPSU badminton officials and players.
Games secretariat to be set up in Patiala
Indo-Pak Punjab Games Diary
Medals of ‘dope-tainted’
cyclists withdrawn
Profile of the Day
Mohd Umar (left) and Mohd Ali. — A Tribune photograph
Pak women athletes ‘face’
gender bias, poor facilities
Civic reception for Pak guests
Gold for Pak cyclist
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Pathan rocks Bangladesh
Dhaka, December 10 Pathan ripped through the top order to return with a career-best five for 45 on a truncated opening day’s play at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, but the hosts did quite well to recover from a precarious 50-5 before folding up for 184 in their first innings. Young Mohammad Ashraful topscored with a gritty unbeaten 60 while Mohammad Rafique also contributed a useful 47 on a day which saw Anil Kumble create history by becoming the highest wicket-taker in Indian Test history. Bangladesh owed their total to 20-year-old middle order batsman Ashraful, whose unbeaten 60 lifted them from a disastrous 106 for seven at one stage. The Indian innings will resume tomorrow after Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag returned to the pavilion without facing a ball due to poor visibility. The host batsmen were found wanting in technique against the swing bowling skills of Pathan who set himself twice for a hat-trick but was denied on both occasions. After picking three wickets in the new ball spell, Pathan returned for another destructive spell after tea and struck twice off the last two balls in his very first over. Ashraful, who had thwarted his hat-trick attempt earlier, once again rose to the occasion and denied the Baroda paceman his due. Pathan’s heroic effort, combined with Zaheer Khan’s two for 51, almost denied Kumble his 435th Test scalp before the leg spinner claimed two wickets off successive balls to move past Kapil Dev and became India’s leading wicket-taker. The diminutive Ashraful, who as a 16-year-old broke the record for the youngest batsman to score a century on debut, against Sri Lanka in 2000-01, shared two vital partnerships that formed the backbone of the Bangladesh innings. Rafique played a cavalier innings at number nine and his 69-ball 47, studded with eight boundaries, provided the late thrust as the last five wickets added 134 runs to the total. Rafique added 65 runs for the eighth wicket with Ashraful and his daredevil knock gave some nail-biting moments for Ganguly before Kumble stepped in to provide the breakthrough. Last batsman Mashrafe Mortaza, too, threw his bat around for some useful runs towards the close under fading light. The Bangladeshi batsmen proved to be sitting ducks against a relentless opening spell by the Indian seamers after Sourav Ganguly won his first toss in five Tests this season and put them in on a lively track. Bangladesh, aiming for their first win in 33 matches, prepared a bouncy track going by their batsmen’s better performance abroad on hard wickets. But any hopes they had of an improved performance in the first full-fledged series against India were dented after overcast skies yesterday left enough dampness on the pitch. The start was delayed by two hours to allow for the pitch to dry enough but the remaining moisture proved to be too helpful for Pathan and Zaheer. Javed Omar (4) earned the first runs for the hosts with a sweetly timed boundary off Pathan in the third over but the right-handed opening bat fell in the same over when he shouldered his arms to a delivery that held its line after pitching. Pathan then struck two successive blows in his fifth over as Nafis Iqbal (20) and Rajin Saleh (0), too, were found inadequate as they played far too across to the Baroda leftarm seamer. A hush descended when the captain and the most successful batsman Habibul Bashar (8) pulled Zaheer and found Sachin Tendulkar at backward square leg. Khaled Mashud (8) brought up the 50 after the drinks break with a boundary behind point but Zaheer’s extra bounce snared him up two balls later. Pathan and Zaheer bowled 19 overs unchanged to reduced the opposition to 59 for five. The hosts were in danger of folding up for their lowest total but some adventurous batting by Manjural Islam and a more refined knock by Ashraful spared them the blushes. Runs began to flow more easily with the introduction of spin as the two added 55 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket, much to the joy of the holiday crowd. Ashraful had faced 79 balls and struck four fours for his 36 while Islam’s 23 contained four boundaries and came in 48 balls. Kumble and Harbhajan looked ineffective as the wicket dried down and offered reliable bounce to the batsmen. Ashraful was deft in sweeping the off-spinner while Islam at the other end drove the slow bowlers with audacity. Ganguly was forced to turn to his strike bowler Pathan who responded with a twin strike. Islam chased a wide delivery for a catch to wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick before Tapash Mushfiqur Rahman became the fourth batsman to fall leg before the Indian spearhead. Rafique then joined Ashraful for what turned out to be the most fruitful partnership of the Bangladesh innings. The former was more daring in playing his shots and once even drove Pathan to the cover boundary. His sweep off Kumble showed his disdain for the record-breaking bowler but the leg spinner had the last laugh when he trapped him plumb in front with a trademark top spinner. The very next ball, Kumble put himself on a hat-trick when a thin bat-pad chance from Tapash Baisya was taken at first slip by Rahul Dravid. Mortaza was run out when he tried to scramble a single off Kumble to leave Ashraful stranded at the other end. SCOREBOARD Bangladesh 1st innings: Omar lbw Pathan 4 Iqbal lbw Pathan 20 Bashar c Tendulkar b Zaheer 8 Saleh lbw Pathan 0 Ashraful not out 60 Mashud c Kaarthick b Zaheer 8 Islam c Kaarthick b Pathan 24 Rahman lbw Pathan 0 Rafique lbw Kumble 47 Baisya c Dravid b Kumble 0 Mortaza run out 7 Extras
(lb-4, nb-2) 6 Total (all out, 57.5 overs) 184 Fall of wickets:
1-8, 2-29, 3-29, 4-35, 5-50, 6-106, 7-106, 8-171, 9-171. Bowling:
Pathan 16-5-45-5, Zaheer 15-2-51-2, Ganguly 4-2-16-0, Kumble 13.5-2-45-2, Harbhajan 9-1-23-0.
— PTI |
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Kumble breaks Kapil’s record
Dhaka, December 10 The 34-year-old Kumble achieved the feat when he had Muhammad Rafique trapped leg before on the opening day of the first cricket Test against Bangladesh at the Bangabandhu Stadium here. The Karnataka bowler, who needed one wicket to overtake Kapil before the start of the match, went on to take two wickets to boost his Test tally to 436. Kumble achieved the milestone in 91 Test matches whereas Kapil Dev had taken 434 wickets in 131 Tests. The legendary all-rounder had capped the feat in 1994. Kumble had equalled the former captain’s record during the second cricket Test against South Africa in Kolkata earlier this month.
— PTI |
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Australia-NZ tie washed out
Melbourne, December 10 Play was due to start at 8.45 a.m. IST at the Gabba ground in Brisbane but the toss was delayed as ground staff kept the wicket covered. Rain continued to fall for another four hours before match referee Mike Procter called the game off. The series was tied after New Zealand won the first match by four wickets in Melbourne on December 5 and the world champions hit back three days later in Sydney with a 17-run victory. No reserve day was scheduled for the series.
— Reuters |
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India hold New Zealand
Lahore, December 10 The draw took India’s points tally to four from five matches and it was enough for the side to set a clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the bronze medal match. The final would be played between Holland and Spain, who downed Pakistan 3-0 earlier in the day. New Zealand, who had upset the Indians at the Athens Olympics denying them a place in the top six, came quite close to send the Indians to play for the last two berths but failed to latch on to the chances. The New Zealanders had taken the lead through Darren Smith in the 57th minute before India equalised when Arjun Halappa converted a penalty stroke five minutes later. India started off the match on an aggressive note when they made a flurry of attacks on the opposition post in the first quarter itself. They came close to scoring on a few occasions but were denied every time by goalkeeper Paul Woolford, who had a fine outing in the competition so far. The first one they got in the 27th minute and the other just before the half time, but on both occasions they wasted it. The Kiwis came close to scoring minutes before they earned the first set piece, but Lloyd Stephenson, who got a long ball and went into the circle, acted in a haste allowing goalkeeper Adrian DSouza to charge out and make the clearance. India again put their opposition under pressure on resumption, after the teams went to half time with the scoreline reading 0-0, but they could not made use of scoring chances. Ten minutes into the second half, India got two opportunities but Ignace Tirkey and Vikram Pillay goofed them up. New Zealand forced three penalty corners in five minutes and scored from the last one as David Kosoof’s low flick was defended by Devesh Chauhan, who replaced D’Souza in the first half after the young custodian pulled a hamstring, but Smith was at the right post to push it in behind the Indian goalkeeper. India, however, soon neutralised the lead when they earned a penalty stroke for an infringement inside the opposition circle and Halappa scored neatly by putting the ball to the top right of the net.
— PTI |
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Spain beat Pak, enter final
Lahore, December 10 Spain, who had knocked Pakistan out of the medal race in the Athens Olympics, dashed the hosts’ hopes of qualifying for the final by notching up the victory at the National Stadium. The match, a virtual semifinal, saw the Spaniards scoring thrice in the second half to set up the title clash against Holland, much to the frustration of the home side. Pakistan came up with an inspired show in the first half but the Spaniards took the honours after scoring through Alex Fabregas (47th), David Alegre (53rd) and Santiago Freixa (69th). This was Spain’s first-ever entry into the final of the elite event. Pakistan had themselves to blame for the loss as they made a mess of the chances that came their way throughout the match, particularly in the first half. The first half showing raised hopes of Pakistan’s chances of reaching the final, but as the match progressed, their performance deteriorated with Spain slowly but steadily taking control of the proceedings. The home side, struggling to contain the Spaniards on resumption, conceded the lead when Fabregas converted a penalty stroke, which was awarded when a defender was hit on the body on the goalline from an attempt from a penalty corner. Pakistan tried hard for the equaliser but instead they suffered a serious blow when Muhammed Saqlain was temporarily suspended for a foul on Victor Sojo, seconds after conceding the goal. Taking advantage of a 10-man Pakistan team, Spain slammed home from a penalty corner for their second goal when Alegre converted the set piece. Then there was no stopping the Spaniards who sealed the fate of the match with Freixa, voted the world’s most promising player, striking with a great goal. Freixa got into the circle from the right and turned for the reverse stick shot that went past goalkeeper Salman Akbar and into the top left corner of the goal. Germany upset Holland Germany came up with the biggest upset of the competition with a 4-3 win over Holland, but their victory came too late as it failed to get the side into the medal race. The win took Germany’s point tally to four, same as that of India, but the Europeans failed to qualify for the bronze medal play-off on the basis of goal difference. They would be playing the relegation match against New Zealand on Sunday. Holland, who had already qualified for the final before coming to the match, would play the final against Spain. Germany showed fighting qualities, which they lacked throughout the tournament, to emerge victorious against the defending champions, who probably paid the price for taking their inexperienced opponents a bit too lightly. Nick Meijer (9th), Roderick Weusthof (35th) and Taeke Taekema (41st) gave Holland the lead thrice but the side failed to hold on to the advantage for long as Germany drew parity on each occasion through Jan-Maroc Montag (18th), Oliver Hentschel (37th) and Michael Purps (60th). Holland stepped on the gas to take the lead in the last few minutes but it was Germany who slammed home the winner three minutes before close through Christian Wein to script the first win for his side. This was Holland’s first loss after winning four matches on a trot. — PTI
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Indian athletes rule the roost
Patiala, December 10 In long jump, Sarabjit Kaur virtually toyed with the field to win the gold. She was followed by her compatriot Kulwinder Kaur, who picked up the silver while Pakistan Punjab jumper Noshi Parveen won the bronze. In the 200m final for women, Olympian Manjit Kaur faced little challenge as she breezed her way to the gold. Her compatriot Rajwinder Kaur had to settle for the silver while Pakistan Punjab athlete Saira Fazal picked up the bronze. However, the biggest setback for the hosts came in the 200m when Sydney Olympian Ajai Raj Singh, who was expected to have an easy outing, was pipped to the post by Afzal Baig. The javelin throw saw Mohammad Imran of Pakistan Punjab overcoming the challenge posed by Avtar Singh, who finished second. Gurkirat Singh won the bronze. In the 400 hurdles for women, Rajwinder Kaur virtually faced no challenge as she won the gold with ease. Results: Javelin throw (men): Mohammad Imran (Pak) 1, Avtar Singh (India) 2, Gurkirat Singh (India) 3. Long jump (women): Sarabjit Kaur (India) 1, Kulwinder Kaur (India) 2, N. Parveen (Pak)3. Hammer throw (women): Rajwinder Kaur (India) 1, Sarabjit Kaur (India) 2, Gurvinder Kaur (India) 3. 200m: Afzal Baig (Pak) 1, Ajay Raj Singh (India) 2, Imran Ali (Pak) 3. Discus throw: Simranjit Singh (India) 1, Amritpal Singh (India) 2, Davinder Singh (India) 3. 400m hurdles: Kuldev Singh (India) 1, Ranjodh Singh (India) 2, Sajjad Ahmed (Pak) 3. Long jump: Amritpal Singh (India) 1, Maha Singh (India) 2, Waseem Khan (Pak) 3. 100m hurdles: Rajwinder Kaur (India) 1, Baljit Kaur (India) 2, Rozia Aurungzeb (Pak) 3.
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Indian Punjab clinch kabaddi gold
Patiala, December 10 With several experienced players in their ranks, including skipper Manpreet Singh, Ram Singh, Ranjit Singh, Harvinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Yadvinder Singh, the Indian team was initially under pressure as Pakistan scored two quick points by stopping raiders Ram Singh and Manpreet Singh. However, Yadvinder Singh, who hails from Muktsar and is currently serving as constable in Punjab Police, reduced the margin soon after. Pakistan’s Mohammed Zubair was stopped in Indian territory which further boosted the hosts’ tally and thereafter, the Indians scored at frequent intervals to stretch the lead to 14-10 at the breather. An unsavoury incident could have spoilt the show when the groundsman, unaware of the proceedings, started marking the court with lime powder when a raid was in progress but before any damage was done, he was ushered away by an alert official. In the second half, Pakistan could add only seven more points while India’s tally swelled to 38 in the end which made them rightful claimants to the title. |
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Indian Punjab win in volleyball
Patiala, December 10 There was an air of authority and confidence in the hosts’ play as they began the first set with captain Rattan Lal smashing the ball down the line to open the scoring. The Pakistan Punjab players were equal to the task and managed to level the scores at 8-8, with the spotlight in this period being held by the visitors’ short-statured but energetic libero Naseer Ahmed. Once the hosts surged ahead 19-14, a note of complacency started surfacing in their play and their coach Sukhdev Singh made a tactically good decision to take a time out. Once back on the court, the confident-looking hosts strung up three successive points before the visitors unleashed some deep and effective smashes through Zafar and Mohammad Saki. However, with some deft handling of the situation on the court by Rattan Lal, the hosts managed to close out the first set 25-22. The second set saw both teams equally balanced and with the scoreline reading 12-12, the visitors decided to substitute Naseer Ahmed. This opened the gates for the hosts, who threatened to run away with the match by registering eight successive points. However, when they were all set to close the set, the visitors, particularly smashers Younis Iqbal and Sajid Nawaz, struck a purple patch and put a virtual stop to the Indian Punjab scoring. Hosts’ spiker Harbir Singh smashed three successive shots and helped in registering two more to enable Indian Punjab register a 25-21 win in the second set. The visitors found themselves in a must-win situation in the third set. They started well, with Naseer Ahmed handling the blocking part well, while Zafar combined well with skipper Mohammad Elahi to exploit the open spaces. Once the scoreline reached 10-10, the visitors, took off in a tangent from their original gameplan of attacking vigorously. They started to defend too much, with the result that the hosts, once they took the lead, never allowed them back in the match and ran away with the set and the match at 25-22. |
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Badminton got a boost in Patiala
Chandigarh, December 10 The Tribune today came across a 50-year-old archive lying with a distinguished sports personality, D.K. Mukerjee, who was born and brought up in Patiala and was involved in the promotion of badminton for the past more than five decades. Pointing towards a photograph clicked in 1954, Mukerjee said Raja Bhalinder Singh had been an ardent lover of badminton and as a result, badminton got a tremendous boost and players of Patiala dominated the national circuit. Mukerjee said Raja Bhalinder Singh became the president of the PEPSU Badminton Association and was instrumental in throwing open the rink hall in Baradari Gardens, Patiala, to badminton players. Though roller skating was being regularly held there, Raja Bhalinder Singh got priority accorded to badminton, said Mukerjee. He said under the guidance of Raja Bhalinder Singh, a new one-court indoor badminton hall was built at the polo ground, renamed Raja Bhalinder Singh Sports Complex recently. Mukerjee said the Patiala Open Badminton Championship became popular throughout India, thanks to Raja Bhalinder Singh. He said Maharani Mahindar Kaur, mother of the Chief Minister, was a badminton player and had won the mixed doubles title in partnership with G. Hemmedy. He said she used to encourage badminton players. Mukerjee said though Raja Bhalinder Singh had a desire to give Pepsu Badminton Association a fillip when he sought direct affiliation with the Badminton Association of India, but this did not materialise. He said later, the All-India Yadavindra Memorial Badminton Tournament became a regular meet till the
1980s. |
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Games secretariat to be set up in Patiala
Patiala, December 10 Stating this here today, IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh said the secretariat would be established at the Raja Bhalendra Singh stadium. He said with the establishment of a permanent secretariat, planning and monitoring of the games in the future would become smoother and more efficient. Mr Randhir Singh said the secretariat, besides maintaining data, would suggest ways and means to better the staging of the games. He said the IOA would send suggestion to the Pakistan Olympics Association to further improve the staging of the games in Lahore next year. He said the games would also have an official website and Patiala would witness an upgradation in sports infrastructure. The IOA Secretary General said more events would be included in the games in future editions. He said circle kabaddi and tug-of-war, which were traditional sports of Punjab on both sides of the border, were already a part of the games. “We are now thinking of including tent pegging and show jumping as individual disciplines in future games between both provinces”, he said. |
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Indo-Pak Punjab Games Diary In a complete break from tradition, Mrs Preneet Kaur, MP and wife of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, took less than a minute to get the proceedings started at the pop concert featuring top artistes of the world like Pakistan’s Junoon group, Apache Indian, Harbhajan Mann, Sukhwinder, Stereo Nation, Strings and Hasan Jahangir at the jam-packed YPS Stadium here last night. “This is your evening and I do not want to stand between the artistes and the audience,” she said. “Normally such occasions are used by politicians to deliver long speeches. The Maharani has earned tremendous goodwill through this modest gesture and memories of this function will remain etched in our memories,” said a group of students who seemed to have enjoyed every minute of their stay in the stadium despite the biting cold. The high-voltage programme, which extended till midnight, received a massive response. ***
While thousands of youngsters swayed and danced to their favourite numbers like “Oh baby, don’t break my heart” by Stereo Nation at Mission
Dosti, the pop concert at the YPS Stadium last night, hostelers of YPS School, barred from mingling with the public, danced to their heart’s content in the corridor overlooking the stadium on the top floor. A woman warden, too, seemed to be enjoying the musical extravaganza as she joined the students in the dance. ***
Extending a helping hand to participants and guests are officials like Mr Tejveer Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Mr Shivdular Singh Dhillon, ADC, and Ms
Jeewanjot, who is in charge of the media centre. The DC, a former student of St Stephen’s, Delhi, has taken pains to see that things are in order. Food and Supplies Department officials, including Mr KK Kohli,
DFSO, and PSEB officials like Mr Jaspal Gupta have also rendered valuable service. |
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Medals of ‘dope-tainted’
cyclists withdrawn
Patiala, December 10 The two cyclists are Gurpreet Kaur, who won five gold medals, and Kulwinder Kaur, who won a gold and a bronze. However, the president of the Punjab Cycling Association, Mr JS Grewal, refused to return the medals. Addressing a press conference, Rana Gurmit Sodhi, working chairman of the organising committee, said after going through the report of the three-member probe committee, the Punjab Cycling Association had been asked to explain why both cyclists had been fielded in the games. He said the cyclists were under observation. Quoting rules, he stated that any athlete under observation could not take part in the ongoing games. |
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Profile of the Day
Son of Mr Joseph, a farmer in Calicut, Roy joined BSF in 1993. Till then he had never played volleyball. Coaches Chanchal Singh and Jagir Singh introduced him to the game and polished his skill and today he is one of the most effective centre blockers. It was mainly due to his stellar role that Indian Punjab emerged victorious in all three sets against Pakistan today. Roy’s brother Tom Joseph, serving in Cochin Refinery, is the captain of the Indian team. Standing 6’-5” in his socks, Roy uses his height to great advantage. Born on March 20, 1976, Roy has represented India in the Asian Games at Bangkok in 1998 as well as the SAF Games at Kathmandu in 1999. Beating Pakistan in the SAF Games final at Kathmandu remains a cherished moment for Roy Joseph, who even remembers the score, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15. |
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Family of wrestling champions
Patiala, December 10 Mohammed Umar, Mohammed
Usman, Mohammed Ali, and Mohammed Salman — four of Lala Mohammed Anwar’s six sons — are internationals of repute. Three of them — Umar, Usman and Ali — are SAF Games gold medallists. Lala Anwar, their father, has been a wrestling coach with Wapda for a decade. Currently serving as an XEN with
Wapda, Mohammed Umar, born on April 30, 1975, has made 25 international appearances. Besides participating in the Asian Games at Hiroshima and Bangkok, he has also taken part in the World Championship where he won the gold in the 96 kg category. Three days ago, he added another feather to his cap by winning the gold in 96 kg, beating India’s Harvinder Singh in the final in the Indo-Pak Punjab Games here. His brother, Mohammed Ali, also won the gold in the 76 kg category, beating India’s Hardeep Singh. “The SAF Games at Islamabad this year will remain a memorable experience for us,” said Umar at the Raja Bhalindra Singh Sports complex here today. “
Usman, Ali and myself won three gold medals at the games which was something unprecedented in the history of Pakistan sports. Impressed by our unique performance, General Pervez Musharraf awarded us cash prizes of Rs 10 lakh each. Our employers,
Wapda, also gave us promotions. I am now an XEN, the highest rank that a sportsman can achieve, while my brothers Usman and Ali are
SDOs. I am satisfied. I am not put on any duty but encouraged to polish my skill further,” says Umar. Wrestling is one discipline which is quite popular in Pakistan. Although areas adjoining Bahawalpur like Multan,
Gelewal, Januwala, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mubarikpur and Lodhran have patronised the sport to a large extent, it is Gujjranwala which is traditionally a centre for wrestling. There are about 10 akharas in
Gujjranwala, the birth place of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Sheranwala Bagh
akhara, a training ground for about 80 wrestlers at present, is among the most prominent. There is also a baradari housing a memorial to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s father, who had breathed his last there. According to Mohammed Umar, all wrestlers currently being trained at the akhara are under 20 years in age. Many of them are national champions. Training is being provided free of cost. The akhara also does not receive any government aid. Chaudhary Shabir, who is unmarried, is the
‘ustaad’. The akhara has produced top wrestlers like Shahad Butt, Mohammed Umar, Mohammed
Usman, and Mohammed Ali. “During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Gujjranwala was a major centre for wrestling,” says Mohammed Umar. Rahim
Pehalwan, who won the Rustam-e-Hind title at Kohlapur, also belonged to this place. “We are following the tradition. The wrestlers arrange their own diet while undergoing training at the
akhara. They are taught all techniques of modern wrestling. Hopefully, the current crop being imparted training will show encouraging results in the near future,” says Umar. |
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Pak women athletes ‘face’
gender bias, poor facilities
Patiala, December 10 “This is why we undergo training in special camps for barely a few months in a year,” says Razia Sultana who is the record holder in the hammer throw event in Pakistan. Razia, who has won the gold in three successive national championships in this event in Pakistan, says she is amazed to know that her Indian counterparts spend as much as eight months in special camps at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) here and at other training venues. “Sometimes we have only one competition in a year,” says Asma who is also a hammer thrower and had finished behind Razia in the Pakistan national championships. She says even for such a competition a specialised camp is held for only 15 to 20 days. And there are not many women pursuing sporting activities in Pakistan. Mahwish Rashid, a thrower, says most of the women participating in the sporting activities are employed with the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). “Some are also employed with the Army”, she says, adding there are few other organisations or public sector undertakings which are grooming women sportspersons. This issue was reflected in the participation on the athletic field also. “You can see that we have only Zeenat to do duty in the shot put event, while all the 13 Indian girls participating in it are only a little far away from each other,” Asma said. The women also face a gender bias. “We cannot participate in camps for a long period because our families do not give us permission to do so,” says Razia. They also have to reckon with the fact that some athletic disciplines were introduced for women only recently. They give the example of the hammer throw event which was introduced only two years back in Pakistan. The women while speaking about their visit to Patiala are all agog with excitement. “We would love to train at the NIS,” says Asma, adding though they had good coaches in their country, sports infrastructure was still lagging behind. She says all the athletes in the team were praying for further thawing of relations between the two countries so that there could be more athletic exchanges. Most of the athletes have come to India for the first time, and they are loving Patiala. “We strut around as champions even though we may be behind our Indian counterparts,” says Razia, adding they had already struck relationships with the Indian Punjab women athletes. With everything so rosy, is there any sore point? “The security,” they say, adding they were having too much of it. The girls say they want to explore the city and its environment but feel caged in by the security. “Probably next time around we can travel of our own free will,” they hoped. |
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Civic reception for Pak guests Patiala, December 10 A team from the Government College for Girls performed giddha on the occasion. Yadavindra Public School benefits: School Principal
R.P. Devgan plans to create more sports infrastructure. He said talks had been held with Indian Olympic Association Secretary General Raja Randhir Singh to create an athletics track and a football field, besides an indoor stadium. He said the centre was likely to give 75 per cent grant for this purpose. Kabaddi on grassy field: Tricolour upside down: “It is a serious blunder,” he was heard talking to YPS School Principal
R.P. Devgan.
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Gold for Pak cyclist
Patiala, December 10 Indian Punjab’s Harpreet Singh claimed the bronze to give his side some consolation. |
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Chandigarh, December 10
Patiala: The hero of Indian Punjab’s gold medal victory over Pakistan Punjab in volleyball at the multipurpose indoor hall here today was none other than Roy Joseph, the lanky BSF player, who has been playing a stellar role at the state and national levels for the past 11 years.
