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Baseball, softball axed from 2012 Olympic Games
Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong
Australia beat India, enter final |
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Thakur eyes two more Olympics
Olympians seek Kalam’s help on IHF affairs
Bermuda, Canada qualify for World Cup
Sourav
hits 47
Narain keen to win more points
Official status for Afro-Asian matches
Magesh is India’s 12th Grandmaster
Railways edge out Haryana
Cagers qualify for Asian meet
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Baseball, softball axed from 2012 Olympic Games
Singapore, July 8 The IOC also rejected bids from rugby sevens, golf, roller sports, squash and karate, leaving the London 2012 games programme with 26 disciplines. Members selected squash and karate to be put forward for a vote to give them Olympic status, but then refused to grant it. Baseball and softball failed to win a majority of votes in a ballot. In 2002, the IOC decided to cap the numbers of sports at an Olympic Games at 28, the number of events at 301 and the number of athletes at 10,500. At that same session in Mexico City, IOC President Jacques Rogge proposed that baseball, softball and modern pentathlon be dropped, and golf and rugby union added. However IOC members resisted and no vote was taken. “This is payback for Mexico City,” a visibly shocked softball federation chief Don Porter said today. “They wanted us out in 2002. It has taken them three years but they have got us. ''We didn’t expect this at all. The discussions we have had all week led us to believe we were safe to assume the programme would remain unchanged for 2012. “I don’t want to say it is an anti-US thing, but they are two native American sports.” Baseball federation President Aldo Notari said: “The problem with baseball is that the best players are not going to the Olympics Games. “But baseball is still in Beijing. It is still necessary to work for the future in 2016,” the Italian added. Rogge urged the two sports not to lose heart. “Needless to say, these disciplines will be disappointed,” he said. “But this does not disqualify them for ever. “Olympic sports they are in Beijing, and Olympic sports they will remain. As such they will remain eligible for the Olympic programme after 2012.” The sports programme for 2016 will be voted on after the 2008 Beijing Games. Once again all sports will be put to a vote one by one. IOC members were shocked at the ejections. “I am very surprised,” German member Thomas Bach said. “I did not expect this.” Australian Olympic Committee chairman John Coates was saddened by the result. “I’m shocked and disappointed,” he said. “It is very sad to lose two of our member sports. “Problems with doping in US baseball probably cost the sport dearly. Softball was a bigger shock, especially with the push within the IOC to further increase women’s participation in the Olympics.”
— Reuters |
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Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong
Singapore, July 8 The FEI had consistently opposed the Beijing organising committee’s plan to relocate the events to the former British colony which was handed back to China in 1997, saying that it would cause them to feel ‘’separate’’ from the games. Beijing officials had insisted that moving the events was necessary because of ‘’uncertainties of equine diseases and major difficulties in establishing a disease-free zone.” The International Olympic Committee had been attempting to broker a solution. ‘’I wish to thank both parties for having found a solution to a difficult problem,’’ IOC president Jacques Rogge said. ‘’Everyone would have wished the competition could have taken place in Beijing, but sanitary problems made this very difficult. FEI President Infanta Dona Pilar said Beijing organisers had assured the federation they would provide the best conditions for the horses and riders in Hong
Kong. — Reuters |
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Australia beat India, enter final
Rotterdam, July 8 After Tushar Khandekar (19th) and Sandeep Singh (31st) gave India a 2-0 lead by half time, the Australians came back strongly to score thrice in the space of 12 minutes to clinch the issue. Desmond Abbott (42nd) and Colin Hennessey (49th and 54th) dealt body blows to the Indian hopes as the Australians hung on grimly to the slender lead. If India dictated terms in the first half, then it was Australia who held sway on resumption, when they applied tremendous pressure to not only equalise but also to take the lead. Abbott made an indirect conversion for the first Australian goal and soon after, Hennessey converted a penalty stroke after Vivek Gupta was struck on the foot stopping a penalty corner drive. Hennessey then capped a good match for him, scoring his 14th goal of the tournament from a penalty corner. The first half belonged to India, who played at a controlled pace and combined well. The Australians struggled to stay in the game and being forced to defend for much of the period. Moves flowed from either flank, with the Indian midfield doing a fine job to cut off Aussies and orchestrate turnovers. India had two good chances in the first 11 minutes following a couple of brilliant moves. Sandeep found Nithin Kumar with a long ball. The linkman essayed a diagonal to the left, where Tushar gained possession, advanced into the circle and let fly a reverse hit. Goalkeeper Reid blocked, but got entangled with a defender, leading to India’s first penalty corner, that proved abortive. Soon after, Adam Sinclair had a crack after Nithin Kumar put him through. The ball came off the upright and the Australians survived. At the other end, Australia had two good tries at the Indian goal, but Kiel Brown’s attempt was confidently blocked by goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza and then skipper Mark Knowles saw his hard hit bounce off the crosspiece. India then stepped up the pace and past the 19th minute, Khandekar swept home the first goal following a lovely right-wing move set up by Vinay. The attacking wing-half sent Hari Prasad down the line. Hari crossed to Birendar Lakra who, without wasting time, relayed the ball to a waiting Khandekar to do the rest. Four minutes from half time, India earned their second penalty corner and this time, Sandeep drag-flicked to the net to give his team a 2-0 lead. — PTI
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Thakur eyes two more Olympics
Patiala, July 8 A veteran of two Olympics (Sydney and Athens), Thakur is eyeing two more before he calls it quits. Thakur, whose younger sister is a national-level badminton player, has lasted longer than many of his colleagues, which is a tribute to his fitness as well as his ability to perform consistently at the highest level. Thakur made his debut at the international level in September, 1997, when he turned out for the Indian (under-21) team for a Test series against the visiting Russians. Since then there have been subtle changes in his role in the team. Sometimes, he acts as the team’s spearhead, like in the Junior World Cup final in Hobart, 2001, where he bamboozled defenders by scoring 10 goals, including a hat trick in the final. On other occasions, playing as a left out, he seems to relish the role of a playmaker. Thakur came into the reckoning when he turned out for the Air India Academy in the 1999 Bangalore junior nationals. He netted as many as 18 goals in the tournament. Even in his younger days, he made it a point to exercise discretion and not speak out his mind, unlike some of his contemporaries. At the start of his career, he used to get emotional and overly passionate on the field, but then over the years Thakur has made it a point to keep his emotions under control. |
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Olympians seek Kalam’s help on IHF affairs
New Delhi, July 8 Olympians Dhanraj Pllay, Ashok Kumar, Pargat Singh, M K Kaushik, Balbir Singh, Tarsem Singh and former national player Gurdeep Singh yesterday sent a 14-page letter to the President, who is also the Chief Patron of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF). The former players, barring Pillay, had earlier sent a similar letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his intervention to implement the 1975 guideline that bars office-bearers of the national sports federations from continuing for more than eight years. In the letter to Dr Kalam, the former players alleged that the functioning of the IHF over the past decade had resulted in a decline of the game in the country and there were gross financial irregularities, besides a lack of transparency within the federation. In the letter, they wrote “It is really sad to state that the people at the helm of affairs at the Indian Hockey Federation, who are continuing to occupy those positions for more than one decade without a change, are working in a manner to subserve their personal motives and desires. They neither possess nor have they manifested in any manner any sincere desire either in the interest of hockey or to promote the interest of the players.” The former players also alleged that the federation was run by a sports management company which obtained commercial rights of the Champions Trophy from the IHF without any public tender. “Facilities, training and equipment which are given to hockey players for playing international matches are completely dependent upon the whims and fancies of such persons holding the positions in the Indian Hockey Federation. The same is the fate with regard to the selection of coaches and of the managers...” they alleged. The ‘mismanagement’ of the federation and its total disregard for the interest of the players were the main reasons for the continuing dismal performance of the Indian team in most of the tournaments, they alleged. Attaching copies of the auditors’ reports with the letter, the players also cited significant financial irregularities in the IHF. They urged the President to issue appropriate instructions for immediate compliance by all recognised National Sports Federations of the guidelines and demanded a public tender process while awarding commercial rights for any tournament. “People who are occupying the positions for more than eight years in violation of the government rules should immediately be asked to quit. In the event of their disobedience, they should be thrown out,” they added.
— UNI |
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Bermuda, Canada qualify for World Cup
Belfast, July 8 The final World Cup qualifying spot will be awarded to the team that finishes fifth in the ICC Trophy. Denmark, Holland, Namibia and UAE are still in contention and will play off for this crucial spot tomorrow and on Monday. Joyce brothers guided hosts Ireland to the World Cup as they topped Group A after defeating Denmark by 73 runs at Bangor. They will now play Group B runners-up Canada in the first semifinal tomorrow. The other semifinal of the ICC Trophy will be between Group A runner-up Bermuda and Group B winner Scotland. Ireland’s victory over Denmark was built on a 60-run contribution from Ed Joyce. But Ireland’s next opponents will still have an in-form Joyce to contend with as younger brother Dominic overshadowed his more experienced sibling with a match-winning 50 off only 37 balls. Ireland’s total of 222 all out looked a sufficient target in challenging conditions at Bangor and it proved to be so as Denmark were bowled out for 149. Bermuda came into the ICC Trophy as the bottom-ranked of the three participating teams from the Americas but guaranteed a place at the World Cup with a 113-run defeat of the USA. The Bermuda side, coached by former West Indies batsman Gus
Logie, won the match with a confident batting display. Janeiro Tucker was the key man, smashing 132 runs as Bermuda piled on 311 for 8 in 50 overs. The USA used eight bowlers and conceded 52 extras, including 24
wides. They then completed a winless group stage by falling short of the target with 198 all out. In the other Group A game, UAE beat Uganda by 63 runs to edge ahead of Denmark into third place. In Group B, Scotland went into its final group match against Holland as the only unbeaten side in Group B. Holland had to win the match to stand a chance of qualifying while Scotland would have been through if they could come close to matching Holland’s run rate. These circumstances made for a tense opening spell after Scotland were put into bat and when light rain disrupted play they were struggling at 138 for five. When play resumed, Scotland’s middle order chipped in with valuable runs to lift the total to 221 all out. Scotland’s seam attack found the damp conditions to their liking and made early inroads into the Dutch batting line-up. A series of batsmen made steady starts but only Ryan ten Doeschate was able to pass 20 as wickets continued to fall. Holland crumbled to 123 all out with Ryan Watson the chief destroyer with four wickets. Canada knew the net run rate could be a determining factor in Group B ahead of their match against Papua New Guinea. So after losing the toss and being put in to bat, openers John Davison and Desmond Chumney wasted no time in hitting out. They raced to a century partnership before Davison was out for 62. Though Romero soon followed for 50 the momentum was maintained by Zubin Surkari (45) and Ian
Billcliff, who hit an unbeaten 102, to lift Canada to 319 for 3 in 50 overs. With the Scotland v Holland match at that stage still in the balance, Canada knew it could be crucial to their chances of a top-two finish for them to bowl out Papua New Guinea cheaply and Umar Bhatti and Don Maxwell made important early
breakthroughs. Mahuru Dai held out for 52 runs as Papua New Guinea edged past the 100 mark. They were all out for 159 but, and with Holland losing to Scotland, the net run rate was no longer an issue and Canada had sealed a place at a second consecutive World Cup. In the other Group B game, Oman recovered from 12 for 3 to post 170 for 9 in 50 overs. Captain Azhar Syed led the
fightback, top scoring with 60 runs. It was not enough to trouble Namibia’s batsmen who reached the target in 41.2 overs for the loss of four wickets. All of the group stage matches took place in the north of Ireland. The action now moves to the south where the semifinals and the final will be held. The semifinals will be held tomorrow while the final is at
Clontarf, near Dublin, on July 13. — UNI |
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Sourav hits 47
London, July 8 Ganguly’s knock was the top score, although Glamorgan owed it to tailenders Andrew Davies (41 not out) and David Harrison (26), who put on 44 valuable runs for the ninth wicket to help the visitors reach a respectable total. After the loss of Daniel Cherry for eight, his left-handed partner Mark Wallace (45) and David Hemp (44) sustained the brisk scoring pace with punchy knocks. At 107 for four, Glamorgan were in a spot of bother. Ganguly then anchored the innings, sharing a 51-run stand with 28-year old right-hander Mike Powell (30), before being caught by Australian Mike Hussey off right-arm pacer Mark Footit. — PTI
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Narain keen to win more points
Silverstone, July 8 “We are expecting to be competitive at Silverstone having tested there a few weeks ago and got some good indications of which tyres to choose,” Karthikeyan said going into the 11th GP, which also means home for his team. The 28-year-old Jordan driver, who tested here a few weeks ago, said controlled speed would be the key on the unpredictable track here and the right choice of tyres would be important. About the new Jordan model, he said it would touch the tracks in the races after this Sunday.
— PTI |
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Official status for Afro-Asian matches
London, July 8 “There were several decisions made in the meeting. There was no specific reason for not mentioning this in the official statement,” the spokesperson added. The matches, between an African XI and Asian XI, are to be played on August 17, 19 and 21 this year. The venue is yet to be decided. The ICC’s decision to give official status to international matches involving an Australian team and the Rest of the World for the Super Series to be played in October, as well as the tsunami relief benefit match in January earlier, has not gone down well with statisticians and the afficianados. They have said that the move might benefit the world body commercially by attracting sponsors but it would lead to a plethora of records not comparable with the performances between two official Test nations.
— PTI |
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Magesh is India’s 12th Grandmaster
New Delhi, July 8 Magesh, a student in the University of Texas at Dallas, had got his first GM norm by winning the Asian Junior Championship at Sri Lanka in 2003 and completed his second norm at Bar in Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) in March this year. Magesh’s main strength in the event was his consistency amidst a star-studded field. His points came from excellent
performances against strong players like Jaan Ehlvest (Est), Yuri Shulman (Isr) and Alexander Shabalov (USA). His sole defeat came at the hands of Larry Christiansen (USA) and he drew with Alexander Onischuk (USA). Maghesh won his remaining games in the tournament. |
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Railways edge out Haryana
New Delhi, July 8 In the last Pool B match, though Jharkhand rallied to hold Mumbai 2-2, the latter topped the group with nine points from five matches, while Jharkhand could earn only eight from five matches. In the semifinals to be played on Sunday, after a rest day tomorrow, Railways will take on Jharkhand while Mumbai clash with Haryana. In two other inconsequential matches, Delhi swamped Chhattisgarh 12-0 while Orissa whipped Air India 3-0. |
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Cagers qualify for Asian meet
New Delhi, July 8 But the narrow win, in a round-robin league match in the Middle Asia zone, at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium very nearly turned into a heartbreaking defeat as the Indians missed many a free throw that came their way towards the fag end. Jagdeep Singh’s final basket at the hooter was not counted but the Indian team still clung on to their slender lead to do the victory gig. The Uzbeks, who time and again vented their frustration against one of the two referee’s calls, were crestfallen after crashing to their second straight defeat.
— PTI |
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