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Moment of reckoning for Indian sports
Indian Commonwealth contingent hit by scandal
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Xalco to replace Harpal
Prameela out of Commonwealth
Games
England’s Ashes euphoria fading: media
Pak walk out of practice
Boxer commits suicide
G.S. Sandhu is Golf Club President again
Namdhari XI in semis
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Moment of reckoning for Indian sports
Melbourne, March 14 The reason is simple, India is to host the next edition of the games at New Delhi and good showing here will be a positive endorsement and good advertisement for those games. A poor showing will have a cascading negative effect on the buildup for the 2010 event. India has sent a huge delegation of 255 sportspersons and officials and it is the fourth biggest after Australia, New Zealand and England and no excuses will be
accepted for poor performances. India is taking part in ten disciplines in these games — athletics, badminton, boxing, basketball, gymnastics, hockey, shooting, swimming, table tennis and weightlifting. The games face as uncertain future. Though 71 countries are taking part, they lack the vigour and excitement of an international sporting competition. Despite huge efforts by the organisers and the Australian Government, the games have not caught the imagination of the people of this city which is considered to be the sports crazy capital of the world. Indians will have to put up extraordinary performances to match the 70 medals including 30 gold they won in 2002 Manchester Games. The number of gold medals is bound to come down as in weightlifting, in which India claimed 11 gold last time, there is only one gold for one event and not three for an event as in Manchester. Also India had won three gold, two silvers and a bronze an wrestling in 2002, but this discipline is not included here. India hopes to fill this gap with some good showing in shooting, last time Indians bagged 24 medals in this event, 14 gold, seven silver and three bronze and they are hopeful that with bit of Luck the shooters will manage to improve on the tally. Shouldering the major burden will be the 27-strong shooting squad, the best among the participating countries as they proved with their showing in Manchester and at the last Commonwealth championships here. The golden vignettes of the last Commonwealth Games in Manchester are inspirational but it remains to be seen how much better they will do in these games. Indian women surprised everybody, including themselves, by winning a gold in hockey competition but this time they will need a
Herculean effort to retain it. The Aussies are in tremendous form and England are looking for revenge, Kiwis are also in the run for podium finish. It will indeed need luck, grit and determination for Indian women hockey team to hope for a podium finish. The big draw for the Indians is men’s hockey and the Asia Cup winners are hoping to make it to the podium for the first time in these game. India had finished fourth In Kuala Lumpur Games in 1998 and did not figure in the 2002 edition, both times Australia won the gold. On paper India can at least hope for a bronze, but coach Rajinder Singh asserted that if his boys played with determination, “We can do much better”. In weightlifting, India’s image was dented at Manchester by two failed dope tests. Given the fact that India had enjoyed their biggest medal haul in the event — 11 gold, nine silver and nine bronze — the damage was visible and high as it affected country's overall standing and it slipped by a rung on the medals table. Satheesha Rai and Krishnan Madasamy failed dope tests. Shockingly four years since then, four lifters who between them accounted for eight gold, one silver and three bronze have been caught for doping at one time or the other. Winner of the remaining three gold medals, Kunjarani Devi, was herself on a comeback trail in Manchester, having served a ban for a positive test. “I think we can win four gold and equal number of silver and more bronze this time,” said Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) secretary General Balbir Singh Bhatia. Bhatia is pinning hopes for gold on Kunjarani Devi, Simple Kaur and Vicky Bhatta and is expecting some surprising good showing by other lifters. So drugs scare has not left India and it looms large over them here also. After Manchester, it was evident in Athens and it was the sole reason for India featuring on the front pages in Helsinki during World Athletics championship last year. The athletes are also a scared lot because along with weightlifters they are under the scanner of WADA. The sudden arrival of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) officials surprised Indian athletes at their training base in South Africa and many fled the camp and it was the first sign of the brewing trouble. The athletes came scurrying home, they were followed to the National camp in Patiala, forcing many to stay away. In the process the focus shifted to the weightlifters preparing for Melbourne and Shailaja Pujari, a medal contender, became the first victim of the season. India thus have a big task of salvaging their prestige here and the fact that New Delhi is to host the next edition of the games, the responsibility is that much higher this time — on one hand is the need to reveal their sporting strength, on the other, the necessity to show that the strength is earned through fair means. It will be long jumper Anju George who will spearhead India’s challenge in athletics and will seek to turn her Manchester bronze into a medal of a brighter hue. India had one silver and a bronze in this discipline last time. Basketball is making its debut in the games and India has sent teams in men and women section. But in this event it may be the case of just adding to the numbers. There is not much to write about country's basketball teams. India had finished 12th out of 16 in the Asian Championship and they are ranked 47th in men and 41st in women section. Then there are swimmers here. They are themselves surprised to find themselves here given the dismal standard of the sport back home. Adding to the numbers are ten gymnasts (five men, five women) but they have made their position clear. “Don’t expect medal from us. We are expecting the women to finish sixth and same is the case with men, we are here for exposure,” said an official accompanying the squad. Table tennis, badminton and boxing teams taking part too return home with medals. “We won two medals (bronze) in Manchester and I am confident we will improve this time,” said team manager Dhanraj Chowdhery. India did very well in boxing last time as they won their first ever Commonwealth gold but this time it will be tough to repeat that performance, but the 11-member squad is confident of performing well. Som Bahadur Pun, the silver medallist in Manchester is spearheading the Indian challenge. In Badminton India’s hopes rest on Olympian Aparna Popat, Chetan Anand and promising Saina Nehwal. The country had won a bronze in this sport in Manchester. Thus the stakes are indeed high this time for India and it is not entirely gloomy scenario for them. They have the talent to produce some glittering performances and one hopes they do.
— UNI |
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Indian Commonwealth contingent hit by scandal
Melbourne, March 14 An official statement was released from the Indian contingent on Tuesday morning after the incident came to light late on Monday night. The short statement from H.J. Dora, chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent, said: “We have been made aware of an incident involving a member of the Indian support staff. This incident is now the subject of an investigation by the relevant authorities and we are taking this matter very seriously. “Should this allegation be proved, the Indian Olympic Association will take the strongest possible action. We extend our utmost cooperation with the Australian authorities in this matter.” The police was said to have confiscated the passport of the accused, a 28-year-old masseur, and have begun investigations. They also confirmed that the accused was co-operating in the investigations. The police also confirmed the 16-year-old victim was well. Charge of indecent assault carries a penalty of up to two year’s jail. According to reports and sources, the teenaged cleaner was alleged to have been assaulted as she was cleaning the room of the support staff member. The girl complained that the man attempted to hug, kiss and fondle her, and a special village-based investigation unit was called in to investigate the matter. Earlier today, the Victorian Commonwealth Games Minister Justin Madden said incidents were to be expected given the concentration of about 6,000 athletes and officials on the site. “That’s the size of a regional town. You will have issues in the village that are the equivalent of a regional town,” Madden said. Sources say the accused was a masseur attached to the Indian contingent. While his name was not released, it was reported that he was not cleared by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and was cleared by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) directly. The masseur chosen by the IOA was dropped and the one nominated by SAI was brought to Melbourne. The accused does not speak English and was said to have been suspended from all duties and was likely to be deported at the earliest. All Village residents are required to sign an agreement that will not behave in an inappropriate manner that would bring their team or country into disrepute. According to officials, if the allegations are proved, the alleged offender faces possible court action and could be immediately stripped of his special Games visa, which would lead to his being deported and that could jeopardise any further foreign visits for him. Indian general team manager Gurbir Singh, speaking to media, said: “He has no role or function. He came to Melbourne as part of the team, but he will not function in the role of a masseur and he won’t until we can clear up this particular incident.” Meanwhile, the masseur from SAI, Patiala, Diwan Asghar Nabi, claimed he just wanted to be photographed with the girl. Sources revealed that Nabi told Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials that he had no other intentions when he held the hand of the girl. Meanwhile, the IOA and local police have decided to provide him legal assistance when Nabi appears in the magistrate's court tomorrow. “We strongly condemn Nabi’s act, if he has done so. But we can’t leave him in the lurch. So, IOA has appointed a lawyer to fight the case,” chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent HJ Dora told UNI. Nabi was identified through an identification parade by men of his height and structure. But according to the masseur himself, he wanted only to be photographed with the girl and had placed his hand across her shoulder asking another person to take a snap. The girl had come to change the bed linen and another senior girl was standing outside, he said. But he was not supposed to take a photograph there and hence the other girl reportedly shouted “What are you doing?” According to Nabi, that shout triggered a panic of sort among the girls and he was mistaken as molesting the girl. —
IANS, UNI |
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Xalco to replace Harpal
Melbourne, March 14 This has been necessitated due to a chicken pox bout contacted by the Namdhari defender a few days ago. Indian chief coach Rajinder Singh Jr said here today that Harpal's face and upper body was covered with the disease marks and would take considerable time for the scales to heal. “We had requested IHF to send a suitable replacement immediately for him,” he said. Xalco, who last played for India in the Champions Trophy at Chennai last December had to sit out from the six Test India-Pakistan series in February due to injury.
— UNI |
Prameela out of Commonwealth
Games
Melbourne, March 14 B Prameela Valli has dropped out from the Indian weightlifting team at the last minute and the foreign mediapersons seemed sure that she had tested positive in Delhi. With the Games hardly providing any excitement for the international media, the journalists here are looking for juicy news and after the sex assault incident, they are smelling foul in Prameela Valli’s last minute withdrawal. Though the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) officials informed the lifter had withdrawn because of some family problems, the journalists here are far from being convinced. Some of the media reports quoted their sources back in Delhi claiming Prameela Valli has been caught for doping. The Andhra lifter was a medal contender in the 63-kg category.
— UNI |
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England’s Ashes euphoria fading: media
London, March 14 The Guardian said it was a cakewalk for the home team in the end and it must be hoping to win the series in Mumbai, which is expected to be a spinner’s paradise. “It might have been close, but in the end it was a cakewalk, with Virender Sehwag, shaky at first following three successive failures, scoring an unbeaten 76 from 89 balls which was the icing on the Indian cake,” the paper said today. “Set 144 to win after bowling England out for 181, India cruised home on the stroke of tea for the loss of Wasim Jaffer and must now have high hopes of making it 2-0 on what is expected to be a spinner’s paradise at Mumbai. “For England, it was yet another reminder that Test cricket on the subcontinent is a world away from the euphoria of last September when they defeated Australia in the Ashes series. Andrew Flintoff’s biggest task now is to keep heads up and belief intact,” it said. The victory has given India an unassailable 1-0 series lead and England's disappointing winter seemed to be continuing, The Times wrote. The Daily Telegraph summed up that “Anil Kumble, with his nine wickets and doughty batting, was the difference between the teams and was rightly named man-of-the-match. “England desperately needed an Indian collapse after lunch to have any hope, but it wasn't forthcoming. Hoggard did at least trap Wasim Jaffer lbw, placing him in the top 10 of all time England wicket takers with 194. “But Dravid was in an unbudgeable and more fluent mood, and Virender Sehwag, who had looked all at sea at the start, finally found his touch. It also said that “England’s rather unlucky experiences over the last two days, with a number of marginal decisions not going their way. But they only had themselves to blame for letting two promising positions slip away. —
PTI |
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Ponting wants Warne back
Sydney, March 14 “It would be nice to have Warnie out there,” a dejected Ponting was quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying.
— UNI |
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Pak walk out of practice Pakistan captain Inzaman-ul-Haq (left) and Abdul Razzaq leave the cricket ground without completing their first practice session as the ground was occupied for a soft ball match in Colombo on Tuesday. — Reuters
photo
Colombo, March 14 “It’s a disgrace,” Pakistan’s coach Bob Woolmer told The Associated Press. “When you are on an international touring side wanting a centre wicket (for practices) and can’t get one, it looks a little strange.” Pakistan’s team were scheduled to practice at Colombo Cricket Ground this morning but were informed that the ground had already been allocated for a local cricket match. “We went there for little practices and we were told that a soft ball match was being played, which no one seemed to know,” Woolmer said. Most Sri Lankans play cricket using the tennis ball instead of a hard cricket ball, mainly for leisure. Unable to practice the players returned to the hotel and afterward the practices were shifted to Premadasa Stadium elsewhere in the capital city. An official in-charge of arranging practices said that it became difficult to book center pitches because all the cricket grounds had been booked months ahead because a public holiday. Pakistan’s team led by Inzamam-ul-Haq will play in three limited-over matches before two Tests against Sri Lanka. The first match of the series is scheduled to be played
at Premadasa Stadium on Friday. — AP |
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Sania ousted
Indian Wells, March 14 The Hyderabadi girl went down 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to fourth seeded Dementieva and followed it up, pairing with Ai Sugiyama of Japan, with a 7-6, 2-6, 6-7 lost against the second seed pair of Zimbabwean Cara Black and Australian Rennae Stubbs. Against Dementieva, Sania started well in the two-hour-long battle but the Russian came back strongly after being a set down to clinch the match. The Indian broke her higher-ranked opponent thrice in the first set to win it 7-5 but her tendency to let the momentum slip again proved to be her undoing as Dementieva held on in the next two sets to win the match. Sania was broken four times in the second set by the Russian who won the set comfortably 6-4. The match went in to the decider where Dementieva proved to be too good for the Indian.
— UNI |
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Boxer commits suicide
Bhiwani, March 14 According to a report, 20-year-old boxer Sonu Chahal of Madanheri village was training and residing at the local Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel. He had participated in several national and international competitions during the past few years. A report said Sonu had committed suicide by hanging himself at his room last night. It has not been confirmed whether Sonu was alone in his room. Later, the body was cremated at Madanheri village where sportspersons and trainers paid tributes to the boxer. The police are investigating the case keeping in view whether Sonu committed suicide or was he murdered.
— OC |
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G.S. Sandhu is Golf Club President again Gurinderjit Singh Sandhu
Chandigarh, March 14 It is the manner in which Mr Sandhu has handled the Club, the stress being on the upkeep of the golf course that has got him the post. Ask any golfer and they will say: "The fairways as well as the greens played at their best". Besides Mr Sandhu, their are 11 posts in the Executive Committee for which there are 13 contestants. With the withdrawal dates drawing near, hectic activity is on to persuade two of them to withdraw. It happens it will be a unanimous election of the entire executive committee. The elections are slated for April 2. With the president's post in his pocket Mr Sandhu interacted with the media this afternoon. He talked bout the lighting of fairways 1, 17 and 18. The cost of the floodlights would have been almost 70 lakh, but the same was brought down to just Rs 30 lakh by Kapil Dev's company Dev Musco.
— TNS |
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Namdhari XI in semis
Ludhiana, March 14 |
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Melbourne, March 14
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