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 Citius,
Altius, Fortius Swifter, Higher,
StrongerJapanese judoka Ryoko Tani will arrive at Olympics confident of taking home a third consecutive gold, the 32-year-old spearheading a team with lofty expectations. ''This is my fifth Olympics and every competition I want to do my best,'' Tani, the 7-time world champion says.
Cuba boxers set to rule
‘Don’t ask tourists’ age or wage...’
Asian bloc for CT in Pak: BCCI
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Ottey’s dream dashed
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Judoka Tani seeks hat-trick
East West Bank Classic
Parveen to lead Haryana
Dagshai boys excel at karate meet
Asif trying to rope in British expert
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Cuba boxers set to rule
Paris, July 23 Boxing has given Cuba 32 of their 65 Olympic gold medals and produced such great names as Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, both of whom resisted lucrative offers from American promoters. Former president Fidel Castro banned Cuban fighters from turning professional, believing they should serve the regime by winning medals rather than seek their fortunes. Odlanier Solis, who claimed the heavyweight title in Athens in 2004, went missing in 2006 and signed a professional contract with Germany-based promoters. Others, such as former world welterweight champion Erislandy Lara, followed and fears of more defections led Cuba not to send a team to last year's world amateur championships in Chicago. The Cubans made a stunning return to the international ring at the Americas Olympic qualification tournament last March in Port of Spain, where nine of their fighters earned tickets to Beijing, among them exciting super-heavyweight Robert Acea. Cuba won eight medals in Athens, five of them gold, to top the table ahead of traditional rivals Russia who won three titles and six medals overall. The USA had to be content with just one man in the finals, Andre Ward, who claimed the light-heavyweight title. American boxers have won a record 47 Olympic gold medals but are going through lean years, partly because their best men are impatient to turn professional and do not stay in the amateur ranks long enough to learn all the tricks. The situation is an embarrassment for a country that produced Olympic champions like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Sugar Ray Leonard. Heavyweight inspiration
Among the fighters keen to restore the U.S. boxing team's pride will be heavyweight Deontay Wilder. His inspiration is two-year-old daughter Naieya who was born with a spinal condition and defied predictions she might never walk. "My little girl has been my biggest influence ever since she was born," Wilder told the American boxing team's website (www.usaboxing. org). "She influences me even more once I found out about her condition. She serves as my motivation in life." Boxing, as ever, will provide its share of great stories and the best might be attached to Romany Billy Joe Saunders. The 18-year-old, who lives on a travellers' site on the outskirts of London, looks set to become the face of British amateur boxing and dreams of emulating Amir Khan, who made a huge impact with his run to the silver medal in Athens. "Gold is my target," said Saunders whose great-grandfather Absolom Beeney, now in his late 90s, was a bare-knuckle prize fighter in the boxing booths around the show grounds of England. The modern version of Olympic boxing, where any blood is wiped off straight away and scoring machines make it closer to fencing with gloves than to a brawl, is respectable enough even for opponents who say the sport has no place in the Olympics. Judges press a button to register clean punches rather than give a subjective score after each round which had led to repeated controversies at past Games. The pressure on referees is still a reality and there will always be accusations of corruption but, overall, boxing has cleaned up its act to become a presentable member of the Olympic family, with a distinctive Cuban accent.
— Reuters |
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‘Don’t ask tourists’ age or wage...’
Beijing, July 23 Posters displayed on bulletin boards in the neighbourhood which includes tourist magnet the Forbidden City, and which will host Olympics boxing events, counsel locals against a wide range of potentially awkward conversation topics with foreigners. The list of ''eight don't asks'' was issued by the Dongcheng district Propaganda Department as a guide for locals about how to show proper hospitality, a department spokesman said. ''Don't ask about income or expenses, don't ask about age, don't ask about love life or marriage, don't ask about health, don't ask about someone's home or address, don't ask about personal experience, don't ask about religious beliefs or political views, don't ask what someone does,'' the Olympics logo stamped poster advises. Several etiquette guidelines have already been issued in the run-up to the Games, as China prepares to put its best foot forward with a faultless event. The government has campaigned to curb queue-jumping, spitting, littering and even speaking loudly in public, fearful such behaviour could mar Beijing's image. While some said the guidelines may make people feel nervous about chatting with the 500,000 overseas visitors expected in Beijing for the August 8-24 Games, others questioned the need for them in lively discussions on the Internet. ''Other than the weather what else are you suppose to talk about?'' asked one blogger, posting on the New York Craiglist website in response to the list. ''Are there also eight 'don't tell's'?'' asked another on the popular Shanghai blog, Shanghaiist (http://shanghaiist.com.) ''While 'Eight Don't Asks' is a general practice in the States ... I don't understand why Chinese living in China should follow this rather western guideline,'' wrote ''LC'' on another English-language site carrying photos of the posters. Others online defended the list as a way to bridge cultural gaps and avoid confused reactions from visitors to questions often asked in China and that some might find too intrusive. ''Many Chinese coming to Beijing from around the country have had little or no contact with laowai,'' said ''Ni hao Aussie'' on the Thorntree website, using the Mandarin word for foreigner. ''We are a strange breed to many locals, whose curiosity may take them over the bounds of what many foreigners consider decent.'' But for at least one blogger, the suggestions struck a chord. — Reuters
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Asian bloc for CT in Pak: BCCI
Mumbai, July 23 "The BCCI is fully behind the Asian boards' stand that the decision on the issue should be taken as per the security report submitted to the ICC," BCCI sources said today. The BCCI's position that there's no need to shift the September 11-24 tournament from Pakistan comes in the wake of the possibility of a pull-out by some top cricketers from non-Asian countries from the biennial event citing security concerns. The BCCI would be represented by its president Sharad Pawar and president-elect Shashank Manohar who would be contacted at their respective places during the teleconference scheduled to be held tomorrow evening, according to the sources. ACA reluctant to send players
Karachi: The Australian Players Association (ACA) has once again raised concerns about the safety and security of players ahead of tomorrow's crucial ICC Board meeting to decide if the Champions Trophy should be staged in Pakistan or shifted out of the strife-torn country. ACA chief executive Paul Marsh today said the security consultant hired by them as well as Reg Dickason and the consultants hired by the ICC had in their reports indicated they were number of external threats in Pakistan. "There is a credible threat in all major cities in Pakistan, including those which are hosting the event and they expect bombing in the coming week. So it's what we are concerned about," Marsh told the Geo News network. He said the job of the ACA and Cricket Australia was to ensure that they send players in a safe environment. England, Australia and New Zealand have also voiced concerns after some of their players raised security concerns. Pakistani cities of Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are scheduled to stage the Champions Trophy games from September 11 to 28. Marsh also claimed that the security reports given to the ICC and member countries had highlighted the fact that the security arrangements during the Asia Cup tournament in Lahore and Karachi were not entirely up to the mark. Marsh said except for the tournament final in which President Pervez Musharraf was the chief guest was accepted as a good job. Marsh also said all reports have said there is an increased tension in Pakistan at the moment.
— PTI |
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Heat-resistant flowers Beijing will plant more than 40 million potted flowers around Olympic venues and city streets, including special "heat-resistant" strains capable of withstanding the Chinese capital's baking summer temperatures. The flowers would also grace hotels, the Olympic Village and decorate the vast concrete expanse of Tiananmen Square in the heart of the city, Xinhua news agency said, citing Beijing forestry officials. Wang Sumei, vice-director of the Beijing Landscape Forestation Bureau, said, "We picked up over 20 kinds of heat-resistant flowers from more than 500 species of seasonable flowers to decorate the city, including chrysanthemum and salvia." Beijing has planted more than 30 million plants and rosebushes to cover some 8,800 hectares. Do you know ?
Weird & Strange n
Club swinging (1904): Similar to rhythmic gymnasts, only the competitors swing clubs around their bodies. n
Plunge diving (1904): From a standing position, divers see how far they can go without taking a stroke n
Duelling pistol ( 1906): Shooters fired at mannequins wearing frock coats and bull’s eyes on their chests |
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Judoka Tani seeks hat-trick
Tokyo, July 23 ''This is my fifth Olympics and every competition I want to do my best for all the fans,'' Tani, who became a mother in 2005, told a news conference at the team's Tokyo training headquarters yesterday. ''Personally, I want to win my third gold medal in a row.'' Tani would be the first woman to win three straight titles in the traditional Japanese martial art, although Tadahiro Nomura achieved the feat in the men's 60kg division from 1996. Japan won eight judo golds in Athens, half of the country's overall haul, with female judoka taking five in an event that debuted for women in 1992. Much of the Beijing focus is on the 48kg women's division and Tani, who is married to a professional baseball player and took time off to give birth to their son three years ago. The seven-time world champion says the break made her even stronger.— Reuters |
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Colombo, July 23 India's new ball bowlers Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan claimed a wicket apiece during a single 22-over evening session after rain and a wet outfield delayed the start of play until 3.30 pm local time. Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was unbeaten on 16 when bad light stopped play for the day having added 28 runs for the third wicket with Warnapura. Warnapura started shakily but scored quickly after playing himself in, hitting six boundaries in his 74-ball innings. Ishant Sharma struck first for India with a lively delivery that bounced steeply and Michael Vandort (3) edged to wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik. Kumar Sangakkara (12), the world's number one batsman coming into this Test series, edged a swinging delivery from left-armer Zaheer Khan to Rahul Dravid at slip. Both teams went into the game with two spinners including unorthodox Sri Lanka debutant Ajantha Mendis who destroyed India with a haul of six wickets for 13 in the final of the Asia Cup one-day competition earlier this month. However, the overcast conditions did not aid the dry pitch expected to favour spin, instead helping India's fast bowlers in the short evening session after Sri Lanka had won the toss and decided to bat. — Reuters Scoreboard Sri Lanka (1st innings) Vandort c Karthik b Ishant 3 Warnapura not out 50 Sangakkara c Dravid b Zaheer 12 Jayawardene not out 16 Extras (lb-1, nb-3) 4 Total (2 wkts, 22 overs) 85 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-57 Bowling: Zaheer 9-0-42-1, Ishant 7-2-21-1, Ganguly 5-1-14-0, Harbhajan 1-0-7-0.
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Sunil Gavaskar writes After a long time, it was good to see the players in creams rather than the coloured clothing that is the norm in limited overs cricket. Despite the obvious attractiveness of the limited overs formats, ask any player and he will assert that it is Test matches where the skills of a player are really tested. That is why it is called a Test match. Those successful in the limited overs formats also want to be playing Tests because at the end of the day, a player is rated by how he does at the Test level. What the limited overs formats have certainly done is to help in making Tests a lot more spectator-friendly with a lot more shots being played and not too many dot balls either. The Test series between South Africa and England has shown how in Test cricket, tables can be turned by application and determination. At the end of the third day of the first Test, it had looked as if the Proteas would be downed by England. They not only went on to save the Test but have now won the second to lead the series. The result of that series is important from the Indian point of view for if they are hoping to be ranked below Australia, then they have to win the series to beat both South Africa and England to the second spot. Going by the weather on the first day, it is not going to be easy. Only 22 overs were possible and that means a lot of ground has to be covered over the next four days with the weather still being uncertain. The stop-start pattern invariably helps a fielding side as it allows them to not only rest but gives them the chance to reassess their strategy and employ another one if need be. It is definitely better for the new ball bowlers as not only do they get rest and can get the physios attention, but overcast conditions help the ball to move better. For the batsmen, it is tough to get the focus back after continuous breaks and it is here that the bowlers can sneak in and get a dangerous player out. India will be hoping that they can snare the Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene soon, as he has the distinction of getting the most runs at this venue and he has relished the Indian bowling in the past. This though is a new attack especially with Ishant Sharma getting the ball to lift awkwardly as in the dismissal of Vandort, and Zaheer being probing as always. The spinners may not get the wet ball to grip, so Ganguly can be in action too. Apart from the Lankan skipper, there is the impressive Warnapura who looks like a solid player with a good temperament for the longer version of the game. He is in with a half-century and India will be keen to have him back in the dressing room sooner than later. It is only the first day of the series but the honours seem to be shared by both teams. — PMG
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Sania-Mattek in quarters
Los Angeles, July 23 The second seeded Indo-American pair pipped the American- Russian duo 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the hard court event. They next face Russian pair of Elena Versina and Vera Zvonareva, who beat American wild card Tracy Lin and Riza Zalameda 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round. Sania won her singles first round match yesterday against Eva Hrdinova in straight sets. She is now up against Chinese Meng Yuan in the second round. — PTI
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Chandigarh: Asian Silver Medalist Parveen Kumar will lead the 126-member Haryana contingent in the 20th North Zone Athletic championship to be held at Lucknow from August 1-3. Other members: Men (u-20): Daya Kishan (100m, 4X100m R), Dharamvir (200m), Sanjiv Nandal (1500m), Rambir (hammer), Pardeep Malik (100m, 4X100m), Gaurav Tanwar (200m, 4X100m R), Parveen Kumar (400m, 4X400m R), Sudhir Kumar (long jump), Devender Singh (pole vault), Dharamvir (discus), Habib (4X100m relay), Kuldeep (400m4X400m R), Satish Kumar (400mH, 4X400m R), Baljit Singh (800m, 4X400m R), Surender (10000m), Parveen Kumar (110mH, 400m H), Raj Kumar (long jump, triple jump), Shatrughan (triple jump), Vipin Singh (high jump), Pardeep Kumar (high jump), Sunny Singh (pole vault), Jagbir Singh (shot put), Surender Singh (hammer), Davender Kumar (decathlon), Karan Singh (5000m), Arvind Kumar (Jjvelin), Bharthari (4X400m), Sandeep kumar (10km WR)Sandeep Kumar (10km WR). Boys u-18: Sanjeev Kumar (100m) Manish (100m, 200m medlay relay), Jaiveer Singh (200m), Bijender Panghal (400m, medlay relay), Baljit Yadav (800m), Pardeep Kumar (high jump), Jitender Kumar Virender (pole vault), Karan Singh (discus), Virender Kumar (javelin), Pardeep (medlay relay) Rambir Singh (octathlon), Mandeep Singh (800m), Paramjit Singh (1500m), Kuldeep (long jump), Naresh (shot put) Akash Antil (discus), Dinesh Kumar (5000m) Neeraj Vats(10km WR), Vikas (110m H) Jony Makkar (medlay relay), Ravinder Yadav (400m, medlay relay), Mahabir Singh (400m H), Sandeep Singh (triple jump), Amit Gill (hammer), Kishori Lal (10km RW) and Gurvinder Singh (long jump). Boys u-16: Manjit Tomar (100m, medlay relay), Vikas (3000m) Sandeep Lathwal (long jump), Ravinder Khasa (200m, medlay ralay), Vineet (400m medlay relay) Sunny (800m & medlay relay), Sonu (100m, shotput & medlay relay), Rajesh Kumar (1500m), Ritesh Malik, Sikander (high jump), Parmod (discus), Sukhdev Singh (hammer), Arvind (javelin) Sandeep Kumar (pentathlon) Jaiveer Singh (hammer), Abhimanyu (5km RW) and Manish(5km RW). — TNS
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Dagshai boys excel at karate meet
Kumarhatti, July 23 DPS won two gold, five silver and two bronze medals. Tsering and Yogesh bagged gold medals in the 30-kg and 50-kg categories respectively. Mankaran, Gurpratap, Abhinav, Navjot and Dharamvir Singh got silver in the 45-kg, 50-kg, 60-kg, 65-kg and 70-kg categories, respectively. Jivesh and Sukhwinder secured bronze in 30-kg and 53-kg bouts, respectively. |
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Asif trying to rope in British expert
Karachi, July 23 Asif's lawyer Shahid Karim confirmed today that efforts were on to hire Durgan as he has the experience of helping athletes who have been failed dope tests in the UK. "Nothing is final as yet. But we are holding talks," Karim said. Asif had also tried to hire well known British lawyer and anti-doping legal expert Mark Gay who has represented high profile athletes in doping offences but he didn't respond to the offer from the Pakistani
paceman. — PTI |
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Sunil Gavaskar writes
Bob Beamon, a New York native, created history at the Mexico Olympics in 1968 by clearing 8.90 metres i.e. 29 ft 2 ˝ in in the long jump. He beat the old world record by an unbelievable 21 inches. It was one of the most astounding feats in the history of the Olympics. Bob Beamon, barely qualified for the Olympic, fouling in two of his qualifying runs. Not only was he the first long jumper in history to reach 28 feet. He also became the first to reach 29 feet.The record lasted almost 23 years until August 30, 1991 when American Mike Powell jumped 29-4˝ at the World Championships in Tokyo. He toyed with the idea of becoming a professional basketball player, but although talented, he was too fragile in hard combat beneath the baskets.
Costa Rica had great sportswomen in the Olympic Games: Claudia Poll Ahrens and Sylvia Poll Ahrens. Sylvia was born in Managua, Nicaragua. Her parents were Germans who settled in Nicaragua where they had Silvia and her younger sister Claudia. In 1987, Sylvia Poll made history when won eight medals (3 gold, 3 silver,and 2 bronze) in the Pan American swimming pool. She became the first Latin American to win eight medals in a single Pan American Games. She won Olympic silver in 200 m freestyle in 1988. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Claudia won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle event. The win was the first gold medal for Costa Rica in a summer Olympic game.