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Tibet flags unfurled, four held
Storm batters Hong Kong |
PICK OF THE DAY
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Monica Devi talks to media in New Delhi on Wednesday. —
Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal
Coach stands by Monika
Avneet Kaur Sidhu
Robles not the only worry for Liu
Cheerleaders join in the fun
Cheerleaders perform during a practice session at Beijing's Chaoyang Park Beach volleyball ground on Wednesday. — AFP photo
India to host Euro Tour golf event
Haryana athletes emerge champs
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Brazil smarting from US defeat Men's Olympic volleyball champions Brazil are playing down their chances in Beijing this year following a painful home defeat by the US last month at the World League finals. Bernardo Resende, coach of the twice world champions, thinks the US, Russia, Italy, Bulgaria, Poland and Serbia will all challenge for medals. ''World volleyball today is maybe at its highest competitive level,'' he told reporters on Wenesday. ''Any of those who I cited can win the gold. ''To be an Olympic champion is not just a matter of being prepared. To win it, everything has to run in your favour.'' Brazil lost in three straight sets to the Americans in front of a large crowd in Rio for the League semi-final. ''The Americans are a very dangerous team. They know how to play tactically,'' he said. ''They studied the way we play and managed to beat us. We are hurt and we will have to learn how to play while bleeding.''
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Tibet flags unfurled, four held
Beijing, August 6 Two American and two British citizens displayed Tibetan flags and banners declaring "One World, One Dream: Free Tibet" and "Tibet will be free," the group Students for a Free Tibet said in an email. One of the banners also said "Free Tibet" in Chinese. The four breached the general Chinese ban on protests, especially over restive Tibet, by scaling power poles near the heavily guarded Bird's Nest Stadium, where the Olympics open on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The protest also came as the Games torch began passing through Beijing under tight security. Tenzin Dorjee, deputy director of Students for a Free Tibet, said the protest was intended to dramatise complaints about Chinese rule in Tibet as Games preparations climax. Beijing Games spokesman Sun Weide told a news conference that his country has rules on "assemblies" and expects foreigners to respect them. China has a law allowing citizens to apply to protest, but approvals are virtually unheard of. The two British protesters were Iain Thom, 24, and Lucy Marion, 23, and the two Americans were Phill Bartell, 34, and Tirian Mink, 32, said a statement on a Students for Free Tibet website (freetibet2008.org). A British embassy spokesman said its staff were seeking access to its detained nationals. A U.S. embassy spokeswoman said privacy rules for citizens prevented her from commenting on the matter. Police rushed to the scene after 12 minutes and took them away, the Xinhua news agency said. Approaches to the Bird's Nest Stadium are heavily guarded, but Students for a Free Tibet said the protesters showed the banners near it for nearly an hour. The International Olympics Committee said it expected Beijing authorities would "act with tact and understanding" in responding to such acts. "People will use the platform of the Olympic Games to draw attention to their causes," IOC spokesperson Emmanuelle Moreau said. — Reuters
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Storm batters Hong Kong
Hong Kong, August 6 The strong winds brought down scaffolding and uprooted trees, but there have been no reports of serious damage or injuries. Organisers responsible for the equestrian events taking place in Hong Kong as part of the Olympics said none of the horses had been affected by the storm. "The horses have taken advantage of the wet weather and are resting peacefully in the stables. Many are sleeping and in very good condition," a spokesman for the Equestrian Company said in a statement. But two aircraft carrying 24 horses from China, the US and United Arab Emirates had been delayed by the storm although they were expected to arrive in the next 24 hours. "Slight damage" was sustained to the competition venue but this will not affect the opening of the equestrian events on Saturday, said the spokesman. Meteorologists said chances of the haze lifting over Beijing in the next two days were good. They are pinning hopes on tropical storm Kammuri which could bring welcome rain later to Beijing, perhaps washing the skies clean for Friday.
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Agencies |
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Monika alleges frame-up
Shoot me if I am guilty, says Monika
Monika, the lone weightlifter chosen to represent India in the Beijing Olympic
Games, claimed innocence and alleged that she was being victimised by some
members of the Sports Authority of India. "Everyone knows there are various
international tests and no sensible athlete would do that (dope). I am ready to
go to Beijing where my dope test is scheduled for tomorrow. If I fail there
leave apart banning me for life, shoot me in public," she said.
New Delhi, August 6 "I am innocent and I am being targeted. This, according to me, is politics played by Shailaja, along with the Association. I won't make such a mistake at all because I don't want to end my career like this," Monika said while addressing a hurriedly called press conference here today. She said she has never touched any drugs. "I have never touched any illegal substance and I have never failed a dope test in my life. If all these claims are true, I would even go to the extent of ending my life," she added. Speaking about her close competitor P Shailaja, who was a few days ago accused of bribing a top weightlifting official to secure a berth for Beijing Olympics, Monika said, "She has played dirty politics with me. How can the association recommend her name, after she has been dope tested positive almost five times. I have had 30 tests and all the tests have been negative.” “These are all tactics adopted by the Association to forbid me from participating at Beijing." In a dramatic face-off, agitated Monika Devi stormed into the SAI Hq here and confronted its executive director (teams) R.K. Naidu, demanding report of her dope test which had she flunked. A tearful Monika, accompanied by Indian Weightlifting Federation officials and mediapersons, challenged SAI’s dope testing standards while also taking Naidu on even as the SAI director defended himself and said he could submit the report only to the IWF and not the player concerned. "I must be given the reports of my dope test which says I flunked the test. You declared me positive and you must prove it now," Monika fumed. — Agencies
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Kolkata, August 6 Refusing to believe that the Manipuri lifter took anabolic salt for which she was tested positive, Deodutt Sharma, who also coaches the Army, said perhaps she had been made a scapegoat. "Every sportsperson with basic knowledge knows that the particular salt is banned. Only a fool will take such things knowingly. Having worked with Monika Devi for months now, I strongly disbelieve this.” “Perhaps, something has been manipulated," Sharma, who was Monika Devi's coach when the 69kg lifter achieved the Beijing mark, said. — PTI
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Beijing, August 6 ''It is going to be very tough, the field is very formidable and the toughest challenge is from Czech, German, Russian and Chinese shooters,'' Avneet said while talking about her chances. ''I agree it is going to be a very hard task, but I don't think it is impossible,'' she said. ''After all some body amongst the participants is going to win,'' the Air rifle Indian national champion said. Avneet, who is the first woman shooter from Punjab participating in the Beijing Olympics, feels that she is well prepared for the competition. ''I will be taking in my pet event 10m air rifle and also 50 m air rifle,'' said Avneet who has in last six years, won 14 gold medals, seven silver medals and six bronze medals in international and national level competitions. She finished eighth in the World Shooting Championship at, Croatia 2006, which enabled her to qualify for the Olympics. Having already participated in nine World Cups, Avneet feels that luck also plays an important part in winning the medal. ''On a particular day, your form and luck matters,'' she noted. The Beijing-bound shooter said the practice-cum-training stint in Germany before coming here has helped her a lot. ''I have been able to get the ammunition what I wanted. It is very important for a shooter to have ammunition of his/her choice.'' Avneet, who is the Assistant Manager in Air India, won Gold and Silver in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. But later that year she could win only a Bronze medal in Doha Asiad. Earlier this year, she won a Gold in the Australia Cup in Sydney. ''Shooting is my passion...I am simply addicted to it,'' she said and hoped that this time both form and luck will favour her, ''I am practicising very hard, I will give my best. — UNI
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Robles not the only worry for Liu
Beijing, August 6 Like Freeman eight years ago in Sydney, Liu is the focus of China's Olympic athletics challenge and his August 21 showdown with the man who took his world record this year will be among the most-watched event of the Games. When he triumphed in Athens, Liu became China's first Olympic track gold medallist - and was immediately set up for four years of speculation of whether he could successfully defend the title on home soil in 2008. Catapulted into multi-millionaire super-stardom he now ''enjoys'' the trappings of an international movie star, with his features on a million billboards and his every move accompanied by 24-hour security -- though he continues to live in a modest flat. It was a situation that Freeman would recognise, though the adulation of 20 million Australians is dwarfed by the billion Chinese willing Liu on. Freeman, Australia's most prominent Aboriginal sportsperson, was chosen to light the Olympic flame in Sydney but spent most of the two years leading up to the Games in the USA and Europe, partly to avoid the spotlight. After delivering the expected gold medal she collapsed to the track in a mixture of relief and emotional and physical exhaustion in one of the enduring Olympic images. It was little surprise when a few months later she announced she was taking a year off to get over it all and though she returned to action in 2002, she retired in 2003. Victory for Liu would also take some topping and the 28-year-old world champion would no doubt be forgiven if he decided that there was little more he could achieve. For a long time it seemed he needed only to avoid injury and stay on his feet in the final to retain his title, then along came Robles, who improved the world record by a hundredth of a second to 12.87 in June. Robles showed it was not a one-off when he followed up with a 12.88 run in July, the joint second-fastest time ever alongside Liu's best, set in 2006. The presence of such a formidable challenger might well help Liu focus on his race and less on the furore surrounding it but Colin Jackson, whose 1993 world record of 12.91 Liu matched in the 2004 Olympic final, thinks the pressure might be too much. ''Liu Xiang must wake up every morning and see a picture of Robles in his head,'' the Briton said last month. ''One has a really huge amount of pressure on him and the other one has so much to gain. ''The majority of Chinese probably won't understand who Robles is and what he has done and they just expect Liu to turn up and win. But this guy can deliver the goods as well.''
— Reuters |
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Cheerleaders join in the fun
Beijing, August 6 "Come on. Keep concentrating," shouts Vanessa Diaz, their trainer, as photographers spin around to point their lenses at the girls clad in the tiniest of string bikinis. Cheerleading has become an integral part of several sports across the world, and came to the Olympic beach volleyball court in Athens in 2004. The Spanish troupe that performed in Athens got the job to entertain the crowds in Beijing as well but with the proviso the cheerleading team should be half Chinese and that their routines include traditional dances from the host nation. "It was a big challenge to integrate two groups but the level I found here was really quite good. They had already watched our videos, they knew our style," Diaz said. Diaz, whose team is based in Spain's Canary Islands, takes members of the joint troupe through their paces about half of it barefoot on the hot sand. Asked if the dancers were nervous about performing in the 12,200-seat Chaoyang stadium, the biggest built for beach volleyball, she smiled and shook her head. "The more, the merrier. More noise, more fun!".
— Reuters |
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Hyderabad, August 6 After two lacklustre matches - against Afghanistan and Tajikistan - India topped Group A by sending Turkmenistan packing from the tournament and that victory has put India's title hopes on course. The home team started on an unimpressive note and they had to wait till the injury time to beat minnows Afghanistan by a solitary goal and come back from behind to hold defending champions Tajikistan in the next match that too from their opponents' own goal. But what has made coach Bob Houghton happy was the never-say-die attitude of his charges who fought till the end which the Englishman felt would be crucial to win the tournament and qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup. "All the boys showed the fighting spirit till the end in all the group matches especially in the first two - against Afghanistan and Tajikistan. They are an honest bunch of boys who try very hard. They know the importance of this tournament," Houghton had said of his charges. India played their best match of the tournament against Turkmenistan with all the players chipping in though captain Baichung Bhutia scored a brace to seal the victory. The back four were spot on, the midfield up to their task and strikers Baichung and Sunil Chhetri creating havoc whenever India raided the rival defence. Goalkeeper Subrata Paul was outstanding under the bar. Houghton later described that match as one of India's best in the last 12 months. The home team, however, would take Myanmar lightly at their own peril at Gachibowli Stadium tomorrow, considering that the South East Asians had beaten Sri Lanka and Nepal by impressive margins of 3-1 and 3-0 before losing to title favourites DPR Korea 0-1 in their last Group B match. — PTI
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India to host Euro Tour golf event
Chandigarh, August 6 Co-sanctioned by the European Seniors Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the major European event sets the seal on 2008 being a watershed year for the development of golf in India, with the country playing host to the first European Tour events in February and March. The par-72 Jaypee Greens course is spread over 7,347yards and boasts of 14 lakes, 88 bunkers and over 10,000 trees. European Seniors Tour professionals and a number of prominent local Indian professionals and amateurs will tee off together in the 54 hole Championship, with the local amateur contingent being led by India’s famous 1983 Cricket World Cup winning captain, Kapil Dev. “I am really looking forward to playing in a professional tournament with some of golf's great names on home ground here in India. I am sure it will be a tremendous experience for all of us and I hope that I can play my part in helping these golfing legends enjoy their trip to Delhi and working towards the overall goal of popularizing golf in this country” said Kapil. Gautam Thapar, president, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), said, “With India becoming the new staging ground for the prestigious European Seniors Tour, this is a proud moment for all of us at the PGTI. We are confident that this association will help to establish the Indian Senior Masters as one of the Tour’s premium tournaments.” Charles Perring, deputy managing director of the European Seniors Tour, said, “India has a long-established golfing tradition that dates back to 1829, and we’re delighted to be bringing the European Seniors Tour to India for the first time this year and to be playing at the auspicious Jaypee Greens Golf Resort”. The Indian Seniors Masters is the latest addition to the 2008 European Seniors Tour Schedule. There are currently 19 tournaments on the Schedule, carrying a combined prize fund of approximately $14 million. |
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Haryana athletes emerge champs
Chandigarh, August 6 Hosts Uttar Pradesh got the runners-up position with a medal tally of 35-39-36 while Delhi were third with 19 gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze medals. Punjab finished fourth position with a medal tally of 17-20-15. Uttrakhand (7-14-24), Chandigarh (4-5-6) and Himachal Pradesh (1-2-3) got fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. Meanwhile, Bhadu informed that 65 Haryana athletes had been selected to represent North Zone in the 20th Inter-Zonal Junior Athletic Championship to be held at Jamshedpur from August 31 to September 2. —
UNI |
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Beijing, August 6
American sprinter Shawn Crawford wishes people would stop calling him the defending Olympic 200 metres champion. ''I don't have to defend the 2004 gold medal, '' Crawford told reporters. ''I have that. The goal now is to win the gold medal that Beijing organisers will hand out Aug. 20,'' Crawford said. 
Capsizing his boat when 200 m away from winning the Olympic test event last year taught Croatian Finn sailor Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic a harsh lesson. The 24-year-old, nicknamed ''Bambi'' despite his lanky stature, was set to record a rare win over Olympic Finn champion Ben Ainslie in Qingdao before his blunder put him put of the medal positions. ''First, last and never again,'' Kljakovic Gaspic told Reuters today. ''I wanted it too much, I was not happy with second place. I trying so hard, overreacted and I lost control of my boat and capsized. ''I said to myself it happened for a reason, for sure god did not want me to win because if I had I would have felt really powerful. I realised I had to work more and more and push myself hard.'' Briton Ainslie, impressive winner in Athens four years ago when he added to the gold medal he won in the Laser class in Sydney, is once again the man to beat. Kljakovic Gaspic, strong in light conditions, said Ainslie had ''barely any weaknesses'', but it was ''not impossible'' to beat him. ''He has been the best sailor in the Finn class for quite a long time. everybody wants to beat him. He is a very hard opponent. If you want to beat him you cannot make mistakes. But he can make mistakes like everyone else,'' he said. ''I will concentrate on myself, not him. I feel confident, I am relaxed and everything is ready for me. I don't have any worries.''
Before boxer Muhammad Ali became one of the most famous people in the world, he was Cassius Marcellus Clay, a brash and friendly 18-year-old who travelled to the 1960 Rome Olympics to compete in the light heavyweight division. He won all four of his fights easily. In the final, he defeated three-time European champion Zbigniew Pietrzykowski. For years he said that he had angrily thrown away his Olympic gold medal in the river Ohio, after a racist encounter. Although recently he has said that the medal simply “came up missing”. He was given a replacement medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He was also chosen to light the cauldron during the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Games. Ali retired from boxing in 1981 with a professional record of 56 wins and 5 losses.
