New Delhi, August 19
Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell listed behind-the-schedule work in the Games Village, which would house athletes and officials from participating countries, cleanliness, exterior beauty and finishing works at all 17 sporting venues besides traffic as concerns with only 44 days left for the mega event to begin in Delhi.

He said at a crowded press conference today evening after his two-day stay in the capital, in which he visited all venues, met top government officials and took stock of the city’s preparedness, that he had discussed “long list of details” with CWG’s Organising Committee which must be urgently addressed before the games.

However, his statements would provide the OC’s beleaguered head Suresh Kalmadi more succour than any major discomfort as he asked the OC to be not distracted by “misinformed and distorted” reports, an obvious reference to news stories alleging scams and irregularities committed by agencies, especially the OC, involved in the CWG projects.

While terming the allegations of corruptions a serious issue he said the federation would offer complete support to the authorities probing the issue. He, however, said the federation would be dealing with the sports side of the event, leaving the inquiries to agencies concerned.

The one aspect of the CWG which drew his fulsome satisfaction was the security, which was on the top of his agenda. He said he was briefed about the security, planning and arrangements and it had been top calls. He said the CWG had also engaged private security experts who would be providing support all through the games. He termed “uninformed” the fears expressed by some athletes over the security, which might have caused some world class athletes to pull out.

He said the delayed works and the last minute rush to finish projects was not a rare or unique thing in hosting an international sporting event of this scale. Fennell was however quick in warning the OC that the last lap of a marathon, as he put it, was also the most difficult while reiterating that a lot still needed to be done.

“Delhi’s preparedness could not be compared with that of Melbourne (which hosted previous games) as it had to raise world class facilities everywhere while such infrastructure already existed in the Australian capital,” he said when asked for comments on the tardy pace of development in Delhi.

Fennell sounded most concerned about the ongoing works in the Games Village, which would start receiving guests from September 16, and said some buildings could have been finished better. He termed the Village “heartbeat of the games” and said a lot still had to be done on sanitation and hygiene fronts. The poor state of sidewalks, landscape and exterior beauty needed to be addressed urgently, he said.

Though Fennell was balanced and circumspect in his press conference, official sources said he was more candid in his meeting with the OC where he made his dissatisfaction over the delayed works clear. He also met Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy who assured him that projects would be completed in time.

New Delhi, August 19
Amidst reports of delay and shoddy work, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may next week inspect some of the venues for the Commonwealth Games to be held in the national capital in October. “Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell has seen (the venues) and I hope to take Prime Minister (to the venues) next week,” Sports Minister M S Gill said replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha here. The venues, he said, were ready and only temporary fitting works were being carried out now.

Responding to questions on irregularities in tendering and award for construction of the venues, Gill said the Prime Minister had already stated that the guilty, if any, would not be spared. “We will take it to logical conclusion.” He said the observations by Chief Technical Examiners’ Organisation (CTEO) of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) after inspecting the sports stadia were preliminary.

“These are not final reports,” he said adding that the observations or queries raised by CTEO were sent to departments concerned and upon their satisfactory replies some were dropped. In all 40 observations were raised with regard to Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, of which 38 had been dropped after replies, he said adding that similar was the case in many other venues.

The CTEO had sought clarifications on certain preliminary observations made by them during the inspection at the Siri Fort indoor badminton and squash stadium, Shivaji Stadium, Major Dhyan Chand Hockey Stadium, Talkatora Boxing Stadium, SPM Swimming Pool, rugby venue at Jamia Millia Islamia University and training venue at Commonwealth Games Village.

“The observations made by the CTEO are attended to by the concerned agencies, and responses to the observations are sent. Thereafter, the CTEO, as necessary, makes counter observations, on which the agency responds again, and the report is finalised only thereafter,” he added. — PTI

New Delhi, August 19
In the face of mounting criticism at the tardy progress of finishing works at the various stadiums with just 45 days remaining for the 2010

Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the Government stepped into do the fire fighting by forming a committee of senior bureaucrats to oversee the works at the CWG venues.

Each member of the bureaucrats panel has been given charge of the various venues to ensure that the remaining works are completed well ahead of the games, scheduled for 3-14 October.

Earlier, the job of ensuring the completion work at the games venues were vested with the Organising Committee, headed by Suresh Kalmadi, but the Government decided to step in as the OC was mired in myriad controversies. Officers of the rank of joint and additional secretaries have been included in the panel, who will report directly to the Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, who has been entrusted with the job of ensuring that the preparations were completed without any further delay.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh intervened to save the games by appointing Chandrasekhar to monitor the preparations on a daily basis following allegations of corruption and inordinate delay in the completion of the games venues.

The Prime Minister held a meeting last week with Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, who heads the Group of Ministers overseeing the Games preparations, Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, Suresh Klamdai, Sports Minister Dr M S Gill and Delhi

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to make a proper evaluation of the games preparations. Dr Singh not only assured strict action against those guilty of corruption, but also the timely completion of the venues and other infrastructure.

OC secretary-general Lalit Bhanot said last Monday that their entire staff of around 700 people had shifted to the stadiums for a formal takeover. "Our venue operation teams have already moved to the stadiums and started assessment, like preparaing an inventory along with service managers of the venue owners.

This exercise will continue for a few days. After getting their reports, we will start taking over the stadiums formally", Bhanot said. But with the Government appointing senior bureaucrats for overseeing the completion work on the venues, the wings of the OC have been neatly clipped.

Dambulla, August 19
The tri-series cricket match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka was called off without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain here today. The match will have a fresh start tomorrow which has been kept as a reserve day. There will also be a fresh toss, the organisers said. Heavy rain lashed the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium when the match was just about to start at 2:30pm local time and after New Zealand captain Ross Taylor won the toss and elected to bat.

Anticipating rain, the groundstaff had kept most of the ground, including the pitch, under covers and there was a ray of hope for a truncated match after the downpour stopped for a while at around 4pm local time. But the heavens opened up again and with rain persisting the umpires called off the match at around 6.20pm. The umpires had earlier kept 8.15pm as the cut off time but seeing that there was no sign of rain abetting, they called off the match.

At the end of the first half of the tri-series, New Zealand and India are on five points with one win each from two matches and a bonus point. Sri Lanka are on four points. — PTI

A veteran of 164 internationals, Mamta is known to instil fear in her opponents. The team will feel her absence as she has sustained a knee injury and is undergoing an intensive rehabilitation programme

Patiala, August 19
Indian women’s hockey team left the NIS today for their World Cup hunt without the services of their ace striker Mamta Kharab.

A veteran of 164 internationals, Mamta has been known to instil fear in her opponents due to her striking abilities. The Indian team will feel her absence as she has sustained a knee injury and is undergoing an intensive rehabilitation programme under the guidance of Mumbai based renowned sports medicine expert Ananth Joshi. Hockey India has selected an 18 member team that will take part in the Women’s World Cup slated to be held at Rosaria (Argentina) from August 29 to September 11.

Surinder Kaur, known for her superb ball control and dribbling skills, will lead the team. The Indian’s have qualified by virtue of being placed second in the Asia cup and have been grouped in pool A with fancied opponents like Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Pool B comprises hosts Argentina, China, Spain, England, Korea and South Africa. India will play Netherlands in what will be the first match of the tournament on August 30. The team is being coached by Pritam Rani Thakran, who, during her playing days was hailed as the Dhanraj Pillay of women’s hockey due to her dazzling skills in the striking circle.

Speaking to TNS, Thakran said that the team had the necessary experience and expertise to make it to the last four stage. However, in the same breath she added that it would be a momentous task for the team to beat the Dutch in the lung opener.“Our strong point is playing the set pieces and emphasis during the Patiala camp was on taking indirect penalty corners,” said Thakran.

Thakran, a veteran of more than 300 international matches, said the absence of ace striker Mamta Kharab was worrisome. “ She would have been an asset to us. The girls, who have to play 6 matches in 10 days, could have rallied around her as she has tonnes of experience. Mamta’s resilience is well known in international hockey and her dribbling skills could have held the team in good stead,” said Thakran. Mamta is also known as the ‘golden girl’ of Indian hockey for the goal she brilliantly planned and executed against England in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth games which gave the Indians the gold medal after a wait of 32 years.

Mamta, an Arjuna Awardee, said she hoped to be fit by the time of the Commonwealth Games in October. “I am on a rehabilitation programme charted out by Dr Anant Joshi. I am not allowed to play on the astro-turf but by the time the Commonwealth games are around the corner, I hope to be fully fit,” she added.

The team : Surinder Kaur (Captain), Dipika Murti, E.Rajni, Binita Toppo, Subadhra, Joy Deep, Reetu Rani, M.Barla, Kirandeep Kaur, Dipika Thakur, Saba Anjum, Rani, Jasjeet Kaur, Chandan Devi, Poonam Rani, Asunta Lakra, Soundrya and Monika Badra. Manager: Rupa Saini. Coach: Pritam Rani Thakran and Sandeep Kaur.

Chandigarh, August 19
Finding an individual Olympic medal winner in India, a country of over a billion people, is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. But an even tougher task is finding a man who has looked success in the eye, and then had the wherewithal to turn his back on the limelight and get back to life as ‘just another athlete’. A man who has to toil, fall and get up, not because someone might be looking, but because that is life, that is his way...in one word, it is routine. In Beijing Olympics bronze medal-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar, we have a man of few words, lots of action and a success story worth looking at. He speaks exclusively to The Tribune about his preparations for the Commonwealth Games, and more.

Q: How are you shaping up for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi?

A: The preparations are going really well. Not just me, rather all wrestlers have been putting in more than a 100 per cent to make sure that we make our country really proud. And when you add the fact that we are the host nation too, it gives the entire effort an added impetus. We want the fans, all the billion people of our country to be really proud of us. I am aiming for just one thing and that is a gold medal. When you go out to represent your motherland, aiming for anything less than that is just not good enough.

Q: Do you think you got what you wanted in terms of facilities to train at the optimum level?

A: Yes, the training we have had has been wonderful. In fact, in some ways, we have been able to train even better than what we did for the Beijing Games. I am extremely satisfied with my own regime as well.

Q: What is your view about the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium? It has been redone, but are the players satisfied with it?

A: It is a wonderful stadium and I particularly like it a lot. I participated in the Asian Wrestling Championship held there in May and won a gold medal with a world record score. So, I think apart from being a world-class venue, it is also extremely lucky for me.

Q: The Games have been overshadowed by recent controversies. Do you think that has taken away the spotlight from the players in some way?

A: The job of the players is cut out, and it is to give in a hundred per cent in his training and during the competition. We have got all the facilities at our disposal and there is no need to think about the management part of it. The Commonwealth Games’ Organising Committee will look into that.

Q: Do you see wrestling being promoted in the right way, or is there something that you would want to see change?

A: There is a dire need to market the sport in the right areas, to the right people and in the right way. The media too can play a big role in that by promoting the sport and creating awareness about it in front of the masses.

Q: Who according to you will be favourites to win India medals at the CWG?

A: As I said earlier, every player who is representing his country gives a hundred per cent. So to pick favourites is not right. But I can easily say that by the end of the Games, India will be sitting at the top of the pile. We will not just deliver, but rather exceed everyone’s expectations.

Q: Lastly, you too have won the Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna award. What is your take on the latest controversy regarding these awards?

A: All I have to say is that as a player you need to remember two things; firstly, you should care about your own game, and secondly, the awards are not decided by us, but by a committee that is already in place. We should do our job, and let them do theirs.

Chandigarh, August 19
Conferring sports awards in Punjab, it seems, has been as erratic as the power supply in the state. Instituted as far back as in 1978, the prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award for outstanding sportsmen in Punjab has not been announced by the government for the past four years.

Supposed to be an annual affair, the award was last announced in 2006 and even then, it was after a gap of ten years. It is interesting to note that in 2006, the awards were announced for the preceding 10 years in one go and as many as 123 sportspersons were selected for it.

Since its inception back in seventies, the awards had never been distributed regularly.

The award for the state’s sportspersons, who bring laurels at international level for the country, was conceived in 1978 when Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister. But the very next year (1979), the government gave it a miss. The years when the awards were distributed are 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1994, 1996 and 2006.

Though the award functions fail to take place every year, the achievers are being selected annually and being felicitated whenever the function takes place.

But for the deserving sportspersons, such irregularities and callous attitude of the concerned authorities towards sports and the sportspersons will demoralise the players.

“If you pat the back of an achiever immediately after he/she makes a mark, it gives tremendous boost. What is the fun of giving the awards to them after years of their performance,” asked an international Punjab player, on the conditions of anonymity.

Even Olympian and Padamshree awardee Pargat Singh, had received the award in 2006 while he had retired in 1997 after his illustrious career spanning 17 years.

After giving the awards to 123 sportspersons (selected for the last eight years) by Congress government in 2006, the next Akali Government had invited applications for the awards (for 2005 to 2007) the next year. For the purpose, an amount of Rs 65 lakh had been sanctioned for the 30 players from 27 sports disciplines. The state government had also sanctioned Rs 45 lakh to be disbursed among 11 state sportspersons who have brought laurels to Punjab by winning medals in the Doha Asian Games. However, almost four years have passed with the sportspersons still awaiting their dues. On the issue, Pargat Singh, Director, Punjab Sports Department, said, “The awards are being given under the state’s sports policy. The awards will be distributed only after the approval of the new sports policy of the state by the Finance Department.”

London, August 19
England off-spinner Graeme Swann captured his 100th test wicket on Thursday during a lengthy spell on the second day of the third test against Pakistan at the Oval.

Swann bowled unchanged throughout the second session to keep England in the match after they had been dismissed for 233 on Wednesday's opening day. At tea he had taken three wickets in a Pakistan total of 215 for five.

Playing in his 23rd test, Swann dismissed captain Salman Butt (17) with his second ball of the day, nightwatchman Wahab Riaz (27) and Mohammad Yousuf (56). Yousuf marked his return to the side with his accustomed elegance combined with the grit which has been missing from his team's batting in this series.

He was ably supported by Riaz, who took five wickets in his debut test on Wednesday, and followed up by batting for three minutes short of two hours on Thursday. — Reuters

Brief Scores: Pakistan 215 for 5 (Azhar 42*, Umar 22*) trail England 233 by 18 runs.

BRIEFLY

Tiger told to improve
Washington: The US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin has set Tiger Woods an ultimatum “to improve” in his next two events to merit selection for the event. “I can think of no cons,” Pavin said when asked about the world No 1's suitability as a wild card. But speaking to Five Live yesterday Pavin indicated that Woods' form is an obstacle to selection. Since finishing fourth in the US Open in June, Woods has come outside the top 20 at the Open and USPGA and last-but-one in Akron two weeks ago. — ANI

Block fake team: Pak tells India
Islamabad: The Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) has asked the Indian Embassy in Islamabad to block the visit of a ‘fake’ kabaddi team to India. PKF secretary Mohammad Sarwar made the request in a letter written to the Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabarwal. “A so-called kabaddi federation from India has extended a fake invitation to their counterparts in Pakistan. The PKF has nothing to do with this fake body and it will also not be responsible for their conduct on and off the field,” The Dawn quoted Sarwar, as saying in the letter. — ANI

‘Tait should start in Ashes’
Melbourne: Former Australian pacer Rodney Malcolm Hogg has insisted that out-of-favour Test quick Shaun Tait should be a definite starter for Australia in the forthcoming Ashes series against England."Tait is the X-factor lacking in an Australia attack that has a sameness about it and which will struggle to bowl out England twice. Tait played the last of his three Tests three years ago, but is a different player today,” Hogg added. — ANI

Buchanan to lose England role?
Sydney: Former Australia coach John Buchanan could be denied a role with the England cricket team due to funding earmarked for the team being reallocated for the 2012 British Olympic campaign. The England and Wales Cricket Board has been informed that the money to hire Buchanan as a coaching consultant might not be available, as the ECB was planning to use him to win their first series in Australia since 1986-87. — ANI

Butt killed Pak cricket: Malik
Lahore: Holding Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt responsible for the current pathetic situation of the sport in the country, former Test cricketer Aamir Malik has said the game is dying at the grassroots and club levels due to the board's negligence. During an interview with Deustsche Welle Radio, Aamir accused the PCB of ruining the game at the domestic level and added that it was one of the prime reasons why the national team was struggling in England. — ANI

Sharath loses in China Open
New Delhi: Indian paddlers’ training trip to China ahead of the Delhi Commonwealth Games got off to a disappointing start as star player Achanta Sharath Kamal lost in the very first round of the Harmony China Open in Suzhou today. Sharath Kamal, currently ranked 39th in the world and first Indian to break into Top-50, lost 7-11 4-11 12-10 7-11 5-11 to Sweden's Par Gerell. Among other Indian men in fray, Soumyajit Ghosh will take on China's Ma Lin, while Abishek Ravichandaran will be up against Russia's Fedor Kuzmin. — PTI