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Federer sails past Soderling
Kalmadi downplays dengue fears
NBA league draws flak from players
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the Master mind!
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Players, coaches rue little awareness about banned drugs
Champions only
PCB: Tainted trio to return home soon
Pak Badshahs beat Tigers
Mohd Asif may take political asylum in Britain: Report
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Federer sails past Soderling
Top seed Caroline Wozniacki remained on track for her first Grand Slam title after booking her place in the semi-finals after defeating Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova. Wozniacki, last year's runner-up, dominated the quarterfinal to win 6-2 7-5. With Bopanna, Qureshi hopes to cheer up Pak
“I can't thank Rohan enough to be my partner and playing with me. I really feel very lucky to have a partner like him and a friend like him. Pakistan has been going through a lot for the last two or three years from all the terrorist attacks and the flooding now for the last few months and the cricket scandal, also," Qureshi said after he and Bopanna entered the finals of the season's last Grand Slam where they will take on top seeds Bob and Mike Bryan. Match on Indo-Pak
border!
Why can’t India and Pak play together: Gill
New Delhi: Congratulating Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi Sports Minister M S Gill today said the pair's success should lead to better sporting ties between India and Pakistan. "I have one question for everyone. If Bopanna and Qureshi can play together, why cannot India and Pakistan?" he asked. — Agencies |
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Kalmadi downplays dengue fears
Pune, September 9 “It is expected that the current rate of Dengue infections will decrease within 14 days time,” he said. He said Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad, Delhi Chief Minster Sheila Dixit and the External Affairs Ministry were monitoring the situation in a coordinated way to contain the spread of the viral fever for trouble-free games, and added that there was “no cause for a scare”. On some Indian athletes failing the doping test for the games, Kalmadi said strict action would be taken against those who are guilty. “We are happy that they are caught,” he added. Dengue can't stop CWG: Oz High Commissioner
NEW DELHI: The dengue outbreak in Delhi notwithstanding, Australia's High Commissioner to India Peter Varghese has said that his country would be sending its biggest ever contingent to the Commonwealth Games next month. “We are looking forward to the Games to have a very large team of 650 Australians, which is the biggest we would be sending. So, we will be looking forward to some very good competition in the Games,” Varghese said. Chanu pleads innocence, accuses IWF of apathy
NEW DELHI: Facing a life ban after failing a second dope test, weightlifter Sanamacha Chanu today accused the Indian Weightlifting Federation of keeping her in dark about the banned substance methylhexaneamine, which she said she cannot even spell properly. The 31-year-old Chanu, who failed a dope test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency last month, said she was never informed by the Federation that methylhexaneamine was a banned drug. “I exactly don't know about this substance and was never told by the federation that this is a banned substance. They never informed me about this. Even all the athletes who have been tested positive in recent times on this substance, they were unaware about methylhexaneamine,” Chanu said.
— PTI |
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NBA league draws flak from players
Ludhiana, September 9
“This is what we are getting as refreshment here in the league, which is associated with big names. The organisers have not made even proper arrangements for drinking water for players,” lamented Amarjit, a coach of a participating team from Chandigarh. He added that he had to purchase mineral water bottles for his players at the venue.
Distribution of a T-shirt to each player in the name of kit by the organisers also drew flak. “Where are the shorts? Should we purchase them from our own pockets,” quipped players. In the Ludhiana leg of the league, which started in April this year at Mumbai, over 120 teams from Punjab and its neighbouring states, including Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana, are said to have registered for participation. The organisers claimed that they had short listed the teams here. Except T-shirts and refreshment, nothing extra was being provided to participants, admitted Troy Justice, director, Basketball Operations in India, NBA (USA). The teams, which are not from Punjab, have to bear all expenses, including board lodging, transportation and food from their own pocket during the league. But the Punjab teams are getting the transportation charges from the Punjab Sports Department. “Our objective is to provide the players opportunities to play and develop their talent. As this is an initial stage of the league, they (the participants) have to manage many things on their own,” said Troy.
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Players, coaches rue little awareness about banned drugs
However, most of the core probable of the Games accepted that they had not even heard the name of the drug till NADA’s declaration regarding sportspersons failing dope tests for the particular substance. It has come as a shock not only to players, but also to various doctors attached with the teams, who admitted that they had very limited knowledge regarding the drug. Talking to The Tribune, Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Kumar said he himself did not had any information about the drug till a few days back. He said, “This is commonly found in cooking oil and its presence depends upon how much the body can consume. I agree that it is now a banned substance, but the point is that how do we find out the things in which it is present. I am sympathetic to the players who have failed the dope test because I am sure they do not even have any idea if a particular supplement contains the drug as it is not mentioned in the list of contents”. Ace boxer and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akhil Kumar admitted that he got to know about the drug from a journalist who wanted to know his views about the players failing the dope tests. “Once Commonwealth Games will be over, nobody will remember how beautiful Delhi looked. We will be judged by our performance. Instead of spending more money on infrastructure development, the authorities should spend money on sports medicine research and providing better food supplements to players so that they should not take supplements on their own from outside. Also players should be given proper information regarding what to consume and what not as most of players are not very highly educated,” he added. Director General of NADA Rahul Bhatnagar said it was the duty of players and their doctors to keep a track of the banned substances. “WADA’s rules clearly say that if these substances are found inside the body of a player then it is his responsibility as to how the substance got inside him. There is no excuse for drug consumption because how are we supposed to know whether they are ignorant about the drug or they are taking it deliberately,” he added. One of the doctors said he agreed that players were responsible for consuming any substance but what was NADA doing for players. Their job was not only to behave like a testing laboratory, but also to educate players, coaches and doctors. Many sportspersons have even gone to the extent of asking whether it was only the players who are responsible for their failing the dope tests. When SAI has appointed various doctors to ensure the fitness of players, are they not responsible for players consuming banned substances. Most of the top players are not very highly educated, therefore,it is the duty of the management to inform them about developments on this front, added players.
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Champions only
Johannesburg, September 9
Apart from Mumbai, the other Indian teams in fray are IPL champions Chennai Super Kings and third-place finishers Royal Challengers Bangalore. Australia will be represented by South Australian Redbacks and Victorian Bushrangers, while South Africa will have the Warriors and Highveld Lions in fray. Central Stags (New Zealand), Wayamba Elevens (Sri Lanka) and Guyana (West Indies) are the other three teams in the field. Just want to play cricket: Sachin
He has been playing cricket for over 20 years now, but Sachin Tendulkar says he remains as passionate about the game as he was in his initial days in the sport. "The passion doesn't disappear. You know it is as strong and above all I respect cricket. It doesn't matter where I play. I will always play to the best of my ability, because I care about playing cricket ...good, quality cricket. I always wanted to go out and compete hard," the Mumbai Indians skipper told ESPN-Star ahead of the Champions League Twenty20 match against Highveld Lions here. "Playing for Mumbai has always meant special for me and playing for India also has been extremely special. It was a dream and I am living that dream...and when Mumbai and India are combined together it becomes Mumbai Indians," he added. Talking about the disappointment of losing the IPL final to Chennai Super Kings after being almost unbeatable in the league stages, Tendulkar said, "You know I was determined like every other time I was determined. My preparations were exactly the same. "Sometimes you score runs sometimes you don't but I can assure you the efforts put in was always the same," he added.
— PTI |
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PCB: Tainted trio to return home soon
Lahore, September 9 "They were interviewed for nine hours. If there was anything against them they would have been arrested. They did not arrest them," he said. Butt however did not say why Riaz will be interrogated by the police. "Police has also asked Wahab Riaz should be made available to them for an interview on 14/09/2010 and we have arranged for the interview in London." Riaz will be the fourth Pakistani player to be questioned by police. Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were provisionally suspended by the ICC last week. British tabloid 'News of the World' last month accused Butt, Asif and Amir of taking bribe for bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England. Butt, who returned here yesterday, said the Scotland Yard has not shared any incriminating material against the suspended players.
— PTI
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Pak Badshahs beat Tigers
Sirsa, September 9 Thanks to some wayward bowling by Pakistan Badshahs, Bangladesh Tigers were able to build a score of 165 for 6. Pakistani bowlers squandered 20 extra runs of wides and no balls. Replying, the Pakistan Badshahs exploded during first five overs, especially Tuafiq Umar, who went for the kill right from the word go.Soon Pakistani team slumped to 90/4. However, the skipper Babar Bhindara along with the experienced Taufiq Umar batted sensibly. Babar Bhindara got out at the individual score of 32. Umar, too, was out after scoring a brilliant 84 of just 54 balls laced with 6 fours and 5 sixes further deepening the crisis. Last ball required 6 runs and Rizwan Haider dashed all hopes of Bangladesh Tigers clearing the fence. In another match played today, Sirsa Sizzlers defeated JI Maratha by 22 runs. |
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Mohd Asif may take political asylum in Britain: Report
London, September 9 “(Asif) said he feared the allegations of fixing certain events in a recent Test match against England could make him the target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld,” the newspaper reported. The cricketer reportedly asked the lawyer “if there was a way to stay in Britain and discussed the asylum process”. “He asked, ‘What's the way to stay?’ Then we told him there’s the student way - you can come here to study - or you can apply for a work permit. But then he asked about asylum,” the lawyer added. Asif, along with Pakistan Test skipper Salman Butt and teen pacer Mohammad Aamir, has been interrogated by the Scotland Yard after it was alleged that the trio conspired to bowl no balls in the Lord’s Test against England after taking bribes from a bookie.
— PTI
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Let it sizzle, let it blow, let it chill.... whatever the weather, Roger Federer proved himself to be a master of the elements at the U.S. Open. Federer coolly dismissed opponents in the early rounds when on-court temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celcius) and on Wednesday, he warmed up his serve in the cold and wind to blow away Robin Soderling and reach the semifinals.
Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi today downplayed the health risk posed by the outbreak of dengue in delhi just a few weeks before the event, saying it would not affect international participation in the multi-sport extravaganza.
Under the watchful eyes of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), the glitzy Champions League Twenty20 starts tomorrow with the shadow of the spot-fixing scandal, that has shaken the core of the game, looming large. Featuring the top three Indian Premier League teams and the top two each from Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the West Indies, the two-week event will open with IPL runners-up Mumbai Indians taking on Highveld Lions (South Africa).
New York, September 9
Flood-ravaged and shamed by a betting scam involving its cricketers, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi knows Pakistan has little to cheer about right now but he is confident of changing the mood back home for the better by lifting the US Open men's doubles trophy with Indian partner Rohan Bopanna.
Their message of peace being applauded as much as their on-court exploits, India's Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi hope to see the players from two countries facing off in a tennis match on the border. "We knew, to do well in the big events was the only way to pass on that message. So obviously, for them coming here and watching us play, it's a big step for us. Hopefully with that, and, you know, both our countries agreeing we can have that match up on that border," Bopanna said. 
During the league matches at Ludhiana, many players were found complaining about inadequate refreshment and the kit, being provided by the organizers as in the name of refreshment, players were given just one ‘Frooti’ pack each.
In such league, where the organisers had been making tall claims of taking the game to new heights, at least the players should be treated properly, Amarjit added.
Patiala, September 9
Organisers say the tournament will have strict anti-corruption measures in place to ensure that the menace of spot-fixing, which has led to the suspension of three Pakistani cricketers, does not find a mention in the event.
Show no mercy on fixers: Kapil
FIFA mulls axing extra time