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FIXING ROW
Is BCCI above law, questions Kirti Azad
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Srini can resume office whenever he wants: BCCI
Cricket far from clean but don’t single out Pakistan: Latif
Kohli needs to cut his aggro: Azhar
Waiting for Test call-up now: Mishra
Indian Grand Prix may be scrapped from 2014
Place for Warner not guaranteed: Lehmann
Yoga a vehicle to fitness for golfers
Luger Keshavan to train with US team
India win youth chess Olympiad
IBL asks Awadhe Warriors to replace Thai player
Mehta in semis of World Games; Advani loses
Sprenger wins 100 mts breaststroke gold
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To represent India, BCCI needs to be under RTI: Justice Mudgal
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, July 29 “We won’t say we have made a perfect Bill, but the NSFs will be brought under the ambit of the RTI, though everything would not be in public domain, like selection of the players and coaches etc. as one cannot ask for confidential information”, he said at a media interaction today. Justice Mudgal said the BCCI would also have to comply with the norms regarding participation of Indian teams for international competitions, or else their case could be referred to the Appellate Tribunal, which will comprise the Chief Justice of India or his/her nominee judge, secretary in the Sports Ministry and the IOA president. “In order to represent India in international events, and to have a right for a particular sports federation to use ‘India’ or ‘Indian’ in the sports scenario, the federation shall have to comply with Chapter IV (unethical practices in sports) and Chapter IX (Applicability of Right to Information Act”, the clause in the draft Bill notes. But the Sports Ministry cannot dictate terms to the BCCI since it does not receive any financial aid from the government, though on a wider scale, the BCCI too could be brought under the ambit of the bill in certain matters. Another important clause in the draft Bill was that “A person against whom criminal charges have been framed under the Criminal Procedure Code (section 228) shall be ineligible to contest elections of the National Olympic Committee/National Sports Federation”. Justice Mudgal said all clauses in the draft Bill were framed after elaborate discussion among the committee members, which included Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra, Secretary in the Sports Ministry P.K. Deb and tennis player Manisha Malhotra. He said the 25 per cent quota for sportspersons in the NSFs was intended to give sportspersons a major say in the sports administration as that would ensure that the interest of sportspersons were taken care of. “The purpose was to give sportspersons a substantial say in sports administration”, Mudgal added. He said the Draft Bill has been framed with “scrupulous adherence to the IOC norms”, and that was the reason some features like an ethics commission, a stringent clause against sexual harassment, an independent election commission for sports, a sports appellate commission etc stand out. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra said the committee had done a good job in getting athletes’ representation in the management of sports as “that will give credibility to the Athletes Commission”. He said two members of the athletes’ representatives will be nominated to the federations with voting rights. “The presence of athletes in an NSF would ensure that the voice of the active athletes will get importance in decision making. And these athletes will come through a regular election process”, added Bindra.
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Is BCCI above law, questions Kirti Azad
New Delhi, July 29 Azad's comments came after the BCCI's two-member probe panel cleared Gurunath Meiyappan, Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra. "I don't blame (BCCI acting chief) Jagmohan Dalmiya or Srinivasan for this. The politicians are hell bent on making BCCI the next Indian Olympic Association. We have seen what happened to IOA due to political interference and now the same is happening with BCCI," Azad said. “Mumbai police has said that the investigation is still on. Delhi police is still investigating and the BCCI panel has given them a clean chit. Is BCCI above the law and constitution of the country?" he asked. Azad felt the BCCI should be immediately brought under the ambit of the Right To Information act. "There is no other alternative. The government has to intervene and bring BCCI under the RTI. When former sports minister Ajay Maken brought the sports bill, the cabinet ministers, involved with BCCI, opposed that. If BCCI claims that they do auditing of their account, then why do they hesitate to come under RTI?" Azad queried. "It is time to make BCCI functioning more transparent and it can be done through RTI," he said. He also said that it is wrong to penalise players and give clean chits to officials. "Whenever something happens, players get penalised and officials walk free. It's a pity because despite all the controversies cricket is still the most popular game in the country due to the hard work and excellent performance of players," he said. — PTI
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Srini can resume office whenever he wants: BCCI
New Delhi, July 29
The BCCI had earlier suspended both Meiyappan, son-in-law of Board president N. Srinivasan, and Kundra and asked former Tamil Nadu High Court judges T. Jayaram Chouta and R. Balasubramanian to conduct an internal investigation. The panel`s report, which was submitted to the Working Committee of the BCCI in Kolkata Sunday, gave a clean chit to the two, paving way for Srinivasan, who had stepped aside in June, to return as the BCCI president. Can’t wait for police report: Shah
Shah said the BCCI cannot depend on the police report. "I think we can`t depend on police report as we had already constituted a commission and whatever the commission said is final. I think the BCCI can`t do anything about it (on reports that Mumbai Police didn`t co-operate with panel) as we have no control over it. So, we have to live with whatever material available to us," Shah told NDTV. Shah, however, said if Meiyappan or Kundra, who was questioned by Delhi Police, are found guilty then BCCI will take immediate action. “If anyone is convicted, the BCCI will automatically take notice and step in to take necessary action. If there is any substantial thing coming out later on in courts or if they are charge-sheeted, then I think they will be out of the BCCI," Shah said. A final decision will be taken on Friday at the IPL Governing Council meeting in Delhi and Srinivasan is likely to chair the meeting. Shah said since Meiyappan has been exonerated, Srinivasan can come back and chair the meeting. “He himself has stepped aside and now as the probe is over and the report submitted to the working committee, Srinivasan can return to the board any time he wants to," Shah said. Sawant said since nothing has been found against Meiyappan, Srinivasan can continue. — Agencies |
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Cricket far from clean but don’t single out Pakistan: Latif
Karachi, July 29 Latif, who lifted the lid on match-fixing within his own team in 1994, was reacting after The Mail on Sunday said the recently concluded one-day series between Pakistan and the West Indies was being probed by the ICC. “These are serious allegations that need to be investigated and the newspaper will have to provide the evidence in this case," said Latif, who played 37 Tests and 166 one-dayers for Pakistan. But, he added: "If the newspaper fails to provide evidence then the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) must take them to court — and if they don't, I will." He said that an ICC official informed him a Champions Trophy match in June that did not involve Pakistan was suspicious. "An ICC official told me that a Group A match was suspicious, but why has there been no mention of it?" Latif told AFP. "It's true that our players were caught but why are only Pakistan matches reported?" Pakistan has been badly hit by match-fixing scandals with former leg-spinner Danish Kaneria the latest to face a life-ban over a spot-fixing case during a 2009 county match between Essex and Durham. Three other top players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — are also serving bans in a spot-fixing case that surfaced on team's tour of England in 2010. In 2000, Pakistan banned former captain Salim Malik and paceman Ata-ur Rehman after a two-year long judicial inquiry conducted by Lahore high court judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum. Latif, however, accused the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) of making Kaneria a scapegoat. “Right from the onset the ECB did not have a strong case against Kaneria. It seemed that it was just to show the world that their county cricket was clean from fixing," Latif said. Kaneria was banned in June last year after his Essex team-mate Mervyn Westfield blamed the Pakistani leg-spinner for pressuring him to concede an agreed number of runs in an over in the match. — Agencies
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Kohli needs to cut his aggro: Azhar
Former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin considers Virat Kohli as a future captain of India but said the youngster needs to tone down his aggression and behave like a leader. “He has to tone down. You cannot be like that always. I know he is a very good player with a big reputation. He is considered as the future captain and he has to behave like a captain," Azharuddin said. “Kohli's nature is different, I understand that but then everybody looks up to him. Being aggressive is good but he has to be aggressive from the inside, showing it on the outside won't help. If he tones down a little bit it will be good for him," said Azharuddin. “ Unless some players get injured, it will be very hard for senior players to make a comeback. But they have been playing for India for so many years, they are experienced players.” — PTI |
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Waiting for Test call-up now: Mishra
New Delhi, July 29
And riding on the current performance, the 30-year-old, who was adjudged man of the match in Sunday's third ODI which India won to clinch the series, is now hoping to get a Test call-up. “I'm not in the Test side. I'll try and do my job in the next two matches, and then it's up to the selectors. I've been waiting a long time for this and I'm doing my best and it's working for me now,” said Mishra, who is on his first ODI assignment in two years. Since his debut in 2008, Mishra has played 13 Tests, taking 43 wickets at an average of 43.30. Mishra detailed the changes he has brought to his bowling and how the hard work was paying dividends now. “I've done lots of hard work on my googlies and variations and it's paying off,” he said. “When I came here I was just thinking about the conditions and how to bowl on these kinds of tracks. I've spoken a lot with TP ( Trevor Penney) and Duncan (Fletcher) who have given me a few tips, which I've been working hard on,” he added. — PTI
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Indian Grand Prix may be scrapped from 2014
New Delhi, July 29 Speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix - held in Budapest on Sunday - Ecclestone said that the Indian leg of F1 may not take place from next year. "Is India going to happen next year? Probably not," he said, hinting that political reasons made the event a nightmare. The Buddh International Circuit has hosted two F1 races since its debut in 2011 - both won by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. While the initial response to the track was positive, there have been niggling issues, including imposing tax on cars and machines which are brought in for the race. And with two other venues - Sochi in Russia and Austria - being strong contenders in getting a race each from next year, India's chances of retaining its October date with the motorsport does not appear too bright.Ecclestone plans the F1 calendar and usually presents it to the International Automobile Federation in September for ratification. He currently has a possible 22 races jostling for space. Teams prefer a maximum of 20. "It would be a pity if for these (tax) reasons we don't go there," Sauber's Indian-born principal Monisha Kaltenborn said. "India is an important market for partners who are already in Formula One or who could get into Formula One because of that market so it really would be a pity if we would not manage to sort out these problems." Mallya disappointed with Force India
Sahara Force India owner Vijay Mallya was disappointed as both his drivers Paul Di Resta and Adrian Sutil retired on Sunday. Mallya admitted it was a tough weekend as Force India for the third time, after Malaysia and Germany, failed to score a point. — Agencies |
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Place for Warner not guaranteed: Lehmann
London, July 29 Warner smashed 193 last week playing for the A side but Lehmann said he would figure into the scheme of things after seeing the pitch at Old Trafford. “He's not a certainly no. Again we'll have to look at the wicket and we come up with the top six,” Lehmanbn was quoted as saying. But Lehmann accepted that Warner did what was expected of him. “He got 193 and played well, did exactly what we wanted him to do. We want blokes to make hundreds and he's ticked that box.” Team's spokesman Matt Cenin confirmed on Monday that the 26-year-old will join the rest of the squad . “We are travelling to Manchester [Monday] and David Warner will link up with us there,” Cenin said. Lehmann said Cowan and Hughes should have converted fifties into hundreds. “I would have liked them both to make big hundreds. When you get in that scenario you should be making big hundreds but they know that, we spoke about that.” — Agencies
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Yoga a vehicle to fitness for golfers
Chandigarh, July 29
It is said that Gary Player used to run up and down the stairs of his house to exercise in the good old days when gyms had not yet been thought of. His physical fitness is the stuff of legends and he has been nicknamed 'Mr. Fitness'. No wonder then, at 77, he is on the cover of ESPN Magazine's 'The Body Issue', posing nude and swinging a club. The nine-time major winner, who has 23 grandchildren, said the idea behind it was to encourage people to 'get healthy.' The most important thing he stresses on is that a person should 'keep moving'. Indian professional golfers also realise the importance of physical fitness. Jeev Milkha Singh, who has endured a bad wrist injury and more recently a finger injury, does yoga every day, even if it is on the floor of his hotel room. "I am a firm believer in the benefits of yoga and stretching and do both every morning before I go out to play. In the evenings I do my meditation, yoga and core exercises and work out with a strong Theraband," says Jeev. His coach Amritinder adds, "He is very regular with his exercise regime regardless of whether he is playing or not." Sujjan Singh is another professional who works out hard. "I work out with a trainer three times a day and do high intensity cardio workout. I also swim twice a week and stretch along with other dynamic exercises every morning and evening. I have always followed a healthy lifestyle. Being from a boarding school and having been a good sportsman, I enjoy being fit and playing sport — it's a part of my personality," says Sujjan. Jyoti Randhawa, who broke his collar bone in a motorcycle accident in 2002, also used yoga to regain his strength and fitness and even had his yoga instructor travel with him on the Asian Tour. "Discipline and routine are very important for any professional athlete. Fitness is another key point for a sportsman to succeed. I think yoga is beneficial for golfers as we need to build strength but at the same time do not want to lose the suppleness in our muscles," says Jyoti. Amongst the youngsters on tour today, Ajitesh Sandhu, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Himmat Rai and Anirban Lahiri are amongst the fittest. Fitness helps golfers increase their concentration levels and is a deciding factor in performance when players are under pressure. No wonder Tiger Woods works so hard to maintain his level of fitness. It is said that when Nick Faldo was World No 1, he was as fit as an Olympic athlete. And this, for sure, is to true of Woods as well as numerous other golfers today.
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Luger Keshavan to train with US team
New Delhi, July 29 "I'll be training with the highly advanced US Luge team in the run-up to the (2014) Sochi Games but before that I need to sign an MoU with them. Everything has been finalised as my talks with them are at an advanced stage and we are in the process of finalising the agreement," Keshavan said on his return to the country after spending time in Europe. "I would soon be travelling to the US to plan out my training programme. The idea is to get enough exposure before setting off to defend my Asian title and compete in the nine World Cups later this year," said the 'fastest Indian on ice'. The 31-year-old has identified three key areas to work upon in his bid to become the first Indian to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. "First is getting the quality equipment and training. Then the initial propulsion, if I can improve upon my initial thrust by 2-3 seconds, it will be great. I am concentrating on start specific training. Third is technique because each track is different and you need to have the knowledge of the track. I am working on these aspects of my game," he said. All his practice sessions would be organised keeping in mind the 2014 Games and Keshavan hopes to keep his world ranking consistent. "There is a gap of one second between me and the current Olympic gold medallist, so I need to cut that time to half. My performance is getting better with each passing day. Another target would be to achieve my personal best timing, reach that benchmark first in coming weeks and then breach the previous Olympic record," said Keshavan, who holds a top speed record of 149.9kmph. — PTI
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India win youth chess Olympiad
Kolkata, July 29 The Indian quartet of SA Gagare, Murali Karthikeyan, Diptayan Ghosh and Sayantan Das beat Iran 3.5-0.5 in the 10th round to top the team standings with 30.5 points ahead of heavyweight Russia, who took second spot with 30 points, and Turkey (third with 26 points). The Indian team won eight ties while drawing twice. This is India's third title in this prestigious team event having won it previously in Singapore 2007 and Turkey 2008. International Master Gagare gave India a bright start by defeating Ahmad Asgari Zadeh before Karthikeyan drew his game against woman international master Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. That was the only time Iran could pose a challenge in the tie as Ghosh and Das came up with impressive performances to beat Shahin Lorpari Zangeneh and Seyed Khalil Mousavi Palatkaleh respectively. Going through a purple patch, Sayantan, who had recently won Under-10 Nationals, clinched gold in the fourth board that also confirmed his IM title. Sayantan, who has all age group national titles in his kitty, garnered 7.5 points out of nine games in this 10-round event en route to the gold, while Diptayan clinched a silver in the third board with 8.5 points out of 10. Gagare (6/9) and Karthikeyan (6.5/10) won bronze in the first and second boards respectively. India had started the Olympiad as second seed and also scored an important win against the top seed Russians. — PTI
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IBL asks Awadhe Warriors to replace Thai player
New Delhi, July 29 The Thai doubles specialist who is currently ranked world number 13 in men's doubles, has also been handed a three-month international ban by Badminton Association of Thailand for provocation and misconduct with a fellow player, former doubles partner Bodin Issara, during Canada Open. The IBL Governing Council discussed the matter in a telephonic meeting today and took an unanimous decision to respect the views of the BAT. Commenting on this issue, Badminton Association of India President Akhilesh Das Gupta said, “BAT has taken disciplinary action against the concerned player and we need to respect their decision in this case. Therefore, the concerned player's participation in the inaugural edition of IBL cannot be accepted.” — PTI
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Mehta in semis of World Games; Advani loses
New Delhi, July 29 Mehta staved off a stiff challenge from the world No. 19 Perry before beating him 3-2 and set up a semifinal tie against Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng, who beat another Indian and eight-time world champion Pankaj Advani 3-1. Mehta struggled against the more experienced Perry, who took the lead in the tie winning the first frame comfortably. The Indian came back strongly to secure the second frame and level the issue. The Englishman won the third frame and took a commanding lead in the fourth before Mehta put on display amazing potting skills to clinch the fourth. The Mumbai-based cueist dominated the fifth and final frame, constructing a break of 50 to seal the issue in his favour and move into the semifinals. — PTI
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Sprenger wins 100 mts breaststroke gold
Barcelona, July 29 Van Der Burgh led at the turn at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona but Sprenger powered through to touch in a time of 58.79 seconds, with the South African just behind in 58.97. While, Cesar Cielo of Brazil won a second consecutive men’s 50 metres butterfly title. The 26-year-old, a gold medallist in Shanghai two years ago, became only the second man to win the event twice after South African Roland Schoeman with a time of 23.01 seconds. Meilutyte breaks 100 mts breaststroke world record American Eugene Godsoe took silver in 23.05 and Fred Bousquet of France was third in 23.11.Lithuania’s teenage Olympic champion Ruta Meilutyte set a world record of one minute 04.35 seconds in the semi-finals of the women’s 100 metres breaststroke. The 16-year-old, who won gold at the London Olympics last year, broke the previous mark of 1:04.45 set by American Jessica Hardy in 2009. — Reuters
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The Right to Information Act (RTI) will be applicable to all the National Sports Federations (NSFs), including the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI), if the draft National Sports Development Bill gets the approval of the Parliament. Justice (retd) Mukul Mudgal, who headed the Working
Group
Australia’s Christian Sprenger came from behind to beat Olympic champion and world record holder Cameron Van Der Burgh of South Africa and take gold in the men’s 100 metres breaststroke at the world championships on Monday.
Board vice-president Niranjan Shah and treasurer Ravi Sawant blamed the lack of co-operation from the Mumbai police, who had arrested Meiyappan, and the panel had to go by whatever information they could muster. 
Mishra, with nine wickets at 15.11 runs apiece in three matches, has set an Indian record in a bilateral series in Zimbabwe in ODIs. Only once in his career, he has taken 10 or more wickets in a series — 11 at an average of 18.09 in five matches in West Indies in 2011.
