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Glittering end to Glasgow Games
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Glasgow the winner but sport falls short at the Games
WFI suspends referee Malik, Sports Minister awaits report
Charges against 2 Indian officials dropped due to absence of evidence
CWG: Punjab lagging behind Haryana in medal count and prize money
WFI plans 2 teams for Worlds, Asiad
Still waiting for that promised job, says shooter Anisa
We are mentally stronger now, says goalie Sreejesh
‘India cannot win with 4 bowlers’
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Glittering end to Glasgow Games
In a great triumph of Glaswegians and Glasgow, the Commonwealth Games ended in a grand, intimate pop party at the Hampden Park, the national football stadium, last night. ‘Glittering’ is the word that’s used most often to describe such events but — with dazzling fireworks of all hues lighting up the skyline, with Kylie Minogue and Scotland’s very own Lulu performing before a wildly enthusiastic audience — we can safely resort to that cliché about the Sunday night gig. Glasgow, once called the ‘Second city of the British Empire’, was second to none over the last fortnight of competition; it capped it all with a warm party last night that was, again, designed to entertain — but not to leave the watcher overawed. The Games were declared the “best ever” during the party-like ceremony, which celebrated Scottish and Glaswegian values. The success of Glasgow 2014, the near flawless operations, the friendliness of the ordinary Glaswegian, the exciting sporting contests all were suitably eulogised. It’s almost a custom to declare each of such global events as the “best ever” — the one who gives this verdict knows that nothing pleases the hosts more! But in the case of Glasgow 2014, it must be said that the event raised the bar significantly after Delhi 2010. The closing ceremony possibly didn’t reach the heights of the opening ceremony, but it was an apt summation up of the last two weeks of friendliness of the city; the sports competitions were not of dizzyingly high quality all the time, but the enthusiasm of the audiences, their fair-mindedness, their support even for the opposition athletes made these CWG remarkable. The closing ceremony of the “Friendly Games” epitomised these Scottish values. The ceremony started with a celebration of the athletes, the volunteers and the supporting staff who worked very hard in what was a strong heat-wave — well, it maxed out only at about 29 degree C during the Games, but that was seriously hot by local standards. The Commonwealth Flag was passed on to the representatives from Gold Coast, Australia, the city that will host the 2018 CWG. There were speeches, during which Prince Imran, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president, delivered his verdict that the Games were the “best ever”. “The Commonwealth Games are known as the Friendly Games,” he said. “These have been more than that, they have truly been the peoples' Games. Glasgow, it is a job well done, you have delivered the best Games ever. Pure, dead brilliant!” The Games were officially declared closed by Prince Edward, vice-patron of the CGF. At the ceremony, Scottish symbols were conspicuous – we had the bagpipes, haggis, the whisky and the kilts, everything. A celidh dance – traditional Scottish or Gaelic gathering dance – was performed too, naturally. Gold Coast made a presentation too, in which Australian singer and actress Jessica Mauboy highlighted the excellence of Gold Coast and the Queensland province. Two other celebrated Australians, champion surfer Mike Fanning and Olympic and Commonwealth 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson, also made a sales pitch for CWG 2018. Queensland Minister for the Commonwealth Games, Jann Stuckey, said that Glasgow had set the bar high – and that Gold Coast 2018 would try to prove that “anything is possible”. There was one crazy moment, too, when Australian steeplechaser Genevieve LaCaze gatecrashed onto the stage even as Kylie Minogue performed; LaCaze, clutching a small Australian flag, was led away by staff. LaCaze, who is from Gold Coast, said she was celebrating her 25th birthday. "I just wanted a little bit of claim to fame. I wanted a little bit of TV time,” she said later. “I am turning 25, so why not!” Why not indeed — Glasgow’s proud Games and friendly residents certainly didn’t seem to mind that at all on this night of allround celebration.
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Glasgow the winner but sport falls short at the Games
Glasgow, August 4 Hailed as the best ever Games by Federation president Prince Tunku Imran, Glasgow charmed the 71 participating nations and territories that competed over the course of 11 days. With approximately 1.2 million tickets sold, Glasgow ensured that athletes from all over the Commonwealth received full and noisy support wherever they competed — even if there were few show-stopping moments. After several high-profile withdrawals, notably England’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah and Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, the hopes of the Games rested on the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt. The towering Jamaican did not disappoint after claiming gold in the men’s 4x100 metre relay but the fanfare he created also highlighted the dearth of world-class talent in Glasgow. With traditionally powerful sporting nations like the United States, China and Russia not eligible to compete, the Games will always lack true world-class status. But part of the Games’ charm is the fabled stories the diverse range of athletes have, be it Kiribati’s first female boxer Taoriba Biniati, Brunei's only athlete in Glasgow — cyclist Muhammad I’maadi Abd Aziz — or Norfolk Island badminton player Richard Cribb, who practises on a converted dance floor. Teenage gymnast Claudia Fragapane will have good reason to always remember these Games — the tiny 16-year-old, who stands just 4ft 5in tall, became the first Englishwoman in 84 years to win four gold medals at a single Commonwealth edition. It is these stories that give the Games its own unique identity, drawing it out of the shadow of the Olympics. The blanket television and radio coverage the Games received across Britain reflected the popularity it has among the Home Nations. — Agencies |
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WFI suspends referee Malik, Sports Minister awaits report
New Delhi, August 4 WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar said the federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh took the decision to suspend the referee when he returned from the Scottish city. Tomar, however, informed that ban on Malik would continue pending WFI’s internal investigation into the matter despite the charges against him being dropped for lack of evidence by a Glasgow Court. "WFI president decided to suspend Malik with immediate effect given the serious nature of charges levelled against him. The suspension will continue pending WFI’s own investigation into the matter. We will form a committee and discuss the report with our office-bearers. We will also try to get the version of other referees present during the Games to know about Malik’s behaviour at the residential complex where he was staying. The suspension will continue till our own inquiry into the matter is conducted,” Tomar told The Tribune. Malik, a Category I wrestling referee, was said to be invited to the event by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), and was not part of the 215-member Indian contingent. Malik was reportedly staying in a hotel outside the accommodation arranged for visiting squads. Sharan Singh said he has communicated the news of Malik's suspension to the world wrestling body. "We have informed FILA about his suspension. It’s not just the WFI, but the entire country is saddened by the incident. This episode has shocked the nation,” he said. Besides Malik, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta was also arrested for alleged drunken driving in the Glasgow city centre. He, too, was let off after the matter didn’t come up for hearing at the Sheriff’s Court. |
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Charges against 2 Indian officials dropped due to absence of evidence
Glasgow, August 4 Virender Singh Malik, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) referee who was also arrested in a separate case of assault two days ago, was also released and charges were dropped in this case as well at the Glasgow Sheriff Courts Court, which is equivalent to a Sessions Court in India. The charges were not pressed in the courtroom in which the matter was listed to be heard, and it was a bit unclear exactly what transpired, but two Indian sports officials said that Mehta and Malik had been released honourably and the charges against them dropped. “The charges against Mehta have been dropped,” said Jeo Nawab, director of Badminton Association of India (UK and Europe), who was there during the proceedings. “I don’t know the exact details (about the alleged incident), but it was an accident and now they’ve dropped the charges,” Nawab, a London-based businessman, told The Tribune. Nawab said that from what he knew of the case, Mehta was driving while being drunk and had an accident. “After that, there was some misunderstanding, and the charge of assault was pressed and he was arrested,” he added. Anandeshwar Pandey, general secretary of the Handball Federation of India and joint secretary of the Indian Olympic Association, confirmed that both Mehta and Malik had been released. He said that Malik, arrested on assault charges two days ago, had been the victim of a misunderstanding caused by communicating in the English language in which he is not adept. Details are yet to be fully clarified, but a Scottish lawyer told this writer: “Under Scottish law, for a conviction, there must be two independent corroborations for the charges to be proved.” Story of the day
A great number of Indians seemed to be deeply interested in this case, which was expected to be heard in Court No. 4. Some of us were there at 9 in the morning, only to learn that the case wouldn’t be heard before 1 pm. The wait continued at 1 pm, too. The court had been described as ‘grim’ by Australian journalists who had visited it in relation to a case involving an Australian athlete. Grim was right as the judge heard cases involving drug abuse, pub fights and domestic violence The court officials seemed a bit surprised by the sudden influx of Indians, mostly journalists, en masse at the court. Among the Indian faces was that of Harek Monon, who had been appointed an interpreter for Mehta by the court. Monon, who has roots in Patiala, said he had not met Mehta and didn’t know if Mehta would need his services. “Does he speak English?” Monon, a lecturer of Scottish Law, wondered. It was a criminal court in which the Sheriff (equivalent to Sessions Judge) could give a maximum sentence of five years, in cases involving a jury. Cases that could attract greater punishment are heard by the High Court. Most of the cases involved pubs fights, drug abuse or violence at home. The Sheriff wore a wig and spoke kindly, especially to troubled young persons, but firmly denied bail in serious cases. A former official of the IOA was there. “Do you know why there is no one from the IOA here?” he asked. “It’s the fear of the media! They fear that they’ll have their photos published in the papers, and no official wants to be around.” In the event, two IOA officials finally did come with happy — Pandey and Nawab disclosed that the case was over. |
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CWG: Punjab lagging behind Haryana in medal count and prize money
Chandigarh, August 4 In Punjab's tally of 15 medals, medals won at the individual level are nine, of which one is gold, four silver and four bronze. As many as six players in the Indian hockey team, runners up, were from Punjab. Only one gold medal figures in Punjab's account — that of Abhinav Bindra in shooting. Compared to Punjab, medals won at the individual level by Haryana sportspersons include five gold medals, 13 silver and three bronze medals. In addition to it, a silver medal is won by Sardar Singh, who was a member of the Hockey team. It appears that the Punjab government is laying too much focus on kabaddi and neglecting other sports. Other challenge posed by Haryana to Punjab is that Haryana government has announced huge prize money victorious sportspersons. Haryana would give Rs 1 crore to a CWG gold medallist, Rs 50 lakh to silver medallist and Rs 25 lakh to bronze medallist. As of now Punjab's prize money is Rs 16 lakh for gold medallists, Rs 11 lakh for silver medallists and Rs 6 lakh for bronze medallists. Obviously, there is heartburn among the Punjab sportspersons. It is true that Hooda Government has made the hike with its eye on the coming Assembly elections but for sportspersons from that it is a huge gain. Before the hike, the prize money in Haryana was Rs 15 lakh for gold medallist, Rs 10 lakh for silver medallist and Rs 5 lakh for bronze medallist. Punjab had kept Rs 1 lakh in excess in each category than that of Haryana for medal winners. While the 15 medallists (that include the individual and team events) from Punjab will get a collective amount of Rs 1.5 crore. Haryana, in comparison, will award Rs 12.75 crore. “The Punjab government is always saving money in one way or the other and be it the school games or other events. The state government is least concerned about the top sportsmen,” claimed a silver medallist hailing from Punjab. “I spent lakhs for my training and even ignored my studies but I feel bad that my fellow sportspersons from Haryana will be richer than me,” she claimed. “Haryana is playing politics of money,” said a Punjab sports department functionary. Deputy Director, Sports, Sohan Lal Lottey said Punjab has one of the most transparent policies for sportsmen. “We have already moved the file and the government will honour players at the earliest as they have made the state and the country proud. It is always not about money,” he says. Medal winners from Punjab
Abhinav Bindra (gold); Navjot Channa, Malaika Goel, Vikas Thakur and Rajinder Singh Rahelu (all silver); Arpinder Singh, Rajwinder Kaur, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Navjot Kaur (all bronze); Dharmveer Singh, Manpreet Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Gurwinder Singh Chandi (all silver in team event hockey) |
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WFI plans 2 teams for Worlds, Asiad
New Delhi, August 4 Kumar has decided to conduct a single selection trial for both the events on August 13 at the SAI centre, Sonepat. The core group of grapplers will be divided into two sets. The first set will comprise 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallists Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Amit Kumar Dahiya, silver medallists Bajrang, Satyavrat, Rajeev Tomar and bronze winner Pavan Kumar in the freestyle competitons. The second set will have up and coming grapplers who are training at the SAI centre. The same policy will be applied for selecting the team in the women's freestyle category, which will have CWG medallists Babita and Vinesh Phogat. "We will be conducting trials to identify two sets of players who will participate in the Asian Games and World Championships. We might excuse Sushil and Yogeshwar from the trials as they would be our automatic choice for selection for the Asian Games," Kumar told The Tribune. "Those who will emerge victorious in the trials will be selected for the Asian Games and those who will end up second best will participate in the World Championships. The same rule will apply to women wrestlers. Greco Roman category will make its return to the Asian Games after being dropped at the Glasgow Games. The idea is to continue our gold medal-winning performance at the Asian Games and, at the same time, not to tinker with the team composition much. There's not much gap between the two events and it's very difficult for a wrestler to gain or lose weight," Kumar added. Kumar said the logic behind selecting two teams was to identify the best players who had big-match temperament. The World Championships will take place at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from September 8–14, while Asian Games will be held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 to October 4. Glasgow Games gold medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, who competed in a new weight category at the CWG, said he would have to practice harder for the Asian Games as the standard of competition would be tougher. “The competition at the Asian Games is going to be higher as more countries will take part and the wrestlers who will be participating there, are expected to pose bigger threat. I will have to focus more during the Asian Games,” he said. The London Olympic bronze medallist, however, added that at CWG also the grapplers from Nigeria, Canada and England were difficult to beat. “The standard of the competition was good at Glasgow also. The wrestlers from Nigeria, Canada and England were very good.” — PTI |
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Still waiting for that promised job, says shooter Anisa
The multiple Commonwealth Games winner, who clinched a silver in Glasgow to go with her record-breaking double gold in Delhi four years ago, though, is still living in hope. “I have been waiting for three years, waiting for that promised job. If they think I don’t deserve this then they should not keep me waiting. That’s not fair to an athlete who continuously strives for international success,” Anisa said. The 33-year-old Anisa took silver in the women’s 25 metre pistol event of the Commonwealth Games. In the same event, the gold was won by her “good friend” Rahi Sarnobat. Competing with a friend for the top prize is not a problem, but waiting for something that she richly deserves does make Anisa sad. “The file has not been processed since 2011, I am still hoping that I will get something out of it. I have met the chief minister (Bhupinder Singh Hooda) twice and he asked me to only concentrate in shooting, and the rest will be taken care of. Because of this I quit my job with the Railways after the Delhi CWG and also did not show interest in a job offered by Maharashtra government. Looking back I think those were mistakes,” she said. “I seriously hope that something will happen before we leave for the World Championships or at least the Asian Games,” Anisa added.
— PTI |
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We are mentally stronger now, says goalie Sreejesh
New Delhi, August 4 “We were not thinking about the Delhi Games final. We have played Australia in the recent past and while we lost 0-4 in the World Cup, the margin was 2-4 in the league match in Glasgow. It shows that we are improving and can beat top teams like Australia in the future,” Sreejesh said. “Indian players are mentally stronger now. We are not at the desired level but we have improved for sure. We showed that in the semifinal against New Zealand — the manner we came back and won despite conceding two early goals,” he said. Sreejesh feels India should now focus on winning more against higher ranked opponents. “We should focus on beating teams ranked 3rd or 4th in the world. This is a young side and will play with more confidence after gaining experience at the top level,” he added. Sreejesh said the next goal now was to win the gold medal in the upcoming Asian Games. “We want to maintain the rhythm. The results show that our preparation is going in the right direction but we have to maintain consistency,” he said. Asked about India’s weaknesses, he said the team should avoid conceding early goals. “We conceded goals in dying moments at the World Cup but in this tournament we have given some silly goals in early minutes. We have to work on this. Our penalty corner conversion was better but we will have to work harder.”
— PTI Indian team to tour Bangladesh for three-match series
The Indian men’s hockey team is now eyeing the Asian Games and will tour Bangladesh for a three-match series starting August 6 to tune-up for the challenge in Incheon, South Korea. The series is expected to provide international exposure to the young players just before the Asiad in South Korea from September 19 to October 4. The team will be captained by the experienced defender Vickram Kanth while midfielder S K Uthappa will be the vice-captain. |
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‘India cannot win with 4 bowlers’
“I think India have a big problem if they are playing with only four bowlers. That is a mistake. I don’t think they can win matches with just four bowlers,” said Strauss. “I understand they want to select a team based on conditions and pitch. But considering those factors, they got it completely wrong at the Ageas Bowl. The pitch at Southampton has a reputation of turning towards the end of the match. So I was very surprised to see them not play R Ashwin there.” Having a win under their belt at Lord’s, MS Dhoni and company decided to go with an extra batsman in the third Test. The hosts drew level the five-match series and Strauss was surprised by the moves of the Indian think tank. “I was even more surprised that they decided to play an extra batsman and leave out Stuart Binny. It showed that they were negative and had a defensive mindset. They were trying not to lose the match and when you play with that outlook, more often than not, you will get beaten.” The momentum seems to be with England and they are certainly buoyed by the fact that James Anderson escaped a ban for his alleged push against Jadeja as well and Strauss said it’s a positive sign. “If he had been banned then it would have been 50-50 going into this fourth Test. But with him playing on, they will have a big spring in their step and will be tough to beat.”
— PTI ICC issues warning over poor Trent Bridge pitch
London: Trent Bridge has been officially warned about its pitch by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the first Test between England and India last month fizzled out into a run-laden draw. In a statement on Monday the ICC said its Pitch Monitoring Process had concluded that the pitch failed to provide a fair contest between bat and ball. England made 496 in reply to India's 457 and the match ended early on day five after India declared their second innings on 391 for nine. "In reaching the verdict, the ICC observed that the pitch did not provide a fair contest between bat and ball throughout, and concluded that the pitch was of an unacceptable standard," the statement said.
— Reuters |
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McIlroy wins Bridgestone to regain top ranking
Akron (USA), August 4 McIlroy made a sizzling start to the final round with three consecutive birdies to quickly erase a three-stroke deficit and surge past Sergio Garcia at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. The Northern Irishman carded a 66 to finish at 15-under 265, while Spaniard Garcia (71) was second on 13-under, with Australian Marc Leishman (67) another shot back in third place. Defending champion Tiger Woods pulled out of the tournament after aggravating his troublesome back, raising more questions about the playing future of the 14-times major champion. McIlroy, 25, took the world No. 1 ranking for the fifth separate occasion, and the first since March of last year, displacing Scott, who had been on top for 11 weeks. McIlroy, who won the British Open in his previous start two weeks ago, collected $1.53 million for his first victory in a World Golf Championships event. And he did not sound like he was ready to rest on his laurels as he heads to the PGA Championship at Valhalla in Kentucky, where he will seek a fourth major title. “Mentally I’m really sharp,” he said. “It’s the most comfortable I’ve ever felt trying to close out a golf tournament out there today. It felt normal, like a first or second round. It didn’t feel like the fourth round. I didn’t get ahead of myself. I just kept playing shot after shot after shot.” His current form is the best of his career, he said, even better than at this time two years ago, when he won the PGA Championship by eight strokes. Not that he played flawlessly on Sunday, but he invariably extricated himself from trouble with an assured putting stroke that limited the damage to just one bogey. “I had a couple of wobbles, rode my luck a little bit on the back nine, hit a couple of tree limbs and got lucky a couple of times,” he admitted.
— Reuters |
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Serena returns to form with title win
Stanford (USA), August 4 Her return to fitness has come at just the right time with the US Open set to start on August 25. “I have a lot of confidence going but every week is a new week and hopefully I can just try to improve,” Williams said. Her latest win was far from easy as Williams had her service broken twice in the opening set and fell behind 5-1. The 17-times grand slam champion rallied to tie the score and eventually dominate the tiebreaker 7-1. “I blinked my eye and I was down 1-5 and Angelique was playing so well,” she said. “I tried to relax and just think about making my shots.” Williams claimed a 2-0 lead in the second set and held off her German opponent the rest of the way. She fired six aces and did not face a break point in the final set. Raonic beats compatriot Pospisil in Washington
Milos Raonic won the first all-Canadian final of the professional era when he beat Vasek Pospisil 6-1 6-4 in the final of the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday. Second seed Raonic took barely an hour to dispose of Pospisil, breaking serve three times in the first set. The second set was a tighter battle as Pospisil raised his game before Raonic delivered the knockout blow in the 10th game for his sixth ATP title, his first of the year.
— Reuters |
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New Delhi, August 4
Manchester, August 4
