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Moment of truth for boxers
New rules: Hockey steps into unknown
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A curious mix of sport, war and death in the Palestine
Williamson canes Cobras
SL will lift Indian soccer: Alessandro
Lahore Lions left to fend for themselves
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Moment of truth for boxers
The Indian boxers are coming from a void, and stepping into another. India’s boxers, pariahs of the international sport over the last two years due to no fault of theirs, checked into Incheon today. They seemed tired and rather haggard after the flight from Delhi – and a bit apprehensive, too? They’ve not boxed much outside India, and they don’t know what the competition has been up to. They’ve been existing in a dull, dark and hopeless place — they fear they could be only shadows here, for they don’t know the opponents well. Gurbax Singh Sandhu, the long-time national coach, said he’s clueless, too. “I can’t say how well we’ll do — how can I predict anything when I have no clue about the strategies that the other boxers have evolved?” Sandhu said today. Sandhu, affable and droll in his usual manner, illustrated his point with a homely fable: “I (boxers) know I am the lion of this jungle (India), and I have trained to be so. But how will I know if a boxer in another country is a lion, too? I have to fight him and only then can I say whether I a king!” India’s boxing, the success of the last decade, entered a sadder chapter when the boxing association was suspended due to malpractices in its elections in December 2012. A new association, Boxing India, was temporarily recognised by the international governing body a few days ago. At the Asiad, the competition is fierce – Kazakhstan won four medals at the World Championship last year, Azerbaijan won two – and the Indians are without much practice. “You and everyone asks me about our chances here, but I don’t know the answer because there has been little international exposure over the last one-and-a-half years,” Sandhu said at the Athletes Village here today, soon after ensuring that his boys had got their rooms and were comfortable. Sandhu’s concerns are is valid, especially since the team has several greenhorns. “We have many new boys in the team, and they are untested at the bigger events,” Sandhu said. “We expected to compete in up to 12 international competitions, but due to the ban on our boxing federation, we could participate in only two competitions!” L. Devendro Singh (49kg) is young but experienced, and the world No. 3 in his class — he represents India’s best hope here. Gaurav Bhiduri (52kg), Kuldeep Singh (81kg) and Satish Kumar (91kg), though, are boxing in their first big event. It’s they who would suffer the most due to the lack of exposure in big events. “They’re talented boxers, and I wish they had been able to practise abroad, spar with different boxers,” Sandhu said. “But now, with the ban being lifted, things are a little clearer. We don’t want to think about what has happened in the past, and must concentrate on training the boys for the future.” Akhil, ever-confident and witty, said: “I’m fully charged and ready,” he said. He said he must grab the moment now. The time’s here and now, but the time they’ve lost over the last two years will never come back. That undermines India’s chances here, and that’s the latest tragedy of Indian boxing.
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New rules: Hockey steps into unknown
Incheon, September 19 These rules have been used in friendly matches and some domestic events, like the Hockey India League. But Asian Games would mark the international debut of this new system. What will this do to the game? No one knows for sure, but opinion seems to have settled on one point —the game will become much faster. That’s exactly what the international hockey federation (FIH) wanted to do — make the sport faster to make it more attractive. But can the sport really become faster? How much quicker, for instance, can a player run? Aren’t they already running as fast as they possibly can? “The game will become much faster now,” Pakistan coach Shahnaz Sheikh said the other day. Indian coach MK Kaushik doesn’t quite agree. “Nothing of the sort… What difference can it make?” he told this writer here today. “How much faster can a player run? The game was fast earlier too, wasn’t it?” But players are now going to play 15 minutes continuously, instead of the 35 earlier, aren’t they? Won’t that make those 15 minutes more intense? “But we’ve have had the rolling substitutions, so fresher players were regularly coming in to play, so it’s not that the intensity was not high earlier,” Kaushik said. Kaushik, actually, wondered if the new format will help the game much. “I don’t think it will benefit the players much,” he said. “Players take a bit of time to get into a good rhythm, and there are going to be interruptions after 15 minutes… I’m not sure if the three stoppages would be a good thing for the game or the players.” Kaushik, though, said that the rules are there and they’ve no option but to follow them, like it or not. “They (international hockey federation) have put these rules into place, so we’ve got to plan accordingly,” he said. “So we’ve been positive about this and have prepared to do our best.” India’s high performance director Roelant Oltmans is also non-committal about who could gain from the changes. “It can help India, but that is the case for a lot of other teams, too,” he said earlier this month. Oltmans has said that the system would allow India to put their best players on the field for longer period of time. Kaushik isn’t really sure if it would help India – “we do take a bit of time to find a rhythm”. “I and he (Oltmans) have our views, which could be different,” Kaushik added. “We could have different mindsets about this. But until and unless we play in this format, how will you know what will happen? We’re waiting to see what is going to happen.” The whole of the hockey world waits, too, to see what slicing the halves further does to the sport.
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A curious mix of sport, war and death in the Palestine
Incheon, September 19 During the flag-hoisting ceremony of the Palestine, their footballers placed their hands on their hearts, gazed at the rising flag and sang the national anthem. For them, that moment seemed charged with emotion — did they wonder at the futility of sport when life itself seems so uncertain? How does one sport in times of war? That’s a very difficult question. There are no answers, only hope – but that, too, is flagging. “We have been having a very difficult time due to the occupation by the Israeli soldiers and the army,” said Dr SK Fatma of the Palestine Olympic Association. “It became very difficult to train and come here because of the attacks.” The Palestinians have been unable to train. The footballers, for instance, have been trying to dodge bullets and bombs, literally, in order to be able to reach a place where they could train. They could not hold a national camp or find much international experience, and practice games against Qatar, Oman and Bahrain helped. Considering all this, the national team’s world ranking of 85 – 66 places above India – seems nothing less than miraculous. In Asiad, only three players over the age of 23 can be part of a team, and the Palestinians are looking at the feats of the seniors for inspiration. Earlier this year, the senior team won the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives, beating the Philippines 1-0. Islam Batran, who turns 20 next month, said that playing sport is very difficult in their country. “It’s difficult to find practise and we are always suffering bad news,” Batran said. “In Gaza, they’ve killed children and women, people are getting killed everyday,” Dr Fatma said. “We have 27 athletes who have been killed — football and basketball and other sports.” “It’s very difficult for the Palestinian people,” said Dr Fatma. A majority of their athletes here are from the occupied territories, he says. “Forty-eight of our contingent of 69 athletes are from the territories occupied by Israel,” he adds. “They are from Gaza, from West Bank, from other occupied territories… Some are from Jerusalem and from outside of Jerusalem, too.” India would play Palestine twice next month. Dr Fatma says the Palestinians are grateful to India for its support. “India have always supported the Palestine, and I want to thank them.” He wished the rest of the world would do more to ensure peace in the region, but didn’t look very hopeful. “Israel has powerful friends,” he said. Sport, he said, does cheer his countrymen when the news is good. He is desperately seeking a few medals here, to bring some solace to the distressed people of his country.
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10m Air Pistol 10m Air Pistol Team Trap Qualification Day 1 50m Pistol 50m Pistol Team Finals Badminton Men’s Team Round of 16: Basketball Rowing Squash
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Shooter Jitu Rai is India’s big hope
OCA issues strong warnings over sexual harassment
Asia’s Olympics chief pleaded for good behaviour at the Asian Games Friday after an official was kicked out for sexual harassment and a footballer was accused of groping. Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said the 13,000 athletes and officials at the two week Games had to act with “goodwill and (appropriate) behaviour.” The OCA on Wednesday expelled an Iranian team official for sexually harassing a female volunteer and issued strong warnings following an allegation against a Palestinian footballer. Deepika goes around Finding Fanny
She’s taken care to look very nice, for she’s going to the Opening Ceremony. She’s carrying the small Indian flag handed to her by the volunteers, and she’s wearing a nice sari. She’s ready to party. “I’m lost!” she wails, though. “I don’t know where my teammates went away, leaving me alone!” Deepika is in a maze of buses, lost and helpless – she doesn’t speak Korean and the volunteers know very little English. We lead her to her bus, and in return she agrees to pose for pictures. Psy-cho Psy was there, of course — no one makes a party as big a success as the Gangnam Style megastar does. When he performed Gangnam here, the whole stadium seemed to rock and people danced, and those who didn’t jump up swayed in their seat and tapped their feet. In the Youtube age, he’s the King — the first megastar created by the internet. The Gangnam video has clocked over a billion page views, and the craze isn’t abating, as was clear tonight. Northern Lights Yes, the dances were attractive, the laser show was grand, the lights and sounds and the firework impressive; yet, the most uplifting moment of the Opening Ceremony was caused by something that had cost nothing, had zero technology — a huge wave of human emotion. The North Koreans might be the most bitter enemies of the South Koreans right now, but they all are one people. So, when the North Korean contingent marched in, waving their flags that are banned to be carried in this country, Korea was united in spirit — people in the stands got to their feet and cheered wildly for their estranged cousins. It was possible to believe — even for a few minutes — that sport can really unite.
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Raipur, September 19 Opening batsman Williamson produced a sensational batting show as he carried his bat with a 49-ball 101 not out, the first hundred of this edition, to guide his side to a huge total of 206 for five after being put into bat. He smashed eight fours and five sixes in his hurricane knock. His opening partner Anton Devcich also made a substantial contribution of 67 from 46 balls. The duo scored at a brisk pace and laid the foundation of a big total by sharing 140 runs in 13.4 overs. Chasing the huge 207-run target, the Cobras struggled to get going and were 44 for two when rain arrived. It continued and after a long wait, the umpires decided to end the match, and the Knights emerged victorious under the D/L method. As five overs had been completed before the rain came, the match was counted as complete and the par score under D/L method at that stage was 77. The Cobras run chase began on a disastrous note with their opening batsman Stiaan van Zyl (0) dismissed in the first delivery of the innings bowled by Trent Boult. The other opener Hashim Amla (20) tried to keep his side on track but the asking rate kept on rising and he fell in the sixth over while attempting to raise the tempo. Robin Peterson and Omphile Ramela were batting on 17 and four, respectively, when the rain came in the eighth over. — PTI Brief scores: Northern Knights: 206 for 5 (Williamson 101no, Devcich 67; Langeveldt 2/27); Cape Cobras: 44 for 2 in 7.2 overs Mohali, September 19 The Kings XI started off with their aggressive brand of cricket, defeating Hobart Hurricanes by five wickets on Thursday night. It was once again a power-packed innings by Australia's Glenn Maxwell, the third highest run scorer in IPL 7, which guided Kings XI home, while skipper George Bailey too chipped in with 27-ball 34. Barbados Tridents, on the other hand, are coming into the tournament after winning the Caribbean Premier League and are one of the most stronger sides in the tournament. However, the tridents will be without the services of three of their top players — Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik and Dwayne Smith — who have chosen to play for other teams in the tournament. Today’s
matches
Perth Scorchers vs Dolphins (4pm) |
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SL will lift Indian soccer: Alessandro
New Delhi, September 19 What are your expectations from the ISL? This is a new challenge for everyone, but very exciting. I hope that this ISL can be good for the national team. Do you think your presence would help lift the profile of the ISL? I hope I could repeat my success in Sydney here. This is the target for me. ISL is a new situation for me. We want to do well in every single moment. I am in India to understand football and the country. Do you think marquee players, who have average age of 35 plus, can make an impact in the ISL? This is a kind of question, whose answer you can never know now. It is a difficult situation to step in but this is the challenge and the good part of the challenge is to solve it and go forward. What is your perception about India and the Indian football? One day is not enough but I completely understand that this is a different world than mine. I'm like a child with big eyes, trying to understand from all what it means to live here and what is the culture.
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Lahore Lions left to fend for themselves
JALANDHAR, SEPTEMBER 19 In the absence of any arrangements by the officials, the Pakistan outfit had to put up in a lodge that didn't even have kitchen facility. The lodge ordered food for the team from a nearby roadside 'dhaba'. A few players reportedly fell ill on Friday — a few blamed food for it. "Since we do not have an in-house kitchen, we could not serve dinner to the players on their arrival. Later, they wanted to go out but were stopped by the police officials for security reasons. Finally, we ordered food for them from a nearby 'dhaba'," said Ajit Singh, the owner of lodge. Meanwhile, one of the staff members at the lodge revealed that the players fell ill after consuming the food. "The SHO took one of them to a nearby doctor and left him at the hotel after some time. We do not know where they went but both came back after an hour. Later, the team was hurriedly shifted to a nearby hotel," said the staff. He also informed that while the Pakistan team had crossed the Wagah Border on Thursday morning, it was only around 3 pm that the lodge authorities were informed about their arrival. Since the tournament is based on a franchise model, it is actually the responsibility of the respective host (read owners) to make the arrangements for their teams. But since, in this case, the host is none other than the Director General of Sports, Government of Punjab, Pakistan, their Indian counterpart should have at least facilitated the boarding and lodging arrangements for the team through its district administration at Jalandhar. When contacted, WKL commissioner Pargat Singh said the Punjab government in Pakistan had not asked for any support from their Indian counterparts. "We could have facilitated their stay at the state government level if they had asked. But it seems they made the arrangements through internet, and didn't ask for any help, neither from the WKL organisers or the state government. Meanwhile, the team played their scheduled match with California Eagles in the evening at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium at Burlton park in Jalandhar.
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Indian shooters will be expected to deliver a bagful of medals when the event kickstarts today. The events will commence with the women’s 10m air pistol and men’s 50m pistol in which four titles would be decided today. Armyman Jitu Rai starts as perhaps India’s biggest medal hope, even ahead of the renowned 2008 Beijing Olympics gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra and another rifle-shooting ace Gagan Narang. He is set to provide a strong challenge to the Chinese and Korean rivals in these two pistol events.
