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Tax searches on Games contractors widen to 60 premises

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Officers of the Income Tax department Thursday widened their search operations, and visited some 60 premises across cities of individuals and firms who won lucrative contracts for the Commonwealth Games, officials said.

'Today we launched our search operations at the premises of some more Commonwealth Games contractors -- around 60 or so. This is a part of our ongoing probe. We are examining if there was any tax evasion while executing contracts,' a senior tax official said here.

He said the cities where the search operations took place included the national capital, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai and some in Jharkhand.

'Our probe is specifically looking at the contracts awarded by the Organising Committee and the role played by its officials and contractors. There are also charges of bribery. We will seize documents and books of accounts if needed,' the official added.

Income tax officials had conducted similar search operations Oct 19 on some 30 premises of those who had won Games contracts. Among the premises visited by the tax sleuths was that of Sudhanshu Mittal, a leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Mittal's close relatives had won some contracts, a senior official said.

The developments followed a host of measures announced by the government since the 12-day Games drew to a close Oct 14 to look into allegations of misappropriation of funds and questionable procedures followed for award of contracts for various projects.

Among them, the tenure of officials associated with the Games was extended, even as the country's top auditor said a report on its accounts and financial activities would be presented to parliament in three months.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also set up the high-level committee headed by former comptroller and auditor general V.K. Shunglu to look into all matters relating to the conduct and organisation of the Games.

The prime minister had also directed the ministries concerned to conduct thorough investigations into all complaints received of procedural and other irregularities and said those found guilty should face severe and exemplary punishment.

The agencies conducting investigations include the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Directorate of Enforcement, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, the Central Vigilance Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

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posted @ 9:52 AM, ,

What Now for Games Venues?

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Hosting an international sporting event is as much about theatricality as it is about sport and the run up to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi was certainly filled with its own share of circus acts.

While evaluating the success of the Games, inevitably the question of their cost arises, and a battery of commissions has already been formed to look into potential financial wrongdoing. The initial budget of a few hundred million dollars escalated exponentially in the last seven years, with figures as high as $15 billion doing the rounds. Whether the city will ever be able to recover this investment is yet to be seen. However, if precedent is anything to go by, it could take the city anywhere from 20 to 30 years to pay for it.

A good deal of money was spent on upgrading the city’s infrastructure, something the Games have undoubtedly been a catalyst for. The new airport terminal, the metro, an expanded road network system are some of the more apparent infrastructural improvements in the city that will make it a more attractive destination. But the question begging to be asked is: How can the vast amounts of money spent on the sports stadiums and associated infrastructure be recovered?

Cities from developing nations may not benefit that much by hosting mega-sporting events. High infrastructure and development costs, the inability to attract a large number of tourists and spectators and the fact that the facilities languish after the event all make compelling arguments for not hosting events like the Commonwealth Games.

Stadiums, like skyscrapers and museums, follow an economic model unique to themselves. Often touted as citadels of modernity, the expression of human will over a landscape, these structures contribute to the making of national pride. But for New Delhi to fully exploit its spanking new sports facilities and indeed re-invent itself through the Games, it now needs to re-envision the stadiums as public or semi-public spaces and open them up to public-private participation.

The twin objectives of public architecture is that it is socially engaging and uplifting while creating cultural markers in a physical landscape. Together, both of these instill civic pride, something self-deprecating Delhi urgently needs.

So far, many in the city have only experienced these edifices through reports in the media, while for the street vendors and others who were displaced in the name of a larger cause, the two weeks of the Commonwealth Games represent institutionalized marginalization. It is imperative that the city transfers ownership of these structures back to its populace through an active engagement with it.

The hosting of events that define and engage with popular culture such as concerts could be one such way. Tapping into India’s love for all things Bollywood would provide the star power required to draw crowds in once again and locate these stadiums back within the public realm.

Sports stadiums are used to accommodate thousands of people with their attention focused on a select few— like concert halls. Located across the road from both the large exhibition grounds of Pragati Maidan and the National Museum, in the heart of the city, the Dhyan Chand National Stadium is ideally located for an adaptive re-use project. Its transformation into a hybrid building, one that houses both a modern-day opera house or concert hall and a convention facility would exploit its potent location while contributing to the cultural and economic development of the city.

In the winter of 2005, the conductor Zubin Mehta brought the Bavarian State Orchestra to New Delhi. They played to a sold-out audience at the nearby Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, which was also host to a number of Commonwealth events earlier this month. The Delhi government at the time recognized the need for such a venue and made the otherwise under-utilized stadium available. Undoubtedly, the need for such a facility does exist and merits a location as prominent as the termination of the ceremonial Rajpath axis.

The continuation and establishment of a worthy legacy for Commonwealth 2010 hinges on the successful engagement with communities that reside within the vicinity of the stadiums as well as those that are spread across the city. Just as Barcelona in 1992 used the Olympics as a means of transforming itself from a manufacturing city, New Delhi too needs to seize the opportunity it has now and tap into the same spirit that transformed the Games Village from near-disaster in a week.

On another level, just as Bollywood has the means to capture the imagination of a people, the stitching together of a geographically disparate Delhi (something that the metro has made a tremendous contribution towards), the creation of civic pride and a sense of urban connectedness is best achieved through collective community engagement.

“Come Out and Play, New Delhi,” a league of street-level sports with neighborhood teams could be a worthy legacy of the Games. A citywide government effort to give structure to street cricket or any sport for that matter would benefit tremendously from the spaces created for the Commonwealth Games.

Do let us know your ideas on how the staging area can be used in the comments section below.

Rahoul Singh is an award winning architect and principal of the design firm RSDA. He is a columnist for various magazines and newspapers and author of the book, “Gardens of Delight”.

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posted @ 9:51 AM, ,

Sohail Abbas ready for Asian Games

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Recalled in the national hockey team after seven months of wilderness, Pakistan's penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas is looking to make a successful comeback in next month's Asian Games at Guangzhou, China.

Pakistan Hockey Federation, stung by the national team's poor performance in Delhi Commonwealth Games, had recalled Abbas for the Asian Games training camp on Thursday.

Abbas today said he was looking forward to play his part in the Guangzhou Asian Games and wanted to deliver his best for Pakistan.

"Pakistan has given me everything and I am looking forward to contribute some thing for the country in the Asian Games," Abbas told Associated Press of Pakistan.

"I was deeply disappointed with Pakistan's 4-7 loss to arch-rival India in Commonwealth Games. India really played well on that day," hockey history's highest goal-scorer said.

The PHF had ignored Abbas for the Commonwealth Games over a dispute over his appearance in a domestic tournament and had written to his department to take disciplinary action against him.

Abbas, who was included in Pakistan's probables list by chief selector Hanif Khan, said he was fully fit and looking forward to his job.

"I am fully fit and doing training under lights and have joined the camp in Lahore," he said.

Abbas was dropped from the national team after Pakistan secured worst-ever 12th spot in World Cup in New Delhi.

Later, the experienced player was not considered for Azlan Shah Cup and Pakistan team's European trip, besides the Delhi Games.


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posted @ 11:15 AM, ,

Commonwealth Games lessons for Rugby World Cup

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The man heading Rugby World Cup preparations says New Zealand must learn a lesson from the negative publicity India received during the Commonwealth Games.

Speaking at a conference on business preparedness for the tournament, the Rugby New Zealand 2011 Chief Executive, Martin Snedden, said India's reputation has been damaged.

Snedden says there's an enormous risk this country's could also suffer, if people think the country will not be ready to host the event.

But Snedden says organisers are working hard to eliminate that risk by reassuring people that preparations are on track.

He says India will be regretting the lost opportunity to promote the country during the Games and he does not want New Zealand to be in the same position after the Rugby World Cup.

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posted @ 9:13 AM, ,

The Most Eligible Bachelorette in Tennis is Off The Market.

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Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova got engaged to her boyfriend, Los Angeles Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, after he proposed on Tuesday night at his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home. The two had been dating for nearly a year. TMZ was the first to report the news. Sharapova's agent has since confirmed it to CNBC's Darren Rovell.

Sharapova and Vujacic first went public with their relationship last November when they were seen cuddling at a U2 concert in Los Angeles. Since then, the relationship has become the fodder of tabloids and paparazzi, as the athletes have been photographed together in Los Angeles and Italy, where they vacationed.

This summer, Sharapova invited Vujacic to join her in training at the IMG Academy in Florida. The backup guard for the two-time defending champions credited his girlfriend for helping him prepare for the upcoming basketball season.

Neither should be worried about the inevitable questions on whether marriage will negatively impact their games. Vujacic averaged a career low in points, rebounds, minutes and assists with the Lakers, while Sharapova struggled in Grand Slams and didn't live up to the high expectations following her comeback from shoulder surgery.

No wedding plans have been announced, but given that Vujacic's seasons in Los Angeles often last until mid-June, a post-Wimbledon date could be in the offing.

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posted @ 11:47 AM, ,

Goal-line technology

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Michael Lewis

FIFA president Sepp Blatter probably isn't a baseball fan, but what transpired at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night should be a lesson for him, FIFA and anyone interested in goal-line technology.

If you aren’t following the post season, here’s a quick summary of what happened in the second inning of the American League Championship series. With New York already holding a 1-0 lead over the Texas Rangers on a controversial home run only moments prior, Yankees designated hitter Lance Berkman walloped a towering drive down the right field line that flirted with the foul pole.

Berkman circled the bases with an apparent homer, although Rangers manager Ron Washington asked the umpiring crew to look at a replay to determine whether the round-tripper was fair or foul. The umpires compiled, leaving the field for a couple of minutes.

It took a minimal amount of time, did not get into the flow of the game and most importantly, the umpires got it right. The run was taken off the scoreboard and Berkman ended up striking out. The Yankees might not have liked it, but the integrity of the game was upheld… on replay. The very thing that seems to keep FIFA up at night.

That FIFA has to hem and haw (remember when Blatter originally said he was against technology in South Africa in June?) about using something that should lessen headaches is, well, mind-boggling. Some of the old guard have claimed that checking up on the validity of a goal would disturb the flow of a match. After a goal is scored?

Come on. How many times do goal celebrations get in the way of the rhythm of a game. How about when players go up and protest calls and goal to game officials? Isn't that interrupting the flow? And how many times have we seen that happen in a game?

Taking a minute or two to make sure a goal is valid should be a given.

"I cannot believe that we are still not using goal-line technology," former English referee Dermot Gallagher told The Guardian. "As a boy one of my strongest memories was seeing a man walking on the moon, live on television. That was more than 40 years ago and yet we somehow cannot use technology to decide whether a ball has crossed the line."

England certainly would not have minded it in South Africa. In the knockout round, Frank Lampard's goal was not awarded even though the ball was over the goal line by at least a yard in England's 4-1 loss to Germany.

Let's face it, soccer is a low-scoring game. Every goal is precious. When teams have so much on the line for a world championship in which hundreds or millions or billions of people are watching, you better get it right.

This isn't 1930, 1982 or even 1998. This is 2010, the 21st century. Like it or not, the game has become too fast for human eyes to get every call correct. Now, this technology should not be used for "mundane plays" such as fouls, throw-ins, and yellow and red cards. Only goals.

If the referee can't determine if it is or isn't a goal in a reasonable amount of time, then the original call sounds. Sounds logical, doesn't it?

By pure coincidence, two stories surfaced on Wednesday about goal-line technology.

One came via Wales, where the International Football Association Board announced it had agreed to re-examine goal-line technology. According to a statement issued by the IFAB, the technology should apply only to the goal line and only whether a goal was scored or not.

"The system must be accurate," the statement read. "The indication of whether a goal has been scored must be immediate and automatically confirmed within one second; the indication of whether a goal has been scored will only be communicated to the match officials."

Companies have a deadline of next month to make a presentation to the board before a testing period will determine the accuracy of each system. The IFAB's annual meeting is on March 5th.

The other was reported in the Guardian, which stated that FIFA had invited 17 companies that specialize in goal-line technology to make product presentations to the board. It would cost in the neighborhood of $395,000 per stadium, which is peanuts in international soccer.

It can't come soon enough.

Michael Lewis is the editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He can be reached atSoccerWriter516@aol.com.

posted @ 10:59 AM, ,

FIFA demands bet fix action

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FIFA has leaned on the Zimbabwe Football Association to impose severe penalties on Zimbabwe national soccer team players and coaching staff involved in match fixing, it was revealed on Wednesday.

A ZIFA probe into match fixing has revealed that stars such as Method Mwanjali, Nyasha Mushekwi, Cuthbert Malajila and Washington Arubi were paid US$£1,500 each by Asian betting syndicates to lose matches on agreed scorelines.
And now, FIFA has directed ZIFA to throw the book at the players, coaching staff and officials involved in the corruption.

ZIFA had promised the players who cooperated with a probe team led by the association’s vice president Ndumiso Gumede that NO ACTION would be taken against them.

But Gumede, whose report is published this week, has now revealed that FIFA has ordered that they apply the rules – raising the prospect that some of the palyers may never play for Zimbabwe again.
Gumede said he would be recommending to the ZIFA board that sanctions should be “categorised”.

He added: “It is still my personal view that there were so many pawns in these games and we should not apply a blanket punishment.

"We should try and categorise those who were involved into the BIGGEST BENEFICIARIES, the COLLABORATORS, the set of players who were HEAVILY INVOLVED and always EAGER TO THROW GAMES and those players who were just called up for national duty and were NEW TO THE SCENE.

"So I believe the sanctions should vary accordingly but that is my own opinion, the decision will be made by the ZIFA board and the assembly whose prerogative it is to decide who should do what.”

Gumede’s report, which will be handed over to the Sports and Recreation Commission this week, looked in detail into Zimbabwe’s tour of Thailand and Malaysia in late December last year.

On the trip, which the report said was arranged by suspended ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya and the ZIFA programmes officer Jonathan Musavengana without following proper procedures, Zimbabwe lost 3-0 to Thailand, beat the Malaysian champions Selangor 3-0 before suffering a 6-0 drubbing by Syria.

In interviews with coaching staff and players, Gumede’s committee heard how a Malaysian betting syndicate threatened players for losing 3-0 to Thailand when they had been told prior to the match that they were to draw 0-0 or lose 1-0.

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In the final match against Syria, played on December 31, players were paid US$500 inducements before the match and directed to lose 6-0 which they duly did.

Caretaker coach Joey Antipas said he refused to pick the team for the match but Musavengana sat on the bench and issued instructions when to concede goals. During the course of the game, he was reportedly receiving phone calls from the syndicate which later paid out US$1,500 to each player for the good outcome.
Rushwaya and Musavengana were also handsomely paid, the report said.

Gumede said his probe team had also investigated trips made prior to the December 29, 2010, trip including tours of Malaysia, Jordan, Yemen and Oman.

He said: “In the end we looked at such trips like Monomotapa's visit to Malaysia, the CECAFA tournament where former coach Norman Mapeza admitted to have been approached by some betting agents.

"We cannot categorically say betting syndicates started with the Merdeka Cup in 2007, but our investigations seem to link that tournament to have inspired some people because those who travelled there returned with huge sums of money, some in excess of US$10 000 and some bought expensive cars."

A Malaysian national named Raja Raj has been fingered as the pointman of the betting scam.

posted @ 10:57 AM, ,

A week for the cricket-starved

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Sana Kazmi

The rest of the cricket world might not know (or care), but Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 competition ended this weekend, and it was a fine testament to the resilience of the Pakistani cricket fans. Not only were the crowds packed for almost every evening game (including the group matches), there was significant interest in those watching and following from home. Popular fan site, Pakpassion, which runs a live match discussion forum, had as much activity on their Rawalpindi-Karachi semi-final thread as they did for the series-changing third England-Pakistan one-day international.

Format: Fewer teams, more matches?
There is something to admire about a tournament that doesn’t take itself too seriously and produces a champion in exactly a week (I am looking at you, ICC World Cup 2007 and Indian Premier League). However, you can’t help but feel that a little more thought could have been put into the format. With four groups and a total of 13 teams, playing just two group matches each before the semis, it was essentially a knock-out from the get-go. It kept things fun and competitive and meant the big teams couldn’t afford to relax, but you have got to feel sorry for teams like the Quetta Bears, who came perilously close to beating the Shoaib Akhtar-led Islamabad Leopards, or the Hyderabad Hawks, who beat a Lahore side with four players from the current Pakistan team. (Neither of these teams progressed to the second round which meant we only saw them play two matches).

Also, do we really need to have two teams each from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad? Wouldn’t a Karachi fan rather see a team with the combined bowling riches of Anwar Ali, Kaneria, Sami and Afridi instead of being forced to choose between two lukewarm attacks with half the potency? The argument in favour of multiple teams from one region is that it prevents any one team from being too strong, while making sure all the deserving players still get to play. In practice, though, this only ends up diluting the competition, not enriching it. A better approach to make the league competitive would be to loan some of the top players to a weaker side, like Quetta.

Best Contest: Shoaib Akhtar vs.Mohammad Yousuf
The mini-contest of the tournament came in the 11th over of the Islamabad Leopards-Lahore Lions semi-final, when Shoaib Akhtar brought himself back into the attack to attempt to get rid of a well-set Yousuf. Mr Lazy Elegance himself up against Pakistan’s most ferocious fast bowler, both leading their sides – and possibly for the last time – in a fight to the final of a tournament neither had ever won. A fiery bouncer first up had Yousuf caught at point, but it came off the helmet. Next, Yousuf somehow kept out a couple of fast, inswinging yorkers. Those wrists (no, Cricinfo ball-by-ball, that phrase is not reserved for VVS Laxman alone) came back strongly with a perfectly-placed drive over mid-off for four. Shoaib came back with a fuller one, which swung in late and made Yousuf look schoolboy-silly going for the drive. Cue five wides because, hey, it’s Pakistan. Shoaib ended the over with another late inswinger that forced Yousuf back and rapped him plumb in front, but for an inside edge. Yousuf survived, but this round of the battle of the 35-year-old rockstars of Pakistan cricket went to Shoaib.

International player watch
All the surprise picks for the South Africa series failed to dazzle: Misbah-ul-Haq led a strong Faisalabad team to an early exit; Tanvir Ahmed got a few breakthroughs but also got hammered; Mohammad Sami was Mohammad Sami; Taufeeq Umar had one good innings against a weak line-up; Mohammad Hafeez did nothing of note; Sohail Tanvir was erratic though you could see his utility with both bat and ball, and finally, Imran Farhat…well, I guess his selection can’t really be a surprise anymore, so let’s skip him.

The one exception was Wahab Riaz. Regardless of what you might think he was doing with that jacket outside that restaurant, he bottled the opposition with some smart, spirited bowling, picking up 10 wickets with an economy rate of 4.12 in a tournament where teams were chasing down scores of 200-plus in 18 overs for fun. He wasn’t afraid to mix things up and surprised both an in-form Shahid Afridi and tournament top-scorer Shahzaib Hasan with some well-targeted short-pitched deliveries in the final. Definitely a good prospect for the similarly road-like tracks expected for the 2011 World Cup.

Speaking of Shahzaib, he completely dominated with the bat, as he often does on the flat pitches at home. It was good to see him demonstrate some maturity and bat through the innings to see his side home. Shahid Afridi’s strong support for him, both as his captain and senior batting partner on the field, as well as his most vocal supporter off the field finally came good as he became a belated addition to the T20 and ODI squad for the UAE, along with Wahab Riaz.

Players to watch
The exciting 22-year-old leg-spinner from Dadu, Zahid Mahmood (Hyderabad Hawks) not only has all his variations spot-on and an encouraging thumbs-up from Abdul Qadir, he also has the fire, the attitude, and the hair that made Boom Boom the heartthrob that he is. Too bad Hyderabad played only two matches and he was only picked for one. Raza Hasan (Rawalpindi Rams), Kaneria’s unlucky passenger-replacement on the England tour, also impressed.

Other performers include Abbottabad’s Junaid Khan who bowled his heart out and, along with his captain and middle-order bat, Yasir Shah, played a vital role in making a lacklustre team competitive.

Hammad Azam emerged as the best all-rounder apart from Afridi and Abdul Razzaq, and should be nurtured for the future.

Openers Ahmed Shehzad (Lahore) and Nasir Jamshed (Lahore) looked in good touch and can both hit a lusty blow, though almost every other team had an opener who looked better than Imran Farhat.

Coverage
The local sports channel behind live coverage should be commended for telecasting what looks like the only cricket we are going to see in Pakistan for a while. The free entry, floodlit night-matches, and short tournament helped fill the stadium night after night, which was heart-warming to see. However, given that it is the only spectator-friendly cricket we are going to see for a while, I feel the PCB has a bigger responsibility in terms of ensuring the tournament reaches every Pakistani.

There was no visible marketing of the event outside of the (private) media group that broadcast it and its associated newspapers. Also, the PCB must try to get at least the semi-finals and the final aired on the national broadcaster for those parts of the country that are still without cable television. Teenage cricket fan Ahmed Hassan and his cricket-obsessed friends from one such village (Saiden Hattian, near Attock) travelled 20 kilometres to the city to watch every match. As fun as he says these trips were, it is only fair he gets to watch the games at home.

Also, I understand this is not a disease peculiar to any one desi sports channel, but the length and timing of the ads was beyond ridiculous. Forget cutting to ads as soon as the last delivery of an over was bowled, or even before they could show the replay of a wicket, they didn’t even show the winning team (Lahore Lions) lift the trophy! And did they really have to interview the tournament sponsors’ CEO in the middle of an over?

Finally, the Urdu commentary was immensely enjoyable. Almost everyone on the team was either hilarious(Mirza Iqbal Baig), insightful (Aamir Sohail) or both (Abdul Qadir). Tariq Saeed was all that, and eloquent – it almost made up for Mushtaq Ahmed exclaiming “OUTSTANDING SHOT!” at Shastri-volume every single time a boundary was hit. My favourite out of all the commentary gems would have to be Abdul Qadir’s proclamation that super-talented players like “qaum ka khoobsurat heera,” Shahid Afridi, naturally tended to think less than the average player.

“Match delayed – Mosquitoes”
That was the official match status for a bit during the Karachi vs. Rawalpindi semi-final, when Karachi captain Shahid Afridi refused to take the field after his bowlers were constantly stung in the eyes by a mutant army of “helicopters” – some sort of rare Lahori crossbreed between mosquitoes and fireflies. The bug-busters, who had forgotten to spray the field before the start of the night game, strolled on to the field in the typically Pakistani carefree abandon. Karachi returned to the field with a variety of smart accessories, not least of which were sported by Fawad Alam who fielded with his usual athleticism for the remaining 18 overs, except with a towel tied around his mouth to prevent swallowing any more bugs (Yeah, he looked pretty cool, everyone on the commentary thread was calling him Daku). A special mention too for Mohammad Sami, who became the fastest man to bowl with sunglasses: quite a sight under lights (still bowled a consistent short-and-wide line, dotted with the full-toss or two per over, in case you were wondering).

The forgotten Akmal
Guess what – the Akmals have another brother who could yet make the national team: Adnan. Winner of the tournament’s best keeper award, he looked a better keeper than Kamran from the little that was seen of him. Apparently the day Kamran was first picked for Pakistan, both him and his brother Adnan were called to the national team’s nets, and it was Adnan, not Kamran, who was being tipped to get the nod. If you thought it was frustrating being Zulqarnain Haider or Sarfaraz Ahmed, spare a thought for this kid: he not only gets to live with the resentment of being kept out of the team by an undeserving player, he has to go home to him and pretend to love him at the end of the day.

The biggest let-down
Fielding standards were non-existent. The most disappointing thing on this front was that the best fielders on display were not the young guns trying to break through to the regional or national team, but veterans like Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Yousuf. Runners-up Karachi Dolphins dropped six sitters in the final, and this was a side packed with international players. Yousuf, much to his surprise, was awarded the Best Fielder prize in one of the most comical awards-ceremonies ever, where everyone from the presenter to Ijaz Butt enjoyed a hearty laugh at the expense of Maulana Jonty.

And, finally, an Amir sighting
Mohammad Amir made an appearance in the stands. The crowd erupted into a roar when he was shown on the big screen, though it was unclear whether it was an expression of support, surprise, anger, or all of the above. Earlier, he was reportedly booed by fans outside the stadium as he honked his way through throngs of people who were forced to park their cars at a distance because of security concerns. National hero to undeserving holder of parking privileges in a few no-balls’ time: why, Amir, why?

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posted @ 9:38 AM, ,

Cavendish revels in Commonwealth Games support role

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By Barry Ryan

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) has criticised riders who cited health concerns in opting not to travel to Delhi to compete in the Commonwealth Games. The Manxman finished 7th in the road race and then stayed on in India to act as an unpaid helper to the Isle of Man team.

“The guys who stayed away made a mistake,” Cavendish told The Observer. “If you look after yourself you won’t catch anything. As a single guy you run a risk if you sleep with a girl. Risks come with everything.”

After the road race, Cavendish was fulsome in his praise of his five amateur teammates. In recognition of their efforts, he delayed his return home by four days in order to act as a helper to the Isle of Man team, driving the team car during Andrew Roche’s 12th-place finish in the time trial.

"I didn't want to just swan about in sunglasses; I was even wiping his back after the warm-up,” Cavendish said. “The thing is, I know what it's like to be looked after, and these guys gave 100 per cent for me in the road race."

Cavendish recently cited his frustration that his HTC-Columbia team had not offered him a new contract commensurate with his achievements on the bike and he said that the blame lay with the team’s failure to land a replacement sponsor for Columbia. The sportswear company is ending its association with the team at the end of 2010.

"We're the most successful team on the planet and something is wrong when we don't have enough sponsors,” Cavendish said. “Ninety nine per cent of people on the team, riders and staff, are not just performing, but over-performing. There are a couple of people whose job it is to get new sponsors and it's frustrating when they can't and we suffer for it. I'm just frustrated because I've been massively underpaid this year and next because for some reason we can't get more sponsors."

In spite of his frustration at his salary, Cavendish reiterated his desire to stay with the team, where a dedicated lead-out train has built up around him over the past three seasons. However, as the man ultimately responsible for bringing home such a sizeable proportion of the HTC bacon, Cavendish is aggrieved that he is not receiving his fair share.

“I love the team, I love where I am. It's the best place to do what I want to do, which is ride my bike and have fun and win, but if everything rests on you, you shouldn't have that feeling of being taken advantage of. I don't want to extort anything, I am a loyal person but I want to be paid fairly.”

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posted @ 8:37 AM, ,

Commonwealth Games 2010

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India's hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games ended on a high note on Thursday as badminton player Saina Nehwal won a dramatic final gold of the 11-day competition to put her country second in the overall medal table.

India had earlier suffered a humiliating defeat in one of its most popular sports when Australia registered a resounding 8-0 victory in the men's hockey final for a leading 74th gold medal and 177 in total.

But Nehwal came back from the brink of defeat to secure India's 38th victory, edging England into third place, as she won the women's singles event.

She became the first Indian to claim a Commonwealth gold in the sport, surviving a match-point in the second set before going on to beat Malaysian second seed 19-21 23-21 21-13 Wong Mew Choo.

It was a much-needed boost for India, which had to deal with controversies about child labor, questions as to whether the venues in New Delhi would be ready in time, technology faults, disputed qualifications in athletics events and three positive drug tests -- one of whom was a home competitor, female walker Rani Yadav.

With the sporting events concluded, the chairman of the New Delhi Organizing Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, applauded his country's efforts during the handing-over ceremony to the 2014 host city, Glasgow of Scotland.

"For the athletes it has been a life-changing experience. For India it has been a new beginning in sports," he told the crowd at a packed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium after being greeted with boos.

"For the world it has been evidence of what India can do on the sporting stage. This is a new era for Indian sport. All this has made what has turned out to be the largest, the most-watched and the most enjoyable Games ever."

Australia, the host four years ago in Melbourne, was the dominant country throughout the competition -- which is contested by nations from the former British Empire, but was hit this year by the absence of many top athletes such as sprint star Usain Bolt of Jamaica.

The Australian men's field hockey team has now won gold every time since the sport was first included, in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, and had little problems in brushing aside India on Thursday.

Luke Doerner and Jason Wilon scored two goals each as their team followed up their World Cup triumph at the same Major Dhyan Chand stadium in March to seal a hat-trick of titles in 2010 along with the Champions Trophy.

New Zealand won the bronze medal with a surprise victory over fourth seeds England, winning 5-3 in a penalty shootout after the match was tied 3-3 after extra-time.

However, Australia's world netball champions were unable to add Commonwealth Gold to their CV as longtime rivals New Zealand retained their title with a 66-64 victory in a rematch of the 2006 final.

Kenya edged out Australia as the top nation in the track and field events, winning both the marathon races on Thursday.

John Kelai ended the African country's 20-year wait to win the men's title as he triumphed in a time of two hours 14 minutes and 35 seconds from Michael Shelley and compatriot Amos Matui.

Irene Kosgei gave Kenya a historic first success in the women's event, edging past teammate Irene Mogake late in the race to win in a time of 2:34.32, with Australia's Lisa Weightman claiming bronze.

Singapore dominated the closing table tennis events, continuing a gold rush that saw their players give up just one gold -- to India in the men's doubles on Wednesday.

Yang Zi beat compatriot Gao Ning 4-1 in the men's singles final, while in another all-Singapore affair second seeds Li Jiawei and Sun Beibei upset the favored Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu 3-2 in the women's doubles.

But Singapore suffered defeat in the badminton arena, with top-seeded Shinta Sari and Yao Lei losing to India's second-ranked Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Michimanda in straight sets.

Malaysian top seeds Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong won the men's doubles, beating England's second seeds Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark 21-19 21-14.

Robertson also had to settle for silver in the mixed doubles, despite being the top seeds, as he and Jenny Wallwork lost 22-20 21-12 by Koo Kien Keat and Chin Ee Hui, also of Malaysia

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posted @ 10:10 AM, ,

World Cup 2011 Trophy Unveiled

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Former Test cricketer Syed Kirmani unveiled the 2011 ODI World Cup Trophy here on Wednesday and hoped Team India will end the 28-year-old wait and win it next year.

Kirmani, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning Indian squad, recalled the triumph of the Kapil Dev-led side and said the country's win taught the cricketing fraternity that any team could humble the world champions on its day.

Wishing good luck to the Indian team for the event beginning in February, he said, "The performance this year is a good omen. We had been waiting for 28 years to win the World Cup. Hopefully, this will happen in 2011 and Sachin Tendulkar's dream to win the World Cup in his career is fulfilled."

The ex-stumper praised Team India for its emphatic win over Australia in Bangalore, and said the Test showed the five-day game still had the capacity to attract spectators.

"It was an excellent performance. Everyone, in fact, you people (media) had said Test cricket should not be played.

It will dim. Now see what sort of results are coming out. Two days ago, everyone felt it (Bangalore Test) was going to be a draw. But now you see what has happened."

Terming the win as "historic", Kirmani said it was good to see youngsters contributing in the team's victory.

Singling out Tendulkar for praise, he described the batting maestro as a "legendary cricketer". "Whenever he bats, he makes history or crosses some milestones. Hopefully, he will make some unbreakable records."
(with inputs from agencies)

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posted @ 2:15 PM, ,

ICC on spot-fixing

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Spot-fixing allegations against three Pakistan players and the Future Tours Programme from 2012 to 2020 are the main agenda items that the ICC Executive Board would discuss at its two-day meet, beginning on Tuesday.

Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were provisionally suspended by the ICC after allegations surfaced that they took bribes for bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England.

"The ICC Board, which has a zero-tolerance approach to corruption in cricket, will be updated on the Spot-fixing allegations against three Pakistan players during a recent tour to England," an ICC release said.

In accordance with the provision of the code all three have appealed that provisional suspension and the independent hearing will take place in Doha, Qatar, on 30 and 31 October and will be chaired by the head of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, Michael Beloff, QC," it added.

The Board will also consider the recommendations from the ICC Chief Executives Committee (CEC), which met in Cape Town last month.

These recommendations seek to give context and content for international cricket within the Future Tours Programme (FTP) after 2012 and also to consider future ICC events.

Acoording to ICC, the Board would consider a lot of the recommendations including that the FTP should consist of a Test league to provide context for all Test matches.

The league would determine the top four teams to qualify for an ICC Test play-off.

The other recommendations include that the play-off should be held once every four years to determine the Test champion team with a request to hold the first such play-off in 2013.

Another recommendation is that the FTP should also consist of a One-Day International league, the first to run from April 2011 until April 2014, culminating in the crowning of an ODI league champion. This would run separate to the ICC Cricket World Cup

The ICC Cricket World Cup should consist of a 10-team format from 2015 and the World Twenty20 should consist of a 16-team format from 2012, with the women's event continuing to run alongside, is another recommendation.

The Board will also consider introduction of Twenty20 International rankings table.

The Board will also hear reports from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on cricket development in China while New Zealand Cricket, which has a principle partnership agreement with the United States Cricket Association, will report on progress in America.

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posted @ 12:24 PM, ,

Tendulkar - The First Man To Score 14,000 Runs

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India’s Sachin Tendulkar passed another major milestone but a dogged century from Australian Marcus North put the touring side in control of the second test on Sunday.

North’s career-best 128 was the cornerstone of the Australian first innings which folded for 478 at tea on day two, but not before their lower half had added 193 runs to their overnight score of 285 for five wickets.

In reply, India made a feeble start, losing the explosive Virender Sehwag (30) and bail-out specialist Rahul Dravid (one) in quick succession. Tendulkar remained unbeaten on 44 with opener Murali Vijay (42) at the other end with India still trailing Australia by 350 runs.

“It’s going to be extremely important tomorrow that we have a very big partnership,” Tendulkar told Neo Cricket channel after the second day’s play which ended with India on 128-2. “A couple of partnerships will bring us back in the game and put us in a decent position. Right now it’s one of those challenging phases.”

Playing his 171st test, Tendulkar became the first batsman to amass 14,000 test runs in the 27th over of the Indian innings, hitting off-spinner Nathan Hauritz for a boundary. Earlier, North’s 149-run sixth wicket stand with fellow overnight batsman Tim Paine (59) defied the Indian bowlers in the morning session and took the visitors past the 400-run mark.

North mixed caution with occasional aggression, slog-sweeping Pragyan Ojha for the first six of the innings before retreating into his defensive shell. Paine’s was a more eventful knock in which he was caught behind off a Shanthakumaran Sreesanth no-ball and was dropped by Suresh Raina off Ojha before the left-arm spinner returned to settle the score.

North completed his fifth test century in the next over and eventually fell to Harbhajan Singh after a resolute 240-ball knock with 17 boundaries and a six in it. “I got a start last night, so I needed a big score,” North said. “It’s a very good batting wicket, so it will be nice to get a couple of early wickets tomorrow. They have got a partnership in Vijay and Sachin but we will come out very hard tomorrow.”

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posted @ 3:04 PM, ,

'India lover' Lee eyeing 2011 World Cup return to Australia team

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Injury-prone Australian pacer Brett Lee has said that his main goal is to be selected in the national squad for next year's World Cup in the Indian subcontinent. With my love for India and love for the Indian culture, the chance to play over there - World Cup, 50-over cricket - it's the cream of the crop as far as one-day cricket tournaments go,"

"It would be great to be a part of that. That's what I'm aiming at - definitely," he added.

The Australian's career has been plagued by fitness problems, ranging from side strain and elbow surgery to broken thumb and a forearm injury.

He missed out on the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, but successfully returned to competitive cricket, taking 2-31 for Mosman at Bankstown Oval in Sydney's grade competition on Saturday.

Despite the injuries, Lee further made it clear that he is not ready to cut down the speed from his bowling.

"Definitely not, the way that I've always bowled and the way that I approach my cricket is that I've always gone flat out," Lee said. (ANI)

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posted @ 11:27 AM, ,

Lanka World Cup venues on schedule

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By S.R. Pathiravithana

Sri Lanka Cricket is confident that it can meet its November schedule for the three World Cup Venues.
When the 2011 edition of the World Cup comes to the Indian sub-continent, Sri Lanka will be one of the major share holders.

Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga speaking to the Sunday Times said: “We are on course with the time schedule given to us by our contractors. We are more than confident that we can satisfy the ICC delegation when they visit Sri Lanka in November. They are expected to give their nod to the three Lankan venues – R. Premadasa Stadium, the Pallekelle Stadium and the Hambantota Stadium.”

However, the final ICC deadline is December 2010. The SLC is also hoping to have the official ticket launch of the World Cup on October 17 in Colombo.

The three grounds will get their proper international blessing during the West Indies tour with the R. Premadasa Stadium hosting the 2nd Test and the last three ODIs while the Pallekelle will host the 3rd Test match thus becoming the latest Lankan Test venue and the Hambantota Stadium the 1st and 2nd ODIs.

On February 20, 2011 Sri Lanka will open their World Cup run at the Hambantota International Cricket Stadium with a day game against Canada starting 9 a.m. and on the 23rd Pakistan will take on Kenya at the same venue in a day-night game. The third World Cup match at the Hambantota International Stadium will also be a day-night encounter between Pakistan and Sri Lanka starting 2.30 p.m.

The accent will move to Colombo on March 1 with Sri Lanka taking on Kenya at the R. Premadasa Stadium (D/N) and Pakistan will play Canada at the same venue two days later.

On March 5, Sri Lanka will play their most important game in the preliminary round by taking on Australia at the R. Premadasa Stadium starting 2.30 p.m.

The scene will move to the hill capital on March 8 with Pakistan playing their vital game against the New Zealanders at the Pallekelle Stadium.

Sri Lanka will host Zimbabwe on March 10 at the Pallekelle Stadium (D/N). Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe at the same venue on March 14.

On March 18, Sri Lanka will play their only preliminary match out of Sri Lanka when they take on New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, which is also a day/night match.

The next two matches in Sri Lanka will be the last quarter-final game on March 26 and the first semi-final on March 29 – both matches will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium which will have a revamped capacity of 35,000 spectators.

Revised West Indies Tour Itinerary
10th-12th Nov Practice Match SSC
15th-19th Nov 1st Test Galle
23rd-27th Nov 2nd Test Premadasa Stadium (Colombo)
1st-5th Dec 3rd Test Pallekele (Kandy)
9th-Dec 1st ODI Sooriyawewa (Hambantota)
11th-Dec 2nd ODI Sooriyawewa (Hambantota)
15th-Dec 3rd ODI Premadasa Stadium (Colombo)
17th-Dec 4th ODI Premadasa Stadium (Colombo)
19th-Dec 5th ODI Premadasa Stadium (Colombo)
21st-Dec T20 International Premadasa Stadium (Colombo)
All limited overs matches will be day-night

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posted @ 1:28 PM, ,

Misbah named Test captain, Shahid remains ODI, T20 skipper

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Test cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq has been named the new Test Captain of Pakistan, while Shahid Afridi would lead One-day and T20 teams, Geo News reported Friday.

Earlier on Thursday PCB in a surprise move had announced the captain-less squad against South Africa, which had given rise to the suspicion that Afridi being replaced by Misbah.

National selectors came out with quite a few surprises on Thursday, recalling senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and once again overlooking former captain Shoaib Malik for the limited-overs series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.

Kamran Akmal was replaced with Zulqarnain Haider, while former captain Younis Khan was ignored once again.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) added another twist to the story when it decided against naming the captain even though it had earlier earmarked experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi to continue as skipper till World Cup 2011.

Afidi, who has been leading Pakistan in ODIs and Twenty20s since this year’s ICC World Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean, has been included in the 15-man touring party.

Misbah’s stunning return and a delay in naming the captain has raised quite a few eyebrows. According to media report, during a marathon meeting with national selectors in Lahore on Thursday, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt declared that the team’s captain will be named later.

It is reported that one of the prime reasons why Misbah has been recalled is because he could lead Pakistan if Butt agrees to sack Afridi as captain. However, a top official has insisted that Misbah’s recall is based purely on cricketing merit. Mohsin Hasan Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, defended the decision to recall Misbah, who last played a One-day International in September 2009.

“We needed a senior batsman in the team,” Mohsin told. “Due to the unavailability of Salman Butt, there weren’t many experienced batters in the side,” he added. Salman Butt together with fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last month after being accused of accepting bribes from match-fixers during the Lord’s Test against England.

But why was Misbah, who is already 36 and was discarded as a spent force almost a year ago, preferred over younger and fitter batters like Faisal Iqbal, Aamer Sajjad, Khurram Manzoor and Taufeeq Umar — all prolific run-getters on the domestic circuit last season.”

“Misbah was really successful in the Pentangular Cup,” said Mohsin. But Misbah played just two matches in the Pentangular Cup, scoring 176 runs. The Mianwali-based batsman, however, top scored in the National One-day Cup with 490 runs at 163.33.

There was no room for the experienced Younis Khan in the team. Mohsin said that the PCB is yet to clear Younis for national duty. “We didn’t get any clearance as far as Younis is concerned.” Mohsin, a former Pakistan Test opener, said that Shoaib Malik will have to prove his form before earning a recall.

“He needs to come back in form. There was a lot of discussion about him but in the end we decided to give him more time to win back a place in the team.”

Mohsin said that Kamran Akmal, who recently underwent an appendicitis operation in Lahore, can regain his place in the team once he attains full fitness. “We have dropped him because of health reasons,” he said adding that the selectors want to groom wicketkeepers like Zulqarnain Haider and Sarfraz Ahmed.

“We are trying to make an all-round combination of youth and experience which is why Zulqarnain and Sarfraz will be given ample chances.” Zulqarnain has replaced Akmal as the team’s stumper for the limited-overs series against South Africa, while Sarfraz has been included in the Pakistan ‘A’ squad for the tour of West Indies getting underway from November 3.

Meanwhile, Imran Farhat has been recalled to the ODI squad at the expense of big-hitting opener Shahzaib Hasan. Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul will lead the pace attack in the absence of Asif and Amir. Veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and rookie fast bowler Tanveer Ahmed complete the pace quartet.

But it will be there spin quartet that is likely to trouble South Africa on pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which are expected to assist spinners. Pakistan have included two specialist spinner — Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman — in the squad. With Afridi and Muhammad Hafeez, also in the squad, they will have ample spin options during the series, which will kick off with a Twenty20 International in Abu Dhabi on October 26. “We have some really good spinners and I’m sure they will do well in UAE,” said Mohsin.

Pakistan squad: Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Tanveer Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider

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posted @ 11:56 AM, ,

Double embarrassment for India

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After averting the ultimate embarrassment of having to delay the start of athletics competition because of a damaged track, Commonwealth Games organisers were dealing with a transit driver boycott yesterday.

Competition started precisely on time in the track and field events yesterday, to the surprise of some commentators. Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards, who saw the condition of the track and infield on the eve of the first events, had described it as "beyond anything that I imagined".

A last-minute rush to fix and clean sections of the track and re-lay turf in the infield - caused by vehicle and human traffic during Monday's spectacular opening ceremony - got the stadium in good enough shape for the international track federation to approve it for competition hours before athletes were set to race.

England's Mark Lewis-Francis won the first heat in a men's 100m field lacking the Commonwealth's biggest star, Usain Bolt, shortly after the competition kicked off with the women's parasports shot put.

Uganda's Moses Ndiema Kipsiro won the first gold medal of the track programme, holding off Kenya's Olympic silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge to finish in 13 min 31.25 sec.

However, with one problem solved, another took its place. Press Trust of India reported that 800 bus drivers had stopped turning up for Games duties because of long hours and heavy security, but organisers were bringing in more than 900 local drivers instead.

The bad news is, there's no time for training. On the upside, most are local school bus drivers who are not busy because school and college students are on holiday.

The driver boycott was not among the problems Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell and local organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi addressed at a news conference yesterday, where Fennell promised that "all systems are go" for the track and field competition.

Kalmadi, asked why most stadiums were almost empty on the third day of competition, said an additional 50,000 tickets had been sold on Wednesday.

He had earlier said organisers might have to give away tickets to children and low-income people to fill seats.

Another technical glitch which upset some boxers at the weigh-in was fixed, with Kalmadi saying faulty scales had been checked.

World record holder Gagan Narang has been on target at the shooting range to help shift some of the spotlight to sports. After helping India claim its first gold of the Games on Wednesday, he shot a perfect 600 in qualifying for the 10m air rifle and then set a Games record of 103.6 points in the final round to win his second New Delhi gold - at the expense of compatriot and Beijing Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra. That was India's sixth gold medal, keeping the hosts in second place.

Indian shooters collected two of the other three golds on offer at the range yesterday and the host country finished day three of competition with 11 gold medals and 24 medals overall.

Australia leads the way with 21 gold medals and 46 overall after 53 events. Its cyclists collected the first three golds yesterday before Malaysia's Josiah Ng won a dramatic men's keirin race to end a run of six wins for the Aussies.

Another Malaysian, Azizul Hasni Awang, crossed first in the keirin but was relegated to last for aggressive riding.

Teenager Megan Dunn produced an upset win over world champion Tara Whitten of Canada to win the women's points race for Australia, which also won the women's team sprint and the 40km points race for men.

The Australian swimmers won six of the nine gold medals in the evening pool programme, including both 4x200m relays.

Alicia Coutts collected her second gold in two days by winning the women's 100 freestyle, and teammate Leisel Jones led an Australian sweep of the medals in the 200 breaststroke.

Jason Dunford, a US-based swimmer, won Kenya's first gold in the 50m butterfly, holding off returning veteran Geoff Huegill of Australia and former world record holder Roland Schoeman of South Africa.

James Goddard won the 200 backstroke, helping England boost its tally of golds to six and 26 medals overall. South African Cameron van der Burgh won the 100 breaststroke, and Australia's Matthew Cowdrey improved his own world record in the Paralympic 50 S9 category, winning in 25.33sec.

- AP

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posted @ 9:09 AM, ,

Swimmers fall ill at Commonwealth Games in India

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By DENNIS PASSA

More than a dozen swimmers from Australia and England have fallen ill at the Commonwealth Games in the latest setback for trouble-plagued organizers in New Delhi.

British media reported Thursday that 20 percent of the England team's swimmers — about eight to 10 competitors — had been struck down with a stomach virus. The Australian team confirmed at least six of its swimmers had been sick, including Andrew Lauterstein, who had to withdraw from the 50-meter butterfly.

Organizers rejected speculation that the water quality at the aquatics complex was to blame.

Craig Hunter, the head of England's delegation, issued a statement saying he had received assurances from the games' organizing committee that water was safe. The England team said only 8 percent of its 541-member delegation had experienced any kind of stomach virus in the previous 28 days, which was lower than expected. That's 43 people from one team in a month.

Whether it was the water or just a case of "Delhi Belly," which isn't uncommon for visitors to India, it was yet another problem to plague an event that has been seen construction delays, pre-games complaints about filthy conditions in the athletes' village, allegations of corruption and concerns about security and outbreaks of mosquito-borne dengue fever.

In another development, police confirmed Thursday that three Ugandan officials were injured by a malfunctioning security barrier at the games' village, and a senior official from that country raised allegations of discrimination by Indian officials.

Late Thursday, a scoreboard crashed to the ground when a chain support snapped at the rugby venue, where competition does not begin until next week.

Competition manager Kevin Culliver told the games news service that the board was lifted into place two days ago by the company responsible for results and scores at the games. He said it was lucky that the crash came when no spectators were around.

For the fourth consecutive day, computer and technical problems meant there was no way to centrally process results from individual venues.

Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell said officials would conduct tests on both the main pool and the warmup pool at the Dr. S.P. Makherjee Aquatic Complex.

Fennell was asked if the swimming competition, which on Thursday was in its fourth of six days of events, might be canceled or moved if tests showed the pools to be unsafe.

"I would not like to speculate about this immediately," Fennell said. "If there is something unsafe, you cannot swim in that water. It is a matter we have to deal with a great deal of urgency."

The synchronized swimming event proceeded on schedule, while the main pool was idle ahead of the evening's session of finals.

Just before the finals program began, pool announcer Kurt Hanson, brother of former Australian Olympic swimmer Brooke Hanson, told spectators: "Let us assure you there is nothing wrong with the water here."

"The way these athletes train, their immune system is so low that they tend to pick up any bug that is going around," he said.

Hunter had earlier said England had asked organizers for safety assurances Thursday, despite regular testing of the pool.

"If they tell us the water is fit, it's fit," Hunter said.

Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe said he didn't think the swimming pool was the cause of the illness.

"I'd be surprised if it was the pool because chlorine has an amazing ability to kill just about anything that we have ever created," said Thorpe, who has retired from swimming and is working here as a TV commentator for the BBC.

Australian swim team spokesman Lachlan Searle said Lauterstein could not take part in training on Thursday morning and that Hayden Stoeckel, who won a silver medal Tuesday in the men's 50-meter backstroke, also could not train.

"Our doctors are looking into it ," he said.

England swim team spokesman Dave Richards said reports of the sickness had been wildly exaggerated, saying none of his country's swimmers "has missed a competition at all."

The questions over the pool came as Uganda's sports minister lashed out Indian officials and demanded an apology for an accident at the athlete's village.

Three Ugandan officials were injured Tuesday night when a spiked security barrier, which normally recedes into the ground to allow authorized vehicles to pass safely, malfunction, shot up and slammed into their car as they drove, New Delhi Police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.

The officials, including the Ugandan chef de mission William Tumwine, were thrown about the car as it braked sharply and sustained injuries ranging from cuts on the head to abrasions around their eyes, said Dora Kutesan, a Ugandan diplomat.

They were treated at a hospital and kept overnight for observation, and the Ugandan high commission filed a complaint with the Indian government, she said.

Ugandan Sports Minister Charles Bakkabulindi said he was furious that he had not received an apology from India.

"If they had seen their mistake quickly and shown sympathy that they have done a mistake, we wouldn't have been annoyed. We would have said, 'OK that's an accident,'" he told India's Times Now television. "But our concern is why is it that they are not coming out to say sorry to us, to make an apology. Should we take it that they are discriminating (against) some of the African countries to that extent?"

The games, which run until Oct. 14, have also been plagued this week by sparse attendance at many events. Organizing committee chief Suresh Kalmadi said 125,000 tickets had been sold Wednesday for future events, allaying concerns about the empty seats at some of the venues.

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posted @ 9:07 AM, ,

U.S. women take gold at worlds; the ill-fated Commonwealth Games

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Just three weeks after the U.S. men's basketball team defeated host nation Turkey in the finals of their world championship, the U.S. women's team knocked off the hosts from the Czech Republic, 89-69, to capture the women's title in Karlovy Vary on Sunday. Angel McCoughtry led the U.S. with 18 points and Diana Taurasi added 16. The victory also gave the U.S. squad an automatic berth in the tournament at the London Olympics.

In recent years, the U.S. women have been more dominant than their male counterparts. Since 1979, the women have medaled at all nine world championships, taking six golds, a silver and two bronzes. The men have won only three golds over the past 14 tournaments. Though the women's championships have been held in countries such as Chile, Colombia, Peru and Malaysia, the U.S. has never hosted any of the 16 women's tournaments held to date. The 2014 championships will be held in Indonesia.

At a basketball summit held in conjunction with the championships, FIBA officials suggested ways to improve and bring more attention to the women's game, including the idea of lowering the rims from their present height of 10 feet. The idea was favorably received, but would still need to be tested by various federations over a prolonged period of time before officials considered it for permanent implementation. Officials also discussed changing the timing of the women's championships to another time of year, or a different yearly cycle, so as not to conflict with the men, who inevitably garner more attention. That proposal, if accepted, could be implemented within the next few years.


*****

On Sunday, more than 60,000 spectators filled Nehru Stadium for the opening ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India as Prince Charles officially opened the Games and fireworks lit up the night sky. The evening brought a hint of satisfaction to the city, but scandal, building delays and tragedy have rocked the run-up to the ill-fated Games that were to feature 6,500 athletes from 71 nations.

Awarded the Games in 2003 on an announced budget of $100 million, organizers only began building in 2008. With costs soaring to an estimated $10 billion, builders still pieced together venues that are either unfinished or unsanitary. In July, reports surfaced that construction firms were inflating costs and forging documents about meeting building codes. On Sept. 21, a footbridge connecting a parking lot to Nehru Stadium -- the venue for track and field, as well as opening and closing ceremonies -- collapsed, injuring 27 workers. The next day, part of the ceiling at the weightlifting venue tumbled.

Suresh Kalmidi, the organizing committee president, has encouraged the city to place a bid to host the 2020 Olympics, a laughable suggestion given the crisis that has surrounded these Games. Village mishaps ranged from unfinished wiring, poor plumbing and insufficient furnishings to more serious issues of cracks in unstable foundations and excrement left in rooms, the latter presumably coming from desperate construction crewman called in to toil under inhuman conditions. Onlookers described scenes of many workers living in tents or iron huts near unfinished venues as their children played in filthy water nearby. Most worked for below the $4.50 minimum wage with no nearby toilet facilities beyond the ones they were constructing. To date, 42 have died from a combination of building accidents, illnesses brought on by dengue fever and the living conditions during an oppressive heat and an extended monsoon season.

Officials have also had little time to prepare security in a city where on Sept. 19, gunmen on motorcycles shot two members of a Thai TV crew. As a result of the lack of security and unsanitary conditions numerous teams threatened boycotts or delayed flights, and several prominent athletes actually withdrew, including: Australia's Dani Samuels, the world champ in the discus throw; Britain's Peter Waterfield, the Olympic diving silver medalist; and Britain's Beth Tweddle, the floor exercise world champion. When Phillips Idowu, the world champ in the triple jump and a father of two withdrew two weeks ago, he left a Twitter message saying, "Sorry people, but I have children to think about." If only Games organizers had done the same.

*****

With the New York Marathon a month away, defending champ Meb Keflezighi showed he's in peak form with a victory in the Rock n' Roll Half Marathon on Sunday in San Jose. Keflezighi, 35, ran side-by-side with his Mammoth Track Club teammate Patrick Smyth for the first five kilometers before assuming control. He won the race in 1:01:45. Brian Medigovich finished second in 1:04:55. Blake Russell, a marathoner on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, won the women's race in 1:11:55. It was her first race since having a child.

According to Merhawi Keflezighi -- Meb's agent and brother -- the U.S. Olympic silver medalist from Athens has been training with an eye on what may be the greatest challenge of his career: a confrontation with Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie, who warmed up for his New York Marathon debut by winning the half marathon at the Great North Run in Newcastle, England in 59 minutes, 33 seconds. Gebrselassie said he had hoped to have better competition to push him in the race, but he was free and clear from the halfway point. Gebrselassie plans to arrive in New York only a few days before the race. Keflezighi will arrive with five or six days to spare, though he is just flying in from the west coast. The pair will have good company in the loaded field that includes Kenyans Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, the four-time Boston Marathon champ, and Martin Lel, a two-time winner in New York; Brazil's Marilson Gomes dos Santos, another two-time winner; and Morocco's Abderrahim Goumri, a two-time runner-up in the race.

*****

In the meantime, the Chicago Marathon will feature some familiar faces on Sunday. Both Joan Benoit Samuelson and Steve Jones, winners of the race in 1985, will honor the 25th anniversary of their near-world-best victories by racing again next weekend. A year after her triumph in the inaugural Olympic women's marathon, Samuelson finished in a U.S.-record 2:21:21. Jones, the rugged Welshman who now lives in Colorado, missed a world best by one second, defending his 1984 title in 2:07:13.

Top contenders in the elite fields include Russia's Liliya Shobukhova and Germany's Irina Mikitenko on the women's side, and Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede and Kenyans Sammy Wanjiru and Robert Kiprono for the men. Top U.S. hope Ryan Hall withdrew from the race because of training fatigue.

*****

European riders dominated the first week of action at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. Being held for the first time in the U.S., the event is the sport's premier showcase outside of the Olympic Games.

Germany's Michael Jung won the individual eventing competition, as Great Britain took home team gold, followed by Canada and New Zealand. The U.S. contingent placed fourth. The New Zealand team featured 54-year-old Mark Todd, a legend in the sport and the individual gold medalist at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Todd retired after the 2000 Games, but started a comeback two years ago. His original horse, Gandolf, died last winter, and Todd took on a new horse for competitions this season named Gross Valley.

Dutch rider Edward Gal swept through the dressage competition, sweeping gold aboard Moorlands Totilas in the individual, team and Grand Prix Special events. Laura Bechtolsheimer of Great Britain finished second while Steffen Peters of the U.S. took third.

U.S. riders enjoyed more success in the non-Olympic event of reining, a predominantly western riding competition that entails a series of spins and quick stops unlike its dressage cousin. Tom McCutcheon rode Gunners Special Nite to a gold medal, with U.S. teammate Craig Schmersal second and defending champ Duane Latimer of Canada third.

*****

Olympic hopeful Sarah Veress is turning a near miss into a new opportunity. The Stanford grad placed third in the hammer throw at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore. with a toss of 68.60 meters, but failed to earn a spot in Beijing because she had not met the A-standard (69.50m) required to earn a place at the Games. Instead, fourth-place finisher Loree Smith ended up joining Jessica Cosby and Amber Campbell at the Games.

On Sunday, Veress, 27, won the 75-kilogram division at the U.S. Weightlifting Open in Colorado Springs, Colo. giving her hope in a second Olympic sport. Veress had dabbled in soccer and jumping events before settling on the hammer throw. She naturally incorporated weight training into her preparation for the event, but had never competed until last week. She recorded a total of 164 kilos in the snatch and the clean and jerk events.

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posted @ 9:24 AM, ,

India cheers wildly for Pakistan

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When teams entered the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony Sunday in New Delhi, the biggest cheer of the night – after India – was reserved for Pakistan.

As sustained applause rang out across the stadium, with much of the 50,000-strong audience on their feet, at least a few spectators on both sides of the border wondered: Could this be a sign that it's time to end the conflict that has plagued relations since the birth of both countries, for once and for all?

"It was a spontaneous cheer that no one expected, and shows that a bond exists," says Suhasini Haidar, anchor and deputy foreign editor with India's CNN subsidiary, CNN-IBN.

Many stumbling blocks remain in their volatile bilateral relationship, not least of all the recent admission by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf that Pakistani authorities trained militants to fight in India in the disputed Kashmir region. Still, athletes and sports spectators alike have recently spoken of goodwill during the Commonwealth Games highlighting a possible reason to step toward a new, improved relationship.

"Whenever I have come here, people have showered me with love and support. Playing here is like playing at home for me," Pakistani tennis player Aqeel Khan told a local newsagency on Monday.

His teammate Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi is perhaps Pakistan’s strongest medal hope, after reaching the final of the US Open tennis men's doubles this year. In an indication of just how positive cross-border ties can yield results, Mr. Qureshi's partner at the September tournament in New York was India's Rohan Bopanna.

"People seem to think that bad relations at a government level means bad relations across the board," says Ms. Haidar, the news anchor. "But as someone who travels often to Pakistan and lives here, it's not something I see translating on the ground. In fact it's quite the opposite."
Tensions run deep

However, Suba Chandran, the deputy director of Delhi's Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, is somewhat more cynical. He points out that the same goodwill was shown a few years ago in Karachi during a cricket match between India and Pakistan, when local spectators gave the Indian team a standing ovation after its win.

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posted @ 9:22 AM, ,

Guide book on the 2011 Cricket World Cup

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Leading publisher Landucci SA de CV on Tuesday said it has bought the publishing rights for a guide book on the 2011 Cricket World Cup to be held in the Indian sub-continent.

"Landucci Publishing has bought the publishing rights for The Official ICC World Cup Guide Book' and will be releasing this exclusive 242 pager early January 2011," a company release said on Tuesday.

"The broad overview of content will be of host countries and cities, history of the world cups, legends in cricket, team statistics, special section on each team, profile on participating countries etc," it added.

Speaking about this unique idea Marco Landucci, Director said, "Landucci has been the Official Licensee of FIFA for the past 12 years. From our success at the FIFA World Cup, we felt there was a great opportunity to bring out a similar guide book for the ICC at the Cricket World Cup. Everyone wants a piece of the World Cup and we hope to give it to them through this official book."

Apart from being available in mass market format, the guide will also be available in a custom made format, the release said.

The book will hit the stands 50 days before the inaugural event of the ICC World Cup 2011.

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posted @ 11:57 AM, ,


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