Boxers not thrilled with training facilities for CWG

The Indian boxers who will be representing the country in the Commonwealth Games in October and the Asian Games at Guangzhou in November gave mixed reactions on Tuesday on their preparation. While all of them said preparations were moving in the right direction, they felt things could have been better had the facilities been better.
“All of us are training hard for the two Games and hope to do well for the country. What I am concerned about is the place where we are training in Patiala, it does not even have air conditioners and it is tough to train in this hot weather,” said boxer Vijender Kumar on the sidelines of an event organised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and Samsung.
However, there were some who said things were improving.
“A few years ago, we did not even have proper training shoes. Compared to that, things have improved with sponsors coming forward to support us,” said boxer Akhil Kumar. Other sportspersons who were present were wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Ramesh Kumar, who are among the 10 chosen by Samsung for scholarships for training.
Sushil and Ramesh were happy with their preparation but refused to comment on the progress at the Games’ venues.
“As a sportsperson I am positive of winning medals for the country but I can’t comment on the Commonwealth Games preparations. That is the job of the officials,” said Ramesh.  IOA president, Suresh Kalmadi, and secretary general, Randhir Singh, chipped in by expressing confidence that the country would turn in a strong performance at the Games.
Players chosen by Samsung for their ‘Sports Ratna Programme’ include shooters Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Ronjan Sodhi, boxers Vijender Kumar, Akhil Kumar, Nanao Singh Thakchom, Suranjoy Singh and wrestlers Sushil Kumar and Ramesh Kumar.

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Sports boardies seek guarantees from federations

LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) have decided to seek guarantee from the national sports federations before confirming the disciplines for the upcoming Asian and Commonwealth Games. 

Weightlifting is one of the disciplines Pakistan is expected to participate in at the Commonwealth Games 2010. —AP/File Photo


The decision was taken at a meeting held at the POA offices here on Monday. “We have already sent the tentative entries to the organisers of the Commonwealth and Asian Games about the participation of the Pakistani contingent and a final decision will be taken after taking assurances from the federations,” a POA spokesman said.

However, it is learnt that after two female athletes Sadaf Siddique and Javaria Hasan tested positive for banned substances, no athlete will now represent the country in both the high-profile events.

Furthermore, no swimmer will feature in either games, it was learnt.

However, the POA has included both swimming and athletics as the participating events for the Commonwealth Games. Besides swimming and athletics, the other disciplines recommended for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games in India are boxing, tennis, shooting, squash, hockey, weightlifting, and wrestling.

For the Asian Games, which are to be held in China in November this year, ten games recommended for participation include snooker, boxing, cricket (men and women), hockey, kabaddi, sailing, squash, weightlifting, wrestling and wushu.

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Saina wants injury-free build-up to CWG, Asian Games

Hyderabad, Jun 29 (PTI) Going through a purple patch, Saina Nehwal has nothing to complain about her form and all the ace shuttler now wants is to steer clear of injuries so that she can give her best in the Commonwealth and Asian Games later this year.

"I only pray that I will be injury-free now to focus on World Championships and also the other two big events coming up - Delhi Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games in China," Saina said at a press conference.

"There are areas like my defence, which I need to improve in the days to come. The fitness level has to be really good.

I think, the challenges are bound to be tougher especially after winning these titles," said Saina.

Saina recently rounded a hat-trick of international titles by defending Indonesian Open Super Series trophy in Jakarta.

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Iraq Olympic Football National Team coach calls 32 players to join the squad

Iraq Olympic National Football Team Coach Nathem Shaker called 32 players to take part in the team in order to represent Iraq in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China to be held in November 2010.
The Iraqi Olympic Football National Team relies on 32 professional and national players to participate in the upcoming Asian Games.
The coach added that the Olympic team needs a lot of work and training in order to reach the required level of preparation and to be able to make good results especially that the participating teams that will take part in this Asian championship look up to gaining the gold medal in football.                 

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Samsung's Asiad boost for Bindra, Vijender

MUMBAI: Beijing Olympic Games gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and nine other top Indian medal hopes are part of the Samsung Sports Ratna programme launched to help them in their training and preparations for the upcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

The other top shooters in the scholarship support programme are Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Gagan Narang and Ranjan Sodhi while boxing hopefuls Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, Nano Singh Thakchom and Mayengbam Suranjoy Singh along with grapplers Sushil Kumar and Ramesh Kumar complete the list.

Samsung's support was in line with its 'Olympic Ratna Programme' for the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, wherein it had supported top ranking athletes across individual sports disciplines with their training expenses while preparing for these multi-discipline events, a media release said.

Bindra has been a 'Samsung Olympic Ratna' at the Athens as well as the Beijing Games and his association continues into the 'Sports Ratna Programme' for the 16th Asian Games, the release said.

Samsung India is also the "Official Partner" for the Indian contingent at the November 12-27 sports extravaganza.

Samsung's president and CEO for South West Asia, J S Shin, said that boosted by the success of the programme for the 2008 Olympics, the companay had brought in more sports persons under the programme. 

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1970 Asian Games champion wrestler Chandgi Ram passes away

NEW DELHI: Renowned Indian wrestler Chandgi Ram, who won a gold in the 1970 Asian Games, passed away this morning following a cardiac arrest.

The 72-year-old Ram, who is popularly known as 'Master' Chandgi Ram, was was born on November 9, 1937 at 'Sisai' village in Hisar district of Haryana.

Ram, a recipient of the prestigious Arjuna and Padma Shri awards, served as Additional Director of Sports in Haryana and were conferred with the titles of 'Hind Kesari', 'Bharat Kesari', 'Bharat Bhim', 'Rustom-e-Hind' and 'Maha Bharat Kesari'.

The most impressive feat of Ram's international career was the gold in 100 kg category in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, where he defeated world champion Amvani Abuifazi of Iran en route the title.

Two years later, Ram also represented India in the 1972 Olympics at Munich. 

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Asian Games OC/CC venue set for Aug completion

MUMBAI: Construction of Haixin Island, the venue of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 16th Asian Games, has been progressing smoothly. All main structures have been topped out, landscaping is 50 per cent complete, municipal infrastructure 85 per cent complete, the stage 65 per cent complete and decoration 65 per cent complete. All works are progressing as planned and will be fully completed by August, well ahead of the Opening Ceremony on 12 November.

Haixin Islet covers an area of 170,000 square metres and was originally designed as a "ceremonial square" for the public and as the city's primary location for pomp and ceremony. Construction kicked off in late 2008. On 17 April, 2009, the islet was chosen as the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Guangzhou Asian Games.

It consists of three parts. The western part is a spectator stand with 25,000 seats; the central part is a show area comprising a stage, sails and fountains; and the eastern part is the logistical support area. There are two piers on the islet, one for athletes and the other for security. Connected to the city centre with five bridges and a tunnel, the islet is easily accessible.

The islet will be converted into an Asian Games-themed park after the games. It will become a massive cultural centre complemented by a museum and opera house. It's set to become a major tourist attracting showcasing the city's enduring history and rich heritage.

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CNTV to recruit online presenters for Asian Games

Beijing, June 28 - China Network Television (CNTV) launched a contest to recruit website video presenters for the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games in Beijing on Monday. Gu Shiyang, Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (GAGOC) and Guangzhou Municipal Government, attended the launch ceremony.

Representatives of GAGOC and CNTV take part in the launch ceremony of the Asian Games Online Presenters Selection Contest in Beijing on June 28.

Selected contestants will receive professional sports presentation training and be signed as CNTV presenters who will be included in CNYV's Asian Games reporting team.

CNTV (http://www.cntv.cn/) is China's national Internet TV station offering programmes on news, sports and entertainment as well as an online community network and video-on-demand services. It is an official platform for the coverage of the Guangzhou Asian Games.

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The establishment of the East Asian Games delegation headed by Duan Shijie

The morning of September 28 Beijing time, the State General Administration of Sport in Beijing held a press conference to announce the fourth East Asian Games delegation of China was founded. Attending the East Asian Games Chinese sports delegation, composed of 567, East Asian Games in China to participate in the largest number ever in history. Duan Shijie, deputy director of the State Sports General Administration Peng.

News conference, Assistant Secretary for the State Sports General Administration, the delegation Cui Dalin, deputy head of the delegation first introduced the composition.

Said Cui Dalin, China's delegation, 567 of whom have been identified for the 399 athletes (205 male athletes, female athletes 194), 94 of them have represented the country in an Olympic competition , which also includes Wang Yifu, Liu Xiang, the Athens Olympic champions such as 11.

My delegation will participate in addition to the current East Asian Games karate outside of the 16 major items, 206 events of the game.

Has identified 399 athletes, from 29 Provinces and the People's Liberation Army and theengine in the SF. The whole group was 23.86 years average age of players, the oldest was 46 years old and the youngest is 13 years old

Delegation of 16 minority athletes, from the Hui, Mongolian, Tujia, Zhuang, Korean, Dong, Miao, Uygur and other 8 nation.

The fourth East Asian Games will be held October 29 to November 6, held in Macau in China, this competition consists of 17 major items of the 235 small items. One major items of 11 Olympic Games, a total of 68 small items.

Deputy Secretary General Administration of Sport, and the Secretary-General Xiao Tian, deputy head of the delegation in his speech that the current East Asian Games held in Macao to the motherland after the first major international regional comprehensive sports, is also the representative of China Sports group in 2004 after the Athens Olympic Games performance advantage, in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games cycle for the first time to participate in international competitions comprehensive. Therefore, we participate in the current East Asian Games has a more special meaning, shouldering the local operations play well and exercise the 2008 Olympic Games players two major tasks.

Xiao Tian said that the State Sports General Administration attaches great importance to the current tour and the East Asian Games competition work, to ensure the realization of objectives of the current East Asian Games competition, the State Administration to take four measures: First, in order to prepare 2008 Olympic Games training young players, second, to urge the team to actively adjust the athlete's competitive status, three enhanced delegation of organizational management, four, to strengthen anti-doping education.

Press conference by the National Publicity Secretary, General Administration of Sport hosted Zhang Haifeng, the State Sports General Administration and Outreach Division Gu Yaoming, deputy director of competition body, the delegation, Deputy Secretary-General National Team participated in the press conference.

Attended the press conference were representatives of the project center and all newsmedia in Beijing.

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Women’s karate team win two bronze medals in France

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian women’s karate team enjoyed a better outing in the International Feminine Cup championships in Hyeres, France, over the last weekend with two bronze medals after returning home empty-handed in the previous edition two years ago.

Seasoned campaigner G. Yamini and emerging young talent Shakila Salni Jeffry Krishnan were the toast of the team, making it to the medal rounds.

Laos SEA Games gold medallist Yamini cleared three bouts before she was beaten 0-2 by Tunisian B. Hasmoui in the semi-finals to settle for the bronze.

Shakila advanced to the semi-finals before suffering a heart breaking sudden-death decision against Turk Olivia Serap after two ties.

Elite squad members Vasantha Marial, G. Vathana and Jamaliah Jamaludin came close to adding medals to the Malaysian tally but bowed out in the quarter-finals.

The championships in France was the second overseas exposure of the year for the national karate exponents, who are gearing up for the Guangzhou Asian Games in November, and also the back-up squad, who will be competing in the Asian junior championships in Hong Kong in August.

Coach P. Arivalagan was satisfied with the performance of the team, considering that they were up against quality opposition.

“It was a four-star championships with participation of national teams from France, Germany, Holland, Egypt, Spain, China, Viet nam, Turkey, Switzerland, England, Slovakia and Russia,” he said.

“I am satisfied with the performance of the team. “Another exponent from the back-up squad, T. Sharmila, also performed well but lost being the first international competition outside of Malaysia for her she lacked the experience and bowed out in the early round.

“Shakila also earned a boost when she was selected to represent the Rest of the World against host side France.”

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Saina achieved success through sheer hard work

When Saina Nehwal broke into the top-10 over a year ago, Prakash Padukone said she was a potential World No.1 if she showed consistency in her performance. Now, the 20-year old Haryanvi, raised in Hyderabad, is well on her way to the top spot in women’s badminton.

The three titles in a row in as many weeks was reminiscent of Padukone’s achievement in March 1980 when he captured the “big three” of Danish, Swedish and All-England crowns. Along the way, he scalped the legendary Rudy Hartono and Liem Swie King.

Those were heady days for Indian badminton with a young Syed Modi in Padukone’s footsteps. Saina’s hat-trick of titles has only evoked nostalgia among the old-timers who were privileged to have witnessed Padukone at his peak.

Like Padukone did all those years ago, Saina too is blazing a path for Indian badminton all on her own. It is more than likely that Saina would further emulate Padukone by attaining the World No.1 slot, possibly this year itself.

Padukone’s exploits were in the pre-ranking days when professionals were called “licensed players” who were even barred from participating in certain tournaments, notably the Asian Games. Yet, when the Bangalorean won the All-England crown defeating King in the final following his success in the Swedish and Danish Opens, he was considered unofficially No.1 male player.

It was an era when there was no organised professional tour offering lucrative prize-money. However, Padukone’s No.1 status was never in doubt as he went on to win several major titles. Though the men’s crown in the World championship, introduced only in 1977, eluded him, few disputed his unofficial top ranking.

In the case of Saina, success has been achieved through sheer hard work. Like Prakash, she may not be the most talented player India has produced, but in terms of focus and determination, the two have no peer.

Saina’s “arrival” has been a long time coming. Before her, the bubbly Madhumita Bisht (nee Goswami) promised a lot in the 1980s with her fast, attacking game that was refreshingly different from the “toss-drop” style of her peers. Yet, for all her talent and despite scoring a few notable victories, Madhumita fell short at the highest level.

In the 1990s, Aparna Popat took over the mantle from Bisht. The Pune girl, trained by Padukone, also promised a lot, but did not deliver the big results. She too was the queen of Indian badminton, but lacked the ability to finish matches.

When viewed in this perspective, Saina’s achievements are outstanding and former National champion and National coach U Vimal Kumar feels that she can do even better.

“Saina is among the best retrievers in women’s badminton. The Chinese may be more skilful, but they are vulnerable under pressure. Because of the present format (21 points up), most players prefer to keep rallies short and the returns flat while Saina forces them to rally longer.

“She has a good half-smash, but her chief attributes are her mental and physical strength. She works hard at her game and I feel it is a matter of time before she becomes No.1,” said Vimal Kumar in a chat with us Monday.

Presently, Saina has about eight weeks to rest and prepare for the World championship in Paris (Aug 23-29). Her preparations, thus far, have been spot-on, with the two Super Series tournaments besides the India Open injecting a lot of confidence in her.

In Paris, though, the stakes would be greater, so also the level of competition, but Saina has given herself more than an even chance to scale the last peak

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Cambodia Reluctant To Host Sea Games In 2015

Cambodia has yet to decide whether or not to host the Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES) in 2015, fearing the lack of human resources, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a top Cambodian sports official as saying Friday.

“Technically, it is quite tough for Cambodia to host it, especially from the NOCC capacity, but that depends on the government leaders who have clear and long vision on the matter,” said Vath Chamroeun, secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC).

He said a number of factors such as human resource, sports structure, sport management, environment, and financial resource needed to be reviewed before a country decided to lodge a bid for the regional sports event.

It was reported that Laos had to spend about US$100 million to host the multi-sport event in 2009, according to Chamroeun.

A founding member of the SEA Games that was launched in 1959, Cambodia has never hosted the event.

Chamroeun said during a meeting of the SEA Games Federation Council in Jakarta on May 28-29, the Cambodian delegation was advised to host the SEA Games in 2015.

(source: BERNAMA)

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WebMux provides smooth operation of the network for Asian Games 2010

WebMux, as a part of the Sport Presentation System in the Games, has operated efficiently and smoothly for over 100 days in its live environment.

GuangZhou, China (PRWEB) June 28, 2010 -- WebMux provides smooth network operation for the 2010 Asia Games.

The 16th Asia Games, the world's second largest sports competition after the Olympic Games, will be held from November 12-27, 2010 in GuangZhou, China. Since Novemeber of 2009, the GuangZhou Asian Games Organising Committee (GAGOC) has been busy, with a number of facilities starting operation for the Asia Games since then. Under the guidiance of the GAGOC, several hospitals, ticket vendors, and a variety of event groups and projects were all connected together in one large network. Traffic in the network can peak to 9GB/s. GAGOC selected WebMux load balancers from CAI Networks to handle all the pre-events traffic for the 2010 Asia Games in the fall of 2009 after thorough deliberating and performance testing.

Since November, WebMux load balancers have been providing smooth and non-stop network flow for GAGOC and the wide range of groups, countries, events, projects, and organizations involved in the upcoming Asia Games. Included among the tasks performed were millions of ticket sales and more than 100,000 orginazers and volunteers daily network activities. Mr. Rao Jian, Deputy Director of GAGOC2s Information Technology & Telecommunications Department, is highly pleased with the smooth operation in AGIS. WebMux, as a part of the Sport Presentation System in the Games, has operated efficiently and smoothly for over 100 days in its live environment. The Sports Presentation System will "cultivate a lively atmosphere for fans and present our wonderful sports events through the creative use of information technology. This system has been significantly enhanced from the Sydney 2000 Games for use in the 2010 Asian Games," said Mr. Rao.

WebMux, load balancing and application delivery equipment, is one of the first such devices in the industry. Since its initial development in 1997, WebMux has undergone tremendous enhancements in functionality and performance. It has seen wide use and continued usage by governments, militaries, businesses, universities, and other services throughout the world. WebMux is a solution certified by both Microsoft® and Oracle®. WebMux is offered by many ISPs as a hosting option and sold through resellers worldwide.

About CAI Networks, Inc.:

Founded in 1987, CAI Networks (www.cainetworks.com) specializes in Internet/Intranet appliances and server reliability solutions and is a leading provider of load balancers. CAI has its engineering and sales offices in Southern California. WebMuxes are installed worldwide by businesses, government agencies, and ISPs to maintain the reliability and availability of websites, portals, and web-based applications. CAI Networks is a member of the Microsoft and Oracle partner networks.

Trademarks

CAI, WebMux, DnsMux are trademarks of CAI Networks, Inc. Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

For more information, please contact:

CAI Networks, Inc.

+1-714-550-0901

Copyright © 2010 CAI Networks, Inc.

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Pakistan’s women athletes get two-year ban for doping

Karachi: The Pakistan Sports Board on Monday suspended two female athletes, including an Olympian, for two years after they flunked dope tests during a national training camp for the Delhi Commonwealth Games and Asian Games in China later this year. 

Sadaf Siddiqui, who represented Pakistan in the Beijing Olympics, and Javaria Hasan were tested positive in an out-of-competition dope test held during the training camp. 

"The tests were conducted by the anti-doping committee of the PSB and traces of performance enhancing banned substances were found in the urine samples of the two athletes," said Dr Meesaq Rizvi, member of the anti-doping committee. 

Rizvi chaired the inquiry committee that met with the athletes today and announced the two year suspension while giving the duo 14 days to respond to the charges. 


"They have been suspended for two years from all international and domestic competitions as their tests were positive," he said. 

Sadaf represented Pakistan in 100 meter sprint event in the Beijing Olympics, while Javaria is an emerging athlete on the national circuit. 

Dr Messaq said that the PSB was concerned with the rising incidents of female athletes using banned substances as two years ago another female athlete, Naushaba had also tested positive. 

"The athletes need to be educated that how dangerous using banned substances knowingly or by mistake can be for their careers," he said.

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Adel Khalid hopes for boost to his sport

UAE sailor rues lack of funding and sponsorship support as he eyes medal dream at Asian Games this year

• Adel Khalid became the only sailor from the UAE to represent his country at an Olympic Games when he qualified through a series of regattas held in Europe in a run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Image Credit: Gulf News archive

Dubai : The UAE's sailing champion is hoping for a timely sponsorship boost that will enable him to win a medal at this year's Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

"What is needed at the moment is the right kind of funding and sponsorship to enable an individual sportsman like me to fulfill my dream and the destiny of the UAE by winning a medal at the Asian Games," Adel Khalid told Gulf News yesterday.

"I am not asking for the world. I am only seeking the right sort of assistance and backing from the authorities," he insisted.

Khalid became the only sailor from the UAE to represent his country at an Olympic Games when he qualified through a series of regattas held in Europe in a run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

However, after that he felt he was left to stagnate in the wilderness with no forthcoming assistance to help the sailor improve his performance.

"For nearly one year I stayed at home without any training or competition sailing barring the smaller regattas held in the neighbouring Gulf countries," Khalid noted.

Though preparing for the final round of the Gulf Sailing Championships that get under way in Bahrain from June 21, Khalid — currently supported by Red Bull and Al Massaood Automobiles — convinced himself that something good could happen to his chosen sport due to the country's impending participation in the XVIth Asiad to be held from November 12-27 in China.

Guangzhou will be the second city in China to host the games after Beijing in 1990.

Forty-two sports are scheduled to be contested, making it the largest Asian Games ever.

"But nothing seems to be happening as of now. I have had meetings with top officials from the UAE National Olympic Committee (UAENOC) and I have had nothing but empty promises being made.

"We are just months away from the Asian Games and if I do not go and participate in the European sailing tour then there is very little hope for me," Khalid said.

"The authorities may find me impetuous because I am speaking the truth. But tell me, what is the other option before me at the moment after going from door to door requesting support?" the UAE sailor asked.

"I am totally disillusioned with the way sport is being run here... I need to fulfill a dream," he said.

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