Bangalore:
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As the students of these schools gathered at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to prove their mettle at the annual sports meet, the sports stars cheered them on.
Category Archives: Sports
An Indian and a Pakistani Fight Together for a Grand Slam of Fairy-Tale Coincidences
Sept. 9: If there ever was a Grand Slam of political correctness, it will unfold tomorrow at Flushing Meadows. Before you say “Yuck!” and turn the page, consider the conspiracy of coincidences. • An Indian and a Pakistani will play in a Grand Slam final at the US Open on Friday. • Forgot to mention: they will play on the same side. • On the stands will be the Indian and Pakistani ambassadors to the UN. They were there on Wednesday night when the two stormed into the final. • Sania Mirza, whose marriage raised the question which cricket team will she support, and her husband Shoaib Malik can finally support the same team. And they play her game. • Finally, did you notice that the match is taking place on the eve of Id and Ganesh Chaturthi, which fall on the same day this year? Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi may or may not win the US Open men’s doubles final on Friday. But the 30-year-olds will add the taut thwack of the tennis racquet to the coliseum of sport diplomacy that so far has been echoing with the zing of the ping pong and the thud of the willow smacking leather. For the good souls who refuse to give up and religiously light candles on the Wagah border each year, Bopanna and Qureshi, dubbed the “Indo-Pak Express”, may seem like a made-to-order dream come true. Bopanna, who traces his roots to Coorg, and Qureshi, born in Lahore, first played together in 2003 but did not become devoted teammates until this year, when they played under the slogan “Stop War, Start Tennis”. Both acknowledge the burden of expectations they carry. “It’s a great feeling to know that you can make a difference,” Bopanna said. “Hopefully, this will encourage a healthier relationship between India and Pakistan. |
Qureshi concedes that the peace initiative has changed their lives. “I think what changed both our careers was when we became ambassadors of peace…. The first time we initiated our campaign about Stop War and Start Tennis, I think, was the main week everybody started to take notice of it,” Qureshi said.
Peace and Sport, an organisation in Monaco which promotes reconciliation through sport, supplied them with T-shirts and sweatshirts with the slogan: “Stop War, Start Tennis.”
Joë Bouzou, president and founder of Peace and Sport, said of the new Indo-Pakistan tennis alliance: “Their story of friendship through sport is a real inspiration for youngsters.”
But don’t take the bilateral bond too far. The two do not profess to be similar.
“We don’t have many things in common, to be honest,” Qureshi said. “He likes spicy food; I don’t. He likes to dance to slow songs; I don’t. He’s got a big game; I don’t.”
The pair’s advance has come at a time Pakistan is going though crises on multiple fronts: the war on terror has bitterly divided the country, floodwaters are ravaging its hinterland and the lone shining beacon of cricket is now caught in a “spot-fixing” scandal.
“I can’t thank Rohan enough for being my partner and playing with me. Pakistan has been going through a lot for the last two or three years from all the terrorist attacks and the flooding now for the last few months and the cricket scandal also,” Qureshi said.
Bopanna pointed to one tangible accomplishment. “We are glad that our journey is bringing people together and also having a positive impact,” he said.
Yes, they did make some twain meet. Among the spectators yesterday when Bopanna and Qureshi beat Eduardo Schwank and Horacio Zeballos to advance to their first Grand Slam final were the Indian and Pakistani ambassadors to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri and Abdullah Hussain Haroon, respectively.
It was the first time that any two diplomats from India and Pakistan had sat together to watch them play. “It was a beautiful thing to see,” Qureshi said
| Perhaps aware of the role chance as well as compulsions play in such pairings, Puri was somewhat circumspect. He merely chose to say that “this is sports, but it shows the great potential”. Haroon was more forthright: “Hardeep and I are in the New York area and we are always looking for avenues to open and this is a magnificent one.”
But both will be aware that sport diplomacy — which mesmerised people in 1971 when an American team played ping pong in China in what was immortalised as the “ping heard around the world” — has set up false dawns in the past in the subcontinent. The wily Zia-ul Haq twice scored brownie runs on the cricket pitch (see chart)but failed to pull India and Pakistan out of the rut of mistrust. The tennis truce has come at a time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is spearheading a peace initiative with Pakistan. It may appear ironic that Singh’s decision not to attend the UN General Assembly this month and risk another fruitless meeting in New York with the Pakistani leadership may actually help his cause of peace with Islamabad. The high-decibel publicity for the Indo-Pak Express at the US Open this week appears to have resulted in an inevitability that the two countries must now make some progress towards tennis diplomacy to supplement their ongoing joint efforts for more people-to-people exchanges. Some tennis buffs may feel that it is just as well, therefore, that the Prime Minister is excusing himself from the General Assembly and, instead, sending external affairs minister S.M. Krishna in his place to New York. Tennis is as close to Krishna’s heart as politics. It may thus turn out that as it gets closer to another meeting between Krishna and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, tennis may act as a guarantee against a fresh round of accusations of bad faith. Among Americans who are never lagging in offers of overt and covert help in taking forward the India-Pakistan peace process, there are already whispers about the Bopanna-Qureshi tango and the presence of their respective UN ambassadors eventually leading to a match with a court on their volatile border. But the Indians are acutely aware that like in almost everything else, in tennis too, it is not a relationship of equals between India and Pakistan. Pakistan simply does not have many top tennis players, so Qureshi turned to someone with whom he has subcontinental compatibility. Forget such nitpicking for a day and let Sania have the last word. Sania tweeted using Bopanna’s nickname Bofors (yes, the gun that helped beat back the Kargil invaders): “wooowwww!! U guys on fire:) well done bofors… Sports and love can bring ANYTHING together… who would have thought Indians and Pakistanis would be cheering for the same team to win!” |
| WITH INPUTS FROM NYTNS, ARCHIS MOHAN AND OUR SPORTS BUREAU |
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / Front page> Story / by K.P. Nayar / Friday Sep 10th, 2010
Better Sports Infrastructure Needed : Pramila
Asian Games bronze medal-winner Pramila K. Aiyappa has said that proper sports infrastructure is needed to train sportspersons, and the State Government must provide all the facilities they require to excel.
She was speaking after inaugurating a two-day sports meet organised by the Mysore District Journalists’ Association (MDJA) at Chamundi Vihar Stadium here on Saturday.
Laying a synthetic track at the stadium would go a long way in inspiring sportspersons, she said. It would also help them perform well at the higher level, Ms. Aiyappa said. The Department of Youth Services and Sports could facilitate the synthetic athletic track at the stadium, she noted.
A product of Kudige Sports Hostel in Kodagu, Ms. Aiyappa urged parents to encourage children who showed keenness in sports and understand that proper training could take them a long way. The media should play a proactive role in encouraging sportspersons by projecting them through articles, Ms. Aiyappa said. Such encouragement would help young athletes make a mark in national and international events, she added.
Later, Ms. Aiyappa was felicitated by the MDJA.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / by Staff Correspondent / News > States> Karnataka / Mysore, Jul 03rd, 2011
A New Trend for Team’s Leadership Set by Michael Jack Nobbs
The new Chief Coach of the men’s team, Michael Jack Nobbs, introduced a new trend for the team’s leadership. This new concept was introduced yesterday at the national hockey camp in Bangalore, India,
Instead of a single captain for the team, he proposed the idea of a group of 4-5 players who will be responsible to resolve problems and take decisions for the team. He believed that it will help in strengthening the relationship among the players.
Nobbs stated that Arjun Halappa will be the last captain of the team and this group leadership will be exercisable for the next few years.
The Australian Olympian expressed that in case of the captain and coach’s absence or hesitation to talk to, the players will have an additional option to whom they may address their matter to and further said, “However, if there is a leadership group, other players can walk up to these players and discuss things they are not comfortable discussing with me.”
Nobbs will be announcing the names of the group members after some days on personal observation and assessment of leadership qualities. He stated, “Every player will be asked to fill out forms comprising personal details. There will be questions as to what his goals are, what he would expect his role to be and the like. We will assess all the data before making announcing the names of the leaders.”
The coach has already discussed the idea with a few of the team players who had no objections.
This concept was first set by the former Indian coach, Ric Charlesworth, during his coaching to the Australian women hockey team in 1996 and 2000, bringing home the Olympic gold medals. Later it was used for the men’s side of Australia followed by the cricket coach, John Buchanan, who tested it on the Kolkata Knight Riders team.
According to the Australian centre-half, passing on the responsibility improves the productivity of the team as a whole. In case of a single leader, there is low probability of creating followers. Therefore, this concept has also broken the hierarchal aspect that will lead to a higher number of followers under the new model.
source: http://www.bettor.com / by David Hubbard / Sports News > Hockey News /
Approbation from Squash Afficionados
Players worldwide are eagerly waiting for the chance to compete in the Olympics and win medals: Joshna Chinappa. The Hindu .File photo
Squash has been shortlisted by the International Olympic Committee for consideration in the 2020 Olympic Games.
The news has been greeted with enthusiasm by the squash fraternity by and large. “We are delighted that squash has been included on the IOC’s shortlist again,” said PSA CEO Alex Gough.
WSF’s backing
The World Squash Federation has been leading the bid to have the sport added to the Olympic programme.
Reacting to the development, the WSF President N. Ramachandran said, “We are delighted to be given this new opportunity. I am confident that we will be able to show the IOC Programme Commission, the Executive Board and wider IOC membership that our case has become even stronger over recent years.
Great Olympic sport
“I truly believe that squash will be a great Olympic sport. It fulfils all the criteria for inclusion in the Games, has proven universality and growth and we have an absolute commitment from all our top athletes that an Olympic medal would be the pinnacle of their careers.”
“We also have high-profile World champions, exciting World championships for men and women, massive participation from juniors to masters on all continents and a healthy, thriving programme of youth development worldwide,” he said.
Innovations
Mr. Ramachandran also mentioned the “exciting technical innovations” in recent years, including courts that could be put in iconic settings.
“Squash is a wonderful example of one-on-one sporting gladiatorial competition and should make a perfect addition to the Games,” he added, saying
“Our campaign starts with new energy and vigour.”
PTI adds:
“Players worldwide are eagerly waiting for the chance to compete in the Olympics and win medals,” said top woman player Joshna Chinappa.
Indian men’s squash ace Saurav Ghosal, meanwhile, said that players world over were confident that the sport will become part of the Olympic movement sooner than later.
“Players worldwide were more than happy and confident that the Squash would become part of Olympic movement sooner than later with the game being shortlisted by the world body,” said Ghosal, world ranked 26th.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / Special Correspondent / Sports > Other Sports / Chennai / Jul 05th, 2011
Baban Triumphs
| Bangalore’s Baban Khan won the 1400-1600cc race in the four-wheeler category in the VASA Autosports autocross event here on Sunday. | |
| Suhem MK of Coorg took the second spot while Amjad Ali of Mudigere finished third. Rajshekar of Bangalore clinched the Novice class ahead of the second-placed Harsha Natraj of Mysore.
Results: Four wheelers, 1400-1600cc: Baban Khan(Bangalore) 1; Suhem MK(Coorg) 2; Amjad Ali (Mudigere) 3. Novice Class: Rajshekar(Bangalore) 1; Harsha Natraj (Mysore) 2. 1001cc-1400cc: RD Patel (Mudigere) 1; Baban Khan (Bangalore) 2; Veeresh Gowda Kalasha (Mudigere) 3. Novice class: Divakar (Mudigere) 1; Lokesh Gowda(Bangalore) 2. Upto 800cc: Rajshekar (Bangalore) 1; Baban Khan (Bangalore) 2. Ashok (Mudigere) 3. Novice class: Sree Hari (Mudigere) 1; Divakar 2. Indian Open class: RD Patel (Mudigere) 1; Rajshekar (Bangalore) 2; Ashok (Mudigere) 3. Novice class: Harsha Natraj (Mysore) 1; Kiran (Bangalore) 2. Ladies class: Ashika (Bangalore) 1; Harshitha Gowda (Bangalore) 2; Veena Ponnappa (Mysore) 3.
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source: http://www.deccanherald.com/ Shimoga / DHNS / Jun 13th
Biography of Robin Uthappa
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Uthappa first came to the public’s attention when he made 66 for India B against India A in the Challenger Trophy in 2005. The following year, in the same tournament, Uthappa made matchwinning 93-ball 100 against the same team which propelled him in the big league. Previously, he had been a member of the India under-19 team that won the Asia Cup. Once a wicketkeeper-batsman, his List A batting average of near 40 with a strike rate of approximately 90 has made him regarded as something of a limited overs cricket specialist. He was recalled to the ODI side in January 2007 for the series againstthe West Indies where he smashed a 70 from just 41 balls. He was selected in the 15-member squad of the Indian Cricket team for the 2007 Cricket World Cup held in the West Indies in March-April 2007. He played in all 3 group games, but only scored 30 runs in total as India suffered a shock defeat to Bangladesh and a loss to Sri Lanka resulting in the team not qualifying for the Super 8 stage. In the sixth ODI of the NatWest Series 2007-2008, he scored a sensational 47 of 33 balls to take India to a thrilling victory, keepingIndian hopes alive in the 7 match series that they were trailing 2-3 before the match. Used to batting as an opener, in this match he came in at the unfamiliar position of no 7. When he came at the crease India were 5 down for 234 after 40.2 overs, still needing 83 from less than 10 overs. After Dhoni got out in the 47th over with the Indian score at 294, Uthappa kept a cool head to take India to the target with two balls to spare in a remarkable victory. Uthappa also scored a crucial 50 against Pakistan in the 20-20 World Cup in South Africa, when India were tottering at 36/4. India subsequently won the match in bowl out 3-0. He is known for his trademark ‘walking slam-bang’ shot. Uthappa played for Karnataka institute of cricket (KIOC) – under the guidance of Irfan Sait who runs the cricket camp. source: http://www.yasni.com |
Robin Venu Uthappa, born 11 November 1985 in Kodagu,Karnataka is an Indian cricketer. His father is Venu Uthappa, an international hockey referee and mother Roselyn is a home maker hails from Kozhikode. He made his One-Day International debut in the seventh and final match of the English tour of India in April 2006. He had a successful debut, making 86 as an opening batsman before being run out. It was the highest score for anyIndian debutant in a limited overs match.
New Ray of Hope for Indian Tennis
There was more than one ray of hope on the horizon but Indian tennis in 2003 continued to look upto the old Messiah for deliverence.
Rohan Bopanna announced his arrival on the big stage with a courageous performance in the Davis Cup play-off; Prakash Amritraj, the son of the legendary Vijay Amritraj, left a blazing trail on his way to the top of Indian rankings; and Sania Mirza with her historic Wimbledon crown marked the changing face of women’s game in the country.
Yet, the entire nation looked upto one man, the ‘Miracle Man’ of Indian tennis, to bring salvation. Leander Paes at 30 rejuvenated his own sagging career with two grand slam titles with Martina Navratilova but without his magical inspiration India stumbled for the fourth consecutive time at the play off stage of the Davis Cup.
The brain cyst that laid him down in the middle of the season brought out those fighting qualities in the man who had time and again pulled off miraculous victories for the country in the past, overcoming a series of adversities in his colourful career.
And the mass outpouring of love for Paes one saw when a billion voices prayed for his recovery was something unheard of in recent history of mankind.
Paes did eventually come out of the hospital but his absence from the World Group qualifying tie proved to be a major handicap for India who lost 5-0 to the Netherlands.
Nevertheless, India did unearth a hero in defeat at Zwolle. In one of the longest matches in Cup history since tie-break was introduced, Rohan Bopanna almost pulled the rug from under the feet of Martin Verkerk. Stretching a top-20 player to five sets was in itself an achievement.
And, ranked in the 400s, had Bopanna pulled it off – he lost the decider 12/10 – it would have been a truly ‘Leanderian’ achievement.
In a country of few sporting achievements, what Bopanna did that September evening was akin to a 15-year old Sachin Tendulkar taking Abdul Qadir to the cleaners. To be sure, the wiry 23-year old lad from Coorg, Karnataka, was not exactly playing in his maiden Davis Cup tie.
When he entered the cauldron that was Eisselhallen, Bopanna had two wins under his belt, but those had come in a more friendly environment of grass surface at home. More importantly, he had looked a slaughtered lamb in his defeat against Australia when he made his debut in a similar play-off last season.
In Zwolle, the Dutch had assembled their best team, and it was on fast hard courts away from home. But in the more than four hours he spent on court that Friday, Bopanna had won many a heart with his fighting performance.
In the end, it did not matter that he did not win – none expected him to – but the bold manner in which he put his best foot forward and cut down the ego of the home team to size augured well for Indian tennis.
After Bopanna’s marathon performance, Prakash Amritraj lost in straight sets to Sjeng Schalken and although Bhupathi and Bopanna started promisingly in the doubles rubber, the Indians were actually running for cover over the next two days.
Amritraj did nothing earth-shattering that day but well before his first match in Indian colours, the 19-year old US-born had truly established himself as the number one Indian player on the circuit.
“Having a famous surname does not help you win matches, does it,” Amritraj had said smiling after losing in a Challenger event in India in April. Behind that smile was hidden attributes that helped him zoom from the 1000s to top-300 in ATP rankings.
Attributes handed down to him from his famous father – not the media savvyness but a strong work ethic and dedication to the game. He returned to the same dusty courts two months later for the Satellite circuit when he truly ‘came, saw and conquered’ the competition and the hearts.
For a player whose bread and butter was serve and volley, Amritraj’s rapid rise was a fantastic achievement in every sense. If anything, it presented a pleasant contrast to the eyes weary of the baseline slugfests.
And besides blowing away the myth that successful fathers don’t foster successful sons, it also assured the Indian fans that the sport had other talents to look up to besides the ageing Paes and Bhupathi.
source: http://www.mid-day.com / 2003-12-24
Multi-faceted Talent makes Kodagu Proud
| With her special achievements in academic and extra-curricular activities, multi-faceted talent Jahnavi Prasad, an SSLC student of St Joseph’s College in the city, has shown all potentials of attaining a bright future. | |
| Daughter of B N Prasad, the manager of Canara Bank branch here and C N Thejaswini, Jahnavi has secured several awards in the competitions held at different parts of the State. A budding talent in education, arts and sports field, she is the only student from Madikeri to secure the merit scholarship, given by the State government in 2007-08.
Jahnavi’s mother Thejaswini is a dancer. Hence, the girl has naturally endowed with the talent. She has already given dance performances at different places for the past seven years, and is presently undergoing rigorous training from Vidushi Dr Vidya Muralihar of Madikeri for the senior grade in Bharatanatyam. Jahnavi Prasad has passed the Kannada entrance exam conducted by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat by securing 178 marks out of 200. She has also passed the all India level general knowledge exam with distinction conducted by the Centre for Human Resource Development, Bangalore, in 2005 and secured a scholarship too. The girl has also cleared the national-level scholarship contest conducted by the National Council for Development of Education, Chandigarh, this year. She has the credit of being third in the district in the Bharatantyam junior grade exam (2007-08) by securing 352 marks out of 400. Jahnavi is good at Mathematics too. She surprised the peers by winning the ‘Professor of Maths’ award, clearing an exam conducted by National Educations, Bangalore, as early as 2002. She was the topper at the national-level in a competitive exam on Science conducted by ICETC, Davangere, in 2006-07. Naturally, Jahnavi is a favourite of her teachers and friends. Proving her potentials in sports, she has won the first place in the Bangalore south zonal level table tennis tourney hosted by Bangalore Urban Zilla Panchayat and Public Instructions Department source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Madikeri / DH News Service / Aug 29th, 2009 |
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Halappa Still can’t believe he is Indian Hockey Captain
| Arjun Halappa still cannot believe that he has been anointed captain of the Indian hockey team but as he prepares himself for the pressure cooker job, the veteran mid-fielder feels that a skipper should always lead by example. | |
| Halappa has been a veteran of Indian hockey, having served the national team for nearly a decade. However, it is the first time he will be leading the national team after he was named captain for next month’s Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.
“I never thought in my wildest dream that I would become captain of the national team. My father (BK Halappa) used to play hockey but I started playing the game to get a decent job as the financial condition of my family was not good. It was a dream to play for India and today I am the captain. It’s unbelievable,” the mid-fielder from Coorg told PTI Bhasha. “A captain should lead by example. He should be a good human being and always keep his cool under pressure. A captain should never get carried away by emotions,” Halappa said. Halappa said as he goes about his job in the Azlan Shah Cup, he would draw inspiration from Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rahul Dravid besides former hockey skipper Dhanraj Pillay. “Rahul and Dhoni, definitely, are huge source of inspiration. Dhoni has done wonders as a captain and Rahul is a proven performer. I also take inspiration from Dhanraj Pillay, who is one of the best captain Indian hockey has ever produced,” said the senior playmaker. Halappa said that Indian cricket team’s World Cup-winning feat is an inspiration for the all sportsperson of the country, irrespective of their disciplines. “We all followed the World Cup as India was doing exceptionally well. The World Cup win is an inspiration for all Indian athletes,” he said. Known for keeping his cool on the turf, Halappa said taking unnecessary pressure is not his style of playing. “I don’t take pressure unnecessarily. I always believe in what I do,” said the Olympian, who was a member of India’s silver medal-winning Delhi Commonwealth Games team. Despite going into the Azlan Shah Cup with a relatively young and inexperienced side, Halappa is confident of a good showing in the May 5-15 event, which India won jointly along with South Korea last year after the final was washed out. “Last year also we had some new faces in the team but we won the title. I am confident of good show this time as well,” he insisted. In Azlan Shan Cup, India will be without the services of some key players, like drag-flicker Sandeep Singh, Sardara Singh former captain Rajpal Singh and Tushar Khandekar. While Sandeep and Sardara are busy playing in the Belgium League, Rajpal and Khandekar are unfit. Halappa, however, said that the senior players will be back in the team before the Olympic qualifiers next year. “We have 8 month to get prepared for the qualifiers. If we play to out potential, there is no reason why we can’t qualify for the London Olympic,” he said. |
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source: http://www.deccanherald.com / New Delhi / PTI / Apr 21st, 2011
