MANCHESTER, July 25: A colourful and vibrant opening ceremony showcasing Britain’s rich cultural heritage marked the inauguration of the 17th Commonwealth Games at the city of Manchester Stadium here today..........more

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Excelsior Sports Correspondent

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Three-day Distt Judo
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Excelsior Sports Correspondent

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Commonwealth Games
Colourful ceremony marks inauguration

MANCHESTER, July 25: A colourful and vibrant opening ceremony showcasing Britain’s rich cultural heritage marked the inauguration of the 17th Commonwealth Games at the city of Manchester Stadium here today.

Queen Elizabeth II, celebrating her golden jubilee year, formally declared the games open amidst a thunderous cheer from the capacity 38,000 crowd who filled the newly constructed stadium.

Dazzling fireworks lit up the evening sky as the queen heralded the first Commonwealth Games of the millennium in the presence of a host of dignitaries and top officials in this Northern English city hoping to bury the miserable and costly memories of two failed Olympic bids and a football World Cup bid.

More than 6000 athletes from 72 countries, ranging from giant Australia to little Nauru, will battle for honour and glory in the next ten days of competitions though the absence of a number of star performers has taken away some of the sheen.

India has fielded its largest ever contingent to the games this time hoping to improve upon its tally of 25 medals colle-cted in the last Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur but may find the medal hunting mission more difficult with powerhouses like Australia, England, South Africa and Canada expected to maintain their stranglehold.

Cultural themes depicting the contemporary British society and the heritage of the host city and a breathtaking acrobatic display were the highlights of the opening spectacle watched by millions of television viewers worldwide.

The proceedings began with the ceremonial arrival of the queen, setting the stage for the spectacular show to unfold the biggest ever multi-disciplinary extravaganza to be staged in the country since the 1986 Commomwealth Games in Edinburgh.

After the formal speeches by some of the dignitaries and organising committee members, the participating teams made their way into the stadium amidst cheers from the spectators, many of whom had occupied their seats well before the scheduled start.

The Indian contingent, attired in their traditional blue blazer and with the men athletes wearing saffron turbans, also received a loud ovation as they took a lap of the stadium constructed at a cost of 173 million dollars.

The 148-member strong Indian contingent, led by shooter Anjali (Ved Pathak) Bhagwat, will be vying for honours in ten disciplines this time with the shooters, lifters and shuttlers expected to do the bulk of the medal shopping.

The Indians had taken part in just six disciplines, including cricket which was included for the first time, in the last Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 and had returned home with seven gold, 10 silver and 8 bronze medals.

And in the true spirit of the games, the athletes mingled and exchanged pleasantries soon after the formal march-past was over. Many of the athletes took photos of themselves to preserve the moment for posterity.

The games also struck a first with both the able-bodied athletes and the disabled taking part in the main programme.

To mark the occasion, Tanni Grey-Thompson, who has won nine gold medals in four paralympic games, had been chosen to carry the welsh flag at the opening ceremony.

More than 4000 performers, including dancers, singers, musicians and acrobats took part in the colourful ceremony which was designed and handled by a local company.

The nearly two-hour show, combining established Commonwealth Games protocols and traditions with innovative creative segments, ended with the departure of the queen.

Although diving competitions began today ahead of the opening ceremony, competitions in all the other 18 disciplines will start tomorrow.

The Indian athletic, badminton, table tennis, gymnastics and women’s hockey teams will be seen in action tomorrow while the other teams will begin their medal quest at later dates. (PTI)

India’s absence sparks protests

Angry fans have demanded a refund on their tickets to protest at India’s exclusion from the field hockey event of the Commonwealth Games.

Strange qualifying norms - one team from each Commonwealth region besides the defending champions and the hosts - threw eight-time Olympic champions India out of the competition as higher-ranked Pakistan grabbed Asia’s lone berth.

Dhanraj Pillay and company were forced to stay at home even as unlikely hockey nations like Wales and Barbados were given entries to the eight-team men’s event.

Canada’s men and women’s teams made the trip to Manchester without breaking sweat - it is the only Commonwealth country from the Americas.

"Whoever made these rules is an idiot," said Manchester resident Avtar Singh, angry that he and thousands of Asian immigrants in this industrial city were deprived of a mouth-watering clash between India and Pakistan.

"We waited in hope that the organisers would finally see sense and take India in at the last minute’’.

"I wanted to see India play Pakistan, not Australia or England. I want my money back and I know many of my friends do too," he said.

Games organisers, who framed the rules in consultation with the International Hockey Federation, defended their decision.

"Where else will wales or barbados get a chance to play against Pakistan or Australia," said a games official. "These are, after all, the friendship games." (AFP)

India face daunting task in women’s hockey

Having failed to secure a single medal in the Commonwealth Games so far, the Indian women’s hockey team will be determined to reverse their sliding fortunes in the 17th edition of the games here.

But it would need a stupendous effort for the Indian eves to break the medal drought in the event this time also as they have to contend with Commonwealth powerhouses like Australia, England and Canada.

The women’s team came within sniffing distance of a bronze medal in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur but a defeat in the semi-finals made them return home empty-hand.

The team will need more than luck to change the script this time in the eight-team championship beginning at the Belle Vue Regional Hockey Centre tomorrow.

The Indians have been placed in the tough Pool-B longwith strong contenders New Zealand, hosts England and Canada, making things all the more difficult for a team which has never been known for consistency. Defending champions Australia, Scotland, South Africa and Jamaica have been clubbed in Pool-A.

The championship will be played on a league-cum-knock out basis with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The final is slated for August 3.

The Indians will open their campaign against Canada tomorrow and then take on New Zealand two days later. They play their last group league match against hosts England on July 29.

While the Kiwis are considered to be the strongest team in Pool-b, Both England and Canada are certainly no push-overs and are more than capable of jeopardising India’s medal hopes.

The team had a conditioning camp in Patiala under the supervision of coaches Gurdial Singh Bhangu and Inderjit Singh Gill to prepare for the meet and have flown into this Northern English city well in advance to get acclimatised to the conditions.

The poor ratio of penalty corner conversions in internati-onal meets and the failure to adapt to the more fast-paced European style of play has been the worrying factor for the team and it remains to be seen whether these chinks have been sorted out.

The Indian defence has also left much to be desired and the defenders will have to pull up their socks to counter their formidable opponents.

The team, led by Surja Lata Devi, has a number of talented players like Pritam Rani Siwach, Manjinder Kaur, Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Suman Balla and Sita Gussain but has to show the desired consistency to make an impact at the highest level.

The men’s team has not been able to qualify for the Commonwealth Games this time with the Asian Zone berth going to arch rivals Pakistan. (PTI)

Doordarshan to telecast live

NEW DELHI:Doordarshan will telecast live the 17th Commonwealth Games being held at Manchestar from tomorrow.

A Doordarshan release said here that all the drama and excitement of the games will be captured live by its sports channel, which has lined up round the clock coverage of the 10 day extravaganza involving 5,250 athletes from 72 countries.

The live telecast of the games will be from 1330 hrs to 1530 hrs. The recorded matches, which are not telecast during the live transmission, will be shown between 0330 hrs and 1230 hrs. The opening will be shown live on DD National and DD-Sports from 0130 hrs onwards.

A one-hour daily highlights package produced by BBC will be telecast on DD National every night at 2300 hrs. In addition, half hour India specific highlights, produced by Doordarshan will be shown at 0830 hrs from July 26 to August five.

All India Radio will also broadcast daily highlights of the games from July 26 to August five from Delhi ‘B’. The duration of the programme shall be of 7 mts. Each in Hindi and English and shall be broadcast from 0730 hrs to 0745 hrs. (UNI)

Schumacher to get rousing welcome at home in Germany

HOCKENHEIM (Germany), July 25: Only a dozen fans were present when Michael Schumacher arrived back home in Germany after his first formula one world title, but this time around he will be hailed by more than 100,000.

Schumacher won his first title 1994 at the season-ender in Australia and only a few fans showed up when he returned to Germany at Frankfurt Airport three days later at the crack of dawn. Now the timing is much better.

The Ferrari star Schumacher is assured of a fifth title going into his home Grand Prix on Sunday at Hockenheim.

Ticket Sales have picked up dramatically since he clinched the title last weekend in France and organizers expect a full house of 120,000 on race day, plus tens of thousands more for tomorrow’s free practise and Saturday’s qualifying.

"It is very special to come to hockenheim as a world champion. I am looking forward to the fans and their flags when I drive into the finish area," Schumacher said.

Schumacher will be driving for fun and the pride of finishing 17 straight races if he doesn’t suffer any mishaps. In addition, Schumacher would like to improve his poor Hockenheim record featuring just one victory, back in 1995.

"We will do our best to compete in a full race weekend," an arrows spokeswoman quoted team boss Tom Walkinshaw as saying. (DPA)

Cricket getting too Americanised, says Waugh

CHENNAI, July 25: Australian test captain Steve Waugh today said cricket was getting too "Americanised" following a growing tendency to depend on technology.

"The game is getting too Americanised with so much of technology coming into it’’.

Criticising the International Cricket Council for allowing on-field umpires to refer specific Leg Before Wicket decisions to the television umpire, the Australian captain said "the field umpires should judge LBW decisions."

The ICC has decided to try out the new rule on an experimental basis during the Champions Trophy to be held in Colombo from September 12.

Waugh, who was in the city as a brand ambassador for an insurance company, said the ICC should encourage lesser known teams in a bid to promote the game.

He was also disappointed that cricket had been withdrawn from the Commonwealth Games after being introduced in the last edition in Kuala Lumpur.

"I was a member of the Australian squad in the last games in Malaysia and learnt a lot by way of dedication. Cricket should not have been withdrawn from the games," he said. (PTI)

Hero Honda continues support of Indian PGA tour

NEW DELHI, July 25: Hero Honda Motors Limited, will continue to support the Indian professional golf tour after they extended their umbrella sponsorship of the tour for another season.

Announcing this through a press release today, Mr Pawan Munjal, managing director, Hero Honda Motors Limited said "we are delighted to extend our sponsorship of the Indian golf tour after the response we got last season."

Mr Munjal, who is also the president of the Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI) and vice-chairman of Asian PGA Tour, also announced that his company would continue its sponsorship of three events on the tour-the Hero Honda West, Hero Honda South and Hero Golf Chandigarh Open. Each tournament carries prize money of Rs 10 lakh.

The 2001-02 season of the Hero Honda golf tour broke all records of prize money. It offered the players a staggering Rs 2.23 crores from 24 events, thus making it the richest domestic tour of the country. Order of merit leader Mukesh Kumar smashed the previous earnings record in a single season by over Rs four lakh and earned Rs 17.51 lakh.

In their first season as tour sponsors, the company made several valuable contributions in helping raise the profile of the tour. They have instituted awards like the Hero Honda golfer of the month, and have given away a Hero Honda Splendour motorcycle for the first hole-in-one scored during any tournament.

Apart from the umbrella sponsorship of the Indian golf tour and the title sponsorship of three events, the company also sponsors the Hhero Honda Masters, the Premier Golf Championship of the country that is part of the Asian PGA tour. They have also sponsored ace Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh for past four years. (UNI)

Holiday Cup U-17 final
Ian Dev shines in NCC’s 63 run win
*Rahul’s all-round performance fetches man of the series trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, July 25: Opener Ian Dev Singh today made his second half-century to guide National Cricket Club (NCC) to a fine 63 run victory over Green Field Sports Club (GFSC) in the final of the Holiday Cup under-17 Cricket Tournament, here today.

Ian Dev Singh faced 48 deliveries to complete his knock of 56 runs with the help of 10 boundaries.

Earlier, after winning the toss and decided to bat first, NCC made 172 runs losing all the wickets in 24 overs off the 25 overs match. In reply, GFSC could not reach the required total and bowled out for 109 runs in 17 overs, thereby losing the match by a big margin of 63 runs.

Ian Dev remained highest scorer with 56, while wicket-keeper Munish (Junior) too played an electrifying innings of 31 runs off 21 balls including five boundaries. Rohit Bali contributed valuable 19 runs with the help of three hits to the fence. For GFSC, Rahul bagged four wickets for 32 runs and Raj took two for 26 in their five overs spell.

Batting second, GFSC bowled out for 109 runs in 17 overs. Although, GFSC started their innings on positive note and well maintained the required run-rate, but the loss of their successive wickets when score was around 60 runs, caused their early dismissal.

Rahul hit a couple of good boundaries before he was caught at a score of 17 runs. Jitender too made 17 runs off 20 deliveries including one four. Vikrant contributed 14 runs facing 10 balls with three boundaries. For NCC, Munish Raghvanshi claimed three wickets for 19 runs in five overs, while Sohail took four for 32 in 4.2 overs.

Anoop and Ashwani were umpires for today’s fixture.

Later, the organisers named Ian Dev as man of the match, while man of the series trophy went to Rahul, who scored 127 runs and took seven wickets in this tournament. Vaibhav Mattoo’s efforts in the field were also lauded by the organisers.