Fleming will miss South African one-dayers

CHRISTCHURCH (NEW ZEALAND), Jan 20: New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming could be missing from the early limited-overs internationals against South Africa next month due to a groin injury and operation.

Fleming suffered the injury during the opening one-dayer against India in Taupo on January 9 and has been sidelined since. He is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks.

Team officials said Wednesday he is likely to miss the first three one-dayers against South Africa on February 14, 17 and 20. Fleming is also in doubt for the first test at Auckland from February 27-March 3.

The operation is an adductor release when the problem tendon will be snipped. New Zealand team physiotherapist Mark Harrison said the injury had a high recovery rate.

In Fleming’s absence, allrounder Dion Nash led the New Zealand team to a 2-2 one-day series draw against India over the last 10 days. (AP)

Feisty McEnroe wants Davis Cup upgraded

NEW YORK, Jan 20: Almost 40 now and a member of the hall of fame, John McEnroe is still feisty and ready to defend the United States’ honor at the Davis Cup.

He is convinced he could do as good a job, at least in doubles, as most of the players showing up lately.

McEnroe, elected yesterday with Australian Jen McGregor, never has quite figured out the deterioration of Davis Cup on the tennis landscape. Many players prefer to show up at smaller tournaments where they can earn ranking points and prize money, both unavailable, at the Davis Cup.

When top players make that choice, it leaves McEnroe puzzled and troubled.

"What more can you ask than a chance to represent your country?" he said. "Tennis is a selfish, individual game. There’s no better way to blow off tension than to play Davis Cup."

McEnroe played Davis Cup tennis for 12 years, posting a 59-10 record. He holds six cup records, including most singles victories (41), and seems almost as proud of those wins as the seven Grand Slam titles, 77 singles and 77 doubles championships that led to his election to the hall of fame in his first year of eligibility. He was part of five winning Davis Cup teams.

Sometimes, McEnroe said, he played Davis Cup at times when he might have preferred to be doing something else.

"It wasn’t easy to lose to (Jimmy) Connors in five sets at wimbledon, then go play Davis Cup," he said. "I was exhausted, but what better thing could I do?

"The tradition of the sport is important. Davis Cup is important for the game. It’s bigger than the players in my opinion. Others feel differently, apparently."

Last fall, with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi saying they wanted no part of it, the United States Davis Cup team was composed of ailing Jim Courier, who pulled out because of an arm injury, veteran Todd Martin and two rookies, Justin Gimelstob and Jan-Michael Gambill. They lost 4-1 to Italy.

McEnroe was stung by the outcome.

"I can lose as easy as they did and bring some energy to it," he said. "I’m not quite sure why people don’t think I can play doubles. I’m hitting better than I have for six or eight years. My stated goal is to be the George Foreman of tennis."

That said, there has been no invitation to play. So McEnroe will do his hitting in seniors matches. He is no. 1 on the Nuveen seniors tour with eight victories this season. He also functions as the conscience of the sport, reminding players to think about their priorities.

"When you look back on your career, what do you remember?" McEnroe said. "Being part of the Davis Cup or your ranking and the money you won? you don’t put aside the chance to represent your country."

In the first round of the next Davis Cup, the United States will play at England. The Americans’ assignment will be all the more difficult if its top players stay home and the British team includes top 10 players like Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski. (AP)

Akbhar El Yom Hockey Tourney
India to clash with Malaysia in opening match on Feb 2

NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Asian Games champions India will take on Commonwealth Games runners up Malaysia in their opening match of the five nation Akhbar El Yom International Hockey Tournament to be held at Cairo from February 2 to 9.

The other teams taking part in the tournament are Pan American Champions Canada, Kenya and hosts Egypt.

Canada had beaten India 4-1 in the last World Cup at Utrecht in May 1998 to claim the eighth spot in which India had finished ninth.

Egypt and Kenya played their last major global international competition at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

India is sending a ‘developmental’ squad for this tournament, comprising mostly of youngsters in a build up exercise for the 2000 Olympics at Sydney. This will also form the nucleus for the 2001 junior World Cup squad, the venue of which is to be announced in next meeting to be held at Dubai in early march during the six nation tourney. India along with world champion Holland, European Cup winner Germany Australia, Pakistan and Olympic silver medallist Spain will be taking part in the week-long Gulf Tournament.

Following is the schedule of the Akhbar El Yom Tournament: (All times Ist) February 2: Canada vs Kenya (2030 hrs), Egypt vs Malaysia (2330 hrs) February 3: India vs Malaysia (2030 hrs), Egypt vs Canada (2230 hrs) February 4: Rest day

February 5: India vs Canada (2030 hrs), Egypt vs Kenya (2230 hrs)

February 6: India vs Kenya (2030 hrs), Canada vs Malaysia (2230 hrs)

February 7: India vs Egypt (2030 hrs), Kenya vs Malaysia (2230 hrs)

February 8: Rest day

February 9: Final match (2230 hrs)

Meanwhile security has been beefed up in and around the national stadium here, venue for the first hockey test between India and Pakistan slated for February 3rd.

The two countries are to play nine test series, which includes four tests in India and five in Pakistan.

The Pakistan hockey squad is schedule to arrive here on February 2 to play in the India leg of the series.

Intrestingly the second cricket test between the two countries is to start at Ferozshah Kotla here on February 4.

Pakistan hockey team as per the programme is to play second test at Bhopal on February 5, 3rd at Hyderabad on February 8th and fourth at Chennai on February 10th.

India will commence their Pakistan leg with the 5th test at Lahore on February 16, followed by the 6th test at Karachi on February 18, 7th at Peshawar on February 20, 8th at Rawalpindi on February 22nd and ninth and last again at Lahore on February 24. (UNI)

Hoogovens chess
Anand missed possible win

WIJK AAN ZEE, Jan 20: Vishwanathan Anand missed a possible win as he allowed Alexei Shirov to get away in the middle game, while world champion Garry Kasparov found his way past Alex Yermolinsky to score his second win in a row and catch up with Anand at the top of the standings in the annual Hoogovens International Grandmasters Chess Tournament.

Both players have 2.5 points each and are half a point ahead of the second-placed group of four players.

Anand had a promising position from a Sicilian defence against Shirov but he failed to get the best continuation and allowed his opponent to sacrifice an exchange and reach a better position. Anand finally drew with the perpetual at the time control. The draw came in 40 moves.

Against the world champion’s grunfeld defence, Yermolinsky was getting along fine till the middle game before Kasparov moved in on his kill. Then followed a queen exchange and Kasparov used his highly active knight to perfection and got the full point in 47 moves. The game showed that Kasparov despite his long lay-off from the game has not lost his sharpness and energy for a vigorous battle.

In an all-dutch affair Jeroen Piket defeated his colleague Jan Timman, who had little to show for his unorthodox opening play in queen pawn when he inaccurately handled the razor-sharp position his experiment had brought onto the board. Piket won without much fuss in 31 moves.

Vladimir Kramnik, who has been playing somewhat subdued, drew with Vesselin Topalov of Bulgaria in 35 moves of a Ruy Lopez. Clearly Kramnik wants to play safe with all the strong players and pick his points against the weaker players like the local dutch players, whom most are targeting.

Young Uzbek Rustam Kasimdhzanov in 32 moves of an English opening held Ivan Kokolov, who beat Anand in the Blitz Tournament on Monday to a draw. Vassily ivanchuk with black managed to ward off threats from Loek Van Wely in a 39-move clash in king’s Indian.

In the fourth round Anand has white pieces against Rustam Kasimdzhanov while Kasparov playes with white against Topalov and Kramnik has white against Dmitri Reinderman.

Result and points: Shirov (2) drew with Anand (2.5), Topalov (2) drew with Kramnik (2), Kasimdzhanov (1.5) drew with Sokolov (1), Piket (1.5) beat Tbvman (1), Van Wely (1) drew with Ivanchuk (1.5), Reinderman (0.5) drew with Svidler (1.5), Yermolinsky (0.5) lost to Kasparov (2.5). (UNI)

Prostitutes, diamonds offered to IOC members

LONDON, Jan 20: At least two IOC members accepted offers of prostitutes from a bid committee trying to land the 1992 Olympic Games for Amsterdam, according to a member of an Olympic Promotional Group.

"I was there (in 1986) and saw it, IOC members being offered women and two accepting," Prince Frederic Von Saxe-Lauenberg, a member of the Pierre De Coubertin International Committee, told the Associated Press yesterday.

He said the two were African members, but declined to name them. He said six other IOC members present in 1986 in Amsterdam on a site inspection visit had declined the offer.

"Prostitutes were offered (in 1986) to several IOC members and they took it for granted they would be offered," he said in a telephone interview. "They ask if there was anything else you could offer."

Von Saxe-Lauenberg also claimed that IOC members were given video cassette recorders and their wives were offered diamond broaches by the Amsterdam Committee.

Roel Walraven, a member of Amsterdam’s bid committee, admitted that IOC members had been VCRs. But he stopped there.

"I know nothing about visits to brothels or diamonds in hotel rooms," he said. "But it was standard practice to pamper IOC members."

Amsterdam lost the bid for the 1992 games, which were awarded to Barcelona.

Allegations of sexual favours being offered to IOC members have long been rumoured, but British-born Von Saxe-Lauenberg is among the first to speak out.

Von Saxe-Lauenberg said there was now "fertile ground" in the wake of an investigation into charges that IOC members received cash payments and lavish gifts from boosters of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

An ethics panel in Salt Lake city is also looking into allegations that IOC members were provided with females escorts.

Von Saxe-Lauenberg said he’d travelled, often at his own expense, to cities bidding for the olympics and had seen "similar kinds of things over and over."

"It’s been going on for quite a while, since 1958 when Tokyo offered Geisha girls to win the games in 1964. It’s quite old," he said.

He said he’d tried to speak out before but his words "had fallen largely on deaf ears." He said he had also been cautious because of the committee’s ties to the IOC.

The Pierre De Coubertin Committee is named for the founder of the modern olympic games and "works on the adoption of principles and ideas" related to the "olympic spirit."

The Committee describes itself as a non-Governmental

apolitical’’ body espousing the ideals of De Coubertin. Von Saxe-Lauenberg said the Committee gets 40,000 Swiss francs a year 29,000 dollars a year in funding from the IOC.

"I have come forth because I believe these IOC members are doing damage to the olympic movement," Von Saxe-Lauenberg said.

"The actions of its members have gotten out of hand and they’ve become monsters. They have overstepped the mark ... And they need to be stopped, rooted out." (AP)

Australian Open
Henman beats Sandon Stolle

MELBOURNE, Jan 20: Britain’s Tim Henman rated himself a contender for a Grand Slam breakthrough after battling blustery winds to beat Sandon Stolle at the Australian Open today.

The no. 6-seeked Henman has never been past the third round in three previous trips to the tournament and fell behind two sets to one in his second-round match against Stolle.

Women’s no. 3 seed Jana Novotna also struggled through her second round match against Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia. She had an ugly 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 win and bemoaned the swirling winds.

Top seed Lindsay Davenport had no trouble, however, breezing through her second-round match 6-2, 6-1 against Florencia Labat of Argentina.

Henman, a semifinalist at Wimbledon last year, won 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, but admitted he got the benefit of two line calls that should have gone against him in the second set. He lost his opening three service games and played two woeful smashes at crucial moments as his game frayed around the edges.

"Twelve months ago, there’s a very, very good chance I would have lost that match," Henman said. "In future matches I’ve got to try not to dig holes for myself."

Henman says the rebound ace surface and the failure of several other seeds to progress leave him with a great chance.

"It’s a tournament I should do well at," Henman said. "The conditions are favourable for me."

Henman’s next opponent will be Marc Rosset, who beat Germany’s Jens Knippschild 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 6-3.

Men’s seventh seed Karol Kucera of Slovakia beat Italy’s Davide Sanguinetti 7-5, 6-1, 6-4, and no. 9 Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands beat Mariano Zabaleta of Argentina 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.

Sweden’s Thomas Enqvist, considered a dangerous unseeded floater in the draw following victories in two tune-up tournaments, reached the third round with a three-set win against Zimbabwe’s Byron Black.

Novotna said she was glad to get through.

"I wasn’t playing well at all," she said. "The wind’s the biggest equalizer in tennis and it was definitely one of those days where I could lose."

No. 8 patty Schnyder didn’t survive, losing 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 6-3 to France’s Amelie Mauresmo.

No. 9 Conchita Martinez of Spain beat American Brie Rippner 6-0, 6-4 no. 11 Dominique Van Roost of Belgium beat Seda Noorlander of the Netherlands 7-6 (8-6), 6-0 no. 15 Natasha Zvereva of Belarus beat American Meilen Tu 6-3, 7-5 and Jennifer Capriati lost to Spain’s Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.

"The actual playing skills are still there," Capriati said.

"I just have to dig deeper and find it."

Germany’s Anke Huber, a 1996 finalist and 1998 semifinalist here but now ranked no. 18, lost 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 7-5 to Austrian Sylvia Plischke. (AP)

Pak team set for India: Akram

KARACHI, Jan 20: Pakistani cricketers are preparing to embark on a high-profile tour of India despite security concerns triggered by threats and demonstrations by the Shiv Sena party.

‘The common cause for us is to revive the Pakistan-India series and for that both the Governments have mutually decided cricket should go on, Pakistan captain Wasim Akram told AFP.

The Pakistan team will leave Lahore tomorrow for New Delhi, cricket officials said.

Pakistan’s first test tour across the border in 12 years was put in jeopardy after Shiv Sena activists dug up the pitch in New Delhi earlier this month. On Monday suspected Shiv Sainiks ransacked the Indian Cricket Board headquarters in Mumbai.

‘We are in a positive frame of mind and are going as ambassadors of goodwill. I have repeatedly said a handful of people are against Pakistan-India ties but I hope cricket will be the ultimate winner,’ Akram said.

Pakistan will play two tests, besides taking part in a Limited Overs Triangular Tournament also involving Sri Lanka.

The PCB on Monday appointed former Pakistan foreign secretary Shahryar Khan as the manager of the team. Board officials said he was chosen because of the circumstances surrounding the tour.

Akram however did not hide lingering fears. ‘I have told the boys to forget all that happened and just concentrate on the game but it will be difficult. I can’t say what is in store for us in India but let’s hope all would end well,’ he said. (AFP)

DD to telecast Australian Open live

NEW DELHI, Jan 20: Doordarshan will telecast the hightlights of the ongoing Australian Open tennis from tomorrow.

A press note by Doordarshan here today said the telecast will be of 60 minutes duration starting at 1030 hours.

While DD-2 will beam the highlights tomorrow, Friday, Sunday and Monday, Saturday’s telecast will be through DD-1, the press note for the week ending January 25 added. (UNI)

JU Cultural Council; JURSA elections soon, says DSW

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Jan 20: New Students Cultural Council- the only registered body of the Jammu University students is likely to assume office in the first week of February.

This was disclosed by the Dean Students Welfare (DWS), Prof N A Ganai, while talking to EXCELSIOR. He said almost all the departments have submitted the names of their representatives to the DWS for further election of the Secretary Students Cultural Council, University of Jammu.

He further disclosed that around 22 departments have elected their representatives and subsequently submitted their names through Head of the Departments to DWS. The representatives of the remaining 4 departments are expected within few days, he added.

The new body would have been elected in the last week of January but due to international seminar being organised by the Jammu University, it was extended to the first week of January.

While going through the constitution of the Students Cultural Council, Prof Ganai said, " as per the Cultural Council constitution, before the election of the Secretary, there should be a ‘Campus Cultural Committee’ headed by a senior Profession of the University", adding

"thereafter, under the supervision of that committee the Cultural Council Secretary and other office bearers be elected".

When asked about the Jammu University Research Scholars Association, Prof Ganai, who was unaware of the expiry of the present JURSA body term said that the elections for the same would be conducted soon after the international seminar will be over.

He said, "I was unaware of this and came to now only after going through news paper reports that the term of present JURSA has expired". Mr Ganai further said that elections of the Students Cultural Council and JURSA will be held simultaneously.

Future of Americian tennis is bleak

LONDON, Jan 20: Tennis’ world governing body has published its list of top junior players and, if the rankings mean anything, the future of American tennis is bleak.

The International Tennis Federation’s junior list for 1998 compiled from 175 tournaments lists only one American in the top 20 singles rankings for boys and girls.

The boys singles list was topped by Roger Federer of Switzerland, followed by Julien Jeanpierre (France) and David Nalbandian (Argentina). The only American was Zack Fleishman, No 18.

Jelena Dokic of Australia led the girls singles list, followed by Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) and Nadezhda Petrova (Russia). The Americans didn’t have a single player in the girls’ top 20.

In boys doubles, Jose De Armas of Venezuela topped the rankings. Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) was second followed by Julien Jeanpierre (France). The United States had three players in the top 20: No. 4 David Martin, No. 5 K J Hippensteel and No. 17 Scott Lipsky.

In girls doubles, Eva Dyrberg of Denmark topped the list ahead of No. 2 Clarisa Fernandez (Argentina) and No. 3 Maria Emilia Salerni (Argentina). No. 18 Ansley Cargill was the only American.

Argentina, a country of 30 million, appeared 12 times on the list of 80, far more than any other country. The United States, with a population of about 270 million, was No. 2 with five players. Several countries had four: France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Australia, Slovenia and Slovakia. (AP)