LONDON, Dec 19: The International Cricket Council today gave its final offer on contracts issue to the Indian cricket board, incorporating a series of concessions, and threatened it with penalties if it failed to ensure the participation of its best available team in the next year’s World Cup..........more

Sunita Rani likely to be
cleared of dope charges

NEW DELHI, Dec 19: Middle distance runner Sunita Rani, who was stripped of her medals in the Busan Asian Games, may get a reprieve with the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reportedly clearing her of doping charges....more

AP denies poaching
sportspersons to
win medals

HYDERABAD, Dec 19: Andhra Pradesh today categorically denied that it had indulged in poaching ...........more

Pakistani selectors
reject Anwar test appeal

KARACHI, Dec 19: Pakistani cricket selectors today rejected an appeal by their party..........more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 19: Semi-finals position has been cleared in the 11th Ladies Billiards and Snooker Championship currently.......more

National School Games
J&K’s poor start in Football

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 19: Jammu and Kashmir players launched their campaign on a bad note after they lost their opening.....more

St Joseph lifts Distt
Baramulla Women
Football trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

SRINAGAR, Dec 19: St Joseph School team lifted the winners trophy in the District Women Football Championship of........more

Kashmir girls lift State
Tennis Ball Cricket Trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 19: Kashmir Division Women claimed the Second State Tennis Ball Cricket Championship beating Jammu....more

India-Kiwis 2nd Test
Overnight rain forces abandonment of play....

Sunita Rani likely to be cleared of dope charges ....

Veteran Cricket trials for NZ meet today.....

ICC gives final offer on contracts issue to BCCI

LONDON, Dec 19: The International Cricket Council today gave its final offer on contracts issue to the Indian cricket board, incorporating a series of concessions, and threatened it with penalties if it failed to ensure the participation of its best available team in the next year’s World Cup.

The concessions include a 25-day reduction in the period after an ICC tournament for which the ambush marketing clause would be applied. Under the original clause, the players were barred from endorsing products which were in a conflict of interest to the official sponsors of the tournament for a period of 30 days before the event, during the event and 30 days after it.

But, the clause would now be valid only for five days after the event, the ICC said in a statement.

The validity period of the image clause, under which the official sponsors were allowed to use player images till six months after an ICC event, has also been reduced to three months.

Some more unspecified restrictions have been imposed on the use of player images by ICC sponsors in order "to avoid any suggestion of a personal endorsement by the players".

In making its offer, the ICC World Cup Contracts Committee (WCCC) emphasised that BCCI remained obligated to both participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 and to send its best team to the event, the statement said.

ICC president Malcolm Gray said WCCC had also advised BCCI that if it fails to meet its commitments it will face the potential of large compensation claims being made against it.

"It is impossible to quantify the level of claims before the event but it is clear that if the BCCI does not meet its obligations and there are damage claims made as a result, the BCCI faces the potential of these claims being made against it for not delivering on its contract," Gray was quoted as saying in the statement.

ICC rejected BCCI’s request for a seven-day extension to the December 31 deadline for naming its final 15 players for the World Cup and stressed that the "deadlines in place on the BCCI are exactly the same as for all other boards".

It also withdrew a few India-specific concessions in the contracts clause, offered as a last-ditch effort to accommodate BCCI’s objections, since the Indian board was not interested in those.

These concessions allowed the Indian players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag to continue promoting the companies, which are in a conflict of interest with the official sponsors, during the tournament except on the days when India was playing a match. But BCCI had rejected the offer.

"In light of this rejection, the ICC has reverted to the initial series of concessions to ensure that there is consistency across all countries in what is being offered," the statement said.

ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said he was disappointed when this offer was rejected by BCCI.

"Having offered this additional and significant concession to India, it was disappointing to find ourselves further apart than before," Speed was quoted as saying in the statement.

Gray said months of negotiations with the BCCI had failed to throw a solution to the issue and the proposals put forward by the Indian board would have "undermined the integrity of the agreement ICC has with its commercial partners".

"The discussions with the BCCI have been both exhaustive and, to date, fruitless," Gray said.

"The ICC has sent two delegations to India to discuss the issue, negotiated a number of significant concessions with its sponsors and sought at all times to be flexible and pragmatic in its dealings with the BCCI," he said.

"Despite these steps, the BCCI remains unable or unwilling to meet its contractual obligations and if anything it has gone backwards on what it is prepared to accept from the ICC’’.

"In light of the stance taken by the Indian board, the ICC World Cup Contract Committee had no option but to advise the BCCI there were no further concessions possible and that on the basis of what is on offer the BCCI has clear and compelling contractual agreements the ICC is now looking for it to fulfill," he said.

Speed said ICC was now waiting for BCCI to announce its squad for the World Cup.

"As with all boards, the BCCI must notify the ICC by December 31 of its final 15 players for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003," Speed said. "It then has up until January 14, 2003 to lodge the signed player terms for each of these players." (PTI)

Sunita Rani likely to be cleared of dope charges

NEW DELHI, Dec 19: Middle distance runner Sunita Rani, who was stripped of her medals in the Busan Asian Games, may get a reprieve with the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reportedly clearing her of doping charges.

Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Randhir Singh today said he had learnt that the report of the medical commission was "favourable to us".

However, there was no official intimation in this regard from the IOC till now though it was expected soon, he said.

"A sub-committee of IOC’s medical commission met in the second week of this month and discussed Sunita Rani’s case," Randhir Singh, who is also the secretary-general of Olympic Council of Asia, told PTI over phone from Hyderabad.

"I have learnt that their report is favourable to us. That report is supposed to be faxed to us soon and also to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)," he said.

Sunita Rani, who won the gold medal in women’s 1500m at Busan with a new games record and also a bronze in the 5,000m, was found positive for banned substance nandrolone and subsequently stripped of her medals.

The Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) had strongly defended the athlete who had cleared the dope tests in New Delhi before leaving for Busan. AAFI decided to appeal against the decision claiming that the testing procedures in the Seoul laboratory were not foolproof.

An internal inquiry ordered by AAFI had also found faults with the testing procedures in Seoul and concluded that based on the evidence available, Sunita Rani could not be held guilty.(PTI)

AP denies poaching sportspersons to win medals

HYDERABAD, Dec 19: Andhra Pradesh today categorically denied that it had indulged in poaching of medal-winning sportspersons from other states for the ongoing 32nd National Games.

Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister Thamineni Sitaram, talking to UNI, denied reports in a section of the press that the state had lured top class sportspersons. The sportspersons were free to decide whom to represent in the Games. Yes, we are providing the best of the facilities, offering fabulous incentives, including cash awards. We have also evolved a strategy to develop sports in the state and set ourselves high standards’’.

The Minister explained it is not proper to say that we have lured players. Not so long ago our own Olympic medallist Karanam Malleswari migrated to Haryana because she was offered a better deal there. Music maestro Bala Murlai Krishna migrated to Chennai long long ago because he was not cared for here. Same is the case with many a footballer who went to Kolkata from Hyderabad.’’

It may be recalled that Karnataka had officially lodged a strong protest with the Games Technical Conduct Committee over allowing four international players— Dilip Tirkey (Orissa), Bimal Lakra (Jharkhand/Karnataka), Samir Dad (MP) and Rajnish Mishra (UP)—from representing Andhra Pradesh in hockey event. However, hosts failed to make it knock out losing the lost crucial encounter to Karnataka yesterday.

Though many associations have been lamenting over the development, officially others had not protested over luring of the sportspersons.

Many of the athletes, now representing, have contributed in great measure to Andhra leadership position in the medal tally.

Meanwhile, the Education Department has decided to postpone the half-yearly examinations for the school students in view of the National Games, the Minister added. (UNI)

Pakistani selectors reject Anwar test appeal

KARACHI, Dec 19: Pakistani cricket selectors today rejected an appeal by their party in South Africa to send out opening batsman Saeed Anwar for a two-test series starting on December 26 in Durban.

Pakistan’s touring management had asked the selectors to fly Anwar to South Africa as a replacement for fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who has picked up a knee injury and has been ruled out of the Test Series.

They argued that while the team did not lack fast bowling resources, it required an experienced opener to hold the top order together.

The S.O.S. Call came after a string of batting failures in the one-day series between South Africa and Pakistan which the hosts won 4-1.

"The selection committee had a long discussion on this issue. We feel that it would be risky to send Saeed for the tests as we are not aware of his form and match fitness," chief selector Wasim Bari told agencies.

Semis line-up drawn in Ladies Billiards

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 19: Semi-finals position has been cleared in the 11th Ladies Billiards and Snooker Championship currently underway at Hari Niwas Palace Hotel, here today.

Those who have qualified for the last four stage are reigning champion, R Umadevi (Karnataka), T V Sridevi (Karnataka), Meenal Thakur (Maharashtra) and Ahuja Thakur (Maharashtra).

Now, the semi-finals will be played tomorrow at 11 am simultaneously. Umadevi will take on T V Sridevi at table No. 1, while Meenal Thakur will meet Ahuja Thakur on table No. 2. The match for the third and fourth position will be played at 5 pm on Table No. 2.

In the quarter-finals (best of five frames), played in the evening session, Umadevi defeated second seed M Chitra (Karnataka) 3-0 (51-35, 52-48, 50-44) in a tough and close contest. To reach the semi-finals, TV Sridevi downed Soumini Srinivas (Tamil Nadu) again in straight frames 3-0 (50-11, 53-48, 50-30).

Meenal Thakur, in the third quarter-final, defeated Neelam Mittal (MP) 3-0 (50-16, 50-15, 51-38). And, in the last encounter, Ahuja Thakur outplayed Kamala C Babu (Tamil Nadu) 3-0 (51-17, 53-42, 52-13).

Earlier, in the league round, defending champion, R Umadevi of Karnataka topped in Pool-A while runners-up, M Chitra of Karnataka finished second in Pool-B. Meenal Thakur of Maharashtra and T V Sridevi of Karnataka also topped in Pool-C and Pool-D respectively.

In Pool-A, R Umadevi won both her matches beating Heena Khandelwal (Maharashtra) 2-0 (50-27, 50-8) and Neelam Mittal again 2-0 (50-20, 53-12). Whereas, Neelam Mittal, who finished second with one win, defeated Heena Khandelwal 2-1.

In Pool-B, Ahuja Thakur (Maharashtra) won both her matches to top the pool. She defeated Vidhya Pillai (Tamil Nadu) 2-0 and M Chitra (Karnataka) 2-0 (50-7, 50-0). M. Chitra remained at number two position with one win and one loss. She outplayed Vidhya Pillai (Tamil Nadu) 2-0.

In Pool-C, Meenal Thakur (Maharashtra) remained at the top with two wins. She beat Neeta Sanghvi (Maharashtra) 2-0 (50-17, 50-13) and Sowmini Sriniwas (Tamil Nadu) 2-0 (50-17, 52-2). Sowmini beat Neeta Sanghvi 2-0 (50-34, 50-47) and lost to Meenal 0-2.

In Pool-D, T V Sridevi (Karnataka) won all three group assignments, thereby topping the pool. She defeated Jagruti Patel (Maharashtra) 2-0 (50-41, 50-18); Ashwani Puranik (MP) 2-0 (50-27, 50-45) and Kamala C Babu 2-1 (35-52, 50-22, 51-19). Kamala C Babu finished second with two wins off three matches. Kamal trounced Jagruti Patel 2-0 (51-37, 50-45 and Ashwani Puranik (MP) 2-0 (51-14, 53-25).