KPS
Gill hits back at Sports Minister
NEW DELHI, Apr 25: Under-fire Hockey
supremo KPS Gill today hit back at Sports
Minister M S Gill for suggesting that
younger administrators should head sports
federations, saying younger people should
first become Sports Minister.
In a
scathing counter-attack, a defiant Gill
said that there was no question of
stepping down from his post in the wake
of the bribe scandal and bluntly told the
Sports Minister not to talk about
accountability since he knew nothing
about sports.
"Let
younger people first become Sports
Ministers before such suggestions are
given. I don’t think age has
anything to do with managing
sports," KPS Gill said.
"Let
not Sports Ministers talk of
accountability or responsibility. Most of
them don’t know anything about
sports and have never done anything for
hockey. In the past five years, have you
seen these Ministers doing
anything?" he told CNN-IBN.
"What
have these Government bodies done for us?
where have they ever provided us with the
funds or the facilities? they call it the
National Game, and do nothing for
it," an angry Gill said.
The IHF
President, who has been under pressure to
resign with Members of Parliament, Sports
Minister and several former players
demanding his ouster, said other than Uma
Bharti none of the Sports Ministers had
done anything for the game.
"The
present Minister has only been there for
a few days, lets see what he does. At
least she (Uma Bharti) helped build an
Astroturf ground in Bhopal, the others
had no interest in sports and just
occupied the chair. Mr (Mani Shankar)
Aiyar wasn’t even available to meet,
so what is one to expect," Gill
said.
On another
suggestion from the Sports Minister that
he should "introspect and
review" his position in the IHF in
the aftermath of the bribe scandal
involving K Jothikumaran, Gill questioned
the credibility of the sting operation.
"Am I
to resign based on a concocted sting
operation, or simply because some players
or a section of the media wants me to?
there is a rule of law, a democracy in
the country, I am not going to resign
when I haven’t done anything
wrong," he said.
On former
Olympian Aslam Sher Khan starting a
signature campaign among MPs seeking
Gill’s removal after the Indian team
failed to qualify for Olympics for the
first time in 80 years, he said "has
media tried to find out how many MPs
actually signed this petition? these are
all moves by frustrated people".
On the
Indian Olympic Association’s
emergency meeting on Monday, he said
"let them meet, I have made it
clear, I am not resigning".(PTI)
IPL
may trigger premature retirements: Akram
KARACHI, Apr 25: Wasim Akram has no
doubt that the cash-awash Indian Premier
League (IPL) would improve the lifestyle
of the cricketers but the Pakistani
bowling great fears it might also trigger
premature retirements among some players.
Akram said
in interview from Lahore that he enjoyed
watching the IPL matches and the abridged
format was necessary keeping in mind the
time constraints.
"But
I still believe that the IPL and Indian
Cricket League will create problems in
international cricket. You will see
players retiring prematurely from
international cricket to play in these
lucrative leagues," Akram said.
Explaining
the case, he said, "suppose I am a
34-year-old bowler with an uncertain
future in the national side. I would
retire prematurely to play in IPL or ICL,
rather than risk being dropped from the
team," he said.
Akram,
however, supported payment of good money
to players.
"All
players in the IPL and ICL are
professionals and they will go where they
would get paid well. All cricket Boards
and the ICC should have thought about
improving pay structure of the players 10
years ago."
"If
this had been done, such Leagues could be
held officially by the ICC itself,"
he said.
Akram is
also worried that Twenty20 might eat into
the ODI pie and he advised ICC to make
changes in One-day cricket to overcome
the
"I
think the ICC and member Boards need to
think of changes to make the middle overs
(in an One dayer) more interesting.
People change channels during the 20-40
over period as the game slows down due to
the batsmen scoring slowly and cementing
the innings. It is the onslaught in the
final 10 overs that interests
viewers," Akram noted. He said may
be the rules could be changed to allow
only two players out of the circle during
the 20-35 over period.
"Cricket
will improve. I am a fast bowler but I
support batsmen because the viewers want
action," he said.(PTI)
Federer
happy with his performance
MONTE CARLO, Apr 25: Roger Federer
delivered a timely message to the
doom-mongers eager to pen his tennis
obituary.
As far as
the World number one, safely through to
the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals,
is concerned talk is cheap and he is
happy to prove it by taking another aim
at claycourt rival Rafael Nadal.
Federer
lost his Australian Open title in January
as he laboured under the weight of
glandular fever and was still struggling
with its after-effects in the United
States where he failed to make the final
of either the Indian wells or Miami
masters.
"There’s
a lot of spare time and always a lot of
talk going on. There’s almost not
enough matches for the time you are in
America," said Federer.
"So
this is a good time of the year for me
where I can play a lot of matches. When I
lose, I can go home and practice my game
so it’s easier to hide a
little."
The Swiss
star insists that his health problems are
now a thing of the past even if his form
here this week looked anything but
convincing when he found himself just two
points away from losing to World number
137 Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo in his opener.
"I
feel fine again. I’m playing every
day whereas at the start of the year
there was one month and no match. I knew
that was my plan in the beginning of the
season," he explained.
"But
on top of that with the sickness it made
it much more difficult to come back and
feel normal again. Now I’m back in a
normal rhythm and I’ve played seven
matches on clay and won seven."
Federer
has been runner-up to Nadal for the last
two years here but if he’s to make
the title match again on Sunday there are
two substantial barriers in his way.
First, he
must get past Argentina’s David
Nalbandian with whom his career record is
split at eight wins apiece but with the
South American boasting the recent upper
hand having won their last two meetings.
If he gets
through that he could face Australian
Open champion Novak Djokovic, the best
player on the tour this year who has
already added the Indian wells masters to
his Melbourne triumph.
And the
Serb insists he’s ready to add a
major clay court title to his CV.
"I
haven’t won a major title on clay
but I believe I have a good enough game
to do it," said Djokovic who faces
surprise quarter-finalist sam querrey in
his quarter-final tie.
Querrey,
like Djokovic, just 20 years old, is
enjoying a stunning debut at Monte Carlo
having put out former winner and French
Open champion Carlos Moya in the first
round and then French seventh seed
Richard Gasquet in the third. (Agncies)
Speed
removed as CEO after stand-off with Mali
DUBAI, Apr 25: The high-profile
ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed
was today removed from the post following
a "fundamental breakdown" in
his relations with Board members of the
game's world governing body.
The
surprise announcement from the ICC said
that the Australian, who has been CEO
since 2001, would be on paid leave till
July 4 when his contract comes to an end.
"The
ICC President Ray Mali and Chief
Executive Officer Malcolm Speed have
agreed that Malcolm Speed will be on paid
leave from April 30, 2008 until the end
of his contract term on July 4,
2008," the ICC said in a brief
statement.
"This
change of plan is the result of a
fundamental breakdown in the relationship
between the CEO and a number of Board
Members, including the President, over a
variety of issues that include
Zimbabwe," it said.
ICC
General Manager David Richardson will
serve as the interim CEO until Speed's
replacement Haroon Lorgat of South Africa
assumes the role at ICC's Anuual General
Council at the beginning of July.
Speed, who
also shared a strained relationship with
some of the top BCCI officials, had often
been quite critical on some of the issues
involving India.
He had
recently criticised the track prepared
for the third and final cricket Test
between India and South Africa. Speed has
served as the ICC's CEO since July 2001
and is only the second person to have
filled the role in the organisation's
99-year history. He succeeded David
Richards, who was CEO from 1993 to 2001.
Although
the ICC statement does not specify the
reasons for relieving Speed of his
duties, it is learnt that the Australian
administrator was against Mali's decision
not to take any major action against
Zimbabwe following an independent
forensic audit carried out by a leading
company KPMG. (UNI)
Carrom
Championship continues on Day 2
Excelsior
Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 25: On the second day
of the ongoing Srinagar District Carrom
Championship being held at Polo Ground,
matches were played in sub-junior girls,
boys, junior girls, boys, senior girls
and senior boys categories.
In sub
junior girls, Furkhan got the better of
Saba to secure a berth in final.
In sub
junior boys, Sajjad Hussain beat Sajjad,
Shakir beat Aqib, Ubaid beat Farhan Ali
and Shabir defeated Hilal.
Other
Results:
Junior
girls: Rabiya beat Insha Naseer, Sahrish
beat Iman Bashir, Suja beat Nisma Sadiq,
Humara beat Shima Shafi and Rahina Rajab
beat Madina Hilal.
Junior
boys: Mukhtar Ahmed, Sameer Mir, Ajaz,
Shah Khalid, Younis Khan, Fazan Shakeel
and Sheikh Saquib have qualified for
quarterfinals.
Senior
girls: Nimra Iqbal, Shabnam Ahad, Jazia
Hussain, Sumara Jan, Ajra Imtiaz,
Supinder and Mansha have qualified for
quarterfinals.
Senior
boys: Amir Mian, Sheikh Saquib, Talib,
Dawar, Adil, Arslam, Samiullah, Umar
Mehraj, Showkat and Adnan have also
qualified for quarterfinals.
Selection
trials from Apr 28
Excelsior
Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 25: The J&K Tennis
Ball Cricket Association is going to
conduct selection trials for selection of
State team for the forthcoming North Zone
Tennis Ball Cricket Championship slated
to be held at Degree College and Sports
Stadium, Anantnag.
The
selection trials would be held from April
28 to 29 at Polo Ground.
The
selected team would attend a 10-day long
coaching camp from April 30 to May 4.
All the
affiliated district units of the
association are directed to send their
players for the trials alongwith passport
size coloured photographs.
Inter-School
debate at Presentation Convent
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 25: The annual Nano
Nagle Memorial Inter-School Debate was
held today at Presentation Convent Senior
Secondary School, Gandhi Nagar.
Prominent
schools of the city took part in the
event, wherein Mrs Chandra Gupta, special
secretary, Health and Education
Department was the chief guest.
In the
debate, students expressed their fervent
opinions for and against the the topic
"Women’s empowerment is merely
an eyewash". Dr Reeta Saldanha from
University of Jammu (JU), Dr Shashi Koul
from GCW Parade and Dr Hemla Aggarwal
from GCW Gandhi Nagar were among the
adjudicators on the occasion.
Nakul
Mehra of J K Public School bagged the
first prize, while Raj Kumar of BSF
Paloura and Saman Choudhary of
Presentation Convent got second and third
positions respectively. The lone
consolation prize was awarded to Monika
Koul of SOS Gmeiner School.
The
‘Nano Nagle Rolling Trophy’ was
awarded to the team of BSF Paloura
comprising of Raj Kumar and Chitwan
Bakshi.
J&K
artists to attend National Painters Camp
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 25: Rohit Verma and
Rakesh Kumar, two artists of the State
have been invited by School of Performing
Arts and Creative Education (SPACE) to
attend National Painters Camp scheduled
to be held at Meadows Campus, Mathura
Road, New Delhi from April 27 to May 1.
Both the
artists are products of Institute of
Music and Fine Arts (IMFA) and are
lecturers in the same college at Jammu
and Srinagar respectively.
In all 15
prominent artists across the country are
participating in this camp.
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