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3/24/2010
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Bangalore, Thursday, March 25, 2010
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localwatch Soccer initiative for rural kids SPT Sports Management announced its ‘Soccer a Child’ initiative. ‘Soccer a Child’ is a rural grassroots initiative to promote excellence in sports and offer talented kids quality exposure to the game. The programme entails reaching out to rural children, distributing free footballs, adopting villages and imparting coaching to the children. The programme has been carried out in nine villages since 2008. Decathlon, the International Sports Goods Conglomerate, has associated with SPT Sports Academy.
Badminton summer camp Badminton Bangalore Center of Excellence is conducting a two-month badminton summer camp to identify young talent for a proposed long term camp starting April 1. The camp will be conducted for those aged between 8 and 15 at: ‘Gurukul Sports Center’, Kundanahalli, and ‘Games and Fitness Institute GMPalay’ For details, contact Biju Prasad: 9880639869/ 9980160269.
TT summer camp BNM Table Tennis Academy will conduct a summer table tennis camp from April 8 to May 25 at the academy. Venue: 27th Cross, 12th Main, BSK Second Stage, Bangalore. Details from Krunal Telang/ Anirban Tarafdar (mobile: 9945022469/ 9972035510/ 9449033480/ 9035749912) or at the BNM campus between 5 and 7.30 pm.
Sunil stars for ADE Sunil scored a quick-fire 84 runs to help ADE sports Club get the better of Karnataka Government Secretariat Cricket Club by five wickets in the KSCA Group II- II Division League cum knockout help on Tuesday. Batting first, the government’s cricket team scored 164 runs in 25 overs. Prashanth Shetty knocked 67 runs to become the highest scorer for his team while Devendra and Ramesh picked up two wickets each for ADE. In reply, ADE scored the winning runs in less than 25 overs.
‘It still hurts when I lose’
It has been 16 years since Peter Hoeg Gade began his journey
in international badminton. It has been a career that has seen him win over 30 major titles, including the All England in 1999. And yet, when he fell in the semifinals of the 100th All England to eventual winner Lee Chong Wei, he was nearly in tears. It is this burning ambition to excel that makes this 33-year-old one of the greats of the modern game. But Gade is not just an excellent athlete; he is an outstanding spokesman for the sport. He never lets his match fortunes dictate his post-match commitments, and he takes every question seriously. An exclusive with DNA’s Dev S Sukumar at the recentlyconcluded All England:
Brief scores KGS CC: 169 for 8 in 25 ovs (Prashanth Shetty 67; Ramesh 2/24, Devendra 2/24) lost to ADE SC: 173 for 5 in 24 ovs (Sunil 84; Hanume Gowda 3/16) by 5 wickets; Hutti Gold Mines: 176 for 4 in 30 ovs (Kariyappa 50, Naveen Kumar 55, Afzal Pasha 49; S Prakash 2/31) bt SBI: 147 for 9 in 30 ovs (S Prakash 43; Apsar Pasha 3/30, Mehaboob 2/29, Chandrashekar 2/11) by 29 runs; BMTC CC: 47 in 18 ovs (Srinivas 2/25, Raghnandan 3/15, Ramesh GR 3/1) lost to BEL SC: 48 for 2 in 6.4 ovs (Samith 29) by 8 wickets; Advocate Association CC: 205 in 29.3 ovs (CG Sundar 48, Shivu 40; Janardhan 2/33, Raghavendra 3/34, Krishna 3/25) bt NAL: 167 in 29.3 ovs (Kiran 48, Sahish 62; Harish 3/ 4) 38 runs; Bosch SC: 189 for 7 in 30 ovs (Shakheel 31, Ramesh Babu 41, Manish 60) lost to ABB: 190 for 4 in 26.2 ovs (Jagadish 58, Dasarathy R 52; V Raju 2/30) by 6 wickets; BEML SC, KGF: 175 for 8 in 28 ovs (KPN Murthy 56; PJ Reddy 2/38, Mohanty 3/22) bt IAF: 162 all out in 26.5 ovs (Sreejith Singh 65; Prem Kumar 2/27, Khaleel 3/35) by 13 runs.
You won the All England 11 years ago. How has the game evolved in the last decade? For sure it has evolved like any other sport. You will see players getting faster, more explosive, more stamina... I think in the men’s singles the impressive thing is, every player at the top is so complete. You look at Lin Dan
and Lee Chong Wei, and the players just behind, like myself. It’s a matter of being as complete as possible. You’re not only good at one thing, you’re good at everything. So that’s the difference.
You have been consistently in the top-5 since 1998. How do you keep up? Yeah, I’m proud of that. But I want to do well, you know. It’s not enough for me just to be part of it. Hopefully in the last two years of my career, I can win one of the big ones. I have to work harder than ever. It’s also part of my motivation, you know. If I can keep up physically, I know that tactically and technically I’m among the best in the world. Physically I have to work really hard and I do. I have to keep pushing if I have to beat Lin Dan or Lee Chong Wei.
You’ve accomplished so much… does it still hurt to lose? Of course. If it didn’t hurt to lose, I wouldn’t be here. But of course when I look at the tournament and I know I’ve done well, and the match (against Tau-
All England, you lost a great match to him in the semis…
Peter Hoeg Gade World No.5 badminton player
I have to work harder than ever. It’s also part of my motivation. If I can keep up physically, I know that tactically and technically I’m among the best in the world. Physically I have to work really hard. I have to keep pushing if I have to beat Lin Dan or Lee Chong Wei fik in the quarters) was a great memory for me… but my aim is to get closer to Lin Dan, and I hope to continue what I’m doing because I’m on the right track. And there will be an award for me at some point, I believe that.
Thoughts on the 100th All England? The All England is special because of its history. It’s the most classic. Personally, the French Open for me is as big an experience because of the spectators, but the All England is about history. A lot of great players have participated and won, so it’s a nice feeling.
It’s like one of the homes of badminton. And the 100th makes it even more special.
How important are history and tradition to you, considering you come from a country with a rich badminton culture? Of course it matters. It matters that Danish players have done well. I’ve also won the All England, it was 10 years ago… and I’m part of it, and I’m proud of that. Hopefully we’ll have more Danish players in the future. It’s a very important tournament for Danish players to do well in.
The year Gopichand won the
I don’t know how I lost that match! That’s the only thing... because if I won it, I had a good chance of winning the All England again. Gopi played a fantastic tournament, all credit to him. He took his chance and won the final. And it was very good for badminton, that we got an Indian champion.
You were at the World Championships in India last year. What was the experience like? I enjoyed being in India, but I felt India got the worlds four or five years too soon. There were not too many spectators. That was a shame. We all expected a lot of spectators, because it was in India. It was one of the world championships with the fewest spectators, ever.
What’s the difference between Taufik and Lin Dan? It’s another kind of game. Against Taufik both of us like to attack; against Lin Dan it’s more physical. Taufik’s attack is the best in the world. But I knew
that if I could move him around, I could get openings. Lin Dan is always keeping the pace all the way through. It’s very difficult to find openings in him.
You have seen three different scoring systems in your career. Your opinion on them? I think it’s positive for the game. If you see the men’s singles, even though you have Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei as the favourites here, they do lose. They don’t lose often, but they do lose. That’s because of the system, you know. The top 15 can beat the others in the top ten, and that’s very important.
You have a tradition of great badminton players in Denmark. Who influenced you the most? I was more influenced by Asian players dominating at the time. Heryanto Arbi was a big idol of mine when I was young. It’s another thing when you’re in the top yourself. It’s more like they’re an inspiration. So I guess I’ve taken something from a lot of players.
Film star Ajith to race in F2 c’ship Sunil Chhetri With experience in BMW and British F3, reel hero seeks to make motorsport popular in India D RAM RAJ. CHENNAI
Tamil film actor Ajith Kumar on Wednesday confirmed his participation in the 2010 FIA Formula 2 Championship. Ajith would thus become the third Indian in the F2 fray along with Armaan Ebrahim and Parthiva Sureshwaran. Ajith made his international racing debut in 2003 in the Formula BMW Asia
Championship. He finished 6th in the Korean Formula BMW event in 2004. He also had podium finishes in British Formula 3 Scholarship Class. “I have the confidence of achieving some success in this year’s FIA Formula 2 European Championships. I have already done some testing in Malaysia recently and am looking forward to more practice runs in Snetterton and Silverstone before the event kicks off on April 16. I hope my participation along with
the other two Indians, Armaaan Ebrahim and Parthiva
Sureshwaran, will create the right amount of interest in the sport in India,” Ajith Kumar said. F2 Series director Jonathan Palmer said he was ‘delighted to welcome’ Ajith to F2. “To have a well known Indian film star who has demonstrated such ambition racing in F2 is very exciting for the championship, and I really admire Ajith’s determination and enthusiasm. Paul Newman demonstrated that international celebrities can be com-
petitive in international motor sport - and late in his career. The F2 team and other drivers look forward to giving maximum support to help Ajith become increasingly competitive.” Ajith became the 17th driver to confirm his place in the 2010 FIA Formula Two Championship line-up. Ajith, in fact, participated in the F1600 rally at Irungattukottai, near Chennai, last month. But couldn’t finish the race due to mechanical problems.
Second Div I-league to Odafe does the star kick off on Saturday turn for Churchill DNA Correspondent. BANGALORE The Karnataka State Football Association will conduct the ONGC Second Division I-League football event at the Bangalore Football Stadium here from March 27 to April 15. Seven teams, including Bangalore-based Bharat Earth Movers Limited and Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club, will take part. Two other rounds will be played in New Delhi and Tinsukia (Assam) and the top two from each group will qualify for the final round, the dates for which are yet to be announced. “All matches will be played at the Bangalore Football Stadium,” said KSFA president AR Khaleel in a press meet on Wednesday. He said that they had made a bid to host the final round of the event. Three foreign players per team are allowed as per regulations and one should be Asian. Both BEML and HASC have two Nigerians
Groupings A (to be played in Bangalore): BEML SC, HASC, Malabar United FC, Travancore Titanium Products, Golden Threads, SBT, Chandani FC.
B (New Delhi): Amity United, Hindustan FC, ND Heroes, Simla Youngs, Sesa FA, ONGC, INFC. C (Tinsukia, Assam): Guwahati Town Club, Oil India, JCB Bhilai Brothers, Ar-Hima FC, Denzong Boyz, NISA, Mumbai United. each. In HASC, it is forward Frederick Okwagbe and defender Joseph Femi and BEML have Alexi Shamaki and A Hamza. HASC have been in good stead and posted wins against State Bank of Travancore and Travancore Titanium Products recently,
and both teams are playing here. “We have got a chance to play on home ground,” said HASC coach Muralidharan. “We have beaten some of the other teams in tournaments and have the confidence.” Meanwhile, Khaleel also informed that the two top teams from Bangalore needed to form separate entities (sports clubs) according to Asian Football Confederation rules. Both BEML and HASC officials said that their companies were in the process of fulfilling AFC conditions. About distributing prize money that was promised to the junior team that won the Nationals and sub-junior team that stood second in the Nationals, Khaleel said: “The delay was not intentional. We have fixed April 17 as the date to give away the prizes. Each member of the junior team and support staff will get Rs 10,000 and each member of the sub-junior team will get Rs 5000.”
East Bengal crash to third successive defeat
New Delhi: Star striker and captain Odafe Onyeka Okolie struck twice, once in each half, to guide I-League champions Churchill Brothers to a 21 victory over Al Hilal of Yemen in a crucial AFC Cup match in Sana’a on Wednesday. Odafe found the target in the 15th and 56th minutes while the Yemeni League champions scored their goal in the 37th minute at the Ali Mohsin Muraisi Stadium in Yemen. Al Hilal, however, missed a penalty as Brhano Qasem failed to convert in the 10th minute of the match. With their win, Churchill now top Group B with four points from two matches, having drawn their opening match 2-2 at home against defending champions Kuwait Sports Club. The Goan team has a strong chance to qualify for the knockout round of 16 from their group. Odafe gave his side the lead in the 15th minute before the home side re-
stored parity in the 37th minute. Odafe, who had scored a goal against Kuwait Sports Club, found the back of Al Hilal net a few minutes before the hour mark which turned out to be the match winner. In Kolkata, East Bengal fought hard but still failed to avert their third consecutive AFC Cup defeat and went down 2-3 to Al Qadsia of Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday. Bader Al-Motawaa scored twice in the second and 84th minutes while Jehal Al-Hossain scored in the 19th minute in the Kuwait outfit’s first win that helped them climb to the top of Group D with three points. East Bengal showed some fighting spirit and reduced the margin through Subhash Singh (19th) and Yusif Yakubu (68th) but that was not enough to upstage the visitors. This marks East Bengal coach Philippe de Ridder’s 11 straight loss. East Bengal had earlier lost to Al Ittihad (Syria) 1-4 and Al Nejmeh (Lebanon) 0-3 in their AFC Cup ties to languish at the bottom of Group-D without any point. PTI
bags MLS deal
National coach Houghton says the move may inspire more Indians to play abroad Mihir Vasavda. MUMBAI It’s official. Sunil Chhetri has become the third Indian footballer to join a foreign league after the diminutive striker’s deal with USA’s Major League Soccer (MLS) side Kansas City Wizards was agreed to in principle on Wednesday. Chhetri left for the US on Tuesday and an official announcement by the club is expected to be made on Thursday following medical and visa formalities. It is rumoured that the deal would be for three to four years. Chhetri will have a video conference with the Indian media on Friday in Bangalore where team owner Neil Patterson has his company’s India office. The amount of the deal has not been made public yet. The 25-year-old secured a release from Dempo, the current ILeague leaders, earlier this month. Chhetri had an unsuccessful trial with Coventry last January and failed to sign for Queen’s Park Rangers because of work permit issues. The striker has scored 16 goals for the national team in 35 appearances. After Mohammed Salim (Celtic) and Baichung Bhutia (Bury FC), he is the third Indian to play abroad. Wizards’ chief coach Peter Vermes said he was happy
Sunil Chhetri with Chhetri’s technical abilities. “One thing we really like about him is that he’s a crafty player. Technically he is very sharp and has good attacking tendencies,” Vermes said. India coach Bob Houghton, too, expressed his happiness. He, however, felt that Chhetri playing in Europe would have been even better. “Had he obtained the work permit then he could have been playing in Europe. I would have liked him to play in Europe as the standard there is better,” Houghton said. “But this is a great move for Sunil. I hope it inspires more players to play abroad.” Houghton said Chhetri’s progress will be closely monitored. “We will be monitoring his progress closely as he is a vital member of the national side. I am also surprised why Bhutia didn’t play in Europe as he is highly rated there. I am really happy for Sunil, though,” said the Englishman. (With inputs from Nihal Koshie)