FEATURE - U.S. ski industry unlikely to get Olympic bump

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 01:24 PM

After American downhill and cross-country skiers won numerous medals at the Vancouver Olympics, some ski industry executives hoped the gold around athletes necks would mean more sales of ski equipment and lift tickets.

But at the largest U.S. cross-country ski festival over the weekend, most skiers and store owners doubted they would see much of a bump.

For the first time since 1976, several Americans won medals in Nordic, or cross-country, events at the Olympics. But despite that success, most amateur skiers could not tell the difference between Nordic combined skiing star Johnny Spillane, who won three silver medals in Vancouver, and Mickey Spillane, the detective novelist, said George Hovland, who owns a Nordic center in Duluth, Minn.

"It's such a foreign sport to most Americans," said Hovland, 83, who raced in the 1952 Olympics. Hovland spoke to Reuters at the American Birkebeiner event, the country's largest cross-country ski gathering with races through the frosty Wisconsin woods.

Valued at $100 million a year, including equipment and resort tickets, the U.S. Nordic skiing market is dwarfed by alpine skiing and snowboarding.

But all three sectors will likely struggle to cash in on the dozens of hours of prime Olympic airtime they received, executives say, just as they did four years ago at the Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy.

Spending at U.S. ski shops slipped to $1.78 billion in winter 2007 from $1.8 billion a year earlier, according to trade group Snowsports Industries America.

One reason could be that small ski manufacturers and resorts cannot afford the television advertising that could lure people to try new sports, said Kelly Davis, research director for the trade group.

"All the anecdotal evidence around the excitement of the Games doesn't trump the data on sales," Davis said.

Nordic skiing, especially, struggles to connect Olympic airtime to commerce. It depends on natural snowfall more than skiing and boarding centers that can make their own snow to keep the lifts running all season.

Reduced snowfall in many years cut annual cross-country ski sales to about 1.2 million pairs worldwide from 2 million pairs in the 1980s, according to industry data.

"You can spend $1 million on marketing the sport, but if it doesn't snow, the spending doesn't matter," said Peter Ashley, a former skiing coach who now sells skis for a U.S. division of the privately owned Austrian company Fischer GMBH.

RECESSION BOOST

Ashley and others report good sales this season given heavy snowfall in many U.S. states and because the recession has drawn some cost-conscious skiers away from pricey resorts and lift tickets, and onto the nearest snow-covered golf course.

Fischer's cross-country sales were up 6 percent this season, Ashley said. In fact, Fischer and some other firms ran out of inventory since retailers were cautious about their orders after the economic meltdown of early 2009.

Among Fischer's rivals are Salomon, part of Finland's Amer Sports, and Madshus, owned by Jarden Corp.

Neither released sales data, but Madshus marketing manager Connor Folley said traffic on its website and on social-media services rose as Nordic athletes did well on the company's skis in Vancouver. "If marketing principles work out, that should lead to more sales," he said.

Another sore point for the ski industry is that Olympic rules prohibit many firms that are not Olympic sponsors from making much mention of sponsored athletes' accomplishments during the games. The result is some vague advertising: after U.S. snowboarder Shaun White struck gold in Vancouver, a blog post on the site of Burton Snowboards, one of his sponsors, coyly said, "Something ... happened last night. We can't really tell you much about it."

The Birkebeiner cross-country festival enjoyed a boom year with a record 8,350 participants. But Andy Canniff, marketing director for Swixsport USA, a unit of Norway's Swix Sport AS, said participants and the thousands of cowbell-clanging fans weren't talking about the Olympics, winding down the same weekend.

"There's no tie-in between what people see on TV and what they're doing themselves," Canniff said. "It kind of stinks."

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Muller's prediction coming true

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 01:18 PM

New Delhi, March 3 -- German skipper Maxi Muller predicted difficult times for defenders after their first practice match on the newly laid Poligras turf at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. According to him, the blades are too hard, rendering the pitch bouncy and the ball difficult to control. "We should see quite a lot of penalty corners as the defenders will take time to adjust to the bounce. There will be lot of errors while defending," said Muller on Tuesday. Going by the results, Muller's prediction seems spot on. In the six matches so far, teams have conceded 52 penalty corners with England leading the tally with 12 PCs against Australia. Germany, as usual, have been stingy and have given away only one. The bounce seems to affect the drag flickers too as only 14 of the 52 attempts have been successful. The scoring ratio is not too bad as the teams have been able to score 13 goals off the field at the end of the Netherlands' match against Argentina on Monday night. In all, 28 goals have been scored in six games - a healthy average of 4.66 goals per game. Though it is early days, as the12 teams have played one match each, the conditions indicate that this could be a high scoring World Cup. Only the Netherlands and Korea have a 100 per cent record when it comes to capitalizing on penalty corners. Taeke Taekema scored off all the three PCs against Argentina while Korea's Hyun Hye Sung scored off their lone short corner against Germany.

The Indians had conceded five PCs of which Sohail Abbas converted one. Defending champions Germany have a poor 14 per cent success rate while Pakistan are marginally better at 16.

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Parents look at the positives in SA defeat

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 01:14 PM

New Delhi, March 3 -- Austin Smith is leading the South African campaign in the Hockey World Cup. His family is leading the cheers from the stands. In the city to support their team, the Smiths haven't lost hope despite South Africa's twin defeats. "I think our boys are missing the horn-and-trumpet cheer. We aren't allowed to get those in, but I'm sure they will strike form soon," says Chris Smith, Austin's father. However, mother Precilla Smith is apprehensive. "They're a bunch of young boys and lack tactical strategies. They will make up for it with raw power and passion for the game." The Smiths say they are enjoying their stay in India. The family from Cape Town says it has never witnessed a more electrifying atmosphere in a hockey match.

They are all extremely happy with the security blanket provided to the team. As Precilla puts it, "I'd rather have a lot of it (security) than none of it for my boy."

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Dutchman's perfect flick lies elsewhere

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 01:04 PM

New Delhi, March 3 -- He is a star, having scored the highest number of goals in the last World Cup and notching up the first hattrick of this edition on Monday. But despite being a celebrity, Taeke Taekema earns his livelihood managing stars from other disciplines. Taekema (30) works for a sports management company that manages star footballers, but the veteran drag flicker is not envious of his clients. "Football is a sport played by millions while hockey has a restricted following. You can't compare hockey with soccer," said Taekema. Though the Dutchman is not raking in moolah like the footballers, he is one of the few hockey players who endorse international brands. Volkswagen and Rabobank have him on board and the dreaded drag flicker also has a signature hockey stick -- TT 10 by Adidas. Taekema's first love was football, but it was due to his elder brother and sister, who played club hockey, that he made the switch. "Till the age of nine, I used to play football, but as my brother and sister were into hockey, I opted for it and rest is the history," said Taekema. The Dutchman, who has been wielding the stick with dexterity for the last 15 years and has 199 goals to his credit, is a strong advocate of team spirit. "According to me, there is no individual goal in hockey. What matters is whether your team is winning or not," said Taekema, who will be tying the knot this summer. Talking about the World Cup, he said, "Last time, we lost our opening match to South Korea, but this time we've begun well and hope the momentum will continue."

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Pune FC two good for giants in Red and Gold

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 12:48 PM

Kolkata, March 3 -- Guess who summed up Pune FC's performance best by describing their football as efficient? It was East Bengal coach Philippe de Ridder. Efficient the white shirts were at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan on a hot March afternoon. True, East Bengal ended the first half having got more chances but it was Pune FC who could have gone ahead 2-0 by the eighth minute. And for being slower off the blocks after the breather, East Bengal were punished twice, this time too in eight minutes. Soon after going 2-0 up, they swept the ball from their territory to Godwin Franco on the right and almost to Arata who had sneaked into the six-yard box in a manner that encapsulated De Ridder's comment. Then there was the bizarre incident of Edmar Figueira's goal being disallowed even though the ball came out richocheting off the inside of the framework in the 71st minute. It was amazing that neither referee A. Arjunan nor assistant-referee J.P. Pandit saw what most in the 10,000 crowd did but it nearly helped East Bengal get out of jail. They couldn't because in the 74th minute, Bhaichung Bhutia let petulance cloud his sense of pragmatism. Booked for protesting at being denied a penalty after a long blast took Selwyn Fernandes's hand, Bhutia was expelled when, in trying to hasten the restart after Abel Hammond's penalty, he accidentally pushed Subrata Pal. The India goalie's playacting did the rest. Had Douhou Pierre not blasted into the upright from close and East Bengal goalie Abhra Mondal not managed to get his body between the goal and an Izumi Arata drive, the hosts would have chasing the game a lot earlier than they did. Gradually though, East Bengal took control. Hammond's 20th minute try after Mehtab Hossain found him with a superb ball on the right was saved by Pal. Six minutes later, Nabi found Hammond with a lob but with B. Beikhokhei too going for the header, neither managed enough power. Pierre stabbed home following Shanmugham Venkatesh's corner-kick and before De Ridder's plan to rejig his formation from an unconventional 4-5-1 to the more attacking 4-4-2 could be implemented. Before East Bengal could really settle down, Figueira made the most of space on the right side of their defence to score the insurance goal. "Two moments of inattention cost us today. It takes a lot of time to build, little to disintegrate. The only solution to this is to train together more." Again De Ridder's assessment was spot-on.

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Muralitharan to retire after 2011 World Cup

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 12:34 PM

Sydney, Mar 3 (ANI): Cricket's highest wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan plans to retire from Tests at the end of the year and from all forms of international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.

The 37-year-old, who has taken a world-record 792 wickets in 132 Tests, will finally retire after the West Indies' two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in October.

He needs only eight more scalps to become the first and only player to take 800 wickets.

"Maybe I will play one or two Test matches, that's it, and then retire. The Tests against the West Indies will be the last ones I will play," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Muralitharan, as saying.

"My future is all about playing one-dayers until the World Cup. If I am fit and good I will play until the World Cup and the World Cup will be the end of the road," he added.

Sri Lanka's Test schedule for 2010 is completed by three Tests in India in July, although that series is yet to be confirmed. Muralitharan said his aim was to reach the 800 Test wicket mark before retiring.

The off-spinner has struggled for form in his most recent Test appearances, during a three-match series against India in December, averaging more than 65 with the ball and taking only nine wickets.

Muralitharan, who plays for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, said all Lankan players will participate in the T20 tournament despite security fears.

"All the Sri Lankans will go. If you don't go it is bad because there will be no cricket on the subcontinent at all. It is a difficult question," Muralitharan added. (ANI)

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Football's millionaire culture behind players' bad behaviour: Capello

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 12:18 PM

London, Mar 3 (ANI): England manager Fabio Capello, who is plagued by off-field problems involving John Terry, Wayne Bridge and Ashley Cole, has blamed football's millionaire culture for the players' bad behaviour.

The England boss insisted that his stars must act more responsibly.

"They are important players. They have to be an example to the children, for all the fans. For that reason, they have to stay careful in every moment and sacrifice something in their lives," Capello said.

"They are young players, young boys, rich boys and this is the problem," The Sun quoted Capello, as saying.

Capello spoke to his players about their responsibilities before training on Monday morning and made it clear that he wants no more scandals ahead of the World Cup finals.

"I hope so and it will be really important that the players in this last period have to be careful in their private lives at every moment. I think the next three months will be OK for all the players," he said.

Capello also appealed to the Wembley crowd not to boo Terry tonight ahead of friendly against Egypt.

"I think the fans have to support us in every moment. They have to understand the private life of some players has not been so good but that on the pitch it will be different.

"We are dressed in the England shirt and it's important for us that they help us every moment. I know they are worried after what's happened. But I hope they will help us," Capello said. (ANI)

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That's incredible: Sachin

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 12:14 PM

Mumbai, March 3 -- Six days after Sachin Tendulkar scored a double-century in the ODI at Gwalior, the master batsman was still unaware that he wasn't the first person to do so, merely the first man. Australian Belinda Clark achieved the feat in a Women's World Cup match in 1997. "I have not heard of it, but if she has done such a thing, that's incredible," he said. He was addressing the media as brand ambassador for the Joy of Giving Week, organised by non-profit organisation, GiveIndia. Clark's 229, which came in 181 minutes against Denmark at Sachin's home turf, the MIG Cricket Club in Bandra, was hailed as a tremendous innings by umpire M. R. Singh, who had stood in that game, in a conversation with HT on Feb 26. Talking about his milestone, Tendulkar said he was not nervous while playing the last six runs before hitting 200-mark. Ever since Tendulkar's latest record, politicians in Maharashtra have been keen on pushing for a Bharat Ratna for the little master. "The Bharat Ratna is a very rare achievement. The people who have won the award are not only my heroes but of the entire nation," Tendulkar said. "It would be a great achievement to get that award and join the greats, but I am not thinking of it yet. I will just continue playing cricket and not bother about the award." While politicians are talking about the honour, cricket circles have been abuzz with debates on whether Tendulkar was the greatest batsman of all time. Inevitably, people have suggested he is better even that Sir Don Bradman. "It is unfair to make comparisons. I have never believed in comparisons because I respect every individual." "That is how I look at life, not only in cricket but off the field as well. Every individual has his own identity and I am not only talking about Sir Don, but all the other players who have played for a long time at the international level." "They all have made huge sacrifices, and along with them their families have also made sacrifices. We need to respect that. We need to value rather than compare them with someone or the other. I feel we should appreciate what everyone has done and respect them because that is the way I would prefer to look at it." Master backs hockey Caught up in the wave of excitement that the World Cup has generated, Tendulkar offered his unqualified support to the hockey team. "Your performance may fluctuate but our support for you is unwavering."

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NBA - Celtics use big fourth quarter to beat Pistons

Published Wed, Mar 03 10 11:48 AM

The Boston Celtics snapped a two-game losing streak with a 105-100 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.

Ray Allen led a strong team effort with 18 points while Rajon Rondo added 15 and 11 assists for the Celtics, who welcomed back All Star forward Paul Pierce after he missed the three previous games with a thumb injury.

The game had been tied at 79-79 in the fourth before Boston went on a 10-2 run that gave them the advantage they held until the end. The Celtics scored 33 points in the final quarter.

Rookie Jonas Jerebko led the Pistons with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince scored 15 points each. The loss was Detroit's fourth in a row.

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England register second win, beat SA 6-4

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 11:44 AM

New Delhi, March 2 -- Outside the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the men in khaki were collecting their dinner packets, but inside the complex, the sparse crowd had started 'feasting' after England's 6-4 victory over South Africa. The teams laid out a veritable feast of goals in the opening match on Tuesday, but with England playing true to form, it was a matter of time before the Proteas were walking out of the arena as losers. Ten goals are not something one witnesses in the showpiece hockey event, but with both teams spending little currency on defence, the electronic scoreboard was kept ticking all the time. Not that the South Africans didn't roar. In fact, they were the first to open the account - and the last to close it. A superb solo from Justin Reid-Ross down the baseline on the left set up Marvin Harper just a few yards from the goal-line in the 10th minute. The forward slid on the turf, got his stick on the ball, and SA were rejoicing. England have shown a penchant for penalty-corner conversions in this World Cup, scoring two in the inaugural tie against Champions Trophy winners Australia in similar fashion. Perhaps, they were also mindful of the fact that it was a historic match - this was the 500th World Cup tie - and didn't want to play second fiddle to a team ranked many notches below them. The first PC they earned turned out to be their launching pad. A scorching grounder from Richard Mantell five minutes after the opening goal brought England on level terms. South Africa, who joined Kenya and Ghana as the only African teams to appear in the FIH World Cup, however kept belying their world ranking - lowly to say the least - with sudden bursts and counter-attacks and England kept responding with more power and punch. England's tactically superior and SA's patchy play was evident when an error of judgment by the latter team's captain, Austin Smith, in the midfield gave Rob Moore a golden chance to score for the lead. Moore slammed the ball from the top of the circle into the bottom left corner of the goal to once again signal his team's authority. A Norris Jones field goal restored parity in the 25th minute, but after the break, it was an all-out England attack that fetched them three goals from Ashley Jackson, Nick Catlin and Iain Mackay within a span of eight minutes - from 43rd to 51st. At 5-2, and with nothing to lose, SA crowded the England circle, unnerving them and even scoring a couple of goals through Harper and Thornton McDade, but England held on. England also kept their record clean against South Africa in the World Cup.

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Australia outscore India 5-2

Published>Wed, Mar 03 10 10:18 AM

New Delhi, March 2 -- Australia firmly kept themselves in the hunt for a semifinal slot with an impressive 5-2 victory over India in pool B of the Hockey World Cup in New Delhi on Tuesday. Indian players failed to maintain the previous match momentum in their Tuesday's match. The hosts were completely off-coloured till the last minute of the game, when Vikram Pillay reduced the margin by 1-3 through a brilliant diving goal scored on an Australian goalkeeper's rebound. Apart from that the entire first-half was on the name of visitors.

Desmond Abbott scored a filed goal in the 26th minute to give Australia 3-0 lead. Vikram Pillay scored for India in the 34th minute (1-3).

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+Phar Lap+ wins the Columbia Plate

Published Tue, Mar 02 10 06:50 PM

Hyderabad, Mar 2 (PTI) Laxman S trained +Phar Lap+ ably ridden by Harinder S won the Columbia Plate Div.I (about) 1000 Metres for Category II horses, the main event on the extra day of the Hyderabad Winter Races here today. +Sun Strikes (jockey L.D''Silva up) claimed the Polavaram Plate, supporting event of the day. Trainer A''pamSharma and jockey R Parmod combination scored a double. Three first favourites obliged in a card of nine events.

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Cricket is priority, not Bharat Ratna, says Sachin

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 06:46 PM

Mumbai, March 2 (IANS) Sachin Tendulkar Tuesday said it would be 'great' to be awarded India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna, but insisted his priority remains his cricket career.

Talking to mediapersons for the first time after his record-breaking feat last week in Indore, Tendulkar said the Bharat Ratna is indeed a rare honour but he is not in a hurry to receive it.

'Who would not like to be on that list of heroes? It is everyone's dream. For me, the focus is only cricket. When it (Bharat Ratna) has to happen, it will happen,' Tendulkar said.

Maharashtra chief minister said after Tendulkar's 200 runs in the Indore ODI that the state government would recommend his name to the centre for the Bharat Ratna.

The 36-year-old Indian batting maestro also claimed to be a fan of the Indian hockey team and wished them luck in the ongoing Hockey World Cup in New Delhi.

'I wish them the very best in their endeavour and shall be with them if they perform well or even if they do not meet our expectations,' Tendulkar said on the sidelines of a function to celebrate the 'Joy Of Giving Week', an NGO of which he is the brand ambassador.

On comparisons with legendary Australian cricketer Sri Don Bradman, Tendulkar said: 'I have never believed in comparisons and I respect all individuals, not just Sir Don. I feel happy playing for my country and feel particularly pleased when I do well and the team is victorious.'

He also attended a half-day cricket camp with 14 executives from Whirlpool and seven children from various NGOs.

'It feels great to be a part of a movement like this. Many of us give money, but giving time is more difficult. That's why I gave a day of my time and skills.'

Tendulkar's auction at the coaching camp netted Rs.12 lakh for the NGO Apnalaya, becoming the highest bid ever on eBaY India.

Last year, Tendulkar kicked off a campaign June 3 with a personal commitment to sponsor the education of 200 underprivileged children every year.

The Joy Of Giving Week was initiated by Give India, headed by former ICICI chairman N. N. Vaghul, and put together by over 200 NGOs, corporates, colleges and schools across 40 cities/towns around the country.

Last year, it raised over Rs.100 million, which would go to various social causes all over India and the next Joy Of Giving Week shall be held between Sep 26-Oct 2.

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'Bharat Ratna' suggested for Sachin Tendulkar

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 06:36 PM

Mumbai, Mar 2 (ANI): Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, whose name has been suggested for the highest civilian award by Maharashtra Government has said that the 'Bharat Ratna' is every Indian's dream.

The Maharashtra Government has asked the Centre to confer Tendulkar with the prestigious 'Bharat Ratna' for his contribution to the game and making the country proud.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has indicated that he has asked the Central Government to grant Sachin for the award, adding that his contribution to the game of cricket deserves the highest civilian award.

Deputy Chief Minister Chaggan Bhujbal said that a museum will be named after Tendulkar, adding that the state government has asked the Centre to consider him for the highest civilian honour.

Former cricketers Kapil Dev, Ajit Wadekar and Navjot Singh Sidhu also want the award to be conferred on the little master for his superb performance over the last 19 years.

Tendulkar in the recently concluded one-day international (ODI) series against South Africa silenced all his critics by becoming the first player in the history of the one-day game to score a ouble hundred. (ANI)

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Rogue bullet gives Dragons ammunition to ban Nelson

Published Tue, Mar 02 10 06:32 PM

Dominican pitcher Maximo Nelson has been banned for three months after being arrested by Japanese police for having a live bullet in his bag at an airport, his Chunichi Dragons club said on Tuesday.

Nelson, once on the New York Yankees's books, was detained at Naha airport in Okinawa for breaching Japan's gun and sword control laws before boarding a flight to Nagoya following spring training.

The Dragons said the 27-year-old would be unable to rejoin his team mates until the end of May and be unable to play for the club's reserve teams until completing his ban.

Nelson was signed by the Yankees in 2000 and was a highly-rated prospect before being named by the New York Times as one of dozens of Dominican Republic natives caught up in a marriage scheme to fraudulently win U.S. visas for women.

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CNN to sponsor Lotus F1 team

Published Tue, Mar 02 10 04:26 PM

CNN International will sponsor Lotus F1 in a long-term deal, the new Malaysian-backed Formula One team said on Tuesday.

The agreement will see the news network's branding on the race cars, drivers' overalls and all team clothing from this season.

Lotus team principal Tony Fernandes said the deal was a "sign of the positive impact we have already made in the global business market that such a prestigious brand... has made the decision to partner with us".

No financial details were given.

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Lighter ban but Shivendra says it's still injustice

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 04:22 PM

The ban on him has been reduced by a match but Indian forward Shivendra Singh on Tuesday said even the lighter penalty amounts to "injustice" on him as he has been punished for no fault.

During India's World Cup opener against Pakistan on Sunday, Shivendra's stick hit rival player Fareed Ahmed who suffered a cut on his eye as a result. Tournament Director Ken Read, while handing out the initial three-match suspension to Shivendra, said the act was "deliberate".

The Indian player, who after the reduced ban will sit out of the matches against Australia and Spain, however, insisted that he had no intention to hurt the Pakistani player and it was just an accident.

"I am very disappointed with the decision. The penalty is injustice to me because I never committed the fault intentionally. I was running for the ball and while I was in motion the stick suddenly hit the Pakistani player. But it was never deliberate," Shivendra said.

The seasoned forward, who had scored a goal in India's 4-1 win in the tournament opener, said the slight relief hardly matters to him as he would be sitting out of two 0crucial matches.

"It does not matter to me because at the end of the day I would be missing the crucial match against Australia. It hardly matters," he said.

Shivendra said the episode has only made him more determined to make a strong comeback.

"Now I am even more determined to perform better when I return to field after suspension," he said. India coach Jose Brasa was also livid with the harsh penalty imposed on his ward.

"The three-match suspension penalty was very harsh and in that sense wrong. I don't say he (tournament director) does not have the power under FIH rules. He has the authority but the decision was wrong. It was an enormous penalty for an unintentional foul," Brasa told reporters.

"If Mr Read wants to send a message why did he pick the Indian team. My players were struck on the face in that match against Pakistan and matches involving Australia, England and other countries were much more physical involving graver 0offences by their players.

"I have never ever experienced a player being handed a three-match penalty in my life -- be it Olympics, World Cup or Champions Trophy. Three match is half of the World Cup. To penalise a player by suspending him half of a World Cup for an unintentional foul was enormous," Brasa had said yesterday.

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Hamilton enjoying productive relationship with Button

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 04:16 PM

London, Mar 2(ANI): Former Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has said he is enjoying a productive relationship with new McLaren team-mate and reigning champion Jenson Button.

Hamilton and Button have registered excellent times in recent testing, and will be the biggest threat in the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will take place on March 14.We seem to give the exact same feedback, the same feeling in the car, which is a positive for us," The Daily Express quoted Hamilton, as saying.

"Working together is going very well but the first race will give us a real indication of just how different we demand the car," he added.

McLaren will head to the Bahrain Grand Prix as the team to beat after Hamilton posted the quickest time of the Barcelona test on the final day of running in Spain.

Hamilton headed the time sheets after some frantic action, lapping the track in one minute and 20.472 seconds.

He took over running in the MP4-25 from Button for the final day of the Catalunya session and worked on fine-tuning the set-up of the car before completing a series of qualifying simulations and a full race run.

Red Bull's Mark Webber was second fastest, just over two-hundredths of a second slower than Hamilton.

After that came Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Adrian Sutil of Force India, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes superstar Michael Schumacher - all lapping within 0.3 seconds of Hamilton. (ANI)

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AIFF office in Delhi robbed

Published Tue, Mar 02 10 04:06 PM

New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) Three masked men barged into the office of All India Football Federation (AIFF) in south-west Delhi in the wee hours today and decamped with a van and other articles after holding two employees hostage. The incident took place in Sector 19 of Dwarka at around 2 AM. The robbers entered the building where the office of the country''s apex football body is located and held hostage a security guard and a driver present there. "They locked the guard and the driver in a room before beating them up. They decamped with two LCD TV sets, a computer, fire extinguishing equipment, a Maruti van and an inverter battery," a senior police official said. The guard and the driver managed to inform police at around 3:15 am about the incident after the robbers left the place Police suspect the hand of gangs operating in the area. A case has been registered and efforts are on to nab the robbers.

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Hamilton poses threat to Schumacher's winning comeback

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 03:52 PM

London, Mar 2 (ANI): Seven times Formula One champion Michael Schumacher believes Lewis Hamilton poses a threat to his dream of making a title-winning comeback.

Schumacher saw Hamilton's McLaren blow his rivals away in final testing in Barcelona.

The new season gets underway in Bahrain on Sunday, but Schumacher warned his Mercedes GP outfit will be quicker by then.

"McLaren looked very strong, no doubt. But then it depends on who is going to bring what to Bahrain. We have some improvement for Bahrain but is it much or is it not compared with what the others may or may not do? It's a puzzle that's difficult to read," The Sun quoted Schumacher, as saying.

Schumacher was ninth quickest of the 23 drivers who took part in the four-day test, but was less than 0.3sec off the pace set by 2008 world champ Hamilton.

But Hamilton did not buy Schumacher's assessment that McLaren is in pole position on the eve of the new campaign.

"We're not in the strongest position. We're in a strong position, just as Schumacher's team are. The times I did were very competitive, so that was a big boost of confidence for me. Still, Mercedes was very competitive over its long runs and so was the Ferrari.

"I'm sure other people will come with updates for the first race, so we're pushing hard to find some more time."

Reigning champion Button sees as many as seven teams with a realistic hope of the title.

He said: "You've got us, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull, but you've also got Sauber, Force India are not far behind, and the Williams. So it's very, very competitive." (ANI)

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Ind-Aus to play for Ajit Pal-Charlesworth trophy today

Published Tue, Mar 02 10 03:22 PM

New Delhi, Mar 2 (PTI) The winning team of today''s India-Australia hockey World Cup match will not only earn points but also lay its hands on the inaugural Ajit Pal-Ric Charlesworth trophy. A release from Australian High Commission said the two teams have designated today''s tie as a friendship match and apart from points in the tournament, they will also play for the Ajit Pal-Ric Charlesworth trophy. The trophy has been named after two great hockey players of their countries. Ajit Pal had led India to World Cup triumph in 1975 and Charlesworth was the member of the victorious Australian team in 1986 World Cup. The two legends will also be in attendance along with Australian foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith and India''s HRD minister Kapil Sibal in today''s match.

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Sohail Abbas is the king of penalty corners: Taekema

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 03:16 PM

He is one of the most lethal drag-flickers the world has ever seen, but for Taeke Taekema Pakistan's Sohail Abbas is the "king of penalty corners" just by the sheer magnitude of his conversion rate.

Sohail's has more than 300 international goals to his name and Taekema feels the veteran Pakistani drag-flicker is the most prolific scorer the world has witnessed. He also lavished praise on Indian's Sandeep Singh, who according to him has made remarkable improvement in his drag-flicking skills.

"Sohail Abbas is the king of penalty corner because of his goal scoring record. He scored the most goals from penalty corners, so definitely he is the best in the world," Taekema said.

"But Sandeep is very talented and has improved his skills. Both the players played in the Dutch league, so I have seen them a lot," he said. Taekema yesterday registered the first hat-trick of the on-going World Cup by converting three penalty corners in their 3-0 win over Argentina at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.

With this hat-trick, Taekema is just one goal away from equalling legendary country-mate Floris Jan Bovelander's 17 World Cup goals record, but the 30-year-old drag-flicker said what matters to him is team's performance and not individual goals.

"I don't have any personal goal for the World Cup. If I were after individual goals, I would have played a game like tennis, not hockey. My job is to convert penalty corners and I always try to do my best," said Taekema, who was the highest scorer of the 2006 edition of the quadrennial event in Monchengladbach with 11 goals.

"Penalty corners are small part of the game besides that I am a defender also. I have to do well in the defence also." Asked about the recipe behind his success, Taekema said there is no alternative to practice.

"It's just practice, years of practice. That's the main thing. If you keep on practising one thing day in and day out for the last 15-16 years, you are bound to master it. You also need to fine-tune your skill and then getting the right rhythm is also very important," he said.

"If the push and trap is spot on, it makes my job easier."

Taekema is only the third player after Australia captain Jamie Dwyer and German player Christopher Zeller to have got a hockey stick produced in his name by sportsapparel maker Adidas.

Taekema struck record 16 goals, including a double hat-trick against Belgium in the semi-final of the 2007 European Championships in Manchester. And in celebration of his record breaking feat, Adidas introduced its limited edition TT10 hockey stick, which has Taekema's initials and jersey number incorporated in it.

"It's just that I work together with Adidas to create the sticks and they put my initials and jersey number in it," said the modest Dutch player, who won the Champions Trophy four times with his national team.

He feels the Dutch will have to come out with an improved showing in their remaining matches if they desire to pocket their fourth World title.

"We played a very hard game against Argentina in the first match. The goalkeeper (Guus Vogels) played terrific. He saved us on quite a few occasions. So we need to perform much better in the next matches," he said.

"We definitely have to perform better to have a chance in the tournament," added Taekema, who was member of the Athens Olympics silver medal winning Dutch side.

Source: Web Search

Women's team denied permission to cheer men in blue

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 03:08 PM

It is the ultimate insult. The women's hockey team wanted to come and cheer their male counterparts in the World Cup, but were denied permission by the organisers, apparently due to security reasons.

Confirming the incident, chief women's coach Maharaj Kishen Kaushik said the team is not going to come to the Capital now. Speaking to Mail Today from Bhopal where the women's team is currently practising, Kaushik said that he had sent a proposal to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Hockey India about the women players being keen to come and cheer for the men's team.

"I had personally written to the SAI and Hockey India that the women's team wanted to come to the Capital on March 10 and stay on till March 13," he said.

Kaushik added that his wards also wanted to avail the poly grass practice pitches. "We felt it was a good opportunity to come to the National Stadium as our team will soon leave for Japan and China to play a Test series.

"But then due to security reasons, out team was refused permission," he said. The team will now come to Delhi on March 16 morning and leave for Japan the same night. The opening Test against Japan is on March 18 in Tokyo. "We would have loved to cheer our team. Also, we would have got a good chance to practice on poly grass turf. "We are very disappointed that we could not watch the World Cup live and will have to be content with watching it on TV," said a player.

Meanwhile, Kaushik was satisfied with the practice sessions the team had in Bhopal. "Our team has been having intense training sessions for the last one month. The girls are really performing well and I have am sure they will give a good account of themselves in the Test series against Japan and China," he said. Kaushik was of the view that fitness was the one area where the team had really improved upon.

"Without doubt, improving fitness has been our main focus. The fitness of our players has improved tremendously. They have put in a lot of hardwork and it is showing now," he said. On the upcoming Test series against Japan and China, Kaushik said the series against these two teams would be a test of strength for India. "These teams, especially China, are very good. So it will be a real test for our women," he said.

Source: Web Search

Financiers plan 1 bln stg bid for Man Utd - papers

Published Tue, Mar 02 10 02:48 PM

A team of British financiers is working on a 1 billion pound ($1.5 billion) bid for English soccer club Manchester United, but the club's owners are not interested in selling, media reported on Tuesday.

Newspapers said a group calling themselves the Red Knights and including Keith Harris, former chairman of the Football League and executive chairman of investment bank Seymour Pierce, met on Monday at lawyers Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to discuss a possible bid.

Other members of the group include Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill, Freshfields partner Mark Rawlinson and Paul Marshall, co-founder and chairman of hedge fund Marshall Wace, they said.

The Daily Telegraph, however, said Manchester United's billionaire U.S. owners, the Glazer family, were not interested in a deal.

"Manchester United is simply not for sale. Nothing has changed," it quoted a spokesman for the family as saying.

The Glazers bought Manchester United in 2005 against a wave of opposition from supporters and have attracted fresh criticism as the club's debts have swelled to 716.5 million pounds ($1.1 billion).

A growing number of fans have been protesting by shunning the side's red and white colours and sporting green and gold, worn when the team was known as Newton Heath in its early days.

None of the parties mentioned were immediately available for comment.

Source: Web Search

Cook not included in England 20-20 World Cup squad

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 02:16 PM

London, Mar. 2 (ANI): England stand-in skipper Alastair Cook has been dropped for the World Twenty20.

According to The Sun, the Essex batsman failed to make a provisional 30-man squad for the tournament in the West Indies.

Cook only has four international T20 caps but was included in last week's squad for the two games with Pakistan.

He is currently leading the Test and ODI side, although it was Paul Collingwood who took the reigns for the shortest version of the game.

The opener may have thought he had done enough to force his way in after a blistering 64 against Bangladesh yesterday. ut national selector Geoff Miller revealed Cook's game needs to change if he wants a way back in.

"He has to prove us wrong. He's played very well in Bangladesh and if he can carry his career into that area then we'll reassess. But at the moment we don't see him as a Twenty20 player, and that's why he's not in," Miller was quoted, as saying.

Five uncapped players have been named in the squad, which will be whittled down for 15 for England's first game on May 3.

Steven Finn, Michael Lumb, David Wainwright, Peter Trego and Chris Woakes have all been given the nod after impressing for the Lions.

The England squad is as follows:

P Collingwood (captain), J Anderson, I Bell, R Bopara, T Bresnan, S Broad, S Davies, J Denly, S Finn, C Kieswetter, M Lumb, S Mahmood, D Mascarenhas, E Morgan, G Onions, K Pietersen, L Plunkett, M Prior, A Rashid, O Shah, A Shahzad, R Sidebottom, G Swann, J Tredwell, P Trego, J Trott, D Wainwright, C Woakes, L Wright, M Yardy. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Germany rally late to draw against South Korea

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 02:06 PM

Holders Germany rallied after being outpaced early on by South Korea to draw their opening league match 2-2 at the men's hockey World Cup on Monday.

The top Asian outfit scored two goals in the first 15 minutes to put Olympic champions Germany under pressure in the absence of several experienced players.

Florian Fuchs and Benjamin Wess scored in the second half for Germany, the world's top-ranked team who are aiming for a third straight world title.

Penalty corner specialist Taeke Taekema scored a hat-trick to lead Netherlands to a 3-0 victory over Argentina and New Zealand beat Canada 3-2 in the other two pool A matches at the Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium.

Hyun Hye-sung put the Koreans 1-0 up through a penalty corner in the third minute and Lee Nam-yong scored off a spectacular reverse hit in the 15th minute to stun the Germans, who squandered five penalty corners in the first half.

However, Germany, who lost 5-3 to Korea in the Champions Trophy in December, found their bearings after regrouping at the break.

Fuchs scored an opportunistic goal and Wess knocked home the equaliser with 12 minutes remaining as Germany took advantage of Korea's defensive approach in the second half.

Ryan Archibald scored a stunning field goal with four minutes left to give New Zealand a dramatic victory over Canada after trailing 2-1 at half time.

Taekema was in spectacular form as he converted three penalty corners to give the Dutch a winning start.

Source: Web Search

Taekema hat-trick helps Dutch drub Argentina 3-0

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 01:48 PM

Veteran drag-flicker Taeke Taekema scored the first hat-trick of the tournament as the Netherlands blanked bottom-ranked Argentina 3-0 in their Pool A hockey World Cup match in New Delhi.t

Taekema struck in the 14th, 35th and 61st minute as three-time champions the Netherlands stamped their class against Argentina who are the lowest ranked team in the 12-team tournament at 14th.

With the hat-trick on Sunday, Taekema is just one goal away from equalling legendary country-mate penalty corner specialist Floris Jan Bovelander's 17 World Cup goals.

The Dutch won three penalty corners in the first half and Taekema, who took all of them, converted two. He then added another goal to his kitty in the second half to score the first hat-trick of the tournament under floodlights in front of a handful of spectators at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.

Taekema, one of world's best and most experienced drag-flickers, scored of the first penalty corner when he smashed the ball to the right upper corner of the Argentine net in the 13th minute to notch up his first goal.

His second goal came in the third penalty corner of his side which he sent to the bottom right corner of the Argentine goalpost in the 34th minute.

In between, Billy Bakker had a golden opportunity to score from close range for Argentina but the ball hit the crossbar in the 21st minute.

Source: Web Search

Capello bans players from talking about Terry scandal

Published>Tue, Mar 02 10 01:36 PM

London, Mar 2 (ANI): England manager Fabio Capello has banned players from talking about the John Terry scandal.

The Italian manager told players it was time to move on and focus on winning the World Cup in South Africa.

Capello fears the scandal will tear the team apart. Several players are said to blame Terry after Wayne Bridge quit the squad last week, The Sun reports.

An England insider said: "Fabio called everyone for a ten-minute chat. Splits in the camp would be a disaster. Players were told to see him if they have a problem. He doesn't want any whispering in corners."

Chelsea star Terry reported for England duty yesterday for the first time since he lost the captaincy over his affair with Bridge's ex Vanessa Perroncel.

Ace striker Wayne Rooney yesterday urged fans not to boo Terry during England's friendly against Egypt at Wembley tomorrow. (ANI)

Source: Web Search