Sportpersons to go on streets to raise funds for flood victims

Tue, Aug 24 10 12:23 PM

Karachi, Aug 24 (PTI) Top cricketers and hockey Olympians of Pakistan will go out on the streets of major cities to raise funds for the millions of flood affected people of the country. Former Test captain Moin Khan told a press conference yesterday that many former and present players have given their consent for the fund collection and raising drive that would start next week. "All the players want to play their role in collecting funds for the flood victims and we will go out on the streets and implore with the people to donate funds and anything else they can to make life easier for the millions affected in the devastation," Moin said. Many former and present cricketers and hockey stars of Pakistan have been working under the umbrella of the Islamic Relief Fund, which has offices in many parts of the world to raise funds for noble causes. Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Rashid Latif and Moin have also attended the Islamic Relief Fund charity events in Dubai, the UK and US in recent past to gather funds for different causes. "When the earthquake struck our country five years back we launched a similar fund raising drive by going on to the streets and the response was overwhelming for us," Moin said. Former Test player Jalaluddin said the sporting fraternity wanted to play its part in raising funds for the flood victims as they commanded lot of respect, love and credibility among the Pakistani people. Former player and a leading official of the Islamic Relief Fund, Haris Khan said that sportspersons would go on the streets in walkathons and set up camps to collect funds and goods. "We will then ourselves travel to the flood affected areas and distribute these among the deserving victims of the devastating floods," he said. The Pakistan Cricket Board has already announced its intentions to organise some charity matches to raise funds for the flood victims. The national team players have also announced that they would give part of their match fees for the flood victims. PTI Cor SSC

Source: Published>

Australia reappoints coach Nielsen until 2013 Ashes

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 12:19 PM

Sydney, Aug 24(ANI): Cricket Australia (CA) has renewed Australian coach Tim Nielsen's contract until the end of the next Ashes series in England in 2013.

Nielsen, who took over from John Buchanan in 2007, had helped Australia manage the 'challenging transition' following the retirements of experienced players including Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath.

"Tim has been at the helm through a significant and challenging period of transition which has seen a number of once-in-a-generation global champions retire from the Australian team," The Australian quoted James Sutherland, CA Chief Executive, as saying.

"Working closely with (captain) Ricky Ponting, team leadership, national players and team management, he has played an important role leading Australia through that transition," he added.

He further highlighted that under Nielsen's leadership, Australia has won eight of their last 10 Tests, are ranked number one in ODI cricket and reached the final of this year's T20 World Cup.

"In assessing this reappointment, it was important to CA to note the strong support for Tim in his role from players, team management and other cricket leaders in Australia's national talent pathway program," Sutherland said.

Meanwhile, talking about CA's decision, Nielsen said that he was excited about the coming phase in Australian cricket.

"We have players who have come into the group over the last year or so who have found their feet at international level and more young players coming through, it is a great time to be renewing my role," he added.

Nielsen's reappointment follows the recruitment of former captain Greg Chappell as Australia's first full-time selector. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

'Divorced' Tiger Woods' philandering may cost him 100mn pound in settlement

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 11:45 AM

London, Aug 24 (ANI): Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren are finally divorced and now there's only one question on everyone's mind - what is the settlement?

"The rumours are bouncing around and the smart thinking is that Elin will receive a settlement into the early 100 million pounds, not half of his 1 billion pound," The Telegraph quoted divorce lawyer Vanessa Lloyd Platt as saying.

While Nordegren is likely to get the couple's one home in Florida, Woods will get the house in Jupiter Island, Florida as well as a 2 million pound Los Angeles apartment and their 155ft yacht Privacy.

Woods' wife will reportedly get 20 million dollars (12 million pounds) after 10 years of marriage, according to a prenuptial agreement. But that amount could go up in wake of Woods' recent scandals.

He will possibly have custody of their two children for at least one weekend a month.

According to the divorce documents the marriage was "irretrievably broken" and the couple had agreed to separate in early July, following Woods' confession to a string of extramarital affairs. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Australian reappoints coach Nielsen until 2013 Ashes

Tue, Aug 24 10 10:37 AM

Melbourne, Aug 24 (PTI) Keeping faith in Tim Nielsen, Cricket Australia today reappointed the former wicket-keeper batsman as Australia coach until the end of the 2013 Ashes series in England. CA said Nielsen had taken up the job at a challenging time in 2007 when greats like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath retired and played a vital role in the transition period. "Tim has been at the helm through a significant and challenging period of transition which has seen a number of once-in-a-generation global champions retire from the Australian team," CA Chief Executive Sutherland said. "Working closely with Ricky Ponting, team leadership, national players and team management, he has played an important role leading Australia through that transition. "We have won eight of our last 10 Tests, are ranked number one in One-day International Cricket and reached the final of the most recent ICC T20 Championship with Tim as our national coach," he said. Sutherland and CA General Manager Cricket, Michael Brown informed the Australian players at the camp in Coolum, Queensland, about Nielsen''s reappointment. Nielsen, on his part, said he was excited about the opportunity to groom the new set of Australian players. "I am excited about the coming phase in Australian cricket," he said. "We have players who have come into the group over the last year or so who have found their feet at international level and more young players coming through, it is a great time to be renewing my role," added the former head coach at the Centre of Excellence in Queensland. Australia captain Ricky Ponting said, "This reappointment is a fantastic step forward for Australian cricket and recognition for the hard work of Tim and his coaching staff since his tenure began." PTI SSC

Source: Published>

Kashyap crashes out of World Badminton C''ships

Tue, Aug 24 10 10:25 AM

Paris, Aug 24 (PTI) India''s Parupalli Kashyap blew away a game lead to crash out of in the first round of the World Badminton Championships here. The promising Indian shuttler lost 21-14 14-21 16-21 to Thailand''s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk in his tournament opener last night that lasted 56 minutes. Kashyap was almost flawless in the first game as he pinned the Thai to the back court and with some delectable drop shots won important points. After winning the first game 21-14, Kashyap seemed well on course of advancing to the second round. But Saensomboonsuk had other pans as he came back strongly to shatter the hopes of the Indian. Saensomboonsuk forced Kashyap on the back hand in the second game to race to a 8-3 lead and finally win the game 21-14 to tie the scores at 1-1. In the decider, Kashyap''s defensive errors continued as the Thai took a 19-15 lead. In the end, despite Kashyap prolonging the rallies, Saensomboonsuk won the third game 21-16 to cruise into the second round. "I think I was too defensive," said a crestfallen Kashyap. "But it''s an important learning experience for me. I have no doubt that I was the better player with the better shots but he forced me to play to his style and I just couldn''t adapt," he said. Kashyap also felt that he would need to play more openly. "I need to relax in a game. I am too stressed out when the match is not going my way. I hope this goes a long way in teaching me to play to my strength," the Indian said. Saensomboonsuk will next face 12th seed Kenichi Tago of Japan. The other Indian in fray 14th seed Chetan Anand will open his campaign against Singapore''s Ong Zhao Ashton Chen. PTI Corr SSC

Source: Published>

Australia reappoints coach Nielsen until 2013 Ashes

Tue, Aug 24 10 08:57 AM

Australia will retain coach Tim Nielsen until the end of the next Ashes series in England in 2013, the national cricket board said on Tuesday.

Former state-level wicketkeeper Nielsen, who took over from John Buchanan in 2007, had helped Australia manage the 'challenging transition' following the retirements of top-class players including bowlers Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, Cricket Australia (CA) said in a media release.

"Working closely with Ricky Ponting, team leadership, national players and team management, he has played an important role leading Australia through that transition," CA chief executive James Sutherland said.

"We have won eight of our last 10 tests, are ranked number one in one-day international cricket and reached the final of the most recent ICC T20 Championship with Tim as our national coach.

"In assessing this reappointment, it was important to CA to note the strong support for Tim in his role from players, team management and other cricket leaders in Australia's national talent pathway programme."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting said: "This reappointment is a fantastic step forward for Australian cricket and recognition for the hard work of Tim and his coaching staff since his tenure began.

"I look forward to continuing our close working relationship as this team enters a period of great importance, striving to reclaim the Ashes and secure a fourth successive ICC World Cup."

Nielsen's reappointment follows the recruitment of former captain Greg Chappell as Australia's first full-time selector and national talent development head on Monday.

Australia head to India next month to play the top-ranked test side in a two-match series starting in October followed by one-day internationals.

They kick off their home series with further limited overs matches against Sri Lanka before the first match of the Ashes at the Gabba in Brisbane on Nov. 25.

Source: Published>

Nehwal most complete woman shuttler, says Padukone

Tue, Aug 24 10 08:21 AM

At 20, Saina Nehwal's shoulders bear the expectations and hopes of millions of sports fans among India's massive population.

Nehwal has shot to number two in the international badminton rankings and holds genuine prospects of lifting world championship gold come Sunday evening.

"She is the most complete woman shuttler in the world now," says Prakash Padukone, Indian all-time great and All England champion in 1980.

Victories in successive Super Series events have propelled Nehwal up the rankings where she looms a large threat to traditional Chinese dominance.

But she is not running ahead of herself.

She told the Badminton World Federation's website (www.bwfbadminton.org/): "Yes, things could not have been better than this. But again, what matters is once you enter the court is how well you play on the given day for nothing you achieved, however wonderful it might have been , will help you any way."

A bye in the first round means a second round match on Wednesday against Taiwan's Hsiao Huan Chen, world-ranked 65, with Chinese in waiting later.

On form, Nehwal should do well all week, but she cautioned: "I reiterate -- world rankings don't matter. Personally, I would love to be the world champion and still be World No. 2 rather than being World No. 1 and not be the champion."

Nehwal is the most famous trainee from the famed Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad.

Gopichand, All England champion in 2001 and renowned coach, says: "There is very little scope for improvement in Saina's game. She is a vastly improved player now say from what she was even eight months ago."

On Sunday, golfer Arjun Atwal became the first Indian to win on the PGA Tour. Now sports fans round the country are hoping Nehwal can pull off a similarly rare feat.

Source: Published>

Lone spot up for grab in trap team

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 06:23 AM

World No.4 Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Mansher Singh have taken the liberty of missing the trap trials for the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games that gets underway on Tuesday at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in the capital.

Their cumulative average ? Manavjit's 116.31 and Mansher's 116.93 - means they have all but assured themselves a spot in the CWG team. Also, Manavjit is scheduled to compete at the World Cup finals at Izmir, Turkey from September 16, where only world's top eight shooters get to compete, and is taking time off to prepare for these two important tournaments.

"These players can afford to miss the trials because nobody can match their averages. It would be a complete waste of time and energy for them, when they should be saving their energies for the Commonwealth Games," National Rifle Association of India secretary Rajiv Bhatia told Sportline on Monday.

Third place shoot-off

Those fighting for the third spot for the trap event will essentially earn the right to represent India at the 2010 Asian Games to be held at Guangzhou, China. Among those in contention are Anwar Sultan and Zoravar Singh Sandhu. Kynan Chenai, Birendeep Sodhi, Nayab Khan, Rayyan Rizvi, Prithviraj and Anirudh Singh are also in the fray.

Also missing out on trials is trap shooter Seema Tomar, who pulled out due to a shoulder problem. Tomar was also forced to pull out of the World Championships that was held in Munich due to the same injury. In women's, Shreyasi Singh, Varsha Tomar, Shagun Chowdhary and Zoya Mehta, will be competing for a final spot in the Indian team.

All trap shooters ? eight men and four women ? have been divided into two groups of six for the competition. While results for the women's team will be decided on Tuesday itself ? they only shoot three rounds of 25 clay targets ? men's final result will only be finalised on Wednesday, when they finish off their rounds.

Source: Web Search

Tiger Woods and wife divorce after sex scandal

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 05:57 AM

The world's No. 1 golfer, Tiger Woods, and his Swedish wife, Elin Nordegren, divorced on Monday following the torrid sex scandal that engulfed Woods late last year.

Woods, reputed to be the world's wealthiest sports star, and Nordegren, a former model and nanny, issued a statement confirming the divorce, which had been widely anticipated for months after his public confession of infidelity in a blaze of publicity.

The couple were at the Bay County Circuit Court in Florida when their marriage was dissolved.

"The marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken," read a court document published by the celebrity website TMZ.

The joint statement by Woods and Nordegren through their lawyers made no mention of any monetary settlement involved in the divorce and the attorneys declined to comment on the existence of any such settlement.

The statement said the divorce judgment provided for shared custody of their two young children and asked for privacy for the family.

"We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future," said the joint statement, which was also posted on Wood's website, http://web.tigerwoods.com.

Woods, who has won 14 major championships, returned to the game in April after losing up to $35 million in sponsorship revenue as his private life unraveled over allegations that surfaced in late November and December about affairs between him and several women.

The revelations surfaced after a bizarre middle-of-the-night car accident at the couple's luxury Florida home where Woods crashed into a tree and a fire hydrant. Nordegren told police she smashed the car's back window with a golf club to get him out.

In February, he apologized publicly for cheating on his wife and underwent therapy. "I was unfaithful, I had affairs, I cheated," Woods said at the time.

STRUGGLING GOLF GAME

Woods and Nordegren have a 3-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

"While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us," the statement said.

"The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern."

Woods' golf game has been erratic since his return to the sport. He has yet to win this year after nine starts on the U.S. tour and he conceded before the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational he had been unable to practice as much as normal.

After revelations of his martial infidelities, he lost endorsement deals with companies like Accenture Plc and AT&T Inc.

Other sponsors like Procter & Gamble Co Gillette, Berkshire Hathaway Inc's NetJets unit, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA's Tag Heuer and TLC Vision, shifted away from using Woods in marketing, but did not end their contracts with him.

With his divorce being finalized and golf tournaments keeping him on the road for at least a week at a time, Woods has tried to see his two young children whenever possible.

"Life has changed," he said. "I haven't practiced as much as I used to, nor should I. My kids are more important."

The greatest player of his generation, Woods has lost the aura of invincibility he once enjoyed over his golfing rivals since his double life was exposed at the end of last year.

He has not won anywhere in the world since the Australian Masters last November.

Source: Web Search

France's Gourcuff to join Lyon from Bordeaux

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 05:37 AM

France playmaker Yoann Gourcuff is to join Olympique Lyon from Girondins Bordeaux after both Ligue 1 clubs reached an agreement, Lyon said on Monday.

Gourcuff will sign a long-term contract after passing a medical, Lyon said in a statement.

The statement said the clubs had agreed on a transfer fee of 22 million euros ($27.98 million), plus 4.5 million for Bordeaux if Lyon were to sell him later to another club.

"Lyon welcome the arrival of Yoann Gourcuff, who was the main target of coach Claude Puel and will give the team a new dimension in midfield," it said.

Gourcuff, 24, who has won 22 caps for France, was expected to leave Bordeaux since new Girondins coach Jean Tigana left him out of the starting lineup for his side's 2-1 win at Paris St Germain in Ligue 1 on Sunday.

The elegant Gourcuff, widely regarded as France's most gifted player, joined Bordeaux in 2008 from AC Milan and helped Girondins win the Ligue 1 title in 2009.

He was voted Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 2009 but was later blamed from Bordeaux's poor run of form at the end of last season when the finished sixth and missed out on a place in Europe.

Gourcuff also suffered from France's shameful World Cup performance and has only been the shadow of his brilliant best since the start of the current campaign.

If finalised, his transfer would become the most spectacular deal in Ligue 1 during the transfer window which closes on Aug. 31 and had been fairly quiet in France so far.

Source: Web Search

Tevez on target as Man City beat Liverpool 3-0

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 05:17 AM

Carlos Tevez claimed two second-half goals as a confident Manchester City overwhelmed Liverpool 3-0 to underline their Premier League title credentials on Monday.

With Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour given a standing ovation by the fans on attending his first home game since buying the club two years ago, big-spending City provided plenty for their billionaire owner to savour on a wet night at Eastlands.

Newly-signed England midfielder James Milner enjoyed an impressive debut, setting up the 13th minute opener by surging into the box and stroking the ball back for former Aston Villa team mate Gareth Barry to side-foot home.

Tevez made it 2-0 in the 52nd, claiming a classic poacher's goal from point-blank range after seemingly adding the final snatched touch to a powerful Micah Richards header.

Richards told Sky Sports television that the goal was his

"It's definitely mine, I'm definitely going to claim it," he said.

There was no doubt about the third, with the Argentine striker calmly sending Pepe Reina the wrong way as he slotted home from the penalty spot in the 68th after Adam Johnson was felled in the box by Martin Skrtel.

City, who have spent more than 100 million pounds ($155.9 million) on players since they finished fifth last season, moved up to fourth overall after beating Liverpool for the first time since 2005.

Champions Chelsea, who thrashed Wigan Athletic 6-0 on Saturday, have a maximum six points from two games with Arsenal second on four after crushing Blackpool by the same scoreline.

MASCHERANO ABSENT

"The mentality is very important," said City manager Roberto Mancini, who rested new Italian signing Mario Balotelli with Tevez alone up front. "If the squad has a good mentality, it can beat everyone."

It was City's best league result against the once-mighty visitors, whose own title aspirations have been fuelled by the arrival of manager Roy Hodgson and some high-profile summer signings, in 73 years.

"We were a little bit unlucky to get beaten so heavily," Hodgson told Sky. "I didn't think we really deserved to get beaten 3-0.

"Pepe Reina wasn't called into action that often and I thought we had one or two good spells in the game but we were playing against a very effective and strong Manchester city side," he added.

Liverpool were without unsettled Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano, who is linked to Spanish champions Barcelona, and the suspended Joe Cole but had Spanish striker Fernando Torres -- a summer target for City -- making his first start of the season.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard hit the post with a powerful shot in the second half while City goalkeeper Joe Hart, again favoured over Shay Given, made a stunning double save to deny David Ngog and Torres.

"When Hart made that incredible double save, at 2-1 that might have put some more life back into the game," said Hodgson.

"It's only two matches into the season...I think it's a bit premature to start discussing how big the job is," he added when asked about the task ahead of him.

Source: Web Search

Tevez scores twice as Man City see off Liverpool 3-0

Tue, Aug 24 10 04:17 AM

Carlos Tevez claimed two second-half goals as a confident Manchester City overwhelmed Liverpool 3-0 to underline their Premier League title credentials on Monday.

With billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan given a standing ovation by the fans before watching his first home game, big-spending City provided plenty for him to savour on a rainy evening at Eastlands.

Newly-signed England midfielder James Milner enjoyed an impressive debut, setting up the 13th minute opener by surging into the box and stroking the ball back for former Aston Villa team mate Gareth Barry to side-foot home.

Tevez made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute, claiming a classic poacher's goal from point-blank range after seemingly adding the final touch to a powerful Micah Richards header.

There was no doubt about the third, with the Argentine striker calmly slotting home from the penalty spot in the 68th after Adam Johnson was felled in the box by Martin Skrtel.

City, who have spent more than 100 million pounds ($155.9 million) on players since they finished fifth last season, moved up to fourth overall after beating Liverpool for the first time since 2005.

It was their best league result against the once-mighty visitors in 73 years.

Champions Chelsea, who thrashed Wigan Athletic 6-0 on Saturday, have a maximum six points from two games with Arsenal second on four after crushing Blackpool by the same scoreline.

Liverpool were without unsettled Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano, who is linked to Spanish champions Barcelona, and the suspended Joe Cole but had Spanish striker Fernando Torres making his first start of the season.

Source: Published>

Lack of club costs Mwaruwari country's captaincy

Tue, Aug 24 10 03:17 AM

Striker Benjani Mwaruwari's failure to secure a club in England for the new season has cost him the captaincy of his country's national team.

The Zimbabwe forward has been left out of the squad for next month's start of the 2012 African Nations Cup preliminaries because of his lack of game time, caretaker coach Norman Mapeza told reporters in Harare.

Mapeza instead selected a youthful squad for the Group A match against Liberia in Monrovia on September 5 with Mwaruwari the most notable casualty.

Mwaruwari, 31, has been training at Blackburn Rovers after coming to the end of his contract with Manchester City but has failed to secure a new team.

He had been on loan at Sunderland last season.

The Bulawayo-born forward first played at Portsmouth after arriving in England from French club AJ Auxerre.

Source: Published>

Wozniacki cruises to win at Montreal Cup

Tue, Aug 24 10 02:57 AM

World number two Caroline Wozniacki breezed to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Vera Zvonareva in the final of the rain-hit Montreal Cup on Monday, confirming her status as the red-hot favourite for the U.S. Open.

Wozniacki, runner-up to Kim Clijsters at last year's U.S. Open, once again appears to be hitting her hardcourt stride at just the right moment collecting her third win of the season and second hardcourt title in three weeks.

Following the victory, the 20-year-old Dane quickly packed her bags and headed off for her final U.S. Open tune-up in New Haven where she is the top seed and defending champion.

A razor-sharp Wozniacki began the day crushing Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-3 in their rain delayed semi-final held over from Saturday and then disposed of Wimbledon finalist Zvonareva in just 74 minutes.

"After waiting around two days and unable to play I actually felt a little bit tired going out for my first match because mentally you have to be prepared all the time," Wozniacki told reporters. "But I'm so happy, I won two matches today and it is a great feeling."

The players were back on centre court just two hours after their semi-final matches and Zvonareva, who advanced when Victoria Azarenka retired with blisters while trailing 7-6 1-0, was quick out of the blocks with the early break.

But Wozniacki was soon in control sweeping through the next four games.

Zvonareva had a chance to extend the set earning triple break point with Wozniacki serving at 5-3 but could not convert, the Dane fighting back take the first.

Wozniacki kept up the pressure in the second gaining the early break while a frustrated Zvonareva started gesturing and talking to herself.

Sensing the Russian's aggravation, Wozniacki moved in for the kill with another break in the seventh game than served out to clinch her ninth career title.

Wozniacki, who is likely to be awarded the number one seed at Flushing Meadows after world number one Serena Williams was ruled out of the grand slam with injury, can take over top spot in the rankings with a successful title defence in New Haven and a victory at the U.S. Open.

"Of course I would like to be number one in the world but Serena is a great champion, she's won so many grand slams," said Wozniacki. "My goal for now is just to try to win a grand slam and the number one spot is secondary to that."

Source: Published>

Scandal-hit Tiger Woods and wife divorce - lawyers

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 01:57 AM

The world's No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods and his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren said on Monday they had divorced following the torrid sex scandal that engulfed Woods late last year.

The news of the divorce between Woods, who is reputed to be the world's wealthiest sports star, and his wife, a blond former model and nanny, had been widely anticipated for months following his public confession of infidelity in a blaze of media publicity.

The pair were present at the Bay County Circuit Court in Florida when their marriage was dissolved.

Woods and Nordegren issued a statement that made no mention of any monetary settlement involved in the divorce and their lawyers declined to comment on the subject.

The statement said the divorce judgment provided for shared parenting of their two young children and asking for privacy for the family.

"We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future," said the joint statement, which was also posted on Wood's website http://web.tigerwoods.com.

Woods, a 14-time major champion, returned to the game in April after losing up to $35 million sponsorship revenue as his private life unraveled over allegations that surfaced in late November and December about affairs between him and several women. The revelations surfaced after a bizarre middle-of-the-night minor car accident at the couple's luxury Florida home.

"While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us," Woods and Nordegren said.

"The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern."

Wood's golf game has been erratic since his return to the sport, which analysts said had hurt his income and market worth.

Woods had his worst finish on the U.S. PGA Tour circuit at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational earlier this month, stringing together four over-par rounds to finish near the bottom.

Source: Web Search

Tiger Woods officially divorced

Published>Tue, Aug 24 10 01:07 AM

Los Angeles, Aug 24 (DPA) Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren are officially divorced, according to a statement posted by their lawyers on the golfer's website Monday.

The statement said the judgement posted in a Bay County, Florida court provided for shared parenting of their two children.

'We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future,' the former couple said in the statement, which said that the children's well being had been the 'primary focus of our amicable discussions'.

'The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern,' Woods and Nordegren said. Financial terms of the divorce were not released.

The couple's marriage hit the rocks very publicly late last year when Woods, who previously had enjoyed a squeaky-clean image, crashed his car outside their house, setting off a cascade of revelations about his repeated infidelities.

Woods was forced to take a five-month break from golf as he reportedly received treatment for sex addiction. The scandal cost Woods millions of dollars in sponsorship deals and he has yet to regain the form that made him the world's best golfer for much of his career.

Source: Web Search

Tiger Woods and wife Elin divorce - lawyers

Tue, Aug 24 10 12:57 AM

The world's No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods and his Swedish wife Elin Nordegren have divorced following the sex scandal that embroiled Woods late last year, a statement from their lawyers said on Monday.

"We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future," the statement said.

Source: Published>

Taiwan to stage Super Series finals

Tue, Aug 24 10 12:21 AM

Taiwan is to host the 2010 Super Series finals, the climax of badminton's 12-leg Super Series circuit.

Staged in Malaysia for the last two years, the finals feature the top eight-ranked players in the Super Series standings in all five of badminton's events -- men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles.

The last Super Series tournament of the year is in Hong Kong in December. The Taiwan finals will be staged from Jan. 5-9.

Taiwan Badminton Association secretary-general Tsai Hung-Peng said in a statement on Monday: "With so many top players in the event fans are in for some amazing badminton."

Source: Published>

Chong Wei and Lin Dan sweep through

Tue, Aug 24 10 12:15 AM

World number one Lee Chong Wei breezed through his first round match against Guatemala's Kevin Cordon 21-7 21-11 on the opening day of the world badminton championships on Monday.

The game was the first on court at the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium and world-ranked 54 Cordon delayed the talented Malaysian for only 26 minutes.

Top seed Chong Wei faces a trickier second round clash against compatriot Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, ranked 21 in the world and the All England champion in 2003. Hashim beat Belgium's Tan Yuhan 21-13 21-15.

World and Olympic champion Lin Dan of China also had an easy passage, beating Iran's Ali Shahhosseini, ranked 83, 21-4 21-10.

Former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia eased through 21-10 21-10 against Nigeria's Ola Fabgemi, ranked 122.

English champion Rajiv Ouseph, world ranked 17, featured in a tight match, edging past Dutchman Eric Pang on his fourth match point 21-19 15-21 23-21.

Head coach Andy Wood said: "We are boosted by the fact that he managed to tough it out and get this victory to add to the confidence gained by winning the U.S. Open title recently."

In the women's singles, Indian hopes are pinned firmly on Saina Nehwal, who has risen to two in the world rankings.

Indian sports fans are still basking in the glow of golfer Arjun Atwal's breakthrough PGA Tour success on Sunday.

Source: Published>

Clegg tells FIFA England's 2018 bid will be unbeatable

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 11:37 PM

England's bid for the 2018 World Cup would be unbeatable, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told FIFA delegates assessing facilities on Monday.

Clegg, welcoming the delegation to Downing Street at the start of a four-day inspection visit, said the new coalition government shared the previous Labour administration's commitment to the bid.

England, who lasted hosted the World Cup in 1966, are competing against Russia, the United States, and joint bids from Portugal/Spain, and Belgium/Netherlands to stage the finals in eight years time.

Soccer's governing body will announce the host nation on December 2 in Zurich.

"I believe this is an exceptionally strong, unbeatable bid. We in this government believe in it, we hope that you will believe in it," Clegg said in a welcoming address.

"There is a relatively new coalition government in the United Kingdom and we want to emphasise to you that the commitments, the declarations and the guarantees provided to you by the previous government are ones that we back 100 per cent.

"One of the first things we did when we created this new coalition government was to write into our founding coalition agreement our resolve to back to the hilt the England 2018 bid."

The coalition between Clegg's Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives of Prime Minister David Cameron, who is on holiday, was formed in May after no party won an outright majority in parliament after a general election.

One of the selling points of the England bid is its commitment to legacy projects for the international development of soccer.

Andy Anson, CEO of the England bid, said it would "focus on what we can do for football all over the world."

England were given a boost earlier on Monday when FIFA President Sepp Blatter, speaking in Singapore, told Inside World Football (www.insideworldfootball.biz):

"The easiest way to organise the World Cup is to go to England. Everything is there -- fans, stadiums, infrastructure -- it's easy."

But, he added that Russia, seen as England's biggest challenger, was a strong candidate.

"You cannot deny Russia if they bid for something. They are more than a country. They are a big continent, a big power."

Harold Mayne-Nicholls, chairman of the FIFA delegation and president of the Chile FA, told Clegg: "We will gets answers to all the doubts we have, study all the documents and we will work hard with the local organising bid committee to provide a very fair and objective report for the FIFA executive committee members.

Source: Web Search

Chong Wei and Lin Dan sweep through

Mon, Aug 23 10 11:17 PM

World number one Lee Chong Wei breezed through his first round match against Guatemala's Kevin Cordon 21-7 21-11 on the opening day of the world badminton championships on Monday.

The game was the first on court at the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium and world-ranked 54 Cordon delayed the talented Malaysian for only 26 minutes.

Top seed Chong Wei faces a trickier second round clash against compatriot Muhammad Hafiz Hashim, ranked 21 in the world and the All England champion in 2003. Hashim beat Belgium's Tan Yuhan 21-13 21-15.

World and Olympic champion Lin Dan of China also had an easy passage, beating Iran's Ali Shahhosseini, ranked 83, 21-4 21-10.

Former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia eased through 21-10 21-10 against Nigeria's Ola Fabgemi, ranked 122.

English champion Rajiv Ouseph, world ranked 17, featured in a tight match, edging past Dutchman Eric Pang on his fourth match point 21-19 15-21 23-21.

Head coach Andy Wood said: "We are boosted by the fact that he managed to tough it out and get this victory to add to the confidence gained by winning the U.S. Open title recently."

In the women's singles, Indian hopes are pinned firmly on Saina Nehwal, who has risen to two in the world rankings.

Indian sports fans are still basking in the glow of golfer Arjun Atwal's breakthrough PGA Tour success on Sunday.

Source: Published>

Men''s and mixed doubles pairs win, Mutatkar loses in Paris

Mon, Aug 23 10 11:07 PM

Paris, Aug 23 (PTI) Aditi Mutatkar became a first round casualty but Indian men''s and mixed doubles pairs kept the tri-colour fluttering as India wrapped up a mixed day at the World Badminton Championships here today. Ninth seeds mixed doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju struggled past English combo of Chris Adcock and Gabriella White 21-6, 14-21, 21-8 to enter the second round. In men''s doubles category, 15th seeded pair of Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas thrashed Nigerian pair of Ola Fagbemi and Jinkan Ifraimu 21-18, 21-10 to advance to the next round. However, it was end of road for Mutatkar in the women''s singles after she lost 12-21 16-21 to 10th seed Eriko Hirose of Japan in a 32-minute match. "Hirose was too strong today. I tried mixing up my shots in the second game but it just wasn''t my day," Mutatkar said after the match. Jwala-Diju did not break a sweat and raced away with the first game 21-6 after beating their rivals at the net with some deft shots. The Indians pinned the English duo to the corners and forced them to commit errors. However, in the second game, the tables turned as Adcock and White dominated the play with the Indian pair losing points in unforced errors. Time and again, shots went into the net and seemingly easy returns sailed over the lines as suddenly the match that was going India''s way was tied 1-1 as the English pair won the second game 21-14. Jwala-Diju''s net play and back court game was more controlled in the decider as the Indians refused to give any chances and played a controlled game at the net. Their dribbles and a few net placements got the sizeable French crowd applauding for them as Jwala and Diju raced away to a 5-2 lead, before sealing the decider 21-8. "I really don''t think it was nerves," said Jwala. "We were a little loose in the second game, kind of took things for granted and they exploited us. But we got our game back in time to win the match," she added. .

Source: Published>

Semenya to participate in CWG

Mon, Aug 23 10 10:23 PM

London, Aug 23 (PTI) Even as her high-profile colleagues decides to stay away from this year''s Commonwealth Games, 800m world champion Caster Semenya of South Africa has confirmed her participation in the October 3-14 mega-event to be held in Delhi. "I''m on the list and they just have to announce the team," Semeya was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. Semenya timed 1 min 55.45 sec to claim her world title last year and the South African said she can still reach it again if the pace is quick enough in India. "I can''t estimate the time," she said. "It''s possible, but it just depends on the body. It all depends on my coach and how he trains me. "I''m quite happy with my performance. I wasn''t expecting to run fast like that. My coach was expecting under two minutes so it was pretty good (1-59.90). I just have to do some more training so I can run faster," she added. She will take on the world''s best in Friday''s Diamond League final in Brussels, before completing her European campaign with two races in Italy. Semenya said she was delighted to return to Berlin as she only had "good memories" of the German capital. "It feels good to be back in Berlin," she said. "I did not think about everything that happened after my gold medal. I just concentrated on my race and my time. When I won the race, it brought back memories of the 2009 final for me," he added. The 19-year-old had to suffer a lot after failing the gender test last year following her World Championship gold. However, with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) clearing her return, the South African made a successful comeback after an 11-month absence.

Source: Published>

Past record won''t matter in World Championship: Saina

Mon, Aug 23 10 09:53 PM

Paris, Aug 23 (PTI) She might be in red-hot form after her recent title wins but ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal feels past record won''t matter when she begins her campaign in the World Badminton Championship here on Wednesday. "In a world championship, all the games are close. The atmosphere is electric and it really doesn''t matter how many tournaments you win in the run-up as every player wants to win. And as you climb the rankings, each and every player wants to beat you," said the world number two Indian. Saina will meet Chinese Taipei''s Hsiao Huan Chen in the second round after both the players were awarded a bye in the opening round at the Pierre de Coubertin stadium here. It''s been an envious graph for Saina since she broke into the world Top-10. In 2010, Sania has played 34 matches and won 29. Her five losses have come against a major of Chinese opponents. "I don''t think we should read too much into the Chinese domination," she said. "Hard work and self belief have been two things that have helped me and players like Tine Rasmussen (now Baum) to break into the top ten and play competitive badminton against the Chinese," she added. Saina is coming off a hot streak of winning three championships in a row -- the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold, Singapore and Indonesia Super Series. Against Chinese Taipei''s Hsiao Huan Chen, Saina is two up in the head-to-head clashes. In 2009, she played Huan Chen in the Malaysia Super series and won 21-16, 19-21 and 21-19. The second meeting wasn''t a close game as the Indian steamrolled her 21-15, 21-14 in the Uber Cup. Hsien''s record in 2010 overall has been poor. The Chinese Taipei player ranked 65th in the world has played 19 matches, won seven and lost 12. Hsien is known for her net play and sometimes during the middle games gets aggressive with a series of smashes. However, even England''s number one singles player Rajiv Ouseph believes it would be an uphill task for Hsien to beat the Indian. "Yes, a few players down the rankings do fancy their chances against Sania but I don''t think it''s that easy to stop her. I have seen her in few tournaments and she has a tremendous self-belief in her play. For Hsien to beat Sania will take more than just a few smashes. And by the time she figures that out, the match could be over," he said.

Source: Published>

Russell beats Advani in World Billiards Championships final

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 09:47 PM

Pune, Aug 23 (IANS) India's Pankaj Advani went down to Englishman Mike Russell in the final of the time format of the International Billiards and Snooker Federation World Billiards Championships here Monday.

Advani conceded his title with nine-time world champion Russell showing hot form to beat the Indian in six straight frames --(151(129)-129, 151(145)-00, 151-(128)-29, 150(92)-20, 151(149)-09, 151(83)-125(80)) -- in two hours and 30 mins.

Pankaj earlier scored a nail-biting 5-4 (15-152(140), 115(134)-151(88), 150(77)-106, 150-99, 91-151(95), 40-152, 150(120)-99, 152(77)-57, 152-111) win over Peter Gilchrist of Singapore in the semi-final but could not handle the onslaught of Russell who registered a 5-2 (152(145)-00, 27-150(143), 16-151(137), 152(152)-00, 151(73)-36, 150(90)-07, 152(96)-50) win over Geet Sethi in the other semi-final.

Russell received a prize money cheque of $2,000 from Real Value Advertisers from Dr P.D Patil, Chancellor DY Patil Vidyapeeth Pune, the venue for the championship.

Source: Web Search

Drivers trained in English for easy commuting during Games

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 09:37 PM

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) Foreign athletes and guests, who will be flying down here for the Commonwealth Games, now won't have to face a language barrier. All they will need to do is to look for the badge 'I Speak English' which will be worn by select drivers and conductors ferrying passengers trained in the language.

Around 3,000 car drivers, who will be ferrying high profile guests and VIPS, and 1,200 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) drivers are currently undergoing training to learn basic English to earn the special badge.

Tata Motors Limited (TML) will be providing the car and bus fleet for the Games transport and have hired a training institute for the purpose.

'The drivers are also being trained in route familiarisation, mannerism and other things besides English. We will offer those badges to around 1,000 selected drivers who will fare well in the training,' said Ashish Kumar, Deputy Director General, Transport, Organising Committee.

Jiji Thomson, special director-general of Commonwealth Games, told IANS that the idea is to ensure the tourists, visitors and foreign athletes hassle-free commuting in the city.

'They can approach the trained drivers for routes without any hesitancy. We will identify the drivers who can understand things like 'I want to go to a movie or bar etc,' Thomson said.

The transport fleet for the Games has been classified into five categories as per the rules of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

The tier-one car fleet will be dedicated cars with drivers for high profile guests and will have 485 cars. The second-tier will be on-call car service or shared taxis for VIP guests and will have a fleet of 1,000 cars accommodating around 3,000 clients. Tier-three will be for athletes with 349 air conditioned buses. Media, broadcast and technical officials come in fourth category which will have 225 air-conditioned buses.

DTC and Metro will contribute 1,900 buses for spectators, volunteers and work force.

Apart from that, there will be dedicated 275 vans for CG teams at the Games village.

Tata Motors estimates their expenditure to the tune of Rs.45 crore. The Organising Committee (OC) will reimburse around Rs.10 crore in lieu of drivers' salary, fuel and management while the rest would be raised through sponsorship.

Tata Motors is providing a fleet of brand new 1,800, cars and SUVs, back-up services, 3,000 drivers and supporting staff which will be deployed at venues and depots.

The drivers would carry communication radio sets, while every car would be fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) to track their movements.

'We will be ready to handle any untoward incidents like car breakdown and punctures with our back-up service. The drivers have been given instructions about what to do in case of any eventuality including a terror attack,' Kumar said.

A 24X7 call centre would be in place and the entire operation will be controlled by Transport Operational Centre from the OC Headquarters.

'We have conducted trials of the transport system during the test events and the facilities have also been tested,' Kumar said.

He also added that the Delhi traffic police have received good feedback from the commuters during the trials at the special Games Lane at Lodi road Sunday.

Source: Web Search

Durgesh Pal wins silver in Youth Olympic Games

Mon, Aug 23 10 09:27 PM

Singapore, Aug 23 (PTI) India''s Durgesh Kumar Pal cliched the silver with a personal best timing of 50.81sec in the 400m Hurdles but his compatriots disappointed on the ninth day of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games here today. The 17-year-old, who started his athletic career in 2005 in Pune before graduating from middle distance to 400m, came close to beat Lara Norge Sotomayor but failed in the end as the Cuban clocked 50.69sec to win the gold. India now have six medals in their kitty, including five silvers and a bronze. Also boxer Shiva Thapa had assured himself of a silver after reaching the finals of 60kg boys category yesterday. Durgesh, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, had created a record in National Youth Athletics Championships by clocking 51.57s at Coimbatore in April. Among other Indians, Ruchi Singh shot 467.2 to finish sixth in the 10m Air Pistol junior women''s final, which was won by Kim Jang Mi (479.2) of Korea. In the boys'' basketball, India lost 20-31 to Singapore in a round robin match. Wrestler Pooja Dhanda had bagged a silver in women''s 60kg freestyle while Kadian Satyawart fetched a bronze in men''s 100kg freestyle. HS Prannoy and Arjun also brought laurels for India by winning the Silver in badminton and discus throw respectively, while rising tennis star Yuki Bhambri also won a silver. PTI ATK DB

Source: Published>

Caster Semenya to take part in Commonwealth Games

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 09:17 PM

London, Aug 23 (IANS) Amidst pullout of some high-profile athletes, there was finally some good news for the Delhi Commonwealth Games organisers Monday as South African world champion middle distance runner Caster Semenya confirmed her participation for the Oct 3-14 Games.

'I'm on the list and they just have to announce the team,' the 19-year-old, who won the 800 metres gold in the World Championship, was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

The South African missed the gender test last year after winning her World Championship gold and has made a successful comeback after an 11-month absence following the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) decision to allow her to return.

Semenya says that in India she could reach the timing of 1 min 55.45 sec she ran to claim her world title.

'I can't estimate the time. It's possible, but it just depends on the body. It all depends on my coach and how he trains me. I'm quite happy with my performance. I wasn't expecting to run fast like that. My coach was expecting under two minutes so it was pretty good. I just have to do some more training so I can run faster,' she said.

Semenya said she was delighted to return to the scene of her triumph, insisting she only had 'good memories' of the German capital, Berlin.

'It feels good to be back in Berlin. I did not think about everything that happened after my gold medal. I just concentrated on my race and my time. When I won the race, it brought back memories of the 2009 final for me,' she said.

Source: Web Search

Jayanta, Dola to spearhead Indian challenge in CWG

Mon, Aug 23 10 09:07 PM

Kolkata, August 23 (PTI) Olympian Jayanta Talukdar and Rahul Banerjee joined national champion Tarundeep Rai in the Indian men''s recurve team for this year''s Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi from October 3-14. After the five selection trials held since April, the Archery Association of India today declared a 12-member squad for the mega-event as Mangal Singh Champia, a regular member of the Indian team, missed the cut. Another Olympian Dola Banerjee will lead Indian charge in the women''s recurve category with the team also comprising L Bombayla Devi and promising Deepika Kumari, who is also the national champion. In compound section, national champions C Srither and Jhanu Hansda will lead the Indian charges in the men''s and women''s categories respectively. Exuding full confidence, India coach Limba Ram said they expect to garner at least six out of the eight gold medals up for grabs. "We have a strong side with a lot of experience. With the advantage of home conditions, we should get at least six gold medals with strong hopes in men''s and women''s recurve sections," Limba said. The squads were selected from a total of 64 archers who were pruned to 24 - six in each group - in the core groups'' trials held at the Sports Authority of India Eastern Centre at Salt Lake since March 2009. Meanwhile, the AAI also announced an eight-member squad for the Asian Games, which would not have any compound section and each category will have four archers. Squads for Commonwealth Games: Men''s Recurve: Taurndeep Rai (Services), Jayanta Talukdar and Rahul Banerjee (both SPSB); Women''s Recurve: Dola Banerjee, L Bombayala Devi (both Railways) and Deepika Kumari (SPSB); Men''s Compound: C Srither, C H Jignas (both Services) and Ritul Chatterjee (Andhra Pradesh); Women''s Compound: Jhanu Hansda, Bheigyabati Chanu (Jharkhand) and Gagandeep Kaur (Punjab). Squads for Asian Games: Men''s Recurve: Tarundeep Rai, Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Mangal Singh Champia (Railways); Women''s Compound: Dola Banerjee, L Bombayla Devi, Deepika Kumari and Rimil Biruly (SPSB).

Source: Published>

Karthick slams century in Buchi Babu cricket

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 08:57 PM

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) Local lad K.B. Arun Karthik hit 121 for Tamil Nadu against arch-rivals Hyderabad as the home team scored 256 runs in 90 overs in the Buchi Babu Memorial All-India cricket tournament, here Monday.

Rains and wet conditions threw the schedule out of gear, but Karthick thrived in the conditions that affected other matches - Mumbai vs Andhra and Pujab vs Vidarbha.

The first day's play in the other five matches slated for Monday was called off without a ball being bowled.

Brief scores:

Tamil Nadu 256 in 90 Overs (S. Anirudha 41, KB Arun Karthick 121, Akaash Bhandari 3 for 81) vs Hyderabad.

Mumbai 192 for 7 in 66.3 Overs (Kaustab Pawar 70, Abhishek Nayar 41, G Shankar Rao 4 for 73) vs Andhra.

Punjab 71 for 3 in 32 overs (Vishwas Bhalla 34 batting) vs Vidarbha.

Source: Web Search

Gul still doubtful for forth Test against England

Mon, Aug 23 10 08:39 PM

Karachi, Aug 23 (PTI) Pakistan''s experienced pace bowler Umar Gul is racing against time to get fit for the fourth and final cricket Test against England commencing at Lord''s from Thursday. Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed from London that Gul had recovered 90 per cent from his hamstring injury that ruled him out of the third Test, which Pakistan won at the Oval last week. "He has recovered well and looks certain to play in the one-day series next month. But we will know in next 24 hours if he can also be fit for the fourth Test as well," Yawar said. Gul, one of Pakistan''s most experienced bowlers, picked up the hamstring injury during the second Test at Edgbaston and has been advised rest for three to four weeks. But Yawar said the pace bowler had made a rapid recovery from his injury and would undergo fresh fitness tests and MRI scans. "He has started bowling in the nets as well and is quite desperate to play in the fourth Test. But we have to be 100 per cent sure he is completely fit as he is a key member for the one-day series as well," he said. Incidentally, Wahab Riaz who debuted at the Oval as a replacement for Gul made a big impact taking five wickets in the first innings and captain Salman Butt has admitted even if Gul was fit he didn''t guarantee him a place in the team for the fourth Test. "Wahab has bowled well in his debut Test and he troubled all the batsmen, so we will have to see how it goes. But it will certainly be a hard choice for us between the two," Butt said. Pakistan has already lost reserve wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider to a finger injury in the series and he was sent back home after the second Test as he was advised rest for three to four weeks.

Source: Published>

Latif resigns as Afghanistan coach

Mon, Aug 23 10 08:23 PM

Karachi, Aug 23 (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif today resigned as the batting coach of Afghanistan''s national cricket team citing irreconcilable differences with the officials and the Afghan association. Last week, another former Pakistan cricketer Kabir Khan had also stepped down as the head coach of the Afghanistan team after having guided the side for the last two years. Latif later said that he took the decision because too much interference was hindering his ability to perform the duties efficiently. "Kabir also left his job because of the same reason. I was not free to impose my ideas on the team. From the team combination to the match strategy - the Afghanistan Cricket Board officials want to dictate everything," he said. The former wicketkeeper-batsman who recently accompanied Afghanistan team to Scotland, said he was disappointed that despite giving a comprehensive plan to the Afghanistan cricket authorities for development of the game at the grassroot level that included establishment of academies and grounds, nothing had happened. He also made it clear that he wanted the Afghan team to practice more in their own country but the authorities had other ideas. "Since I had a good training session with the Afghan cricketers in Jalalabad, I wanted more such sessions there and Kabul, but the authorities want to hold camps in Sharjah. With such attitude Afghan cricket would go nowhere," Latif said. Latif said that he had formally sent his resignation to the CEO of the ACB Hamid Shinwari. Shinwari, however, had a different story to tell. He claimed that Latif had demanded that if he was going to be the chief coach of the national team he should be given double the salary he was getting as batting coach besides the other benefits. "We approached the Asian Cricket Council but they said they couldn''t afford the demands being made by Rashid Latif. So now we are looking for another coach," he said. Latif had signed on with the Afghan Board on an estimated monthly salary of USD 6000 last month.

Source: Published>

Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei breeze into second round in Paris

Mon, Aug 23 10 08:09 PM

Paris, Aug 23 (PTI) Defending Champion Lin Dan of China and top-seed Malaysian Lee Chong Wei advanced to the second round after notching up straight-set wins over their rivals in the World badminton Championship here today. Three-time World Champion Lin made short work of Iran''s Ali Shahhosseini 21-4, 21-10 in 26 minutes in the men''s singles category. The Chinese ace was brilliant on court even though he disputed a line call despite being 19-10 in the lead in the second set. World number one Lee took 26 minutes to beat his first round opponent Kevin Cordon of Guatemala 21-7, 21-11. It was a light work out for Lee as he moved on the court with ease. There were moments when Kevin had him pinned to the back court but Lee came out of it easily. The Malaysianas he hardly broke sweat racing to a 5-0 lead before wrapping up the set with neat net play. The second was no different as Chong Wei led 7-2 except for a brief period when Kevin tried to fight back but the class of the Malaysian was just too high as he wrapped up the match in 26 minutes. "It''s good to start the tournament after the few days of waiting. I had a good feel of the court and playing conditions and am looking forward to a good outing," said Chong Wei. "There is a slight draft but I doubt it will worry anyone. And as for the hall not having air conditioning, I believe its no advantage to the Asians as most of the European players too are accustomed to these conditions," he added. Fifth seed Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia also eased into the second round, disposing off Ola Fagbemi of Nigeria 21-10,21-10 in 24 minutes. "It is humid in the courts and it will take time getting used to as it is not easy to breathe in these conditions. Guess it is the same for the other players as well but over the next few days we will get used to it," Taufik said. "I am looking forward to the rest of the week with optimism and hopefully make it all the way to Sunday''s final." Other seeded players in the morning sessions also registered easy wins in their matches with none being stretched to three sets. Tenth seed Bao Chunlai of China too got off to a winning start as he defeated Chan Yan Kit of Hong Kong 21-11, 21-17 in 33 minutes. The Koreans also had a good day in office as Park Sung Hwan, seeded 13, moved to the second round with a easy 21-9, 21-18 victory over Derek Wong of Singapore. In the women''s singles, Petya Nedelcheva of Bulgaria overcame the challenge of Judith Mevlendijks of the Netherlands 14-21, 21-16, 21-10 after a 55-minute battle. Petya, who is seeded 15, suffered a nose bleed in the first set and required medical attention before going on to book her second round berth. Meanwhile, Adriati Firdasari of Indonesia ousted Michelle Chang of New Zealand 21-11, 21-16.

Source: Published>

Past record won''t matter in World Championship: Saina

Mon, Aug 23 10 07:53 PM

Paris, Aug 23 (PTI) She might be in red-hot form after her recent title wins but ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal feels past record won''t matter when she begins her campaign in the World Badminton Championship here tomorrow. "In a world championship, all the games are close. The atmosphere is electric and it really doesn''t matter how many tournaments you win in the run-up as every player wants to win. And as you climb the rankings, each and every player wants to beat you," said the world number two Indian. Saina will meet Chinese Taipei''s Hsiao Huan Chen in the second round after both the players were awarded a bye in the opening round at the Pierre de Coubertin stadium here. It''s been an envious graph for Saina since she broke into the world Top-10. In 2010, Sania has played 34 matches and won 29. Her five losses have come against a major of Chinese opponents. "I don''t think we should read too much into the Chinese domination," she said. "Hard work and self belief have been two things that have helped me and players like Tine Rasmussen (now Baum) to break into the top ten and play competitive badminton against the Chinese," she added. Saina is coming off a hot streak of winning three championships in a row -- the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold, Singapore and Indonesia Super Series. Against Chinese Taipei''s Hsiao Huan Chen, Saina is two up in the head-to-head clashes. In 2009, she played Huan Chen in the Malaysia Super series and won 21-16, 19-21 and 21-19. The second meeting wasn''t a close game as the Indian steamrolled her 21-15, 21-14 in the Uber Cup. Hsien''s record in 2010 overall has been poor. The Chinese Taipei player ranked 65th in the world has played 19 matches, won seven and lost 12. Hsien is known for her net play and sometimes during the middle games gets aggressive with a series of smashes. However, even England''s number one singles player Rajiv Ouseph believes it would be an uphill task for Hsien to beat the Indian. "Yes, a few players down the rankings do fancy their chances against Sania but I don''t think it''s that easy to stop her. I have seen her in few tournaments and she has a tremendous self-belief in her play. For Hsien to beat Sania will take more than just a few smashes. And by the time she figures that out, the match could be over," he said.

Source: Published>

Sports ministry asks AITA for more documents

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 07:37 PM

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) The sports ministry Monday asked All India Tennis Association (AITA) to submit more documents for the reimbursement of the long-pending bills of the top tennis players, who last week threatened to skip Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games over their dues.

Rahul Bhatnagar, joint secretary in the sports ministry, Monday met AITA secretary-general Anil Khanna and chairman of the Commonwealth Games preparation programme Jaideep Mukherjea over the players' dues.

Bhatnagar said the ministry needs more details to start the reimbursement process, which can take at least a fortnight.

'Mr Anil Khanna and Mr Jaideep Mukerjea along with other officials brought some documents today but they were not complete. We had said we will try to work with basic documentation but what they brought didn't suffice,' Bhatnagar told IANS.

'The AITA informed us that the players have not submitted all the bills, but hopefully they will find a solution. What AITA submitted today is the certification, audited by their chartered accountant, that the players have participated in tournaments over the last two years. It is for the AITA to be satisfied before submitting the bills to us.'

'We will be needing more details on their stay during tournaments, that it was not sponsored or a free hospitality from the tournament organisers. Also, we need more clarity on their air fares. We are told that they travel business class but what they are entitled to under the Commonwealth Games schemes is the economy class fares as per Balmer Lawrie rates,' the official said.

'They will now be submitting the required documents by tomorrow morning. The bills will be with us for a few days and after that they will be moved to our finance department. The whole procedure can take at least a fortnight,' he said.

In a statement, Khanna and Mukherjea called their meeting with Bhatnagar 'very fruitful' and said all the payment issues of the players' have been resolved.

'All payment issues regarding elite players have been resolved and with minimal documentation. The ministry has agreed to process the papers at the earliest so that elite players can receive their dues under the CWG preparation programme within two-three weeks,' the release said.

Top tennis players' Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna last week threatened to pull out of the Commonwealth Games if their dues were not paid.

Source: Web Search

Seven Pak athletes get two-year ban for failing dope test

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 06:53 PM

Islamabad, Aug 23(ANI): Seven Pakistani track and field athletes, including a javelin thrower scheduled to take part in the Delhi Commonwealth Games, have been suspended for two years after being tested positive for using banned substances.

Mohammad Imran, a national javelin throw champion holding the title for the last three years, is among the suspended athletes.

Other athletes who had tested positive and now banned are Rozina Shafqat, Nadia Nazir, Shagufta Noreen, Zara Razzak, Mohammad Waseem and Asif Javed, The Dawn reports.

The decision to ban the athletes was taken by an inquiry committee constituted by the Pakistan Athletic Federation (AFP).

AFP Secretary Khalid Mehmood said that all the seven athletes could appeal their suspensions.

Mehmood also said that the medals awarded to these athletes would be withdrawn due to the ban.

Earlier, last month, an appeal tribunal of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) had upheld sprinters Sadaf Siddique and Javeria Hassan's two-year suspensions. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

There''s no rush to push anyone out the door: Chappell

Mon, Aug 23 10 06:47 PM

Melbourne, Aug 23 (PTI) Age may be catching up fast with most of the Australian Test players but newly-appointed first full-time selector Greg Chappell today said there is time and no need to rush anyone out the door. The 62-year-old Chappell was today appointed as the full-time selector after being roped in as National Talent Manager by the Australian Cricket Board and the former captain is ready to take some tough decisions. "It comes with the territory. You have to earn the right to play for Australia, that''s something the whole selection panel is conscious of and will bear in mind going forward. There''s no rush to push anyone out the door," said Chappell. Chappell''s appointment comes at a time when most of the top Australian players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer have already quit from all formats of the game. And in the current team, skipper Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Simon Katich are all in their twilight years, all 35-years-old. Chappell, who will join as one of the four members of the National Selection Panel (NSP) headed by Andrew Hilditch, said he was looking forward to his new job. "I am really excited by the challenge of this new role from a talent management point of view, this will be an exciting period for Australian cricket," he said. Chappell, who had a controversial stint as India coach between 2005 and 2007, said he is looking forward to take up the challenging job. "I have enjoyed the COE Head Coach role as I was able to work with a talented group of coaches and support staff to assist and develop the next generation of Australian cricketers. The new role dovetails beautifully for me as they will be the immediate future of Australian cricket," he said. CA General Manager Michael Brown said he was delighted that a person with Chappell''s life-long depth of experience and expertise in elite cricket was able to take the new role. "We began a detailed review of our cricket pathway program more than four years ago and this appointment is the final step in that comprehensive process," Brown said.

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+Kohinoor Mystic+ claims the Nawab Khaja Moniuddin Khan

Mon, Aug 23 10 06:43 PM

Memorial Cup Hyderabad, Aug 23 (PTI) A Vatsalya trained four-year- old +Kohinoor Mystic+ ably ridden by R Umesh claimed the Nawab Khaja Moinuddin Khan Memorial Cup (about) 1000 Metres for Category II horses the main event on the eleventh day of the Hyderabad Monsoon Races held here today. Jockey P S Chouhan scored a double. Four first favourites obliged in a card of eight events.

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There''s no rush to push anyone out the door: Chappell

Mon, Aug 23 10 06:27 PM

Melbourne, Aug 23 (PTI) Age may be catching up fast with most of the Australian Test players but newly-appointed first full-time selector Greg Chappell today said there is time and no need to rush anyone out the door. The 62-year-old Chappell was today appointed as the full-time selector after being roped in as National Talent Manager by the Australian Cricket Board and the former captain is ready to take some tough decisions. "It comes with the territory. You have to earn the right to play for Australia, that''s something the whole selection panel is conscious of and will bear in mind going forward. There''s no rush to push anyone out the door," said Chappell. Chappell''s appointment comes at a time when most of the top Australian players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer have already quit from all formats of the game. And in the current team, skipper Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey and Simon Katich are all in their twilight years, all 35-years-old. Chappell, who will join as one of the four members of the National Selection Panel (NSP) headed by Andrew Hilditch, said he was looking forward to his new job. "I am really excited by the challenge of this new role from a talent management point of view, this will be an exciting period for Australian cricket," he said. Chappell, who had a controversial stint as India coach between 2005 and 2007, said he is looking forward to take up the challenging job. "I have enjoyed the COE Head Coach role as I was able to work with a talented group of coaches and support staff to assist and develop the next generation of Australian cricketers. The new role dovetails beautifully for me as they will be the immediate future of Australian cricket," he said. CA General Manager Michael Brown said he was delighted that a person with Chappell''s life-long depth of experience and expertise in elite cricket was able to take the new role. "We began a detailed review of our cricket pathway program more than four years ago and this appointment is the final step in that comprehensive process," Brown said.

Source: Published>

Swiss bank UBS signs global deal with Formula One

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 06:17 PM

Formula One signed up Swiss bank UBS as a global partner on Monday in a deal the sport will hope marks a turnaround after the exit of several other financial institutions due to the economic crisis.

No financial details were given for a deal that will be presented formally at next month's Singapore Grand Prix.

However Williams chairman Adam Parr, whose own team are losing Britain's bailed-out Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) as a major sponsor at the end of the year, said the real importance of the deal was the message it sent.

"This is a very significant announcement, regardless of the size of the sponsorship," he told Reuters. "The fact that another major bank is looking to Formula One as its primary global marketing platform is very positive.

"The signal that this will send is that other global players need to be looking at the fundamentals that F1 offers and not being influenced by 'political correctness'," he added.

"The bottom line is that Formula One sells products and services and intelligent companies can see the opportunities it offers."

UBS was bailed out by the Swiss government during the financial crisis after massive investments in risky U.S. assets forced it to make more writedowns than any other European bank.

The bank said last week it was launching an advertising campaign to woo back clients after posting strong results earlier this year.

"UBS has been searching for a global sponsorship platform that has appeal to our clients, promotes our brand globally and makes good commercial sense," Chief Executive Oswald Gruebel said in a statement.

"Our new partnership with one of the largest and most popular sporting organisations in the world will fulfil all these criteria, and it constitutes a key element of our newly launched branding activities."

RBS, now majority-owned by the British government after a multi-billion pound rescue, announced last year it would pull out of the sport when its deal with Williams expired at the end of 2010.

Dutch-based financial group ING, who had been Renault's title sponsor, quit last year while Credit Suisse decided before the start of the 2009 season not to continue as a backer of BMW-Sauber.

In contrast, Spain's Santander has increased its involvement by switching its main backing from McLaren to Ferrari while still sponsoring McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

The euro zone's largest bank is also title sponsor of the Italian, British and German Grands Prix.

Formula One has 19 races in 18 countries across four continents this season. The Singapore Grand Prix on Sept. 26 will be the 15th round of the championship.

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England is the easiest place to organise a World Cup: Blatter

Published>Mon, Aug 23 10 06:07 PM

London, Aug 23 (IANS) England's bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup received a boost with world football governing body's chief Sepp Blatter admitting that organising the 2018 World Cup will be the easiest in England.

Russia is being seen as England's biggest rivals while Spain and Portugal, Holland and Belgium are also in the contest as joint bidders.

Blatter clarified that England's performance in this year's World Cup will have no bearing on their bid to host the 2018 edition.

'The easiest way to organise the World Cup is to go to England. Everything is there - fans, stadiums, infrastructure - it's easy,' Blatter was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

'You cannot deny a country like Russia if they bid for something. They are more than a country. They are a big continent, a big power. The performances of bidding countries' national teams does not matter. It is the quality of their bid that matters,' he said.

The FIFA inspection team, led by Chilean federation president Harold Mayne-Nicholls and including South Africa's World Cup organising chief Danny Jordaan, will meet deputy British Prime Minister Nick Clegg at a reception at Downing Street.

Clegg will be talking about England's commitment towards hosting a successful World Cup bid.

'I am delighted to welcome the FIFA inspection team to Downing Street and to have the chance to communicate the Government's 100 per cent backing for the world-class bid which the England 2018 bid team has put together,' said Clegg.

Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup.

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Skipper Ponting predicts Australian summer special

Mon, Aug 23 10 05:57 PM

Ricky Ponting has warned rivals his Australia team are "on the brink of something special" and are set to dominate a home summer of cricket centred around the Ashes series against England.

After defeating West Indies 2-0 in their three-test series last year, Australia whitewashed Pakistan in all forms of the game before humbling West Indies again in their Twenty20 and one-day matches earlier this year.

"I am looking forward to the next eight months of international cricket probably more than I have any period of my career," Ponting, who became only the second Australian skipper to lose the Ashes twice after last year's 2-1 defeat, told local media on Monday.

"I have been lucky to play in a lot of great teams ... but I feel the current team of players now is on the brink of doing something special as well.

"Going through the Australian summer undefeated last year was a great achievement by the team but we will be better than that in the coming months."

Australia head to the subcontinent to play two tests and a one-day series against top-ranked test nation India in October before kicking off their home season with limited overs matches against Sri Lanka.

They play the first of the five Ashes tests on Nov. 25 at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Despite beating Australia to win the Twenty20 World Cup and in their June/July one-day series, England would offer little new to ponder, Ponting said.

"I guess the beauty about their side is that we have seen all their players a fair bit... There will be no surprises, as far as we are concerned, on what they can do."

Ponting also had a dig at England's reliance on overseas-born players when asked about Irish cricketer Eoin Morgan's Ashes prospects.

"I just have a feeling (England) really like Morgan, what he brings to their set-up -- plus he's not English," Ponting said of the Dublin-born batsman.

"I have got a lot of thoughts on why they pick those guys (non-England born players), it is quite surprising when you look at their side and work out how many there are.

"But it doesn't matter where they are born, we have got to make sure whatever team they put out we are well equipped to break them down."

"I think one of the reasons for playing him (Morgan) is his attitude and the way he goes about it -- but he hasn't been tested against us yet... Although he has played a couple of tests, it will be a massive step up for him going into an Ashes series."

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TN govt to bear all expenses of differently abled chess player

Mon, Aug 23 10 05:23 PM

Chennai, Aug 24 (PTI) The Tamil Nadu government will bear the entire expenses of over Rs two lakh of a differently abled chess player from the state for his participation in an international tournament in Russia next month. Following a plea from the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who also holds the Welfare of the Differently Abled portfolio, directed the state government to bear expenses of Rs 2.58 lakh required by Jenitha Anto, an official press release said. She will be participating in the 39th World Chess Olympiad 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia in September and October, the release said. The amount would cover all expenses, including travel for Anto and a companion, stay and a month''s training, it said. PTI SA APR ATK

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