Injury scare for Gambhir, Sehwag

Sun, Sep 26 10 11:12 PM

Chandigarh, Sep 26 (PTI) In an injury scare, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was today rushed to a local hospital here after being hit on his right wrist by a delivery during Board President XI''s game against Australia only to be discharged later without any problem. At nearby PCA Stadium at Mohali, which is to host India''s first Test against Australia from October 1, Gambhir''s opening partner Virender Sehwag was hit on his knee by an Ishant Sharma delivery but he was declared fit after receiving on-field treatment. The two incidents relating to the Indian cricket team members just days before the Mohali Test caused a minor scare, but things ended on a happy note. First one happened inside Sector 16 cricket stadium here, where Australia is playing a three-day warm up game against the Board Presidents XI. Leading the B P XI side, Gambhir, who is making a comeback after an injury, got out to a rising delivery from Australian speedster Ben Hilfenhaus. The ball hit him near the right hand wrist area making him shake his hand for a while before returning to the pavilion. However, soon after there was a commotion of sorts as medical team at the Sector 16 stadium, comprising senior government doctors who were kept standby, rushed after being summoned. A senior orthopedician from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here was also summoned and an ambulance was readied. Gambhir was taken to Government Multi Specialty Hospital at Sector 16 here in the car of a senior doctor, his hand wrapped in an ice pack, but returned at the stadium after being given first aid. "We did a MRI of his hand, but luckily there was no injury. We did not want to take any chances," a doctor, who accompanied Gambhir from the stadium to the hospital, told PTI, adding there was nothing to worry about. There was another scare when some Indian Test players, who reached here today, did some practice at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium at Mohali, near here. A delivery bowled by speedster Ishant hit Sehwag on his right knee and he was immediately taken off and given medical assistance. Sehwag later played down the incident. When asked after the net session if he was injured, Sehwag gave a wide smile and said "What knee". The players, including Sachin Tendulkar, had an exhaustive three-hour practice session at the nets at the PCA stadium ahead of the first Test. of the two-match series against Australia starting there from October 1. .

Source: Published>

ITBP's Kalpana creates history with a bronze medal in Judo World Cup

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 10:42 PM

New Delhi, Sep.26 (ANI): Kalpana Devi of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has created history by winning bronze medal in the World Cup (women) Judo-2010 by defeating Nazaraova Shokhida of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.

The sporting event was a world ranking and Olympic qualifying event, held between Sept. 25th to 26.

With her win, Kalpana Devi became the first Indian woman judoka to win a medal in World Cup, said an official release of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Sunday.

The latest win is bound to give Kalpana a high jump in her world judo ranking that positioned her on 93rd position on September 15, 2010.

With her win Kalpna has made her strong stake for coming Olympic games in London.

She was the only woman judoka who qualified for this Women Judo World Cup from India.

There were a total of 103 judokas competing in this event. Only 17 countries from all over world could qualify for this championship.

Among the competing countries were sporting heavyweights like USA, Russia, Japan, Israel, South Korea, Spain, Ukraine, Vietnam etc.

She won Gold medal in Commonwealth Judo Championship at Singapore earlier this year.(ANI)

Source: Web Search

Ecclestone casts doubt on Korean Grand Prix

Sun, Sep 26 10 10:38 PM

Next month's inaugural South Korean Grand Prix is at risk because the circuit has yet to pass a final inspection less than a month before the race, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Sunday.

Cancellation would have a major impact on the title outcome, with five drivers currently separated by just 25 points with a maximum 100 to be won -- assuming South Korea remains on schedule.

"It's not good. It should have been inspected maybe six weeks ago," Ecclestone told BBC television at the Singapore Grand Prix.

"It was inspected but it wasn't passed," added the Briton.

"We normally have a 90-day check before a race and now we are sort of putting this off.

"It's quite dangerous what we've done actually but it's a case of do we cancel the race or not? They say it's all going to be ok, so we hope they are right," said Ecclestone.

The South Korean race is due to take place on Oct. 24, with the final inspection repeatedly pushed back by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).

FIA race director Charlie Whiting was due to visit the Yeongam circuit last month, but that was postponed, and then on his way to Singapore.

That has now been further delayed with reports suggesting it might not happen until the Japanese Grand Prix, a mere two weeks before the Korean race.

Source: Published>

CWG Village: Dogs, snakes, unfinished work cause concern

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 10:28 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) Despite frantic efforts by the Commonwealth Games organisers to improve faciliities at the Games Village, stray dogs, last minute work and the discovery of a snake in one of the aprartments Sunday drew howls of protests from the visiting teams.

Some 60 members of the Scotland team and a 50-strong Welsh contingent finally moved into the Games Village, but expressed displeasure at the unfinished facilities.

Scotland's chef de mission Jon Doig, who had arrived here last week, said things should have turned out better as India had seven years to prepare for the Oct 3-14 event.

'We had arrived here earlier and had it not been the case, our athletes would have had a tough time in the Games Village. Since we arrived here earlier, we could identify the problems at the right time. But there are still a few things that are needed to be fixed,' he said.

The Scottish advance team has been in the forefront in criticising the unhygienic conditions at the Village earlier this week.

Another team official said stray dogs continue to pose a danger to the athletes in the Village.

'We have never seen stray dogs in any other Games Village. This is very strange for us and it poses a threat for the athletes as well,' the official said.

A top South African diplomat warned his country's athletes would not put up in the village after a snake was discovered in one of the rooms reserved for them.

An infuriated South African High Commissioner Harris Mbulelo Mejeke said the athletes will not stay in the Village until everything is put in place.

'A snake can be a threat to the lives of our athletes. Very disappointing. Basically, the basement was full of water and the staircase was also damp. If snakes are found we can't ask our athletes to stay in such dangerous situations,' Mejeke told reporters.

In fact, diplomats of Africa's Commonwealth nations Sunday said there was some improvement in the facilities for their players in the Village, but they will take a final decision on their teams' full-strength arrival only after another inspection Monday evening.

Diplomats from all the participating Commonwealth nations were Saturday taken for a visit to the Games Village, but the African countries had complained that accommodation for their players was not clean and up to par, as compared to that of other major nations.

The African diplomats had then gone on another visit to see the living areas for their teams Sunday evening.

Even so, Trinidad and Tobago officials praised the facilities, but said their team would stay in hotels for the time being as a lot of finishing work remained.

'The facilities are excellent, but there is still a lot of work to do. That is the reason why we have opted to stay in hotels rather than the Village. This is very much similar to a big Indian wedding. But what bothers us are the mosquitoes. There is a fear of dengue,' said John Melow, a team official.

Nearly 1,100 athletes and team officials, from Norfolk Islands, Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, Scotland, Canada, Tanzania, Lesotho, Rwanda, Wales, England, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Bermuda, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the British Virgin Islands arrived here Sunday.

Source: Web Search

Injury scare for Gambhir, Sehwag

Sun, Sep 26 10 10:08 PM

Chandigarh, Sep 26 (PTI) In an injury scare, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was today rushed to a local hospital here after being hit on his right wrist by a delivery during Board President XI''s game against Australia only to be discharged later without any problem. At nearby PCA Stadium at Mohali, which is to host India''s first Test against Australia from October 1, Gambhir''s opening partner Virender Sehwag was hit on his knee by an Ishant Sharma delivery but The two incidents relating to the Indian cricket team members just days before the Mohali Test caused a minor scare, but things ended on a happy note. First one happened inside Sector 16 cricket stadium here, where Australia is playing a three-day warm up game against the Board Presidents XI. Leading the B P XI side, Gambhir, who is making a comeback after an injury, got out to a rising delivery from Australian speedster Ben Hilfenhaus. The ball hit him near the right hand wrist area making him shake his hand for a while before returning to the pavilion. However, soon after there was a commotion of sorts as medical team at the Sector 16 stadium, comprising senior government doctors who were kept standby, rushed after being summoned. A senior orthopedician from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here was also summoned and an ambulance was readied. Gambhir was taken to Government Multi Specialty Hospital at Sector 16 here in the car of a senior doctor, his hand wrapped in an ice pack, but returned at the stadium after being given first aid. "We did a MRI of his hand, but luckily there was no injury. We did not want to take any chances," a doctor, who accompanied Gambhir from the stadium to the hospital, told PTI, adding there was nothing to worry about. There was another scare when some Indian Test players, who reached here today, did some practice at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium at Mohali, near here. A delivery bowled by speedster Ishant hit Sehwag on his right knee and he was immediately taken off and given medical assistance. Sehwag later played down the incident. When asked after the net session if he was injured, Sehwag gave a wide smile and said "What knee". The players, including Sachin Tendulkar, had an exhaustive three-hour practice session at the nets at the PCA stadium ahead of the first Test. of the two-match series against Australia starting there from October 1. .

Source: Published>

Alonso holds off Vettel in Singapore

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 10:02 PM

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso held off Sebastian Vettel's hard-charging Red Bull to win an incident-packed Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday and boost his chances of a third Formula One crown.

Championship leader Mark Webber finished third in the second Red Bull to increase his lead from five to 11 points in the standings with four races remaining.

The Australian again rode his luck, emerging unscathed from a collision with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton that forced his title rival to retire.

Webber has 202 points. Alonso moved up to second overall on 191 after successive wins in Monza and Singapore, and Hamilton lies a further nine points adrift in third place.

Vettel sits one point further back and world champion Jenson Button, who finished fourth, rounds out the top five on 177 points. A mere 25 points, the amount awarded for a victory, separates the top five.

"It really was tough. With the safety car problems and the people we were lapping, especially at the end, it was difficult," Alonso told reporters.

"We know how difficult it is to overtake here so I was just not taking any risks."

Alonso won the scandal-tainted inaugural Singapore race for Renault in 2008 after his Brazilian team mate Nelson Piquet crashed deliberately to bring out the safety car and help the Spaniard win.

The safety car was again deployed this time but Alonso, starting aggressively from pole position, drove a brilliant race to hold off Vettel for 61 laps around the floodlit Marina Bay circuit.

After a gruelling, two-hour street fight and an almighty last-lap tussle, the double champion crossed the line 0.2 seconds ahead of the German who had started alongside him on the front row.

HARDEST RACE

"It was very difficult...we knew that, we knew physically it is the hardest race on the circuit perhaps, driving in this humidity for two hours," Alonso said of a race that finished just before the two-hour maximum time limit.

"This win means a lot...to keep the fight in the championship. It seems we can be competitive on any track. So let's see in the remaining races and Forza Ferrari."

Vettel felt he lost the race at the beginning but was still happy with his night's work.

"In the beginning, I had to let him go a little bit. I tried to push him as far as I could into a mistake; he didn't do one and as he said it is too difficult and too risky to overtake so we settle for second," the German said.

"The good news is the car is quick. In the end it is good to get good points for the team. Everything is still open."

Webber, starting the race in fifth place, was the biggest winner of the day after gambling on an early pit stop during the first safety car period after three laps and working his way through the field for a well-earned podium.

"I got caught up a bit, Lewis got a big run on me. There was contact and it's not something you want to do all the time," Webber said of his collision with Hamilton.

"I am very happy with third place here today...the toughest weekend of the year for me."

Hamilton was the biggest loser, enduring his third retirement in four races.

The Briton thought he had passed Webber on turn seven following the second safety car period but was broadsided by the Australian going into the straight.

"I'm not really sure what happened," he said. "He was in my blind spot so I didn't even know he was still there.

"All I know is I went in, I didn't see anyone alongside me and the next thing I know is my tyre has blown and that's it."

The race ended in bizarre fashion with Heikki Kovalainen, already lapped, steering his flaming Lotus to the side of the finishing straight after he swerved out of the pitlane once he realised his car was on fire.

With smoke and flames billowing out behind him, the Finn jumped out and grabbed an extinguisher handed through the wire mesh to put out the fire himself as cars raced past.

Source: Web Search

India races to ready Games Village in time

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 09:58 PM

Workers painted walls and mopped rain water at the Commonwealth Games Village as India raced on Sunday to address complaints about dirty and unhygienic facilities one week before the start of the showpiece event.

The Games were supposed to enhance India's image as a rising power, but shoddy construction, dirty accommodation and security fears raised governance and accountability issues in Asia's third largest economy.

Several top athletes, including world champion sprinter Usain Bolt, pulled out, removing some of the shine from the event held every four years for former British colonies.

Two more Australian athletes, cyclist Travis Meyer and table tennis player Stephanie Sang, pulled out on Sunday. This comes a day after Britain's number one tennis player Elena Baltacha withdrew because of concerns about disease and hygiene.

On Sunday, Indian organising committee officials met to review the work at the Games Village where masons plastered walls while workers dried out the basement of the Village which sits on the flooded plains of the Yamuna river.

"All finishing work is going on in full swing," said Dalbir Singh, mayor of the Games Village where the athletes will stay.

"It's a world class facility with some minor issues and work is going on to fix those problems."

Source: Web Search