CWG anniversary: A stadium that is truly 'common wealth'

Only Thyagaraj Stadium can proudly claim that it has organised seven national and two international events in the one year after the Commonwealth Games, besides providing free access to school students to train.

The stadium located in south Delhi was opened to the public in January, within three months of the successful conclusion of the October 3-15 Games, and it has also staged more than 10 state-level tournaments mainly in football, athletics and badminton.

The middle Asian qualifiers for the Asian Basketball Championship and the Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships were the two big international tournaments organised at Thyagaraj in July.

The facility, built at an approximate cost of Rs300 crore and spread over 16.5 acres, has a football ground rounded by an athletic track, five tennis courts and a state-of-the-art gymnasium. Table tennis, netball, handball, carrom and chess are the other indoor sports played in a stadium turned into a complex with schoolchildren, corporate professionals and people from the capital's diplomatic enclave in Chanakyapuri frequenting it.

Venue administrator Sita Ram Sawoo says the stadium is the most sought after and a host of events are lined up for the next three months.

"We will be hosting the All-India Kendriya Vidyalya (KV) meet next month (October 8-12), the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) National Games will be held in November (11-15) and netball, handball and lawn tennis event of the All-India School Nationals will take place here in December," Sawoo, an assistant director in the education department of the Delhi government, told IANS.

A regular at India's first green stadium is a monthly football tournament between diplomatic missions.

Sawoo says the biggest benefit of the this CWG infrastructure has been reaped by the people living in the south of the city.

"There are fewer open spaces in south Delhi, but the Thayagraj Stadium has given the people of the neighbourhoodthe opportunity to use a world-class facility. Siri Fort Sports Complex is the other one."

Sawoo says a pay-and-play scheme is in the pipeline and the forms for the membership will be out soon.

"Once the government issues the forms, then everyone will be able to use the facilities on offer. This will also help in self-sustaining the huge complex."

The venue in-charge points out the only way to maintain the stadium is by its optimal use.

"It is easier to build these humongous facilities but tough to maintain when there is no sporting activity. We need to keep having tournaments.

"It is not only the big indoor stadium, there is a whole lot of open area that you have to take care of," he says.

The government has fixed rates for facilities available inside the stadium.

The hiring charges for the indoor multi-purpose hall is Rs20,000 for national sports federations, Rs10,000 for government agencies and Rs50,000 for corporates and, that too, only for organising sports meets. A flat Rs30,000 will be charged for air-conditioning.

"I took charge of this place in January and since then various national and international events have been held here. We have different rates for the multi-purpose hall. We charge corporates more than what we do from government organisations," says Sawoo.

Dhanraj Choudhary, secretary general in the Table Tennis Federation of India, explains why Thyagaraj has been a preferred venue for big tournaments.

"We decided to host the Asian Juniors at Thyagaraj although CWG table tennis was held at the Yamuna Sports Complex. It is because the charges are reasonable, the place is clean and the stadium is easily accessible," Choudhary told IANS.

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An Island with more space and big dreams: Hambantota 2018

Commonwealth Games is one of the most visible and vibrant events of Commonwealth Nations, an intergovernmental organization that operates within a common framework to achieve shared goals of democracy and development. The world’s large and small, rich and poor countries that are home to two billion people of all faiths and ethnicities constitute the Commonwealth. The member states spread across six continents and oceans: Africa (19), Asia (8), the Americas (2), the Caribbean (12), Europe (3) and the South Pacific (10). The origin of Commonwealth games seems to go back to 1891 since the idea about it was first mooted by Reverend J. Astley in his article written for the magazine, ‘Great Britain’ suggesting “that a festival combining sporting, military and literary events… would draw closer the ties and increase the goodwill and understanding of the Empire”. Inspiration of this suggestion resulted in the first recorded games between the athletes of the empire held in 1911 which was known as the Festival of Empire. The first British Empire game was held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. Since then the world witnessed 20 versions of Commonwealth Games yet circulating the position of the host state among a few countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom. The next version will be held in Scotland in 2014. Sri Lanka with the peaceful environs now prevail in the Island after three decades of war is competing with Australia to be the host state of 2018 Commonwealth games and Hambanthota, a fast developing city in Sri Lanka has been named as the host city against Gold Coast in Australia.  

The Co- chairman of the bidding committee of Commonwealth Games 2018, Dr. Ajith Nivard Cabraal observes that the receiving of the host state of the Games by Sri Lanka would be ‘a life changing situation’.  

     Sri Lanka is placed at a level which is very similar to what Malaysia was in 1991 and Malaysia bid for the Common wealth Games in 1998 and 1991 at a time when their macro economic fundamentals as well as the country conditions were very similar to Sri Lanka. Today, I think, Sri Lanka is well poised in the year 2011 to bid for the Games in year 2018 and then hopefully win it which will mean an extraordinary amount of investment and development would be done in the entire country, not only in Hambanthota where the Games are scheduled to be held, but even in other countries there will be business activities that will be generated as a result of Sri Lanka being the host of the Commonwealth Games. In 1998, Malaysia underwent extraordinary changes as a result of the commonwealth games and the development activities that it created. I believe that Sri Lanka also has that opportunity.  (14.06.2011)

Hambantota – CANDIDATE CITY
“It is the dream of architects. There is space to create and build; unlike in Colombo.”
Dr. Cabraal
27. 06.2011

Hambantota, located on the south eastern coast of Sri Lanka and 240 km away from Colombo   is a major city of Southern Province. Hambantota District covers 2,622 sq. km of landmass of the Island. Its unique geographical elements and rich bio- diversity offer the local and foreign visitors a wide range of experiences and memories making it a major tourist destination in the country. Among them, Yala National Park can be identified as a prominent attraction in the area and the oldest and the best known wildlife destination in the country. Consisting of five blocks it boasts of a large population of elephants along with spotted deer, leopard, wild buffalo, sloth bear, jackal, mongoose, pangolins and crocodiles. A panoramic view of the beach and the sea can be captured at Ussangoda where the plateau drops a sheer 60 feet over a rocky escarpment out to the open sea below. It is believed that a meteorite has hit the place which made the soil so barren and the landscape so unusual. Similarly the Blow Hole, Hummanya located in Kudawella makes one exposed to an extraordinary mystery of nature as the sea water rushes through a sunken cavern and is forced upwards creating a natural fountain. The local and foreign bird watchers can earn a great experience visiting Bundala National Park since it is one of the areas in Sri Lanka where the migratory birds flock together. It shelters over 197 species of Birds, including the Great Flamingo, which migrates in large flocks.

Meanwhile the great tanks, stupas, and other historical and religious monuments strewn over the landscape of Hambantota District or the ancient ‘Magama Kingdom’ boast about the long and proud history of the Sri Lankan civilization based on Buddhism. Sithulpawwa ‘the hill of the quiet mind’ where the monks sought refuge in quietness and solitude rises 400 feet from the surrounding forests. The small fishing village of Kirinda assures one with the flourishing scenes of pristine beaches and a great history. And the essence of religious and cultural spirit of the country can be felt during the visits to Kirivehara, one of the sixteen most sacred places of Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Tissamaharamaya, Mulkirigala Monastery and Kataragama.  

People of Hambantota, 92% being literate and 40% employed play a leading role in the engine of prosperity of Sri Lanka   and have been fueled by pragmatism, hard work and flood of individual enterprise. The sources of livelihood are inclusive of agriculture, fisheries, sugar-cane, salt industry and traditional occupations such as iron melting and steel tempering centralized in Angulmaduwa.

Now the ‘winds of change’ have blown across the District of Hambantota assuring its people a comfortable present and a promising future. The first phase of the construction of the Hambantota harbor which is expected to attract 36000 ships that passes Hambanthota has been completed and the International Airport in Hambantota will begin its commercial operations in 2012. Intending to 'promote a balanced and comprehensive regional development in the area,' Hambantota International Convention Center was established in Siribopura, Hambantota, in the year of 2006 with Korean aid. Apart from the IT Park and the hotels that are proposed to be set up in near future, the entire country will benefit massively by the investments directed towards the development of the sports sector in the area. Sri Lanka co-hosted the 2011 cricket World Cup-semi finals in the new cricket stadium in Hambantota adding it to the ICC`s list of main cricket venues in the world. The government’s plans to enhance sports and uplift those to professional levels will come to reality by 2016 with the establishment of the proposed Sports University in Hambantota. Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, a Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament identifies these features as essential infrastructure facilities that contribute in the process of hosting such a sports festival. (30.06.2011)  In the meantime the country will be prepared to host the Commonwealth Games in 2018 by the National Volunteering Program through which all community sports clubs will be encouraged to develop volunteering programmes allowing each community to understand the role of the Commonwealth Games.
Commenting on the fact that Hambantota has been proposed as the host city of the games, the Co- chairman of the Commonwealth Bidding Committee, Dr. Ajith Nivard Cabraal observes that the shackle of Sri Lankan ethos being limited to the Western Province or Colombo has been removed now since we got to “ensure a growth and infrastructure development which spreads right across the nation” (14. 06.2011) in the long run. As such with its unique natural environment, long history, high economic potential and the high amount of investments that will be directed towards the fields of trade, development and sports in near future, the strategic and economic viability of Hambanthota continues to grow in leaps and bounds upon the ashes of Tsunami in 2004 and amidst the peaceful and safe atmosphere now reins the country. The chairman of the Commonwealth Games Federation Evaluation Commission, Mrs. Louise Martin from Scotland, remarked as follows, after witnessing the prospects of Hambantota during their four day visit in the country.    

 … the proposal of staging the Commonwealth Games in Hambantota is an exciting one and, given the development of the relevant infrastructure, will provide a unique Games experience for the athletes and other Games client groups, (30.06.2011)

Yet Sri Lanka does not hesitate at any rate to admit the fact brought forth by the Head of the Evaluation Committee regarding the completion of Commonwealth Games City in Hambantota as opposed to the city of Gold Coast in Australia.  

“As you would expect more than seven years out, and with considerable additional work to be done in forming the final Games plan, there are some matters which simply cannot be, or do not need to be, known at this stage. (Mrs. Martin - 30.06.2011)

"The Gold Coast and Australia has a huge advantage because they have already hosted the Commonwealth Games four times," "If they host it again in 2018, it will be the fifth time that they have hosted the Games in a span of 80 years."So they are event ready. "I can only tell you that we are getting ready day by day” (Dr. Cabraal, Co –chairman of the Bidding Committee – 27.06.2011)

Nevertheless the confidence and unwavering determination of Sri Lanka in reaching the status of “readiness’ by 2016 is re – affirmed by the Co – chairmen of the Bidding Committee.   

                  We received the highest appreciations for being the best out of the three hosts of the recently concluded Cricket World Cup and we will repeat the same and all the venues will be ready to host the 2016 South Asian Games which will act as a rehearsal before the big event,” ( Minister of Sports in Sri Lanka, Mahindananda Aluthgamage. (13.06.2011)

We want to assure you that our team Hambantota 2018 will not spare any pains. We will deliver all our promises. (Dr. Cabraal – 30. 06.2011)

And the Chairperson of the Evaluation Committee did acknowledge a “substantial progress” and thus they “have no doubt about the resolve to deliver the necessary infrastructure by 2016.” (30.06.2011) while the Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Games Federation, Mr. Mike Hooper asserts that he was “satisfied that if Sri Lanka won the bid, there would be no controversy involving last-minute building work.” (30.06.2011) Significantly the Evaluation Commission thus concluded their mission and task of inspecting the two venues proposed for the Commonwealth Games in 2018 highly appreciating and acknowledging the efforts of both countries:  "The Gold Coast impressed us with what they have on offer, and we are confident that Hambantota has also put together a very comprehensive bid.”(Mrs. Louis Martin - 30.06.2004)

The vision of the Commonwealth Games Federation, as stated in its Constitution is “to promote a unique, friendly, world class Commonwealth Games and to develop sports for the benefit of the people, the nations and the territories of the Commonwealth, and thereby strengthen the Commonwealth”. Unarguably the validity of this statement surpasses the level of Commonwealth. Because the opportunity provided for the active participation of all continents, regions and nations in attaining global tasks would definitely assure a stronger mutual understanding among the countries in the world. In this process all nations irrespective of their economic and military capacities should be given the space and medium to showcase their potential and the unique features that constitute the respective social fabric paving the way to an improved mutual respect for difference and diversity. Mutual understanding and respecting and tolerating difference has been identified as crucial elements in guaranteeing a conflict free environment under multiple circumstances. Thus would not the opportunity for participation and in sharing responsibilities given to all nations affords a solution to the threatening issues of a world caroused by competition, rivalry, conflicts and wars culminated in terrorism? Apparently the answer lies in the Reverend J. Astley’s suggestion for a common festival of sports, made in 1891 that is worth repeating:  a festival combining sporting, military and literary events… would draw closer the ties and increase the goodwill and understanding of the Empire”. In the absence of the empire, sports and games continue to serve as a mode of promoting peace, harmony and cooperation among nations and communities via world and regional sporting festivals and Commonwealth Games is no exception.

In this exercise rotating the responsibility of hosting and organizing the event among capable nations is an imperative as it would enable each member state to expand its existing potential allowing the benefits to be extended to the citizens as well as to the region. According to Dr. Cabraal, during the “last 80 years just four nations: Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have  hosted the Commonwealth Games 17 times out of the 20 times that it was held”(14.06.2011). In other words, these four countries and their respective regions are repeatedly given the space to empower themselves further with the gains of the Games. This of course is a proof of an uneven representation and recognition of nations and unequal distribution of wealth that seems to contribute in labeling the countries in the world as rich or poor, strong or weak and developing or developed. Evidently the authorities responsible for this act of ‘labeling’ identify the existence of ‘poor, weak and developing nations’ as opposed to the ‘rich, strong and developed’.  Yet does this identification necessarily imply that the gulf between these two groups should exist and be ever on increase dividing the human race in to two halves?

This question is worth asking for the reason that alleviation of poverty, curbing the divisions in the society and empowering the ‘third world’ appears to have been limited to the global forums and discussions. If we genuinely look forward to achieve theses challenges, the weak should be strengthened: the poor should be armed with the opportunity and space to attempt, struggle, grow and proceed. The lack and the deficit should be filled. But adding to the surplus does not prove a sensible solution in this process. It tends to cause more serious damage than being unproductive as it aggravates the competition and rivalry fueled by inequity, disparity and injustice among the nations in the world. If it continues the humanity may fall a victim of itself.  Thus the time is ripe to stop further disproportion and abridge the gulf.  And Commonwealth Games 2018 has endowed the world with a promising juncture in this regard because “some of the other nations came up and said they would be happy to host the Games and they must show their ability to host the Games as well.” (Dr. Cabraal - 14.06.2011) Australia having hosted the Games four times already, invites the world to “share the great Australian spirit” and join in their bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games while Sri Lanka, budding amidst its peaceful environs, is on her way to create a legacy, “together, from the heart”. If it is Sri Lanka’s turn to host the Games in 2018, it may open the doors of opportunity to other competent nations as well. Then the vision of the Commonwealth Games Federation to “strengthen the Commonwealth” can truly be witnessed and sensed in action.    

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London Olympics 2012 medals unveiled

The medals that will be awarded to the athletes in London Olympics 2012, when they stand on the podium have been unveiled at Trafalgar Square in Britain, in presence of International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge. David Watkins is the designer. Continoue Reading….

Read here more>>> Sports News, London Olympics News, Recent Sports News

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Contador, Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck favourites for Tour De France 2011

The most anticipated race of the season the Tour De France 2011, is scheduled to start today. 175 cyclists will be participating in the event. Contador, Cadel Evans and Andy Schleck are considered to be the favourites for the mega event. Continoue Reading…..

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All eyes set on Pearl River for Asian Games closing ceremony, to begin at 17:30 hrs IST

THE ASIAN Games 2010 held in Guangzhou, China opened to the world in a grand ceremony with never seen before LED lightings and firecrackers playing a major part.

The fourteen-day gala event, where even India broke all records and won many “first-ever” medals, will bring the curtains down today at 17:30 hrs IST. The ceremony will reportedly be more subtle as the hosts send off the athletes in a warm ceremony.  The games’ closing ceremony will feature at the same venue as the opening ceremony that is the Haixinsha Square on the Pearl River. It will be a three-hour performance event concluding with the flag handover for the 2014 Asian Games, to be held in Incheon, South Korea.
Famous Asian pop star Rain (Jung Ji-Hoon) will perform three songs in the event. In all eight songs have been picked for the ceremony representing the eastern, western, southern, northern and central parts of the continent. The idea behind this is to display Asia as a whole and emerging power, said one of the organisers. An Indian musician Ravi K Tripathi is also going to perform at the ceremony. He will be singing the famous A R Rahman number ‘”Jai Ho” and two other songs.
Similar to the opening ceremony, the closing will also feature water bodies as an important part. There will be interesting formations and use of the cauldron, which was lighted by firecrackers in the opening ceremony, among other things.  The whole ceremony will come to cost around $53 million, as per sources.

India has managed to pull of the best-ever Asian Games haul, since 1982 Asiad. Our athletes clinched a total of 64 medals comprising 14 gold, 17 silver and 33 bronze. This is the highest number of gold medals won since the first Asian Games held in 1951. India is on the sixth position and has superseded Thailand as well as Malaysia.

 

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Asian Games closing ceremony to feature Indian musician

THE GAMES are coming to an end and with that mesmerising opening ceremony, the world can’t wait to see how the games close down in Guangzhou, China.

Reportedly, the ceremony is going to have an Indian flavour too with Mumbai-based Ravi Tripathi slated to perform at the ceremony.
Tripathi will be performing the famour A R Rahman composition ‘Jai Ho’ at the ceremony with 200 Chinese dancers moving to his tunes. His 15-minute performance will include two other songs, one from his latest album ‘Baatein’ and the other, a Chinese number that has been composed by a popular China-based music composer Henry Ctang. Tripathi has sung for Chandni Chowk to China and a few other films.
Asian pop star and actor Rain (Jung Ji-Hoon) will also render three songs. Eight songs have been picked for the ceremony, representing the eastern, western, southern, northern and central parts of the continent

The closing ceremony will be held at the same venue where the Asian Games opened and water once again is a key ingredient in the whole ceremony.
The ceremony would commence with a giant chandelier emerging from the deep-water area of the stage with a sail-shaped red curtain on screens behind. The organisers also plan to use the cauldron, which was lit at the venue at the opening ceremony, together with the chandelier on the stage and the big screens shaped like sails.
A seemingly interesting ceremony is in store for all the anticipating viewers and with the Indian touch to it becomes all too special for the Indians.

 

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Vijender claims gold, tally touches 14

HISTORY WAS charted at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China when boxing’s pin up boy, Vijender Singh claimed gold, thus taking India’s gold medal graph to 14. The last gold haul was India’s best performance at the Asian Games so far.

To claim the 14th medal, Vijender pulverised Olympic bronze medalist, Uzbekistan's Abbos Atoev by a massive 7-0, which made the Indian spectators hysterical with the unbelievable win.

So far, India’s best performance had been during the 1982 Asian Games which was held in New Delhi. During the 1982 Games, India had clinched 13 gold, 19 silver and 25 bronze that led to a total of 57 medals.

The 25 year old, who has been compared with the likes of soccer players like David Beckham for his looks and crowd pulling ability compensated to the medal loss during the Commonwealth Games 2010 which were held in New Delhi.

Vijender’s performance on the penultimate day before the Games finally come to a close raised India’s hope of being somewhere where they could have never envisaged. However, China’s Zou Shiming retained his light-flyweight title.

With an addition of 11 more medals during the day, India’s medal graph raised to 14 gold, 17 silver and 33 bronze (total 64).

 

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Men's and women's kabaddi team raise India's gold medal bar

THE INDIAN women's and men's kabaddi team ended an outstanding Asian Games presentation by sealing the gold medal with a inclusive win over Thailand and Iran respectively in the finals to win the 12th gold for India on the 14th day of the ongoing Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
The women's Kabaddi team beat Thailand 28-14 in a directing performance to settle the inaugural women's kabaddi gold of the Asian Games. In first half time they were leading 17 -7 after Thailand team failed to secure a single lonas against Indian and Indian women pinning them on the ground. Whereas, the Indian men's kabaddi team soared even higher by defeating Iran 37-20.

The squad had earlier managed to pulverise Japan to reach this spot and successfully managed to retain their glory. The Indian team also got a couple of bonus points in the opening half.

In semi-final Indian women beat Iran by close margin of 23-22. Match was interested as both teams were tied 22-22 in the closing time and the Indian team emerged victorious in the extra time.

 

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India wins 3 golds on Thursday, climbs up in Asian Games

INDIA HAS got back to its winning streak, or so it seems. After a very disappointing loss in Hockey semi-finals, India won a total of 7 medals on the 13^th day of Asian Games 2010.

India won two surprise gold medals in 400m hurdles athletics event, one in men’s category and one in women’s.
After that Vikas Krishnan lifted a gold in the men's 60 kg boxing event the Asian Games.
Also, a silver was won by Dinesh Kumar in the men’s 81 kg boxing event.
The total of India’s medal now is 53 and we are sitting at the eights position as of now.
In today’s events we are hopeful of 4 gold medals with two boxing events, two kabbadi events (women’s and men’s final) in sight.

Other scheduled events where India is participating are Karate, Sepaktakraw, Wrestling and Volleyball.
India has still a few chances left before the games close down tomorrow on 27^th November to make it a better event than the last Asian Games, where we finished at the eights position with around the same number of medals that we have now.

With four gold medals anticipated and a few more events in tow, its very anxiously awaited how many we are able to bag. Nothing is for sure after the heartbreaking loss in the Hockey semi-finals as India has not lost to Malaysia for the past few years in any Hockey match.
Today’s stars include Vijender Singh in the men’s 75 kg boxing gold bout where he is facing Abbos Atoev of Uzbekisan and Manpreet Singh in men’s 91 kg boxing event is facing Mohammad Ghossoun of Syria.
Kabbadi teams are also high in the gold anticipation list as India has never disappointed fans in this sport.

 

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India's stand in Asian Games 2010

INDIA WON two surprise gold medals after two days of average performance.
India's Ashwini Chidananda won a gold in the women's 400metres hurdles and Joseph Abraham clinched the gold in the men's category of he same even in the Asian Games 2010.

Ashwini outdid herself by clinching the gold with a timing of 56.15 to give India their 8th gold medal in the Games.

India’s performance was getting pretty uneventful for the past two days and these gold medals come as a pleasant surprise for all back home.

Another bronze was won by Mausam Khatri in men's 96 kg freestyle wrestling event, which made up for the disappointing performance of wrestlers earlier in he games.

Also, in hockey after the heart breaking loss to Malaysia in semi-finals, Indian team picked up the bronze after defeating Korea for it in the third-place playoff.

And with that bronze India finally ended the eight-year long wait of getting back on the podium in the sport. India won the last medal in hockey in the Asian Games 2002, in Busan.

Also, India broke Korea’s back as they have never missed a medal in the sport since the 1986 Asian Games, held in Seoul.

With these two gold medals, India beat Thailand to the 9th position. India now has a total of 9 gold medals, 13 silver and 29 bronze; that takes the total to 51.

China refuses to budge from the first position and has half of the gold medals of he whole event. China’s total is 370 medals followed by Korea with 217 medals and Japan on the 3rd position with 190 medals.

 

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Somdev wins second gold, creates history

SOMDEV HAS won India’s 7^th gold, a second for him after he grabbed a gold yesterday in the doubles event with Sanam Singh.

The duo bashed out Gong Maoxin and Li Zhe of China and followed in to the footsteps of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. They sailed into o the semi-finals after winning this gold medal, taking India’s gold to 6.
And today, Somdev becomes the first-ever Indian to win a gold at a men’s singles tennis event at the Asian Games.
Today’s match was against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan and the match belonged to Somdev right from the start.
Somdev, whose international ranking is 106 faced Istomin, who achieved a world-ranking of 39 this year. Somdev was totally in form right from the beginning and it seemed Istomin was just not playing the part. Somdev shunned Istomin 6-1 6-2.
This gold can be called one of the most precious ones as it’s the first ever in its category. Somdev has surely created history for India.
What is interesting is that this historic gold has come from a rather lesser known face of Tennis and not from Leander Paes or our own BHupathi or even Sania. Its time we realized our potential truly and gave equal importance to all players. Somdev has outdone himself by taking on the way he did to the world no 39, Istomin in today’s match.
India’s medal tally now is 37 with 7 gold medals, 12 silver and 18 bronze.  India stands tall at 6^th position sharing it with Thailand. If Thailand wins another gold it could beat India to the 6^th position.
China sits comfortably at the top position with a whopping 311 medals comprising of 157 gold medals. Following China are Korea with 182 medals at 2^nd position and Japan at the 3^rd position with 158 medals.

 

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Asian Games 2010 opening ceremony today at 17:30 hrs IST

THE OPENING ceremony of XVI Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China is going to be one of a kind.
It’s the first ceremony where the whole event will not take place in any closed place or a stadium but in an open space. It will take place on an island on Pearl River and each country’s contingent will be taken there on a separate boat.

There will be a combined ceremony part on land and part on sea, also being anxiously awaited are the ‘mysterious lightings’ that China claims to be on display.

India’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony is ace shooter Gagan Narang, but, as he has an early morning schedule on 13th November, Saina Nehwal is the stand-by flag bearer. It is not officially confirmed yet as to who will bear the flag.

Although, the local public of China has seen the rehearsals of he ceremony taking place but there still are parts which have been kept hidden till now and will be revealed to the world together, today.

The opening ceremony is being organised under Chen Weiya, who was also the assistant director of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Chen revealed in a special interview that the ceremony "will surprise the world." Reportedly, a 7,000 people team will contribute to the ceremony.

 

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XIV Asian Games to begin with a spectacular opening ceremony

THE 2010 Asian Games are going to open in China on November 12, 2010 and the games will continue till November 27, 2010.

It is being speculated that the opening ceremony of the Asian Games will be a mega event, even when compared to the Olympics as the Asiad will host 42 events. 45 countries have confirmed participation in the Games.

The opening ceremony is being organised under Chen Weiya, who was also the assistant director of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Chen revealed in a special interview that the ceremony "will surprise the world." Reportedly, a 7,000 people team will contribute to the ceremony. A lighting ceremony, separate at the sea and land will be held at the opening ceremony.

Sports like mountain biking, Wushu, Rugby, Chess and many more uncommon as well as traditional sports will be part of the event.

All 45 members of Olympic Council of Asia are participating in the Games. Athletes from these 45 countries will compete in a total of 476 events in 42 sports making it the largest competition in the history of the Asian Games.

China is leaving no stone unturned for the success of the Games, also now in the wake of the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, held at New Delhi.

As is expected both the events are bound to be compared and thus China is working extra hard to make it a bigger extravaganza. In one of the measures half of the 2.1 million private cars in Guangzhou have been ordered off the roads for the period during and leading up to the games. This step has been taken to improve the ambient air quality,  this is similar to the measures taken for the 2008 Olympics held at China.

While China battles it out to make it a spectacular event, spectators can gear up for another treat for their eyes as the Opening Ceremony is bound to be magnificent.

 

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China invited Zardari for opening ceremony of 16th Asian Games

CHINA HAS invited President Asif Ali Zardari to attend the opening ceremony of 16th Asian Games which is going to be held from November 12 to 27, in Guangzhou, China.
China is hosting another biggest event after 2008 Olympics games where in Athletes of 45 Countries will participate.16th Asian Games are schedule to start from November 12 to 27.
According to sources in Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), an invitation has been received from China in which they have invited President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari to attend the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games.
Pakistani Contingent is also taking part in the Asian Games. National athletes will leave for china in two parts. First batch of athletes will leave on November 8 and second batch of athletes will leave for china on November 10.
Training camps of baseball, snooker, squash, kabaddi, volleyball, martial arts, football, weightlifting and hockey are already getting underway at different venues of Pakistan Sports Complex (PSC). 169 contingent members including players and officials will visit China to participate in the mega event.
Sources in Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) said that purpose to hold all training camps under one roof is to monitor the performance of National Sports Federations and to get the best results from the athletes who will participate in the mega event of the sports world.

 

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Asian Games 2010 all set in Guangzhou

The 2010 Asian Games, also known as the 16^th Asian Games. Asian Games are scheduled to take place in Guangzhou. Guangzhou is the second city in China to host the Games  after Beijing in 1990. A total of 476 events in 42 sports will be contested by athletes, making it the largest event in history of the Games. The Guangzhou Asian Games will feature 42 sports, including 28 Olympic sports and 14 non-Olympic sports. There are also games that debuted this year at Asian Games like Dragon Boat, Twenty-20 Cricket and DanceSport. Asian Games Start on November 12 to November 27, 2010.

Guangzhou was awarded the right on July 1, 2004. Guangzhou came after the withdrawal of several cities, from Amman, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul. The games will also be co-hosted by Dongguan, Foshan and Shanwei, the three neighbouring cities.

There are 53 competition venues and 17 training venues available for the Games. The Asian Games Venues are Zhongda Gymnasium, Triathlon Venue, Huashi Gymnasium, Huangcun Sports Base, Huagong Stadium, Huagong Gymnasium, Guangyao Gymnasium, Guangwai Gymnasium, Guanggong Gymnasium, Guanggong Cricket Stadium, Guangda Gymnasium, Aoti Tennis Centre, Aoti Shooting Range, Aoti Main Stadium, Aoti Hockey Field, Aoti Baseball Field, Aoti Archery Range, Aoti Aquatics Centre, University Town Main Stadium, Tianhe Tennis School, Tianhe Stadium, Tianhe Softball Field, Tianhe Natatorium, Tianhe Bowling Hall, Tainhe Gymnasium, Shanwei Water Sports Centre, International Rowing Centre, Guangzhou Velodrome, Guangzhou Shotgun Centre, Guangzhou Gymnasium, Guangzhou Equestrian Venue, Guangzhou Chess Institute, Guangti Gymnasium, Guangdong People's Stadium, Guangdong Gymnasium, Zengcheng Gymnasium, Zengcheng Dragon Boat Lake, Nansha Stadium, Huangpu Stadium, Huangpu Gymnasium, Huadu Stadium, Foshan Gymnasium, Foshan Aquatics Centre, Dragon Lake Golf Club, Dongguan Gymnasium, Dafushan Mountain Bike CourseBeach Volleyball Venue, Asian Fames Town Gymnasium.

The Sixteenth Asian Games 2010 attending many Sports event like Dance/Kayak, Cycling, Boxing, Bowling, Billiard Sports, Basketball, Baseball, Badminton, Athletics, Archery, Aquatics, Modern Pentathlon, Karate, Kabaddi, Judo, Hockey, Handball, Gymnastics, Golf, Football, Fencing, Equestrian, Dragon Boat, DanceSport, Cricket, Chess, WushuWrestling, Weightlifting, Volleyball, Triathlon, Tennis, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Squash, Softball, Shooting, Sepaktakraw, Sailing, Rugby, Rowing, Roller Sports.

The opening ceremony will be held on November 12, 2010 on Haixinsha Island in the Pearl River. Opening ceremony will begin at 20:04 (UTC+8) and Asian Games closing ceremony will be held on November 27, 2010, with the performances will begin at 20:06 (UTC+8).

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Saina clinches gold, India back at number two in gold tally

SHE CAME, she saw and she conquered! The moment of glory came when Saina Nehwal bravely defeated her Malaysian opponent Mew Chong Wong to clinch the gold medal in the womens final. Saina's gold has indeed set an example for other Indian athletes, who not only won accolades for themselves but also managed to get their sporting discipline in the limelight.

The first two sets saw both Saina and her opponent battling it out with a mixed blend of composure, perseverance and pressure. Saina's inspiration for today's medal could be the double pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa, who bagged the gold in doubles match earlier today.

However, disappointment struck when the Indian hockey team was pulverised by the Australian players. India lost the match by a humiliating margin of eight goals. So far, in the medal tally, Saina's indestructible performance rocketed India to the second position. England is yet to go into the last day of their games while Australia still rules the roost with a total medal haul of 74-54-48.

Meanwhile, the biggest morale booster for Delhi came when Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Michael Fennell held a press conference and stated that Delhi has performed and the overall image of the Games have been extremely positive.

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Indians anguished over corruption in CWG Games

IT REFERS to media-reports about public-anger showered on chairperson of the organising committee (OC) for Commonwealth Games 2010, when some young men disrupted Suresh Kalmadi from dining at a Vasant Kunj restaurant at New Delhi as according to them the Parliamentarian was enjoying dinner using money siphoned from the current CWG Games-2010.

Situation became even more embarrassing when more people joined the protest on Suresh Kalmadi summoning his musclemen in defence forcing the notorious OC chief to run away leaving dinner in between.
If Union government fails to take instant action against corrupt ones of CWG-2010 just after the completion of the games, public anger may be disastrous. Union government should set an example by instant arrest of corrupt fellows of CWG-2010, say within a week ending October 17, 2010.

Even if no charges may be immediately proved against Suresh Kalmadi, he should not be spared from such an instant action. Because, if he can enjoy fruits of being OC chairperson of CWG-2010, he must be made to own responsibility for scams and scandals costing tax-payers thousands of crores rupees. Such an action showing big fish baking bread and cleaning toilets in jail on TV screens will practically and effectively check corruption and scams by the high and the mighty.

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Indian boxers shine in CWG Games, lift three gold medals

THE INDIAN boxing contingent in the ongoing Commonwealth Games learnt their lessons the hard way when they compensated for their mistakes, which they had committed on Monday. The boxing trio consisting Surnajoy Singh (52 kg), Manoj Kumar (64 kg) and Paramjeet Samota (91 kg) hauled three golds on Wednesday in their respective weight categories.

Although Singh and Manoj Kumar had lifted their own gold medal's, tension gripped when Paramjeet Samota was to face Trinidadian Tariq Abdul Haqq. Samota's manipulated moves not just confused the spectators but also the game specialists, when he changed his attacking style from right hand to left. The moment of victory came when Samota landed a harsh punch on the Trinidadian on the upper lip which led to an instantaneous gush of blood.

Meanwhile, in the 64 kg knockout English boxer, Bradley Saunders was left battered and bruised against Manoj Kumar, who registered a 11-2 win against him that made his journey towards the gold medal much more sweeter.

Although Vijender Singh's exit out of the semi finals came as a disappointment, Manoj Kumar tried to fill in the gap by stating there like Vijender, even he had kept the guard pretty close to his face. His style of attack confused the opponent which made his victory commendable.

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CWG Games closing ceremony: Get ready for a blockbuster

NEARLY TWO weeks long Commonwealth Games 2010 has now reached to its final destination. Commonwealth Games closing ceremony is all set to be a blockbuster affair and it would take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium this evening. Prince Edward will be formally closing the Commonwealth Games 2010 on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will be the guest of honor of the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

The closing ceremony of XIX Commonwealth Games promises to be an extravaganza of colours with multiple segments. Around 2,500 school students will perform along with 7,000 artists and create some lively dance and music to make the event memorable. The event will comprise dance, music, folk and modern music, screening of films and puppet shows. Commonwealth Games 2010 mascot Shera will be present during closing ceremony.

The main theme of the event is 'Universal Love' and the main part of the event is a colourful laser show along with India's martial arts. The world's largest helium balloon aerostat will again be the star attraction at the closing ceremony. Bollywood singers like Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan and Kailash Kher, among others are all set to perform in the fun-fare event.

Celebrities from sports, flim and political fraternity will be attending the closing ceremony of XIX Commonwealth Games. The event will take place between 7 to 9-30 pm. and about 60,000 people are expected to attend it at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The Commonwealth Games Ceremonial Flag will be handed to the XX Commonwealth Games host city Glasgow.

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Saina Nehwal creates history, enters badminton finals

INDIA's BADMINTON sensation and world No. 3, Saina Nehwal became the first Indian woman to enter the finals of the Commonwealth Games badminton event. History was made at the Siri Fort Complex in front of home crowd, when she easily defeated Susan Egelstaff of Scotland in straight sets 21-10 and 21-17.

The spectators' cheered for her as she stepped onto the court which was the last game of the day. Because of her unforced errors, Saina lost the initial points and the crowd also fell silent. However, the match transformed into an entirely different level as she recomposed herself and took to the winning stride.

She snatched the first set in just 12 minutes from Susan. However, the next game saw Susan pressing force as she started advancing which was powered by by some uncharacteristic mistakes committed by Saina at the net.

Fear gripped the home crowd when Susan took a 17-16 lead from Saina but with maximum levels of perseverance she advanced with a five pointer to enter the finals.

In doubles match Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa also moved into the final with a 12- 21, 21- 13, 21- 11 win over Kate Wilson Smith and He Ting Tiang of Australia.

Saina will meet Malaysian second seed Wong Mew Chew in the final.“It is great to be in the final of the Commonwealth Games," Saina said proudly.

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