Chinese coach advises early beginning
By Arvind Katyal
‘START early, play to your optimum capacity, and derive the results over a period of time’, viewed Yin Wei, a Chinese table tennis coach who was in Chandigarh for the Junior National Table Tennis championship. He advocated the need of making it compulsory that only former prominent players of this game became coaches. He felt that this was essential and the present system of diploma courses in India for one to two years should be extended as in China.

Is this cricket ?
By Vivek Sood
You be the judge! Are the players playing or the umpires; should the players be the ones to determine the outcome of the match or the umpires? Well if we look at the last few one-day matches it becomes evident that more than the players it is the umpires who have a greater impact on the game.

US prosecutors seek to clean up boxing
From Julian Borger in Washington
US prosecutors took steps to seize control of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) under anti-racketeering laws in an attempt to purge the sport of corruption.

Keeping fit with recreational sport
By A.S. Ahluwalia
Recreational activities of all kinds, including sport, contribute to our enjoyment of life. Recreational activities, which include exercise, promote physical fitness when they are performed regularly, and the maintenance of physical fitness is an important factor in the maintenance of health.

Sport Mail

Nehru hockey needs new blood
By Ramu Sharma

National federations in most sport have their own responsibilities and problems while overseeing the administration of the various affiliated units if only to keep tabs on the voting trends. Their responsibility as far as conduct of major tournaments is concerned has generally related to appointing an observer, if asked for, and providing qualified umpires and, of course, collecting the capitation fee in addition to allotting the dates for the competition. The federations have never really felt the need to do more though there are instances in football where the parent body has often covertly interfered and not always for the best of reasons. The All-India Football Federation, for instance, has often been accused of selective treatment being meted out to certain tournaments.

Football of course has so many in-built checks and so much following despite the generally mediocre standard of the game in the country that the problems are solved before they taken on serious proportions. Not that remedial measures are always on the right lines but what is healthy is that solution in some form is available.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with hockey. For all the gold medals won in the early phase of entry into the Olympics and the discussions and debates held following each reverse after the 1964 Olympics at Tokyo, not much is done about streamlining the all-India tournaments held in the country. Unlike football, some of the tournaments which used to sustain Indian hockey at the highest level, disappeared in the 50s itself. One of the most popular of these was the Dhyan Chand Tournament. Efforts to revive this tournament have not met with success.

The Beighton Cup and the Aga Khan Gold Cup Tournaments have been devalued considerably for reasons not quite clear. There was a time when these tournaments would attract the best of teams and given the widest publicity. Those days are gone now. The tournaments these days hardly get a mention in the papers.

The advent of the Nehru Hockey Tournament in Delhi in the mid-60s was a boost in the arm for the game. It was a popular tournament and attracted the cream of talent from all over the country. The tournament discovered some brilliant players all of whom went on to wear national colours. The Nehru Tournament in fact was the best thing that happened to Indian hockey and when the organisers, The Nehru Society with some big names as patrons and a bunch of keen enthusiasts from the bureaucracy running the show, expanded on the idea and introduced tournaments for sub-juniors and juniors, the feeling was that Indian hockey had at last found a good base to sustain itself.

All this ventures, sub-juniors, juniors and the main tournament, provided some top class hockey to the crowds which flocked to the Shivaji Stadium. The fact that along with the Nehru Tournament, before and after, there were other tournaments also with the same teams, made it appear as if there was an overdose of hockey. But for all that it was the Nehru tournament which remained the main attraction.

But as the years wore on the tournament started losing its appeal and it soon became a routine, a sort of a formality, which had to be observed. This fading of interest had of course much to do with the declining state of Indian hockey at the international level. There were, however, other related factors some of which have not really been appreciated by the men who run the show.

First it must be admitted that the Nehru Hockey Society which runs the tournaments in Delhi has a very high profile administration with some very big names associated with it. They are influential people who have held senior positions in the government and have , at the same time, been connected with the game at one stage, level, or the other. The administrative wing too has been ably handled by men who have devoted a lifetime to the cause of hockey.

But what the well-wishers and the dedicated lot of administrators of the Nehru Society appeared to have overlooked is that times are changing and new blood must be infused into the system. That is the crying need of the tournament if it has to revive the interest in the game at all levels. It must be understood that this is not an attempt to criticise the people who have worked hard all these years. But they must yield to changing times. The future belongs to a different generation, a younger and more energetic people who are in with the changes in the game.

There is nothing wrong in transferring responsibility to someone fresh and new. Frankly it is time a new order took over from the old and trusted generation. The staleness of the tournament has much to do with the administration. A change will help revive the interest in the tournament and perhaps even in Indian hockey. For the Nehru Hockey Tournament’s contribution to Indian hockey can never be overstated. The two are closely linked and must continue their association.

The current lot of administrators should stay on as advisers and motivate the new lot into invigorating the tournament to the level it was in the late 60s or early 70s. And there is much that can be done to spread the message of the Nehru Society. For one, the tournament, the sub-junior and junior tournaments in particular, should be rotated around the major cities. Frankly the standard at the junior level, particularly from the boys from the Adivasi belt, has been very encouraging and often much more entertaining than the stuff dished out in the senior Nehru.

The federation has a big responsibility in helping in the rejuvenation of the Jawaharlal Nehru Tournaments. It is not certain if any observer is ever nominated by the society but if not then it is time that someone is, someone who is not afraid to call a spade a spade. This year the junior tournaments were played to empty stadiums and even the main administrators were seen only on the days of the final matches. The senior Tournament was only a bit better. Things must change now and the IHF has a special responsibility in ensuring that the sheen never wears off the Nehru tournaments.

Chinese coach advises early beginning
By Arvind Katyal

‘START early, play to your optimum capacity, and derive the results over a period of time’, viewed Yin Wei, a Chinese table tennis coach who was in Chandigarh for the Junior National Table Tennis championship. He advocated the need of making it compulsory that only former prominent players of this game became coaches. He felt that this was essential and the present system of diploma courses in India for one to two years should be extended as in China.

Wei is on a contract with the Petroleum Sports Control Board Academy at Ajmer. He called for more practice by players as in Bengal. He said in 1992, he spent one year at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, and found that the facilities were excellent. But because Indian players did not feel financially secure and there were few job opportunities, they were forced to abandon the game.

China, now a world power in table tennis, has made it a system to give practice to its players throughout the year and their studies are taken care of by the government. The contract is on a year to year basis, which has now entered the fifth year.

Yin said coaches expected much from players. But hindrances, such as disturbance due to examinations and too much of domestic tournaments imbalances the system.

Wei was a good player in the 1970s and took to coaching in 1978. Two decades of experience has made him a sought-after coach.

He advises the younger lot to be specific in learning the basics of the game along with power and speed. He told that the government of China also helped the promising players financially till a certain time. He said Chinese coaches were giving training in Germany, Sweden, the USA and Belgium.

On the popularity of table tennis, he said in the last World Cup, nearly 140 countries took part. China boasts of a club system, where budding players go in for exhaustive practice sessions He said coaches in India should be thrown out if they did not perform satisfactorily, as was done in China.

Rewards must be conferred on those doing good work, he said. He was aware of the Sports Authority of India coaches and said there should only be state coaches.

Yin complimented the facilities available in Chandigarh. He was critical of the sport medicine facilities available in India.

In China, every game had specialised sports medicine doctors who gave assistance in the form of counselling to players and coaches. They had a new champion every year because of stiff competition. “We could have immense competition in India if regular practice was conducted,” he quipped.

by K. R. Wadhwaney
Keen contest for DGC chief

Hectic activities have been in progress for the much-awaited Delhi Golf Club (DGC) elections, which are scheduled for Saturday, November 27.

While some contestants have been undergoing door-to-door canvassing, others have been promoting their candidatures quietly. A former President, Ashwini Kumar, has written a letter to many of the 750 voting members in support of one candidate.

As Ved Marwah has been nominated Governor (Manipur), he is expected to withdraw from the contest for the office of the President. This leaves four in the field. They are Kapil Bhatia, Bikram Singh, Raj Bhargava and Inderjit Singh.

Three of the four contestants have been known as ‘gold addicts’. Each has his own lobby and influence. Each is capable of contributing towards the welfare of the club.

Two of the four contestants belonged to one faction before this year’s elections. But they have drifted away from each other. Who wins is immaterial. But let friends stay friends as soon as elections are over.

The tenure of important sitting incumbents, Som Dutt (President) and Rajiv Puri (captain) ends on November 27. Their contribution has been more than enough during the last two years. While Som Dutt is instrumental for construction of the health unit to help golfers develop their own physique and muscles, Puri has been instrumental in maintaining the course. Both lay down their offices the same year. It is a pity!

Novel Suggestion

A veteran golfer has suggested that there should be a prize money team tournament between caddy-turned-professionals and amateur-turned professionals. Among keen golf followers, there are some who feel that caddy-turned-pros are making quicker progress than other professionals. This is worth testing.

There are quite a few young caddies who are performing superbly. They have more golf in them than many other youngsters. If only their backbround is improved. Maybe, they will succeed in bringing more laurels to the country than it has been the case at present.

Hard Fact

Golf, like cricket, is a slow and a long duration competitive sport. Here more steely nerves are needed than in many other disciplines.

Young Irina Brar (Chandigarh) showed her temperament in no uncertain measure in winning the 32nd Northern Ladies Amateur Golf Championship at Delhi the other day.

A few seniors marred their reputation. What was the cause for their failure? Some said that they were pampered a great deal, while others said that they should be left alone to play their own game.

Coaching is important. But each golfer should choose his own style and method for swing. He or she should not be coaxed into undergoing training under this or that coach. The coach-trainee relationship is governed by faith. Unless this is developed, there is little hope of success.

The Indian Golf Union (Ladies section) spokesperson Champika Syal, herself a good golfer, did not pull her punches during the prize distribution function.

She was candid in saying that many seniors had blotted their copybooks in this tournament. She warned them that they should wake from their deep slumber otherwise they might be bypassed for international competitions.

Is this cricket ?
By Vivek Sood

You be the judge! Are the players playing or the umpires; should the players be the ones to determine the outcome of the match or the umpires? Well if we look at the last few one-day matches it becomes evident that more than the players it is the umpires who have a greater impact on the game.

It is quite understandable that the dignity of the umpires has to be preserved, but then, at what cost! If a player objects to any decision or in cricketing terms if he shows dissent he is reprimanded and at times penalised by way of deducting his match fees. But when an umpire makes a wrong decision or in cricketing parlance an human error then it is something one has just got to accept, even if it changes the whole complexion of the game.

The point is; when we have the option of the third umpire then why not avail it? There should be no shame in it for the umpires on the field, especially as it is for the greater good of the game. And is that not what we all want!

Why should a bowler who knows he has got his man, not be given the right to ask for the third umpires decisions, similarly the batsmen who knows that he has been wrongly declared out should be given the right to appeal against the decision.

One might argue, that this system would lead to unnecessary intervention of the third umpire and also be employed as a delaying tactic. Players may just start appealing against every decision.

These arguments do hold water but can be easily countered by enforcing a few conditions and restraints. The players should be cautioned that the decision of the umpire on the field may only be challenged if the player is certain about the incorrectness of the decision. In case the TV replay shows that the decision was a clear cut one, then the player who appealed to the third umpire may be penalised by way of deducting his match fees or even by suspending the player for the next match.

If the TV replay is inconclusive then the decision of the umpire on the field should be upheld without any bias towards anyone.

The suspension penalty may sound harsh but is the only way of ensuring that the players do not end up making a joke out of this option provided to them. In addition to making the game more just and fair it will also put an end to the umpires dictating the course of a match. After all decisions like what Ganguly got in the Chennai Test and Arvinda got in the recently concluded Sharjah tourney cannot be justified by any standards and have to be stopped to maintain the sanctity of the sport. Especially as it no longer remains just a sport but a passion for millions of cricket crazy individuals around the world.

US prosecutors seek to clean up boxing
From Julian Borger in Washington

US prosecutors took steps to seize control of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) under anti-racketeering laws in an attempt to purge the sport of corruption.

Hearings to decide whether the IBF’s management should be replaced by a Judge with powers to reform the organisation started in a New Jersey court and were adjourned until next week. The case follows a string of scandals which left senior IBF officials facing bribery charges.

The IBF, one of three organisations which rank boxers and sanction title bouts, was recently attacked over its role in two fights between Britain’s Lennox Lewis and the American boxer, Evander Holyfield.

An IBF judge, Eugenia Williams, provoked outrage when she ruled that Holyfield had won the first bout in March this year. She was brought before a federal grand jury to answer questions about her links with Holyfield’s promoter, the vertically-coifed Don King.

The IBF may now become the first sporting body to be taken over by the government under legislation aimed at tackling organised crime.

The attorney in New Jersey, Robert Cleary, said: “The allegations of corruption in the IBF are severe and wide in scope. This clearly is the best possible remedy to save the IBF from its corrupt influences and ensure its integrity for the future.’’

After Lewis won the rematch against Holyfield on November 13, the IBF refused to award its title as it had not received its $300,000 (£ 185,000) fee for sanctioning the fight. The money had been lodged in a third party account while federation officials were being investigated.

On November 4, a New Jersey grand jury approved charges against the IBF’s most senior four officials, including its president, Robert Lee.

“The indictment charges Lee and his co-defendants with running the sanctioning body as a racketeering enterprise, in which they routinely solicited and accepted bribes from fight promoters and managers to fix fighter rankings,’’ Mr Cleary’s office said in a statement.

One of the fights under scrutiny is the heavyweight bout in June, 1995 between George Foreman and an obscure, previously unranked fighter, Axel Schulz.

“Boxing has given bribery a bad name,” said Bert Sugar, the editor of the boxing magazine, Fight Game. “These people not only take money under the table. They take it around the table, over the table — sometimes they even take the table. And 1999 is the worst year boxing ever had.”

Federal prosecutors want Zachary Carter, a judge from Brooklyn, to be the IBF’s supervisor, with powers to overhaul the organisation and subpoena witnesses. They presented a temporary restraining motion which would prevent IBF officials hiding the federation’s assets.

But Mr Sugar doubted that such measures would stop the rot. He said that the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Association would also have to be regulated.

The Nevada attorney-general’s office is investigating all three bodies. A New York Senate Committee is looking into the possibility of setting up a federal authority with broad powers to supervise the sport. — by arrangement with The Guardian

Keeping fit with recreational sport
By A.S. Ahluwalia

Recreational activities of all kinds, including sport, contribute to our enjoyment of life. Recreational activities, which include exercise, promote physical fitness when they are performed regularly, and the maintenance of physical fitness is an important factor in the maintenance of health.

Schools and colleges recognise physical education is an important part of general education. The period of life when we go to school for most of us the time when we take the most exercise. The problem is to continue throughout our later life a degree of exercise that will help us to maintain a state of good physical fitness and good health.

Vigorous physical activity helps to develop muscles, and physical strength makes an important contribution to daily activities. Once developed, strength can be easily maintained with little diminution for many years. More importantly, the heart is a muscle. It is strengthened and improved in its function by any form of strenuous exertion. Exercise also enables the lungs to increase their ability to take in air and to utilise more efficiently the oxygen, which they extract from this air. In general the harder the work, the greater will be benefit to the body. One way to determine the relative demands which different kinds of exercise place on the body is to compare the number of calories which the body must burn each minute is support these exercises. The calorie is a unit of heat used to measure energy in studies of metabolism and physical activity.

The following table shows calories burned per minute for common recreational sports.

Sport Cal/Min.

Walking (2.5 mph) 3.6

Cycling (5.5 mph) 4.5

Volleyball 3.5

Golfing 5.0

Swimming (20 yd/min) 5.0

Walking 3.75 mph 5.6

Table Tennis 6.0

Tennis 7.1

Skating 6.0

Squash 10.2

Cycling (13 mph) 11.0

Running (10 mph) 15.0

Rowing (2.5 mph) 5.0

All of the above sport can be played individually with the exception of volleyball, table tennis and Squash. They can be started early in life and continued to an advanced age, sometimes with slight modifications. The secret of success is to play them on regular basis. Each person should try to select those recreational activities, which are most suitable for his regular participation based on convenience of location, the prevailing climate, and the time and expense involved.

A brief summary of the most popular recreational activities which involve some degree of exercise and which are suitable for men and women of all age groups is presented here as an aid in your selection of a suitable sport or sports.

Badminton

The popularity of badminton is based largely on the fact that it can be played with pleasure by the learner as well as the expert. The court is relatively small and can be easily located indoors or outdoors. The player does not have to cover so much ground on this small court, but the fast action builds up his mind. Leg and shoulder muscles get the most exercise.

Rowing

Rowing is an exercise for the muscles of the back and shoulders particularly, and also for the legs. Rowing exercises just about every muscle in the body and also develops lung capacity and endurance. Basic precautions to be observed in all boating activities are the cardinal rules: show proper respect for others and use common sense. Don’t overload your boat; don’t stand up or change seats while under way; watch for swimmers and floating objects; take along life preserves; don’t go out on a boat if you cannot swim.

Cycling

This is one of the most popular recreational activity for young and old. No special equipment besides a bicycle is necessary. Cycling exercises primarily the leg muscles, but the back and shoulders participate as well. Cycling is a great exercise for building up endurance and can be carried out for this purpose or a life-long basis. If a bicycle is ridden after dark, it should be equipped with a handle bar light and a rear reflector.

Golf

Golf provides primarily a walking exercise; the average golfer covering about 6 miles on the 18 hole-course about 6,500 yards in length. Some exercise is obtained in striking the ball. The exercise values of golf are increased if one carries one’s own bag. The golf course is not available everywhere and hence the activity is restricted to very few.

Gymnastics

The effect of gymnastics on the body is to build strength and endurance, increase the efficiency of the heart and lungs, and to promote coordination, balance, grace and good posture. A person who continues a programme gymnastics throughout his life is probably getting the best-rounded programme of exercise obtainable.

Running

Running is the best exercise to develop the functions of the heart and lungs. It also exercise the shoulders, arms as well as the legs. Running deserves greater popularity since it is a natural exercise, which requires no special equipment other than a pair of light rubber soled shoes. A place to run can be found almost anywhere and it can be carried on throughout the year. Many people are afraid of it perhaps because they think that the neighbours will think them queer.

Tennis

Tennis is one of the oldest sports still played. This game is played on grass, clay, bajri, and synthetic courts. Speed and agility are required for competitive tennis, but the game can be enjoyed to an advanced age with slight modifications of the rules to make it more of a backcourt game. It provides good general conditioning and recreational exercise if played regularly. The chief hazards are sprains of muscles and ligaments.

Walking

It can be a very enjoyable recreational exercise. Long distance walking at a measured pace is frequently referred to as hiking. When undertaking cross-country or in the hills, it is an excellent conditioner, developing the heart and lungs as well as exercising the legs, back and arms. Good, stout, well fitting shoes and comfortable socks are essential.

There are various other sports such as volleyball, roller skating, skiing group of four walled court games (squash, tennis) etc. Horse riding, swimming, if played regularly are excellent all-round exercises for conditioning.

Sport Mail
Sachin achieves another milestone

KUDOS to Sachin Tendulkar for his record-breaking knock of 186 in the second match against New Zealand at Hyderabad. The master blaster literally pulverized New Zealand’s bowling attack. This was Sachins 24th century in one-day internationals. Sachin also lead India to the highest-ever total in one dayer’s surpassing their previous best of 373 for six against Sri Lanka in the World Cup.

SUMAN SALHOTRA
Kapurthala

II

Congratulations to Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar for recording a thumping 174-run victory against New Zealand in the second match at Hyderabad. The world’s No 1 batsman Sachin Tendulkar made his career best 186 hitting three sixes. He surpassed the record of 183 made by Saurav Ganguly in the recent World Cup. Sachin also made a second-wicket record partnership of 331 with Rahul Dravid. Sachin and Dravid gave a marvellous performance.

ANKIT ARORA
Rohtak

III

Kudos to Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar for his career -best 186 along with Rahul Dravid’s 153 against the Kiwis at Hyderabad. This is his 24th ton in the limited overs version of the game. The 331-run partnership with Dravid broke all previous records. Sachin also deserves kudos for being declared ‘man of the match’ for his unbeaten knock against the Kiwis-hope the duo performs similarly in the forthcoming one-dayers.

H S DIMPLE
Jagraon

Stunning win

When the Australians were tottering at 126 for five, victory for Pakistan looked an absolute certainty in the Hobart Test. But Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist surprised everybody by taking their side to victory on the fifth and final day. They played magnificently and cracked brilliant centuries. They put on a record sixth-wicket partnership of 256 runs and remained together almost till the end when Langer got out with Australia just five runs short of victory. At the end of the game Langer was rightly adjudged “man of the match” as he was the one who was responsible for holding the innings together coming in at the number three position. Steve Waugh described this victory as a “phenomenal win” during the prize distribution ceremony. Indeed, everyone was taken aback by this result.

ISAAC DAVID
Jalandhar

Srinath’s inclusion

The decision to bring back Srinath for the last match was correct because when we are playing a crucial match, we must play with our number one team. Srinath justified the faith shown in him. In the last match, he along with Kumaran bowled well. Due to their fine bowling, the Kiwis tasted a humiliating defeat of seven wickets.

Balwant Guleria
Dehra Dun

Rahul Dravid

Congratulations to Rahul Dravid for winning the Castrol Award for 1999. He was given a trophy and Rs 5 lakh at New Delhi. This year Rahul played brilliantly. During the World Cup he scored 461 runs with the help of two centuries and three half centuries. His 153 runs against New Zealand at Hyderabad during the second one-day international was also an excellent knock . it was his seventh century in the shorter version of the game. His previous best of 145 was made against Sri Lanka in the World Cup.

BHUPENDER GUSAIN
Panchkula