Indian Sports and Entertainment Industry

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 28 Aug 2013 23:42

viv wrote:yes, but cant watch it during the day...a bit of BRF yes but not a full match.

Yeah, but can follow it online (scores).

Somdev leading 2 sets to 1. All matches suspended for weather.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 30 Aug 2013 21:10

Indian hockey team qualifies for the world cup at Hague next year. Pakistan failed to qualify (first time in their history)

http://www.rediff.com/sports/report/hoc ... 130830.htm

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 31 Aug 2013 01:03

This is YYY conspiracy.

hanumadu · Post by **hanumadu** » 02 Sep 2013 06:55

viv wrote:yes, but cant watch it during the day...a bit of BRF yes but not a full match.

You are not missing much. The way Somdev was lobbing the ball back, I thought he was still having shoulder problems. But apparently he is a pusher.

Somdev Devvarman is probably the purest pusher in men’s tennis today

Thats some distinction.

Its boring and frustrating to watch him.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 02 Sep 2013 08:26

hanumadu wrote:
viv wrote:yes, but cant watch it during the day...a bit of BRF yes but not a full match.
You are not missing much. The way Somdev was lobbing the ball back, I thought he was still having shoulder problems. But apparently he is a pusher.

Somdev Devvarman is probably the purest pusher in men’s tennis today

Thats some distinction.

Its boring and frustrating to watch him.

But pushers are tough to beat though...I've been having a tough time.

hanumadu · Post by **hanumadu** » 02 Sep 2013 09:23

But that style of play didn't do his career much good. Its probably too late for him to change, but he might try being more aggressive, have something he can punish the opponents with like a heavy forehand and backhand. Being extremely quick on the court and strong too, he has the potential to attack and defend.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 09 Sep 2013 00:26

Paes and Stepanek win the US Open mens doubles!

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 21 Sep 2013 06:55

This doesn't appear to have gained mention on this thread at all, but Indian wrestling is really looking up these days. First, India picked up two golds at the Asian wrestling championships and also finished as the top team in men's freestyle (greco-roman and womens were the other team categories).

Now at the ongoing World Championships, Amit Kumar and Bajrang Kumar both win medals, the former narrowly missing out on gold in the 55kg, and the latter winning bronze in 60kg. What's more commendable is that both are just 19 years old. Amit Kumar was one of the two who won gold at the Asian championships earlier this year. Asian champ and Worlds silver at 19 is quite an accomplishment.

Sushil Kumar didn't participate, but apparently served as an advisor at the event. Satpal Singh is doing wonders as our wrestling coach, creating a stream of champions - Sushil, Yogeshwar Dutt, and now these youngsters. Both these young medal winners have apparently been training with Satpal Singh for close to a decade.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 23 Sep 2013 22:36

India picked up a third medal in the world wrestling championship - Sandeep Yadav won a bronze in the 66kg Greco-Roman event - the first time an Indian has won a worlds medal in this category. All previous medals have come in freestyle wrestling. One silver plus two bronzes, despite missing both the Olympic medalists, Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt, due to injury rehabilitation, is quite an accomplishment.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 27 Sep 2013 19:05

India in finals of Sultan of Johor cup for under-21 Hockey.

http://www.sultanjohorcup.com.my/

India won all 4 matches as below. Defeating Pakistan 4-0 and Korea 6-1.

Sunday 22 Sep 2013: 22-09-2013 18:05 England 1 : 2 India
Monday 23 Sep 2013: 23-09-2013 18:05 Argentina 2 : 3 India
Wednesday 25 Sep 2013: 25-09-2013 20:05 India 4 : 0 Pakistan
Thursday 26 Sep 2013: 26-09-2013 18:05 Korea 1 : 6 India
Saturday 28 Sep 2013: 28-09-2013 18:05 India - : - Malaysia

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 30 Sep 2013 18:13

and India wins the under-21 Hockey World Cup defeating Malaysing 3-0.

A dominant India triumphed in the third Sultan of Johor Cup with a thumping 3-0 victory over host Malaysia in the title clash of the under-21 hockey tournament here on Sunday.

Amon Mirash Tirkey (22nd), Affan Yusof (52nd) and Manpreet (64th) were the goal-scorers for India which made up for last year’s defeat in the final against Germany.

India was the deserving winner on a day when Malaysia failed to find the spark that had seen it make the final with relative ease.

The visitors created a lot of opportunities and had an early chance in the fifth minute when Satbir Singh took a snap shot but it was padded away by Mohd Hafizuddin Othman. The initial forays gave the Indians the confidence and they were awarded a penalty corner in the 13th minute but Amit Rohidas’s attempt was charged down by Izad Hakimi Jamaluddin.

In a quick counter-attack, Mohd Syamim Yusof nearly scored after evading three defenders, but he sent his shot wide of the post, much to the relief of ’keeper Harjot Singh.

India drew first blood in the 22nd minute after a fine run on the left by Kothajit Singh whose cross came off the stick of Faiz Helmi and fell nicely for Tirkey to score.

Loose marking

The Malaysian defenders were loose in their marking and that allowed Affan Yusof to move into the semi-circle and his reverse-stick hit went inches wide.

India forced three consecutive penalty corners in the 35th minute but the Malaysian defenders held firm. However, they paid a heavy price as Muhammad Azri Hassan was yellow carded and Malaysia had to start the second half a man down.

India forced two penalty corners in the 42nd and 45th minutes and off the second, Rohidas’s drag flick was palmed out by Hafizuddin.

The Malaysians got their chance in the 47th minute when they were awarded a penalty corner.

But Shahril Saabah was on the bench and a variation was used. Izad Hakimi had a slap shot that was saved by the keeper.

Another penalty corner in the 52nd minute for Malaysia was kept out by India and from a counter-attack, Ramandeep Singh outwitted Kavin Karthik for a clear run at goal. He relayed the ball to Yusof who scored easily to make it 2-0 for India.

The Indians created several chances and finally skipper Manpreet converted their eight penalty corner in the 64th minute to make it 3-0 as India sealed the title.

HI’s cash prizes

Hockey India on Sunday announced a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh for each member of the victorious Indian team.

The support staff will also be awarded with a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 each, while Harjit Singh will get an additional cash award of Rs. 1 lakh for getting the ‘Most Promising Player’ award.

Also, HI will give a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh to Indian women’s team goalkeeper Savita who won the ‘Best Goalkeeper’ award.

The result:

India 3 (Amon Mirash Tirkey 22, Affan Yusof 52, Manpreet 64) bt Malaysia 0.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 30 Sep 2013 18:44

congrats !

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 01 Oct 2013 06:08

wah! mazaa aa gaya!!

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 08 Oct 2013 19:08

17-year-old hockey player honoured
Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 7
For 17-year-old Harjeet Singh Tuli, it was just like a dream come true when he was brought in decorated open jeep at a function, especially organised to honour him, at Kurali this evening.

Tuli, who won the trophy for the 'Best Promising Player of The Tournament' in the U-21 International Sultan of Juhar Cup at Malaysia recently.

Several dignitaries of the town were present at the function.

Lauding the efforts and feat of the young player, Mohali District Hockey Association president Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, also SSP, Mohali, said that Tuli's achievement has made all of them proud. "Despite facing odds, he showed his best in the tournament and emerged victorious", said Bhullar while honouring the player with a memento and a medal.

Tuli, who is son of a truck driver, plays as half back in the team. His parents, Rampal Singh and mother Balwinder Kaur, said that despite their meager resources, they never discourage him from playing hockey. "I do not get time so often to see my son playing. Today I am a proud father", said Rampal Singh.

Tuli said that his aim was to be part of senior Indian hockey team. "I want to play for my country at senior level", said Tuli.

SSP Bhullar said that he would see how the association could help him further so that he would bring glory to the country.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 20 Oct 2013 02:38

The schedule for FWCM Chennai 2013.
http://chennai2013.fide.com/schedule/ First game on November 9th @ 3:00pm.

Doordarshan gets the rights: http://chennai2013.fide.com/doordarshan ... r-of-fwcm/

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 23 Oct 2013 00:12

The wrestlers have been hogging the limelight lately, but the boxers are coming up strongly too. In the ongoing AIBA world amateur boxing championship, 5 Indians are in the quarterfinals. Anyone winning their quarterfinal is guaranteed a Worlds medal. Those in contention are:
Shiva Thapa (56kg)
Vikash Malik (60 kg)
Manoj Kumar (64kg)
Sumit Sangwan (81kg)
Satish Kumar (+91kg)
This is the most number of Indian boxers to make the last 8 level at a worlds. India has so far won 2 bronzes at the worlds level, through Vijender (who lost 2 days ago) in 2009, and Vikas Krishan in the last event in 2011. All of them are up against tough opponents, but bopefully at least one of these five can make it beyond the last 4 for the first time.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 23 Oct 2013 00:54

Sumit SangwanIndia’s boxers continued to attain new highs at the World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as three of them entered the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Click here!

Vikash Malik (60kg), Sumit Sangwan (81kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) joined Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Manoj Kumar (64kg) and swelled the Indian count in the last eight to five, one better than the previous best achieved in the 2011 edition in Azerbaijan.

"It is a historic performance. I mean, we have won medals, but, as far as reaching this level is concerned, it is the first time that five Indians have made the quarter-finals," an elated national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu said.

"We are getting standing ovations from fans here. It is very thrilling and something that makes you feel very proud," he added.

Vikash, the first Indian boxer to step into the ring on Tuesday, was the underdog against fifth seed and former 2008 European Championships silver-medallist Miklos Varga.

The Indian trailed by a couple of points in the opening round but made a stupendous recovery in the next two, clinching them unanimously to emerge triumphant.

He has another tough bout coming up, against Brazil's Robson Conceicao, a former Pan-American Games silver-medallist, who is seeded fourth in the event.

"Vikash fought tempo-style in all the three rounds. He prefers to be aggressive and even though it was little even in the opening round, he dominated the second and third," Sandhu said.

"He mostly employed his straight punches and uppercuts to good effect. In fact, Vikash did not give any chance or time to the Hungarian boxer to regain his composure. It is a great win," Sandhu added.

Next in was Sumit and it never looked that he was facing an opponent more fancied than him. But the 20-year-old Olympian thrashed eighth

seed Siarhei Novikau of Belarus in a lop-sided contest, winning 3-0.

"I played my natural game of back-peddling and hitting straights. I kept a distance and hit on every opportunity that I got. It helped that I knew I was leading," Sumit said.

"Sumit's mantra was to hit and dodge craftily. He mostly used his left straights and his technique was excellent," added Sandhu.

Sumit also faces a tough opponent in London Olympics silver-medallist and top seed Adilbek Niyazymbetov of Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals next.

The local favourite had won a silver medal in the previous edition of the World Championships.

"I have seen his fights and, hopefully, I will be well-prepared to tackle him. I am not intimidated by his past record," said Sumit.

The last Indian in the ring on Tuesday was Satish, who outpunched Belarus's Yan Sudzilouski 3-0.

"Satish mostly used his straight punches in what seemed like a street fight. It was an entertaining bout but Satish ended up sustaining a cut above his right eye. Hopefully he would be fine to fight the quarter-final tomorrow," said Sandhu.

Satish is up against London Olympics bronze-medallist and local hero Ivan Dychko, who is seeded second.

The Indian boxers' performance is a creditable, given that they cannot compete under the national flag due to the national federation's provisional suspension.

India have won just two medals at the World Championships, through Vijender Singh (2009) and Vikas Krishan (2011).

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 24 Oct 2013 08:54

All the boxers are out in the quarterfinals, unfortunately. Four of them lost, while Satish Kumar was judged unfit to fight due to the cut above his eye incurred in the pre-quarters.

We're not yet at world/Olympic standard in boxing, but clearly are very strong at AG/CWG level, since we outperformed all the other Asian nations in total entrants into the quarters, except ex-Soviet powerhouse -stans. In the last AG, we won 9 medals - 2G, 3S, 4B. We have the ability to win more medals next year.

member_19686 · Post by **member_19686** » 31 Oct 2013 08:29

Wrestling with the rural economy
P. SAINATH

KUSHTI CARNIVAL: The mega-event at Kundal in September 2013, as the new season started. Old hands think this crowd was ‘below normal’ because people have still not recovered from a bad season last time.

You’d think it was the turnout for Sachin Tendulkar’s final test. Anyone might — seeing close to two lakh people showing up five hours before start of play, despite a nagging drizzle. But this is “below normal” for Kundal town, which hosts a prime event in Maharashtra’s greatest spectator sport every year. And it ain’t cricket — it’s wrestling. Few sports are more deeply embedded in the State’s rural economy, especially in farming in western Maharashtra. So much so that last year’s water crisis saw even the Kundal event called off.

“Imagine organising water for three lakh people during the drought,” says an event organiser.

Kushti is located at the intersection of sports, politics, culture and economy in the rural regions of this State. Wrestling exists in urban areas, but the wrestlers are from the villages. And mostly from poor farming families, as The Hindu’s visit to many academies across the region found.

Setback

Maharashtra’s ongoing agrarian crisis has hurt the sport for some years now. Last year’s drought, and the water crisis early this year, made it worse. “The sookha devastated us,” says Appasaheb Kadam, one of the sport’s greats in this State, at the taleem or wrestling academy he runs in Kolhapur town. “Most local tournaments were cancelled.” In the rest, prize money shrank. “Many students dropped out, hurting their families’ investment in them.” And this season, excessive rains may have triggered a similar process.

A tractor can be the first prize at smaller tournaments here. Sure, a private company can put up a purse, say Balasaheb Lad and Aruna Lad, organisers of the Kundal mega-event in Sangli district. “But Rs.15 lakh out of every Rs.25 lakh comes from the ordinary shetkari (farmer). If they’re doing badly, wrestling does badly.”

Ticket to a better life

Kushti is a route out of poverty, a striving for status, for the rural poor. “Nearly 90 per cent of them are from poor farming families,” says Kadam in Kolhapur. “The rest are the children of landless labourers, carpenters, and so on. None are from the educated classes. Wrestling is also a passion. Barely five per cent of pehelwans make it to higher levels.”

That passion shows in the scores of very young boys sharing two or three small rooms in his taleem, cooking their own meals in groups. Many go running at 4 a.m., before training in the taleem commences at 5 a.m. and goes on till 8.30 a.m. The younger ones attend school between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Training resumes half an hour later, and lasts till 8.30 p.m. Extreme discipline is a given. “Budding cricketers train maybe four months in a year. Ten years of training isn’t enough in wrestling.”

At the taleems, farmers and labourers plead with the gurus to train their sons as pehelwans. It’s barely 6 a.m., and 83-year-old Ganpatrao Andhalkar is busy teaching eight-year-olds, among others, at his academy in Kolhapur. The former Asiad gold medallist and Olympian keeps a watchful eye on the practice bouts of older students, while explaining the craft to the young ones. Occasionally, he bellows an instruction or reprimand to wrestlers. Often, he gets off his perch with the youngest and stands right over the fighters, pointing out moves and faults.

“Wrestling is deeply rooted in the farm economy. But today that economy is fragile,” says Andhalkar. “The fees at the taleems are nominal — Rs.100-200 monthly, perhaps.” Andhalkar himself pulls in more from being a “chief guest” at functions across the State, than he earns from fees. The poorest students, he charges nothing. “Yet they’ve still got to bear huge diet expenses themselves.”

Scant government support

Despite the many champions they’ve produced — and despite top political leaders heading their federations — the gurus of kushti have received little support from government. It’s a complaint across western Maharashtra that Punjab and Haryana treat their wrestlers a lot better.

Their diet costs a lot, says the colourful Kaka Pawar — former Asiad, Commonwealth and national medallist — at his taleem in Pune. The older boys need 400 grams of badams, four litres of pure milk, 500 gm of ghee, several eggs, fruit and vegetables every day. Apart from mutton three times a week. “It works out to Rs.700 a day, maybe Rs.500 for the younger ones.”

That’s a heavy investment for a poor farm family, “but sometimes the village community helps out.” In a couple of years, the younger ones might earn Rs.2,000 a bout, the older ones Rs.5,000. This rises as the pehelwan improves. Lakhs gather at the jatras (fairs or festivals) where many bouts are held. Sometimes, audiences too contribute a purse to budding wrestlers. And there are a few tournaments where the best can earn between Rs.20,000 and Rs.50,000, says Appasaheb Kadam.

With many tournaments cancelled earlier this year, young champions like Sachin Jamdar and Yogesh Bombale lost out badly on fees. And, in the case of the talented Santosh Sutar, saw him “drop out from the taleem in Kolhapur. I had to return here to Atpadi in Sangli district where my family is.”

Wrestling on mats is transforming the sport. “Indian wrestlers are born of mitti, not mats,” says the legendary Andhalkar. Preparing the mitti (mud-clay) for wrestling, in hundreds of villages, is a complex job involving lots of labour. Mixed into it are amounts of curd, limewater, ghee and haldi. The last for curative purposes as wrestlers often suffer injuries. (In a few cases, small amounts of minced meat go into the mitti mix.)

Parallel with hockey

The standard-size mat measuring 40 feet by 40 feet costs around Rs.7 lakh. This is far beyond the reach of tiny village taleems that cannot afford even smaller sizes. If everyone switched to mats, most local tournaments might fold, argue traditionalists. Some predict it would “do to Indian wrestling what astro-turf has done to Indian hockey. Local communities could not afford it and India and Pakistan lost their dominance over that sport.” Mat wrestling makes for speed and bouts are over in a couple of minutes. A bout on mitti can go on for 25 minutes. “The difference is dramatic, cultural, economic and as a sport,” says Andhalkar.

Meanwhile, in Atpadi, where all wrestling events were cancelled last season, teacher Namdeo Srirang Badare is pessimistic. “The perpetual water-crisis sees more people quitting agriculture every season. If agriculture dies, wrestling also dies.”

[email protected]

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns ... 286230.ece

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 31 Oct 2013 08:40

A fantastic opportunity lost to capitalise on something that has quite a big base in India
How the wheels came off F1

The government failed to sense the PR opportunity of a good Grand Prix.

Or M.S. Gill dismissing the race as "entertainment, not sport". Or a petulant Ajay Maken complaining in 2011 that he was not invited for the race because he was "not a cheergirl".

An F1 grand prix is a great PR exercise to show the who's who of the corporate world just how efficient and investment-friendly the host country is. Unfortunately, all the Indian government did was impose unreasonable taxes on teams and invoke frivolous customs duties. This is apart from the hassle of reams of paperwork.

The GP's discontinuation suggests it is a myth that India Inc can deliver in spite of the government. The CWG was cited as an example of the government's ineptitude, whereas the 2011 race was hailed as the epitome of the Indian private sector's efficiency. Two years later, those very corporate race promoters, Jaypee Sports International (JPSI), are seeking the government's help to rescue the race.

What hurt the race most was Gill's attitude towards it. As sports minister, he presided over the disastrous 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG). When India got a second chance to exhibit its organisational abilities by hosting the Grand Prix, Gill's prejudices came in the way. That F1 was entertainment and not sport became the government's unofficial stand, and it still is. Gill's assertion begs the question: Isn't sport essentially a form of entertainment? Are the two mutually exclusive?

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 31 Oct 2013 10:04

I disagree with the basis of the article that hosting F1 was something that gave 'India' a chance to present a positive PR face. I also support GoI's contention that it's entertainment and not a sport, for now.

Does anyone remember the situation before F1 came to India ? The position was that GoI should not be funding or subsidizing what is a very elite and costly sport. That's what happened - the Buddh Circuit is a private venture of the Jaypee Group, and they bear the risks and get the rewards.

The government's role should be restricted to making a clear ruling as to whether it's sport or entertainment, applying a corresponding tax if required, providing simplified formalities to import and export the event equipment, and nothing more. Whether the corporate sector warms to F1 is it's own business.

As much as I think that having an Indian GP is cool, the fact is that F1 is in continuous churn because it's a very costly exercise that's barely a break-even proposition for many hosting circuits. There is no Dutch or French GP anymore. Even the Japanese Grand Prix was not held between 1978-1986, despite them being the biggest economic force of that era, owning the legendary Suzuka Circuit and Honda/Toyota increasingly dominating the auto market.

The Indian GP may be back, but because F1 needs India, not the other way around. The Buddh Circuit is a great track, and I hope it finds consistent use and a motorsports culture develops to utilize it. There are plenty of opportunities for it, from Formula Asia to MotoGP to World Superbike series.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 31 Oct 2013 16:59

Although motor sport has great entertainment value at the end of the day it is a sport that is keenly watched in the developed world. Even golf and snooker are not village sports. Motor racing should get the benefits of other sports. However, the position of GOI may have been to give the impression that they are pro-aam admi and anti-people-who-follow-F1-elitists.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 31 Oct 2013 20:04

It's a taxation issue, not a value judgement per se. Classification as entertainment allows them to apply an entertainment tax.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 01 Nov 2013 01:23

Suraj,
I agree that the 'showcasing' part of the article was fluff. However, I disagree that it is entertainment and not sport. Seriously, sport is entertainment. And saying motorsport isn't sport is just stupid.

JP did all the good part, building the circuit etc with a bit of help from Mayawati re: land acquisition. But the govt didn't want to touch it with a bargepole lest it be accused of playing favourites with a "rich-man's sport".

The government's role should be restricted to making a clear ruling as to whether it's sport or entertainment, applying a corresponding tax if required, providing simplified formalities to import and export the event equipment, and nothing more. Whether the corporate sector warms to F1 is it's own business.

That was the only thing they were supposed to do but didn't. That is the main point of contention here. I would be the first one to support them to stick it to Bernie and claim their pound of flesh in terms of taxation. But here is the thing. Canada subsidies their GP due to the amount of revenue it brings their small businesses during the race weekend. I do not want GoI to do that. All I want is for them to not get in the way of JP doing what every private enterpreneur wants to do. In fact, I think JP has done really well considering that they are the only modern track that is not government funded in any way.

I hope JP markets the hell out of the '15 GP within the country and elsewhere, including Europe. Ticket prices started at Rs 1,500 (<$30!) when GA tickets start at $189 here in Austin. That is a heck of a difference. Rope in the tourism ministry and offer some package deals and you have a winner.

Problem with attendance though, which really hurts JP's bottom line, is due to the slot for the race, in October when Vettel waltzes away with the win each time. Next time, in March, early in the season, if JP plays its cards right, they can get more people in. And hopefully if Modibhai is in the centre, they might get more favourable ears in the sports ministry.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 01 Nov 2013 07:18

Prasad, since I am not so well informed about it, what does India gain from waiving taxes from FP ?
TIA.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 01 Nov 2013 07:53

I don't think anybody is asking for waiver of taxes actually. The trouble is actually more that the government (I think there was even a SC/HC ruling brought on by a case filed by somebody - yeah, don't ask) doesn't consider the grand prix/F1 to be a sport. It is considered to be an entertainment event. Thus legalities and everything changes, right from bringing equipment into the country and getting it out. Tax structures are different apparently and JP was given an entertainment tax waiver for the first 2(?) years. Now, even that is being withdrawn. If it is classified as a sport, customs formalities will be different and teams will not have the kind of hassle they do right now in bringing in their cars and all the equipment they use during a race, which is a heck of a lot.

Let me reiterate, I'm not saying they should get a free-ride. Not one bit. The real moneymakers in F1 are greedy, money grabbers, the lot of them. Every bit of money we can get from them, we should get. But just don't jeopardise the event itself and rob the fans and teams alike of staging a fun event. That is all. Heck, there were 27m viewers in 2012. That is on par with UK which has a very long history of F1, and our market is growing still. Premier league has a tremendous following in our country and yet, GoI can derive very little from it. In the case of F1, when we have a race in our country, we can tap into it. That is why its an opportunity. Any tourism benefits that we get on the side is a plus too.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 01 Nov 2013 08:27

Prasad wrote:That was the only thing they were supposed to do but didn't. That is the main point of contention here. I would be the first one to support them to stick it to Bernie and claim their pound of flesh in terms of taxation. But here is the thing. Canada subsidies their GP due to the amount of revenue it brings their small businesses during the race weekend. I do not want GoI to do that. All I want is for them to not get in the way of JP doing what every private enterpreneur wants to do. In fact, I think JP has done really well considering that they are the only modern track that is not government funded in any way.

Err, where was it the main point of contention ? The article certainly didn't seem to focus on it. Had it been, I would not have posted in disagreement with the article.

I don't think India can compare to Canada, as far as the F1 is concerned. Canada has a substantially greater history in top level motorsport. I know at least two great Canadian F1 drivers - the late Gilles Villeneuve, after whom the Montreal track is named, and his son, former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

I don't think GoI is getting in the way of F1 by design. They're just being reliably inefficient. F1 just happens to have lower tolerance limits and tighter timelines because the whole caravan arrives and leaves in a very short amount of time.

Right now, the Buddh Circuit is hard to get to. Delhi Metro doesn't yet get to Gt.Noida, and the Jaypee Group should have marketed the event better, with much more ticket price bands, or even travel+stay+race package deals, considering most of our motorsport history is in the south, not north.

Personally, I don't think we've heard the last of F1 in India. Next year's calendar looks quite likely to not stick in 2015, with two races in the US, the one in NJ being quite controversial. F1, despite many tries, has just not gained mindshare in US. I think India will follow the same contours, with the races intermittently running unless corporate interest takes off on the back of Indian driver presence.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 01 Nov 2013 08:49

meanwhile mahindra racing is doing quite decently in moto3.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 01 Nov 2013 08:52

http://www.chessdom.com/anand-carlsen-2 ... review-10/

Not bad at all, glowing words for Chennai and a few good pictures of some landmarks.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 01 Nov 2013 09:20

Suraj wrote:Err, where was it the main point of contention ? The article certainly didn't seem to focus on it. Had it been, I would not have posted in disagreement with the article.

I don't think India can compare to Canada, as far as the F1 is concerned. Canada has a substantially greater history in top level motorsport. I know at least two great Canadian F1 drivers - the late Gilles Villeneuve, after whom the Montreal track is named, and his son, former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

I don't think GoI is getting in the way of F1 by design. They're just being reliably inefficient. F1 just happens to have lower tolerance limits and tighter timelines because the whole caravan arrives and leaves in a very short amount of time.

Right now, the Buddh Circuit is hard to get to. Delhi Metro doesn't yet get to Gt.Noida, and the Jaypee Group should have marketed the event better, with much more ticket price bands, or even travel+stay+race package deals, considering most of our motorsport history is in the south, not north.

Personally, I don't think we've heard the last of F1 in India. Next year's calendar looks quite likely to not stick in 2015, with two races in the US, the one in NJ being quite controversial. F1, despite many tries, has just not gained mindshare in US. I think India will follow the same contours, with the races intermittently running unless corporate interest takes off on the back of Indian driver presence.

No no. Point of contention meaning, what we're talking about. That is why I quoted only the points that I thought were actually important in the article. The rest of it is a bit dim. Agree with everything else you said. I was pretty surprised when they built the track in noida instead of TN or anywhere in the south. My cousins went the first year and they said getting to the track wasn't too difficult. They run shuttles from the nearest metro station.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 01 Nov 2013 12:11

Err, how is that a point of contention ? I said something and you agreed with me

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 01 Nov 2013 20:45

About looking at it as a sport or entertainment event.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 01 Nov 2013 22:20

Ahh! My perspective is agreement with GoI for taxation purposes onlee saar. Of course it's a sport. I just happen to support GoI's decision to not treat it as one for revenue generation purposes. Nothing new here - even COTA faced many taxation related issues in the Texas legislature, though not necessarily the same kind.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 02 Nov 2013 04:05

File photo

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-spo ... 305980.ece

Anand is believed to be in training with his team at Bod Soden, a small German town with a population of about 22,000. “He bought a season ticket for the swimming pool in Bad Soden and swam about 1000 metres per day. He would also run 10 km every day and has also been spotted on a bicycle in the beautiful hills around the town. He lost about six kilos this summer. Though most of the time, Anand prepared for the match in the Chess Tigers Training Center with his seconds.”

An article in the German daily Bad Sodener Zeitung also claims Schmitt as saying, “This will be his toughest challenge. It is a battle of experience versus youth.”

Anand is known to go for long walks as part of his fitness regimen. But now it is not surprising to learn of Anand swimming and running to retain the title.

In contrast, Carlsen has considered the gym as an important part of his routine. He has kept himself in shape not just by buying an expensive gym membership; he actually goes there. For the upcoming championship, Carlsen is believed to be training with his team near Oslo, Norway.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 03 Nov 2013 19:08

http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-ca ... nd-1911551

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 04 Nov 2013 18:34

Anand is scared of Carlsen - Kramnik

The Russian GM feels that Anand is "somewhat intimidated" by Carlsen's rapid rise. "Anand definitely has his chances, it is absolutely realistic. The only problem that Anand is facing is that he is somewhat intimidated by Carlsen. He hasn't been confident playing against him - he's scared of him, I would say," Kramnik said.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/131104/s ... ?page=show

Viswanathan Anand is not an inspiration to chess players alone. The fivetime world champion is also a beacon of hope for people with cerebral palsy , a medical condition in which brain is damaged during or before birth causing permanent weakness in limbs and muscles.

Anand has been a brand ambassador of Vidya Sagar, an organisation that cares for those affected by cerebral palsy

Vidya Sagar's own champion C. Karthik led the tributes to Anand, who is on the home stretch of his preparations to take on Norwegian world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the world championship match. Karthik, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age three, can call Anand a friend.

“When I was playing chess in Abilympics in 2001, I sent an e-mail to Anand requesting him to play a game with me at Vidya Sagar. I thought he would reply even if he wouldn't have time to play with me,“ Karthik, 28, said. Anand stunned his ardent fan with a reply, saying he watched Karthik play and his game was good. The Tiger from Madras also promised to take on the youngster.

In 2004, Karthik lived his dream as Anand came over to Vidya Sagar to face him across the chess board. “Anand won the 45minute game in 43 moves. He wasn’t just there to satisfy my wish but for a noble cause. From then on, he started visiting Vidya Sagar regularly to encourage people with disability.

He has been a pillar of support for us,” he added. Anand’s approach, Karthik said, to physically challenged people is exemplary. “He doesn’t treat them differently. Anand’s conversation doesn’t make me feel that I have cerebral palsy. He gave me a lot of tips on chess,” he added.

Karthik, who has a double M.A. besides completing graduation in library science and M. Phil, fondly remembered Anand’s simul display to raise funds for Vidya Sagar.

“On the day he also played against a few online. Though the agenda was to raise funds for Vidya Sagar, the champion didn’t lose a single game,” added Karthik, who can proudly say that he has played the five-time champion multiple times.

“My most memorable moment with Anand was when he invited my family for his family event. I was overwhelmed with joy. I would never forget that day,” said Karthik, who is employed in a private company. Karthik said he is looking forward to wish Anand in person before the GM starts yet another challenging journey in his glittering career.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 07 Nov 2013 01:03

Anand and Carlsen will be squaring off against each other soon.

http://www.chessdom.com/carlsen-anand-2013-live/

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 07 Nov 2013 02:23

Star India Reveals $3.2 Billion Sports Investment
http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/star-in ... 200801320/#

LONDON — Star India, 21st Century Fox’s pay TV subsid, has announced a 200 billion rupee ($3.2 billion) investment in the Indian sports business.
Following News Corp’s 2012 buyout of ESPN’s 50 per cent share in the ESPN Star Sports joint venture channels, Star’s Indian sports channels from Wednesday (Nov. 6) have been rebranded Star Sports, with four standard definition and two high definition channels and an online entity starsports.com.
Appropriately, for a country where cricket is the most popular sport by some distance, Star has signed India’s cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as their brand ambassador. Cricket will remain the focus of Star’s sports broadcasting, but will now go deeper with coverage of university level matches joining international games and domestic tournaments.Star India Chief Exec Uday Shankar (pictured above) said, “While cricket will be central to our approach, we will also be faithful to our role as a sports broadcaster and bring in the best of local and world sports to India, whether in soccer, hockey, badminton, tennis, F1 or the many other sports that fans in India are deeply passionate about.”Some of the tournaments that Star is investing in are Indian Super League soccer, in partnership with IMG-Reliance and the All India Football Federation, the Hockey India League and the Indian Badminton League.Star has also recognised that the vast majority of Indian audiences do not follow English language commentary and therefore the Star Sports 3 channel will entirely be in the Hindi language with plans in the months ahead to introduce Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Bengali language feeds.Star timed the November 6 rebranding announcement to coincide with the start of the two match India versus West Indies cricket series, which will be the last two games for India’s most popular sportsman, Sachin Tendulkar, after which he will call time on a 24-year career.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 07 Nov 2013 07:42

there are allegations that carlsen is a hypnotist so some of his opponents wear dark glasses.
he has also reached chennai
http://www.firstpost.com/sports/carlsen ... 15081.html

Satya_anveshi · Post by **Satya_anveshi** » 08 Nov 2013 01:28

Paul Morphy, Emmanuel Lasker, Capablanca, Bobby Fisher, Mikhail Tal, Garry Kasparov were very different players than their contemporaries. There were many other world champs who did not make as much mark as the above.

Anand's style definitely does not put him in the above list. Remains to be seen if Carlsen can join the above list but he too did not show any differentiating strategy/tactics/execution. However, age is on his side so best may be yet to come.

One could argue that the game/players evolved so much that it may not be possible to see that level of difference between players/competitors anymore as was seen at least till 80s.