Indian Sports and Entertainment Industry

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2008 23:42

even lowly greece managed around 15-20 medals in 2004. we must first
reach that level before aspiring to hold the games 8 yrs after that point.
it is some way off..maybe by 2020 we will be able to get 15-20 in the bag.

nobody can predict how any city in India will be like in 2028 but if blr
or mumbai make the cut so be it. dilli always pull a fast one hosting these
NAM. CHOGM, trade shows, asiads to soak up whatever little free cash
exists in the system.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 21 Aug 2008 23:45

Rahul M wrote: anyway, I don't get it why it has to be delhi all the time ? even if I leave the 3 metros, bangalore, pune and hyd are all perfectly capable of hosting a large event.

The USP of Delhi was that it would have most of the infra for an OG given that CWG2010 is held there. Is it true? I doubt it, cos the infra still needs to be updated. Whats super good for 2010 wont be for 2016, for sure, let alone 2024+. Many sports in CWG are not a part of the OG, and vice versa. So still needs update. Better to build on top of an existing one rather than afresh is possibly a saleable idea. But look at the state of JLN stadium or any stadium in India 10 yrs after it was built. It gets raped. We will need a new one for a bigger audience, I am sure.

But if we do need a new venue, that should nt be impossible either. After all, if we are prepared to pay for the contingents of 205 countries, we can shell another 50C, right?! Or whatever it takes 2 build a new 1.

Now why was Delhi 2010 chosen as a cwg venue in the first place: The bipartisan support it got from Sahib Singh Verma, Sushma Swaraj, Sheila Dikshit et al. Contrast that with the bickering elsewhere. Also, the PMO felt that security would nt be a big deal etc. The elections were held in 2003. Preps took place around 2001 or 02. So figure the politics that shaped up the debate for Dilli2010.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 21 Aug 2008 23:59

2010 Asiad will be in Guangzhou.

this time panda will show its real teeth and geneva convention will not
be in force. intent will be to maraud and pillage the medal chest at a
unprecedented level.

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 22 Aug 2008 01:51

Rahul M wrote:anyway, I don't get it why it has to be delhi all the time ? even if I leave the 3 metros, bangalore, pune and hyd are all perfectly capable of hosting a large event.

Rahul Boss I totally agree why does it have be Delhi for every damn thing. Why not Banglore, this city is known worldwide for its prowess with IT Industry. I have a better city for such an event--Goa. It will be like hosting olympics in Los Angeles. Pollution will be less due to its proximity to Arabian Sea. We should use these kind of opportunities to develop some other cities.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 22 Aug 2008 02:13

add chandigarh and ahmedabad to that list.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 04:15

Baljeet wrote:
Rahul M wrote:anyway, I don't get it why it has to be delhi all the time ? even if I leave the 3 metros, bangalore, pune and hyd are all perfectly capable of hosting a large event.
Rahul Boss I totally agree why does it have be Delhi for every damn thing. Why not Banglore, this city is known worldwide for its prowess with IT Industry. I have a better city for such an event--Goa. It will be like hosting olympics in Los Angeles. Pollution will be less due to its proximity to Arabian Sea. We should use these kind of opportunities to develop some other cities.

Dilli is not my favourite city and Bengaluru has been a favourite. However, Bengaluru doesn't have the infrastructure...could it be developed? possibly! but would need a lot. And given the Airport delay -- but then they have it. Delhi airport is yet to be augmented...afaik.

Sumeet · Post by **Sumeet** » 22 Aug 2008 05:50

Well when you think of international event like CWG or Olympics you think of:

1) Security
2) Transportation
3) Roads
4) Sports Facility
5) Overall Beauty of the city
6) Environmental Condition of Hosting place
7) Travel & Hotel facilities.

As far as security is concerned if agencies take action anything can be made secure. I don't see any place being more vulnerable than other if security is uptight and concerned authorities are willing. Delhi may be a little ahead since being political capital security forces are kept on their toes.

Transportation system of Delhi is undergoing a total change. They are aiming for integrated multi modal transport system and web accessible public transport information portal. The new buses, BRT, and DMRC will all be integrated into one system say for example like CTA in Chicago. I am yet to see hassle free progress on this in other cities. The information presented at Skyscrapercity forums don't indicate things are going happily.

Road network of Delhi is best in India as far as my knowledge goes. Smooth flow of traffic does contributes to pleasant experience of tourists and residents alike.

Sports facility: Check pics in next post.

Overall beauty of the city: Can't comment on this aspect since I haven't seen any other [than Delhi] big city for more than 10 years now. NCR is good if someone was to ask me for an answer right now. Although I must admit pune is giving it close competition. Very nice city.

Environmental Conditions: Delhi has improved a lot since brutal 90's. Guessing that chennai will be least polluted followed by hyderabad.

Travel: Not only connections to airport will be well established by 2010, even travel to other places like Taj Mahal and Rajasthan will be easier. Taj Expressway is going on real well. Hopefully they will have it in place before 2010. Most foreigners who come to delhi have this triangle in mind: Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan. If you come at right time then you can add the extremely beautiful mountainous north to the triangle. Don't know much about hotel lodging in delhi in comaprison with other cities.

Bombay before it can even think of hosting any international even should get rid of Dharavi. Till then doubt it will get any event of international significance like olympics.

Kolkata is just congested and dirty as far as I can gather from pictures at SSCI and from people who have been there.

Chennai: don't know much except that I have found tamils & keralites more humbler/courteous than average delhite.

Bangalore: again don't know much about it apart from the fact that its the silicon valley and has awesome weather throughout the year. Pictures at SSCI evoke mixed reactions in my mind.

Hyderabad: Not impressed by pics I saw at SSCI. Need to visit before I say anything further.

In any case, bottom line is Delhi enjoys a status of having a govt for just itself. This is not the case with other cities and consequently development is slow over there compared to national capital.

International Olympics Assoc. will look at background of people who are making claim that they can make their city capable of hosting olympics. In this context amongst Indian cities Delhi will score higher than all others, say if this was to happen in 2010-12 period.

Sumeet · Post by **Sumeet** » 22 Aug 2008 06:06

for sports facilities and pics visit here:

http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/games.html

total expenditure on CWG preparation is ~ 17 billion USD.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 22 Aug 2008 06:36

On Sushil Kumar's repechage performance:
How he actually pulled it off

He, like all wrestlers, is in his elements on the mat. It was the Kazakh Leonid Spiridonov who stood between Sushil and the medal. Spiridonov has a better reach than the Indian. But in freestyle wrestling, having a low centre of gravity helps. So Sushil had the advantage. But advantages only count if you can take down your opponent.

During the break before the deciding Round Three, one felt that Sushil will clinch this one. The Indian was seen looking back to the centre of the ring, eager to get back. Wrestlers only do that, if they are confident they can do it. The decider went into the tie-breaker just like the round before.

The Kazakh won the toss and Sushil made his disappointment clear. The toss was crucial since Spiridonov had the choice of which leg to go for. He picked Sushil’s right, but the Indian made a quick turn - practised as set-play, no doubt - tapped his opponent’s ankle and brought him down to control to score the all-important winning point. Perfect.

It had all started wrongly for Sushil on Wednesday though. He has never enjoyed luck at the Olympics. At Athens, in 2004, Sushil was drawn in the first round against eventual champion Yandro Quintana of Cuba and he went down fighting, finishing 14th in the 60 kg category. Four years on, luck again seemed against him when he was first drawn against Andriy Stadnik of Ukraine, one of the medal favourites.

Sushil put up a good fight but was outclassed 2-1, 6-0. Coming back from such a crushing defeat is very difficult in wrestling. Add to it the mental torture of having to wait to find out whether you are still in the fray. The repechage wait is the most exhausting - mentally and physically - period for a wrestler. You are not sure whether to wait, hope or simply block it out. Why, you are not even sure if you want to step out of the arena, or linger on.

This can influence a wrestler negatively too. The aspect of looking forward to the bout doesn’t arise as you are not sure, if you are on. There are no special training sessions on how to tackle this wait at National camps, simply because you have no hand in it. So how do you plan tactics? It can be a good thing and a bad thing. Indian coaches can be poor tacticians. What they instruct you in such times, is to not think. Go in blank, and that is what Sushil did.

The repechage wait can be a marathon. In Beijing on Wednesday, Sushil got the lifeline he needed when Stadnik entered the final. And thus the bouts for bronze began. First up for Sushil was US’s Doug Schwab. Indian wrestlers tend to go defensive while taking on opponents from traditionally strong wrestling nations. But Sushil was unfazed and took the attack to the opponent. The first of the three two-minute round saw him go for his stock weapon, the single-leg take-down from the left side. He scored a point from it and then went on to win the round 4-1 with a brilliant ground move.

In the second round, the American’s defence kicked in and he managed a 1-0 win. In the decider, both the wrestlers were showing their aggressive side. But Sushil not just had the gas in him, he also showed his tactical brilliance. He conserved himself in the second round and went for the kill in the third.

One down and next up for the Indian was Albert Batyrov of Belarus. Again he employed the attack-defence-attack strategy. Sushil won the first round 1-0, a tight affair, as both wrestlers were checking out each other. The second went to his rival. Then the surprise came. The third round began and out of the blue came the attacking Sushil. Batyrov had no answer as the Indian took him down with his single leg take-down.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 22 Aug 2008 06:48

Can someone tell me why the Indian womens 4x100m was not in the heats even though they are listed as qualified here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletics_ ... etre_relay

They have a better time than China and China was in the 2nd heat. Did they have a lane violation?

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 22 Aug 2008 06:54

Raja, not sure what you mean.
they are listed in heat 1, scheduled later today.
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/I ... #ATW404901

added later: I see where you got confused. Indian team is competing for 4X400m, not 4X100m.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 07:01

Suraj wrote:On Sushil Kumar's repechage performance:
How he actually pulled it off

See this video: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player ... de=sportwr

At 1:26:20 is where the lot is drawn for the clinch. Real good move by Sushil..Spiridinov went for the leg, Sushil pulled his leg up, and while going down on his hands, used the free leg to trip Spiridinov, and overpower.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 22 Aug 2008 07:02

aha!....thanks for the clarification birader....may you be granted 72 choice goats.

Rahul M wrote:Raja, not sure what you mean.
they are listed in heat 1, scheduled later today.
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/I ... #ATW404901

added later: I see where you got confused. Indian team is competing for 4X400m, not 4X100m.

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 22 Aug 2008 07:09

Suraj
Have you seen his interview after winning medal. I am humbled by his humility. Such Innocence and izzat for his coaches and his parents. This man speaks from his heart.

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 22 Aug 2008 07:41

Biraders...Please write appreciation email to Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai for the following article in Hindustan Times.

Journalism has a nose for nostalgia : 20 years ago, ahead of the Seoul Olympics, I was sent as a cub reporter to track down the family of K.D. Jadhav, independent India's first Olympic medallist. The story of a wrestler in the small town of Karad in Maharashtra had a familiar ring to it: neglect, deprivation and a sense of anger at being forgotten in a cricket-crazy country. Ahead of the Beijing Olympics, the Jadhavs once again experienced their ritualistic date with fame. Perhaps, it's the last time we'll tell their tale. In the aftermath of Beijing, the country has found new Olympian families to showcase: next time, it will be the Bindras of Chandigarh and the Kumars of Bhiwani who will be celebrated. While India's first medallist died battling for his policeman's pension, the new generation heroes are already on the crorepati list.

It has taken 56 long and frustrating years for bronze to turn into gold for India's Olympic athletes. In the meantime, China, which won its first Olympic gold as late as 1984, has become the number one Olympic country, the US remains a powerhouse of talent, and even tiny Jamaica has established an enviable reputation. If the Olympic medal tally was to rank countries in a ratio of population to medals won, we'd still probably be close to the bottom, our sole satisfaction emerging from the fact that our eternal rivals, the Pakistanis, have drawn a blank.

Jadhav won his medal in the same year (1952) that India had its first general election. His win at the time should have heralded the arrival of a young nation on the world stage. Instead, it became a footnote in the history books. This was a time of the grand Nehruvian dream: of Five Year Plans, scientific temper, non-alignment, big dams and heavy industries. In this vision of a new India, Olympic sports had little place. Hockey alone prospered because of the legacy that had been handed over by the colonialists: the clubs and army grounds remained the nurseries of the sport. The rest of Indian sport was literally consigned to endless debates about why we were an Olympic zero.

The Nehruvians saw sports as yet another large public sector undertaking, to be managed like a steel plant. The Soviet-style buildings that housed our sporting bodies typified a bureaucratic mindset: the malaise of sporting talent being controlled by mean-spirited officials has been with us from the very beginning. Ironically, the Soviets (and now the Chinese) were highly successful in developing Olympic sport through a ‘controlled’ system. The reason was simple: an autocratic model of managing sport can work in a totalitarian political system, not in a chaotic democracy like ours. The Chinese system can train six-year-old gymnasts to do 60 sit-ups: in India, child rights activists would have filed a petition complaining of child abuse

And yet, maybe for the first time in six decades of independence, there may be a twist in the Indian Olympic tale and Beijing 2008 could mark a defining moment. For the first time there is a genuine belief that India's next Olympic gold won’t take quite so long, and that by the year 2020, we might actually get enough medals for customs officials to take note. What has changed? On the surface, very little. Our officials still remain as lethargic and junket-obsessed as ever. We still hire sporting grounds for marriages. Our athletes still receive shamelessly meagre daily allowances. And we still can’t shake off the monopoly of cricket in our lives.

What we have shaken off though is the inferiority complex that was sustained by a litany of past failures. It’s not just Abhinav Bindra's Mr Cool act that symbolises a quiet confidence that was missing in previous Olympics. As a child of privilege, Bindra had the benefit of exceptional parental support from a very young age. In an expensive sport, his success was almost fashioned like a well-crafted business plan for which his family deserves enormous credit. But what is perhaps even more creditable is the remarkable performance of our boxers and wrestlers. It’s not just the medals they've won, it's the journey they've undertaken to get there that suggests we have finally crossed a psychological barrier to actually compete at the highest level.

From Bhiwani to Beijing is an arduous journey but one that the Kumars have shown the courage and passion to undertake. Mohammed Ali once famously said that to be a good boxer you needed strong fists, but an even stronger heart. To watch our boxers, whether they win or lose, look their opponents in the eye, must rank as one of the finer moments in Indian sport. Not to forget bronze medallist Sushil Kumar and tiny Saina Nehwal who showed enough talent in her first Olympic appearance to make us believe that she will win a medal in the future.

Undoubtedly, there are many more Sainas and Sushil Kumars waiting to be discovered. We are an aspirational society, one which is on the cusp of change. Sporting success is part of that process of change, of unleashing the dormant energies that were stifled by bureaucratic chains. We still don't have a sporting culture like the Americans or the Australians, but at least we've moved beyond the Hindu rate of growth. As the economy expands, sports will be a natural beneficiary since it offers increasing opportunities for upward mobility, a chance to move overnight from a tinshed to a bungalow. Moreover, in the age of 24 hour news television, new role models are being constantly thrown up, with every medal won spurring a wave of nationalistic pride.

What is needed then is to sustain the Beijing momentum with a single-minded commitment to harness talent across the country, not just in the big cities. Cricket 'democratised' itself , which is why we have achieved so much success at the game. Now, other sports too need to be 'liberated' from the mai-baap culture of the Nehruvian era. Here’s a thought: why don't each of the IPL team owners adopt one sport and make it part of their business plan? Bhiwani could do with a world class boxing gymnasium.

There is change in the air, some of us are doing something to keep the momentum going.
rajdeep.sardesai AT network18online.com

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 22 Aug 2008 07:57

China and the Olympic Movement
http://www.china.org.cn/english/null/116819.htm

When the 23rd Olympics were held in Los Angeles in 1984, China sent a delegation of 353 members consisting of 224 athletes for gymnastics and another 15 events. China's first gold medal at the L.A. Games was won by Xu Haifeng, a sharpshooter who also became the first Chinese to win such an honor in Olympic history.

During 1991 and 2001, Beijing made two Olympic bids, one for 2000 and the other for 2008. In its first bid it lost to Sydney by a narrow margin of two votes, but in the second it beat another nine cities to win the right to host the 29th Olympic Summer Games in 2008, thanks to its great potential for economic growth and the remarkable achievements in sport made by China over the previous decade.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Aug 2008 10:01

Wasn't there a disparaging news report after Sushil Kumar lost the first match? I recall seeing it in Pioneer and wondered at the crass attack. Can some one dig it up so we can send some crow soup to the reporter?

SaraLax · Post by **SaraLax** » 22 Aug 2008 10:39

Nice One from TOI

More analysis of the shortcomings in our sporting system

....if our fighters are stunning the world at the biggest stage, without proper support during the mega event, it is an eye-opener. Look at wrestling and Sushil Kumar. The wrestlers came here without a doctor, a masseur or a physio.

No other country sends athletes in contact sports without this kind of support. This technical input is crucial between the bouts to recover in time for the next bruising one.

For Sushil, this work was done alone by Kartar Singh - former Asian Games double medallist and now the secretary of the Indian wrestling federation - during his bouts on Wednesday. Sushil fought four bouts in a day, including three in a row in the evening.

Kartar kept massaging his body, trying to help him in recover for the next one. In contrast, Sushil’s American or Kazakh opponents had a battery of support staff working on their bodies, calming their minds. Sushil said later that he was embarrassed that a great wrestler like Kartar was playing the role of his masseur. "Bahut sharm aa rahi thee," he said. But our officials are not ashamed.

When Kartar later said that the wrestlers need more coaches, better doctors, more physios, more foreign exposure, most said he is trying to hog the limelight. The fact is that he was simply stating the state of affairs.
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Sushil, the son of an MTNL bus driver, travels in the bus for two hours every day from his home in Baaprola village near Najafgarh to reach his training centre. It’s the same grind back home in the evening. It’s a monotonous routine and can kill most minds. It’s amazing that he kept at it for years, without breaking down.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 22 Aug 2008 10:55

Are they old enough? IOC seeks probe into China gymnasts' ages

Media reports include a Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, that suggest He is only 14. Asked earlier this week about her age again after winning the uneven bars title, beating American Nastia Liukin in a tiebreak, she said: "I was born in 1992, and I'm 16 years old now," He said. "The FIG has proved that. If I'm under 16, I couldn't have been competing here."

Earlier this month, the AP found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed both He and Yang were too young to compete. He was born Jan. 1, 1994, according to the 2005, 2006 and 2007 registration lists. Yang was born Aug. 26, 1993, according to the 2004, 2005 and 2006 registration lists. In the 2007 registration list, however, her birthday has changed to Aug. 26, 1992.

.....
Even China's own Yang Yun, a double bronze medalist in Sydney, said during an interview aired on state broadcaster China Central Television that she was 14 in 2000.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 11:22

Stan_Savljevic wrote:Are they old enough? IOC seeks probe into China gymnasts' ages

Is there an age limit in other sports as well or only in Gymnastics? And why in gymnastics -- hurt children's growth, injury ?

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 22 Aug 2008 11:42

viv wrote:
Stan_Savljevic wrote:Are they old enough? IOC seeks probe into China gymnasts' ages
Is there an age limit in other sports as well or only in Gymnastics? And why in gymnastics -- hurt children's growth, injury ?

The reason from the cnn article is that young uns have no fear of failure, are less prone to serious injuries due to fewer years of hard work, and have more flexible bodies etc. IIRC, the famous coach Bela Karyoli {who coached the perfect 10 Nadia Commaneci} had said its better if the IOC got rid of this stupid 16 yr cutoff rule cos it can never be enforced anyway. He said 10 yr old gymnasts from elsewhere could compete on a level playing field with 10 yr olds from China, but a 16 vs 10 is a loaded one {more or less the same words}. The problem is there needs to be some kinda cutoff {say around 9 or 10}, its an ethical question.

The case of diving is also a health hazard-prone one. In fact, 9-10 yr old divers are all common across the board for the same flexibility reason. The impact of the diver in the water can lead to such huge pressure differentials that the retina can detach. Unfortunately, there are no known age barriers to diving. Retinal detachment {also common in folks who wear really thick glasses} needs to be fixed in a day at the worst, else it can lead to permanent damage and blindness. Take any decent diver, and he would have had some history of rd {I remember the case of Sun Shuwei, circa early 90s}.

PS: The youngest gold medallist in OG is a diver, a female by the Marjorie Gestring, ~13 yrs.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 11:56

Thanks Stan!

SaraLax · Post by **SaraLax** » 22 Aug 2008 12:03

Fascinating to read about Cuba's exploits in the Olympics

Present medal tally for Cuba (Population - 11 Million) in Beijing 2k8 Olympics
- Gold in Men's 110 M Hurdles & 120 Kg Greco-Roman Wrestling
- 6 Silver & 6 Bronze
- 8 Cubans enter the Boxing Semi-finals across different categories.

Cuban Boxers - The Secret To Their Success

Since Cuba's boxers punched their way onto the international stage 30 years ago with their first Gold Medals at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, they have captured a grand total of 27 Gold Medals at the Olympics.....
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The system works like this... in their grammar schools, sports is given a high priority and Cuban children are forcibly encouraged to participate in these sports and it's there that their potential talent as a baseball player, athlete or boxer is spotted. From the age of 12, talented youngsters are sent to special schools where their skills are nurtured and developed. From there they pass through a very competitive youth scheme and all along the top trainers, led by the ever-vigilant national coach Sarbelo Fuentes, are keeping an eye on the impending talent, few, if any, slip through the gaps. The ones that graduate from that get sent to Wajay, the top school where they are methodically put through carefully thought-out drills, all their training having purpose and being incredibly demanding of the boxer.

It is also the system of Cuba, the support that the state gives to sport, that has made these results possible. The boxing success obviously serving a political purpose in that Cuba's, young and healthy sportsmen and women provide an advert on the world stage for its communist system, but it's success is not only confined to boxing, the Cuban women's volleyball team is the best in the world and has won three straight Olympic Gold Medals, while it's baseball team were unbeatable World champions year after year, only losing to the U.S Baseball Team at the 2000 Olympic Games for the first time ever, suggesting whatever applies to Cuba's boxing success, also applies to other sports.

As amateurs, Cuban Boxers are rewarded with prestige, the opportunity to travel and upon retirement, perhaps a second hand car. After a career of fighting for their country, and not much else, most Cuban boxers stay in the sport either as administrators or trainers and that way the knowledge and experience is passed down to the next generation of sportsmen. That next generation is pummelling away at punch bags in youth gyms all over Cuba.

Boxing - where two individuals battle it out in the ring, in Cuba is a team sport. The boxers grow up together, train and travel together and, of course, fight one another, often meeting tougher opponents in their National and Regional championships than they do in the Olympics.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Aug 2008 12:05

they should design a streamlined pressure mask to guard against RD.

my wife had a RD in 05. one needs surgery asap. we flew to chennai same
day and enrolled in sankara netralaya through a contact. her case was so
severe 60% that if its >50% netralaya puts them on back of queue and
thats a 20 day wait...basically they consider it gone. however by virtue
of the contact we were able to get a OT slot in 3 days and the eye was
saved with a 'scleral buckle' that is a clamp behind the eyeball pressing
and holding eyeball and retina together. her power is around 12.

they have around 20 OTs in the main campus and a smaller setup
nearby. very impressive...

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 22 Aug 2008 12:28

Vijender's match in another 10 mins or so.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/boxing/resul ... index.html

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 12:29

Stan_Savljevic wrote:Vijender's match in another 10 mins or so.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/boxing/resul ... index.html

nbc doesn't seem to be showing boxing live

.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 22 Aug 2008 12:43

Vijender trails 0-2 after Round 1.
Vijender trails 3-4 after Round 2.
Vijender trails 3-7 after Round 3.
Vijender loses 5-8

Bad round 1 (outscored 0-2) and round 3 (outscored 0-3) could not make up for winning round 2 (3-2) and round 4 (2-1) . The Cuban punched very precisely, and was technically stronger. Vijender's left arm was weaker and used as a parrying side; he couldn't hold up against the Cuban, who was strong on both wings. The Cuban made many jabs in between which he kept away (Vijender is slightly taller), but the latter could not counterpunch from his left wing well enough to capitalize.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 12:50

Suraj wrote:Vijender trails 0-2 after Round 1.
Vijender trails 3-4 after Round 2.

ok, so he won the second round. Hopefully, he does better in the next two.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 12:52

Bronze it is! 3-8 as per nbc update.

Update: 5-8

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 22 Aug 2008 13:33

The influence RicC has bought up with the Indian media is so amazing. I mean, if this is not psy-ops, nothing else will be. A month or so after he has left India, people are still batting for him in subtle and not-so-subtle terms and how he is the prophet non-pareil, the messiah that Indian hockey missed, the man with a mission, vision, and our tiffin etc etc..

Read this from s2h

Ric's Predictions almost come true (8/21/2008)

Predictions of Richard Charlesworth on the outcome of the Olympic hockey prospects come almost true. After watching the latest elite competition before the Beijing event – the Rotterdam Champions Trophy held in July – Ric predicted the four finalists based on their form in the Rotterdam, supplemented by the 17th Azlan Shah Tournament. Ric was there in Ipoh in May to observe, among others, the Beijing bound teams’ performance.

He observed in his signature write up after Rotterdam: .. it will greatly surprise if Australia and Spain don’t figure in the semi finals from Pool A. …. Germany with Christopher Zeller fit would be expected to make it with Spain yet they have been enigmatic recently… . He also predicted Spain a slot for the final. He has emphatically predicted doom for Pakistan.

We produce verbatim the complete report of Ric for the readers to decide for the accuracy of the legendary players’ predictions.

Guys at s2h, get over it. RicC will never make it again to Injun hockey, and rightly so. He talks loudly when the need of the hour is a man who speaks less and gets the job done more. And please stop batting for others just cos you will have better access to the coach saheb. The coach saheb dissed our players in public when he got a chance, without any understanding that public dissing is reserved for egregious crimes, not for silly botched tackles or lack of form etc. For good measure, he predicted doom for us {us == Injuns, not some world hockey proletariat} in the Azlan and ran off from our camp straight to mother bear Oz's warm bosoms. The team made mostly of jr players slapped his backside by ending up with silver, losing an evil final to Argentina. Where was coach saheb's predictions then, s2h? Jeezus christ, the journos we have and their interests/inclinashuns are all not so hard 2 read. And this country deserves it.. The dregs end up commenting on hockey affairs cos not many bother about hockey. Sooner or later, we will have some 6th standard failure saying, "We need 2 teach Angrez to player-waalon so that they can follow Ric-saheb's columns and his predicshuns."

Added: More hockey news from BH

For the first time in its 100-year-old history, the Poona Schools Athletics Association (PSSA) has dropped hockey from the list of sports events for this academic year. The 2008 events calendar, which was announced on July 10, has no mention of hockey in the list of 18 events. The reason - none of the 35 schools in the PSSA was willing to organise the hockey matches due to lack of sponsors.

"It is sad that we had to drop hockey this year, but we are helpless," said a PSAA official. The 2006 PSAA hockey championship was organised by St. Vincents, and the 2007 championship by St. Bishops. However, there were no takers for the 2008 season. This is indeed an all-time low for hockey's popularity in Pune, a city that has produced hockey greats in the recent past such as Dhanraj Pillai and Vikram Pillai.

There was no live coverage of the 6th Jr. Asia Cup Hockey in Hyderabad, as Doodarshan reportedly asked the organising committee to deposit a large sum of money. A miffed Union sports minister, M. S. Gill, lashed out at the public broadcaster Doordarshan for ignoring the event, saying: "I'm sorry to say that Doordarshan is not showing the tournament. I tried to resolve it but failed, because they wanted to make money out of it."

Reminding Doordarshan of its duties as the nation's public broadcaster to telecast events of national interest, Gill said: "Doordarshan should not always be thinking of earning and earning, there is a limit to it." Gill was equally upset with the private channels for largely ignoring the event in their evennig news bulletins, saying: "There was this hard-fought match between India and Pakistan, which India won 3-1. But what did I find? The first story was about Sania Mirza losing in straight sets to a junior girl in Stanford in a minor tournament. The second story was Ronaldinho leaving Barcelona for AC Milan for around $30 million. I want to ask what is the relevance of this news (Ronaldinho switching clubs) in a country where Indian footballers don't even get their TA-DA in the Santosh Trophy?"

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 22 Aug 2008 18:23

If they are going to have age limit, why not make it like 20 or 26? At least the "cheaters" can not get away by sending toddlers and pre-schoolers, they would have to send someone more than 16/18 to compete. By then the hip bones, hormones etc everything would have started to kick in.

Also I like watching women compete rather than girls compete.

Viju, better luck next time.

sum · Post by **sum** » 22 Aug 2008 20:31

Now that our campaign has wound to an end(almost), will any guru summarize what we can look forward to in the next edition? Can we more optimistic in the next edition or is this a flash in the pan?

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 22 Aug 2008 22:11

sum wrote:Now that our campaign has wound to an end(almost), will any guru summarize what we can look forward to in the next edition? Can we more optimistic in the next edition or is this a flash in the pan?

I'm no guru especially on sports. However, from my experience and interaction with my relatives/freinds in Desh I find that Sports is given a much greater emphasis at home. There are some children who spend an inordinate amount of time traversing from one end of Dilli to another every day (1-2 hours one way) for practice in their chosen discipline and the families are fully supporting them with funds and time. School is important but they are willing to accommodate it. Maybe it is that there is money in sports, maybe there is also the realisation that everyone is not interested or needs to be an engineer or doctor.

The reports in the papers on Bhiwani or Najafgarh talk of a strong impulse for sports as well.

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 22 Aug 2008 23:29

Since our campaign has come to end. It is time for reflection.
Abhinav, Sushil, Akhil, Jitendar, Vijendar, Neha and Achant has made this nation proud. It is time to analyze the difference between talent and resources. Abhinav's Gold medal is a glorious achievement, he was provided resources for a winning performance at this grand stage. He belongs to an affluent family, his father had the financial means to provide support and the end result is the coveted Gold Medal. The bronze medal winners have achieved their success with their sheer grit, determination, talent without any financial support, without any facilities. This difference is reflected in glaring lights. Sole Wrestler and three boxers were drinking Nimbu Paani after their training whereas their physical demand was for proteins and nutrition that can only be provided by Fresh Juices, Protein shakes and balanced diet that are norm in modern sports training. Sushil was training in mud pit for his competition whilst all other nations were training on mats with shoes on. No matter how much you train in mud and sand it does not provide competitive edge. The unfamiliarity of mat wrestling was on collision course with his mind and body coordination.

Akhil, Jitendar and Vijendar were building their endurance by running on fiery soft sand aka baalu rait either barefoot or wearing old style tennis shoes. These boys didn't have equipment to train on hence they improvised. What they achieved is stuff made for legends, generations will take inspiration from them. Lack of physio threapist was another achilees heel for Indian athletes as succinctly said by Sushil Kumar, "Bahut Sharam aaye jab coach sahib competition key beech mein maalish kar rahe thay". Neha and Achanat must have felt like orphans in big city full of sharks baying for their blood while they were competing and fighting for the glory of their nation.

Family background affect on athletes: Sushil, Akhil, Jitendar and Vijendars father are working menial jobs just to feed their family, as astounding and incredible it may be for someone, their parents gave everything within their meagre income and means to support the passion of their children and assure some success. The sacrifice of these parents is what legends and folk lore are made of.

Whole nation is basking in the glory of these boys and girl as they have made 1.2 Billion people proud. They have inspired and given a much needed shot of confidence in every citizens Indianness. However none of the politicians deserve any respect for their accomplishment even though every single politician of every hue is clamouring to be part of their legacy. I am excluding Haryana CM from this list, he has been exemplary so far, hopefully he will make his words and promises count.

As I bow my head in shame because this nation let these boys and girl down in the moment of reckoning, I feel proud and be part of these times when some rural kids rose up like phoenix from ashes, overcame every adversity thrown at them, the neglect, the apathy, they ignored everything and made their nation proud. This nation owes an apology to these athletes and a promise it will never happen again, but within the lexicon of this nation everything and everyone will be forgotten in six months from now. All the aspirants will be left wondering, "Mera Bharat Kahan".

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 23 Aug 2008 00:02

Singha wrote:...
my wife had a RD in 05. one needs surgery asap. ....

Singhasaar if I may, can I prod you to provide details on what caused the retinal detachment in your SHQ's case. You may ignore this request if I am being intrusive. I have no clue what causes something like RD and hence am curious to find how this happens in the case of a non-sports person. Apologies in advance if I stepped on a redline here.

Vriksh · Post by **Vriksh** » 23 Aug 2008 00:04

Perhaps this inspiration for sporting greatness be made easier, if some film maker can tell the true story of these heroes to the Aam Junta. No bollywood BS only gritty tales of struggle, hope and finally redemption.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Aug 2008 01:02

Vriksh wrote:Perhaps this inspiration for sporting greatness be made easier, if some film maker can tell the true story of these heroes to the Aam Junta. No bollywood BS only gritty tales of struggle, hope and finally redemption.

I was wondering it would be a great film if somene made it on these wrestlers a la Chak de India. Will Bollywood put its mind to this? Or it has to have minority angle to it?

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 23 Aug 2008 02:25

ramana wrote:
Vriksh wrote:Perhaps this inspiration for sporting greatness be made easier, if some film maker can tell the true story of these heroes to the Aam Junta. No bollywood BS only gritty tales of struggle, hope and finally redemption.
I was wondering it would be a great film if somene made it on these wrestlers a la Chak de India. Will Bollywood put its mind to this? Or it has to have minority angle to it?

Ramana
It will never happen because these boys are not minority, they are proud Hindus. Bollywood only makes movies that have theme of boy chasing girl around trees or some minority glorification. These boys are taken for granted. In sharp contrast to US, where book and HBO movie will be made for Phelps, gymanstic girls. Especially for phelps since he was raised by a single mother on meagre income by American Standard.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 23 Aug 2008 02:41

Why wait for others to do things and gripe about the possibility that they may not ?

Each of us can contribute our bit in so many ways:
* Write articles in vernacular and English publications describing your concerns and ideas. There are places like Rediff to publish them. Write to Sharda Ugra or some other journalist to get suggestions on how to publish it.
* Meet these folks - the Kumars, Jagdish Singh, the owner of the akhara where Sushil trained, talk to them, take photos of them and the place, publicize them and their work.
* Obtain sports equipment and donate it to a local club or school in India.
* Donate money to the OGQ or MCT when they enable this mechanism - something I've been in contact with them about.
* Encourage sporting activities within ones own family and range of acquaintances, particularly for youngsters.

I'm sure there are a thousand other ways to do something positive. Whines are unproductive in comparison; they just sap enthusiasm and breed a defeatist perspective, rather than an effort to find ways to do even better. We can either use this Olympics as a starting point to encourage Indian sports individually, or just revel in the afterglow/'what could have been' and forget about it within a week.

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 23 Aug 2008 02:49

ramana wrote:
Vriksh wrote:Perhaps this inspiration for sporting greatness be made easier, if some film maker can tell the true story of these heroes to the Aam Junta. No bollywood BS only gritty tales of struggle, hope and finally redemption.
I was wondering it would be a great film if somene made it on these wrestlers a la Chak de India. Will Bollywood put its mind to this? Or it has to have minority angle to it?

Yes, that would be good. A good writer could give it the turn of 'nirbal se ladaai balwaan ki' (Toofan aur Diya) . Jo Jeeta wohi Sikandar is a good movie with no religious/minority overtones -- more of have vs. 'have nots'.