Indian Navy Sailing Team win Silver Medal

PIB Tuesday, November 23, 2010 17:23 IST
The Indian Sailing team of Lt Cdr (Retd) F Tarapore and team mates Cdr Atool Sinha, CPO (MA) Balraj, POR (Tel) Shekhar Singh Yadav and Trunal were accorded a warm welcome at New Delhi by the Indian Navy and the Yachting Association of India (YAI) after winning a Silver Medal in the Match Racing event at the ongoing Asian Games 2010.
Lt Cdr (Retd) F Tarapore, had won the Fireball class gold medal as crew of Zarir Karanjia in the 1982 Asian Games sailing regatta held off the Mumbai harbor and also picked up a hat-trick of bronze medals in the Asian Games held between 1986 and 1994 in different classes of boats.
The Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre, Mumbai has been a training centre for champion sailors and has produced 13 Arjuna awardees, 02 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardees and 01 Dronacharya awardee for the sport in the past 40 years.
The YAI was formally constituted on 15 May 1960 and was registered under the Societies Registration Act XXVI of 1961 on 22 December 1964 at Calcutta, West Bengal. The YAI is affiliated to the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), which is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the governing authority for sailing worldwide.
The YAI is officially recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and the Indian Olympic Association as the governing authority for sailing, windsurfing, motor boating, powerboat racing and personal watercraft, at sea and on inland waters in India. PVS/AKR
Reception for Sailing Team of Indian Navy

16th Asian Games Portal and Schedule of Events

The Official website of the 16th Asian Games
Indian Contingent at Asian Games 2010- Click here
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Asian Games flame visits Zhaoqing

General Competition Schedule for the 16th Asian Games V1.6

Abhay Chautala named India's chef-de-mission for Asian Games
Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, October 27, 2010
Indian Boxing Federation President Abhay Singh Chautala on Wednesday was appointed the chef-de-mission of the country's contingent for next month's Asian Games in China. "Mr Abhay Singh Chautala, Vice-President of the Indian Olympic Association and President of the Indian Boxing Federation, will be the Chef-de-Mission of the Indian contingent at the Asian Games," the IOA said in a statement.
The Asian Games are scheduled to be held from November 12 to 27 in the city of Guangzhou.
Abhay Chautala named India's chef-de-mission for Asian Games

Indian Soldier is the biggest winner for the Country

The Indian soldier is the biggest winner for the country in the Commonwealth Games
Soldier firepower at Games
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, Oct 11: The Indian soldier is the biggest winner for the country in the Commonwealth Games.

Indian Army soldiers and Indian Navy sailors have won 23 medals between them so far. They are all havildars, subedars, petty officers and cadets — called PBOR for “Personnel Below Officer Rank”. None of the medal winners is a commissioned officer.

Rajyavardhan Rathore, who had brought laurels for the country in shooting, is a colonel in the army. He has not qualified to be part of the Indian shooting contingent in the CWG this time.

Staff of the Indian Railways has also won 17 medals between them in the CWG.

Chief petty officer Omkar Singh of the navy has won three golds and a silver in different categories of air pistol shooting. Subedar Vijay Kumar has won three golds and a silver in different categories of rifle shooting.

The soldiers and sailors have won medals in five disciplines: shooting, weightlifting, wrestling, archery and athletics (20km walk).

A total of 41 soldiers are part of the 600-plus strong Indian contingent at the CWG. The army began a “Mission Olympics” programme in 2001 aiming at podium finish at the world-level in select disciplines.

If soldiers must necessarily be good marksmen, India’s armed forces have reason to be proud. In shooting alone, the soldiers and sailors have won 15 medals — 11 golds, two silvers and two bronze.

K. Ravi Kumar, Sukhan Dey and V.S. Rao — all havildars in the army — have won three medals in weightlifting. Master chief petty officer-II Sudhir Kumar of the navy took the bronze in 77kg weightlifting.

The sportsmen were trained in the Army Sports Institute, Pune, and the Army Marksmen Unit in Mhow.

Even off the field, the armed forces are being applauded for their contribution to the CWG. Army engineers put up a foot overbridge in four days after the one built by a Chandigarh-based company collapsed, injuring 23 workmen 12 days before the Games were to begin. The bridge is connected to the main venue in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Soldier firepower at Games

Defence Minister Announces Cash Bonanza for Services Sportspersons

The Defence Minister, Shri A. K. Antony felicitated the Armed Forces sportspersons who won Medals at the Commonwealth Games 2010, at a function, in New Delhi on October 15, 2010. The Minister of State for Defence, Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju, the Defence Secretary, Shri Pradeep Kumar, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik and the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. V.K. Singh are also seen.
Photo no.CNR - 34051

18:54 IST Friday, October 15, 2010
The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has announced a cash bonanza for Armed Forces Sportsmen who excelled in the 19th Commonwealth Games (CWG) that concluded yesterday. Felicitating 19 Armed Forces Sportsmen at a function here today, Shri Antony declared a cash award of Rupees 12 lakhs each to the Gold Medal winning Services Sportspersons, seven lakhs for those who won Silver and five lakhs to the Bronze Medal winners.

The Armed Forces Sportsmen have won 25 Medals out of India’s total tally of 101. Out of the 25 Medals the Services Sportspersons have won, as many as 10 are Gold, seven Silver and eight Bronze. They make up more than 25 percent of India’s overall tally and represent 30 percent of the Medals claimed by the Men in India’s tally. There were 50 Sportspersons drawn from the three Services representing India, who competed in 10 Games events.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Antony commended the contribution of the Armed Forces in making the Commonwealth Games a success. Besides participating in the competitions, the Services were involved in the day-to-day management of the Queen’s Baton Relay during its over 100-day journey across the country, Armed Forces Bands participating in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Flag Hoisting during the Medals presentations and in the erection of the Bailey Bridge at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium complex at the eleventh hour.

Shri Antony lauded the Armed Forces for having organised the 4th Military World Games (MWG) at Hyderabad in 2007 at a cost of Rupees 50 crores, a fraction of the whopping budget of the CWG Games. He hoped that the Indian Armed Forces Sportspersons would bring glory to the nation at the 5th MWG to be held in Brazil in July next year.

The Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal PV Naik and Chief of Army Staff Gen VK Singh were present at the function. PK/SR
Defence Minister Announces Cash Bonanza for Services Sportspersons
Army sportspersons do India proud by Prabhjot Singh Tribune News Service

Closing Ceremony- 44 crore Helium Balloon echoes Kalmadi's boring Speech

Posted: Thu Oct 14 2010, 00:25 hrs New Delhi:
"It was like a big, fat Indian wedding." This was how some of the spectators described the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games tonight, which proved to be a dampener after the spectacular opening 12 days ago.

The opening extravaganza on October 3 had showcased thousands of years of Indian civilisation and culture and had swept away all the gloom that preceded the games marred by corruption, inefficiency, mismanagement and delays.

Ironically, the presentation by the Games' next host Scotland was probably the best part of the closing ceremony witnessed by a packed crowd of some 60,000 fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. 'Vande Mataram' item presented by Delhi school children was was yet another highlight.

The glitzy Rs 44 crore worth aerostat that was the centre of attraction during the Opening Ceremony also remained dormant laying suspended 25 metres above the ground except for the occasional videos that were played on the 360 degree projection surface of the aerostat.

The only time that the world's largest helium balloon actually came alive in all its colours was when the 'golden moments' of the Games was played out and also when the Scots performed.

In stark contrast, during the Opening Ceremony, the aerostat had captivated everyone inside the stadium.

To add to the boredom, there were speeches galore, the longest by the Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, who was roundly booed to start with.

He thanked all and sundry including Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Lieutenant Governor, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, City Police Commissioner etc etc.

Top singers like Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kailash Kher, Usha Uthup, Shaan, Ila Arun, Shobha Mudgul, and Shankar Mahadevan lent a touch of Punjabi wedding ambience when they crooned some popular numbers.

Even the Army bands played stale tunes heard over the years at the traditional "Beating the Retreat" ceremony during the Republic Day celebrations.
CWG closing ceremony a big dampener

Comment
Will Kalmadi ever face an enquiry on the fraud committed on the Citizens of the Nation? His Pride as an Air Force Pilot is a National Disgrace.

India roar to track and hockey breakthroughs

India's Danish Mujtaba (L), captain Rajpal Singh (2nd L) and Vikram Vishnu Pillay celebrate after they won a penalty shootout against England during their men's field hockey semi-final match at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi October 12, 2010. Credit:Reuters/B Mathur By Nick Mulvenney
NEW DELHI | Tue Oct 12, 2010 2:09pm EDT
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Hosts India celebrated dramatic Commonwealth Games breakthroughs on the athletics track and hockey pitch on Tuesday with rapturous applause from their delighted home fans.

Last week low attendances threatened to join the long list of problems that have blighted the Games. But Indians have gradually embraced their first major multi-sport event in nearly three decades and on Tuesday they were in full voice.

A day after discus thrower Krishna Poonia won India's first athletics title in 52 years, some 55,000 fans roared the women's 4x400 metres relay team to an unlikely victory at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to end an equally long wait for a track gold.

"The crowd was amazing, their support gave us extra motivation," Ashwini Akkunji, who ran the third leg, told reporters. "At the same time, I could feel some pressure as well. They would have gone home really upset had we returned empty-handed tonight."

A packed house of nearly 20,000 had earlier shaken the rafters at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium as the men's hockey team came back from 3-1 down to beat England in a penalty shootout to reach the final and ensure a first medal in the national sport.

It was miserable day, though, for Nigeria with Osayemi Oludamola stripped of the women's 100 gold after her B sample confirmed a positive test for a banned stimulant and Samuel Okon, a sprint hurdler, also disqualified for the same offence.

Alana Boyd won the women's pole vault, which not only helped boost Australia's gold medal tally to 68 but also gave her a share of family bragging rights with her father Ray, the 1982 pole vault champion, and mother Denise, the 1978 200 champion.

Indian shooters Annu Raj Singh and Heena Sidhu won the women's 10 metres air pistol pairs to ensure the host nation a best Games gold medal tally with a 31st title in Delhi, beating the 30 the country won in Manchester in 2002.

The 32nd came completely unexpectedly in the women's 4x400 on the last night of athletics, Mandeep Kaur taking the baton home to clinch India's first track title since Milkha Singh's 440 yards gold at what was then the Empire and Comonwealth Games in Cardiff in 1958.

KENYAN CLASS
England grabbed thrilling victories in both 4x100 races to stay in the hunt for second place on the medal table with 30 golds, Mark Lewis-Francis producing a magnificent final leg of power and pace to overhaul Jamaica and clinch the men's title.

"It feels like it was some cricket match going on," Indian javelin thrower Kashinath Naik said of the crowd. "I hope the audience will support us in the same manner every time."

Oludamola was awarded gold in controversial circumstances when Australian Sally Pearson was disqualified for a false start three hours after crossing the line.

Natasha Mayers of St Vincent and the Grenadines, who crossed the line third in the blue riband sprint, will now be awarded the gold. Mayers herself served a two-year doping ban after testing positive for testosterone in 2005.

On a last night of athletics thrills, Kenyans again provided a touch of class with world leader Silas Kiplagat winning the 1,500 in three minutes 41.78 seconds and world champion Vivian Cheruiyot cruising to the womens' 5,000m in 15:55.12.

The Delhi athletics competition was seriously weakened by withdrawals of big names, some like world and Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt because of scheduling problems, others because of health or security concerns.

Poonia, who had expressed her hope that her discus gold on Monday would wipe away the problems of the games, lashed out at the latter.

"Security concerns are everywhere and India is a very big country. I did not like it when they blamed our country for withdrawing from the event," she said.

"We also love our life. They would have been our guests and we would have taken more care of them than ourselves."

Out at Delhi University, the New Zealand rugby sevens team, their bare torsos adorned only by their gold medals and a kaleidoscope of tattoos, performed a celebratory haka after beating Australia 24-17 to win a fourth successive gold medal.

Boxing takes center stage on the penultimate day of the Games on Wednesday with medals in diving, shooting and cycling also up for grabs
India roar to track and hockey breakthroughs

India creates history in athletics, Gold after 52 yrs

India created history by breaking the 52-year-old Commonwealth Games gold medal jinx with Krishna Poonia winning the yellow metal in women's discus throw to become the first woman from the country to win a Commowealth Games gold in New Delhi on Monday.

India swept the event with Harwant Kaur and national record holder Seema Antil also winning the silver and bronze respectively.

Poonia's gold, which she won by throwing the discus to 61.51m, was the first gold after 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh's 440 yard race gold in the 1958 edition of the Games in Cardiff, Wales.

Harwant came up with an effort of 60.61m, a tad below her season's best of 60.66m, while national record holder Seema Antil threw the discus to a distance of 58.46m. (BJ-12/10)
India creates history in athletics, Gold after 52 yrs

CWG: Opening Ceremony Video

CWG Opening ceremony begins with colour, music and a giant balloon



Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 Live Streaming: Hindi: Link click here

Rank Honour and Status of Armed Forces Reduced

Ref: click here

Some of the veterans may disagree with what I have to say on the episode of rank inapporopriateness by the serving Air Force officers but I am compelled to state my views.

Sachin Tendulkar being conferred with the rank of Group Captain, though honorary, by the IAF is an example of how serving (high ranking) officers try to focus limelight on themselves through cheap publicity stunts. Any serviceman, whether a commissioned officer or NCO will bear out the fact that entry into the service is earned through a tough selection process and after that ranks and promotions are obtained through merit, hardwork and dedication to the service. What criteria did the IAF consider while Tendulkar was made a Group Captain? I have all respect and admiration for Sachin for his excellence, achievement and dedication in the field of cricket , but I say that he has not done anything for the cause of any of the defence services or nation to deserve this honour from one of the defence forces. He could be conferred with any of the civil awards like Arjuna award for sports but not a military honour.

To cap it all, the Air Force has gone head over heels to please the aam (cricket mad) janata by promising to give him the "Wing" simply after one sortie in a Sukhoi aircraft as a passenger! As an engineer, I have flown as a passenger in a fighter aircraft but that did not make me eligible to get a wing. Some of the engineers do get their "official" wings but only after being selected for the "pilots course" and earning it after undergoing the regular necessary pilots training course like other aspirants for the "F" branch. Many of my "F" branch friends will aver that a wing has to be earned -many aspirants are denied this if they fail to meet the crucial flying proficiency tests- and cannot just be bought cheaply in a camp tailor shop and pinned on to the chest.

And another thing. Those who have seen the photograph of the Air Force chief with Sachin Tendulkar in the Times of India (Mumbai edition, 04 Sep, 2010 in the section "Times Nation") saluting him after getting his tapes, will notice that the chief is returning the salute without (R) without his cap ON !!! A good example of service etiquette to be publicly displayed before the service personnel under himl! I had never seen that so far.

Sorrowfully, this is one of the many instances of why and how the prestige of the Armed Forces is lowered. Why blame only the Babus if we ourselves do not want to hold it high?
Shashank Bendre
Wg Cdr (Retd)

Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated

In My Hand I Hold A Ball,
White And Dimpled, Rather Small.
Oh, How Bland It Does Appear,
This Harmless Looking Little Sphere.
By It’s Size I Could Not Guess,
The Awesome Strength It Does Possess.
But Since I Fell Beneath Its Spell,
I’ve Wandered Through The Fires Of Hell.
My Life Has Not Been Quite The Same,
Since I Chose To Play This Stupid Game.
It Rules My Mind For Hours On End,
A Fortune It Has Made Me Spend.
It Has Made Me Yell, Curse And Cry,
I Hate Myself And Want To Die.
It Promises A Thing Called Par,
If I Can Hit It Straight And Far.
To Master Such A Tiny Ball,
Should Not Be Very Hard At All.
But My Desires The Ball Refuses,
And Does Exactly As It Chooses.
It Hooks And Slices, Dribbles And Dies,
And Even Disappears Before My Eyes.
Often It Will Have A Whim,
To Hit A Tree Or Take A Swim.
With Miles Of Grass On Which To Land,
It Finds A Tiny Patch Of Sand.
Then Has Me Offering Up My Soul,
If Only It Would Find The Hole.
It’s Made Me Whimper Like A Pup,
And Swear That I Will Give It Up.
And Take To Drink To Ease My Sorrow,
But The Ball Knows … I’ll Be Back Tomorrow.

Stand proud you noble swingers of clubs and losers of balls….
A recent study found the average golfer walks about 1450 Kms a year.
Another study found golfers drink, on average, 70 litres of alcohol a Year.
That means, on average, golfers get about 20 Kms to a litre of spirit. Kind of makes you proud. Almost feel like a hybrid.


A Golf Poem