Hockey: National Game on Death Row

Gen VK Singh launches Col Balbir’s autobiography. Tuesday, 29 May 2012 13:51
New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General V K Singh, on Monday launched the autobiography of 1968 Mexico Olympic medallist, Col. (Retd) Balbir Singh Kular in the city. Christened as ‘Sansarpur to London Olympics’, by 1968 Mexico Olympic medallist and current national selector Col. (Retd) Balbir Singh Kular becomes, first book to be available for both computer and mobile downloads.
Published by Indian Sports Books and by using the technological brilliance of handygo Techcnologies, this book attempts to reach out to Indian hockey fans world across through online and digital formats as well.
“Sansarpur to London Olympics”, co-authored by sports film maker Sunil Yash Kalra, is a unique book of personal memoir, with interesting compilation of stories, funny anecdotes, sensational revelations and heart-warming vignettes of his life in the Army and as a hockey player and coach. The book is a treasure-trove of rare photographs, some of which date back to the days of the ‘Wizard of Hockey’, Maj Dhyan Chand. In places it reads like a thriller, at others like an intimate autobiography. All in all a thunderously good read, almost unputdownable!
1968 Olympic medalist, Col Balbir Singh Kular hails from Sansarpur, a village in Punjab that has produced 14 Olympic medallists since 1932 US Olympics. Right from an early age, Col Balbir Singh was obviously marked for greatness; his upbringing at Sansarpur – the matrix of Indian hockey in the halcyon days of global supremacy – aided by his inimitable genes, burning desire to emulate his forefathers, and his induction into the Indian Army all combined to catapult him to stardom.
Gen VK Singh launches Col Balbir’s autobiography

Air Force Fighter Pilot dons title of "Sports Mafia"

Suresh Kalmadi (born May 1, 1944) is an Indian politician and senior sports administrator. He is a member of the Indian National Congress political party. He is the president of the Indian Olympic Association, Asian Athletics Association, and Athletics Federation of India. He is currently being investigated into for his possible role in the misappropriation of $10 Billion allotted for the hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Early years
Suresh Kalmadi studied at St. Vincent's High School, Pune in the state of Maharashtra in South West India; and then at Fergusson College, Pune. In 1960, he joined the National Defence Academy, Pune, and in 1964, he joined the Air Force Flying Colleges in Jodhpur and Allahabad. He served the Indian Air Force between 1964–1972 and was a recipient of eight medals in his career. After a premature discharge from the Air Force, Kalmadi ran a small fast food shop in Pune and was spotted by Sanjay Gandhi during one of his trips there and was one of the young people at that time that he convinced to join politics with the Congress Party. Kalmadi has served effectively in various capacities with the Congress since and is now one of the wealthiest businessman as well in Pune even from his known sources of income.
He was the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress from 1978-1980. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha for three terms from 1982 to 1995, and again in 1998. He was also elected to the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996, and to the 14th Lok Sabha in 2004. Presently, he is the sitting MP from Pune. During the tenure of P. V. Narasimha Rao as the Prime Minister of India, Suresh Kalmadi served as the Minister of State for Railways from 1995 to 1996.
Political Strides
He was the President of the Indian Olympic Association and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of recently concluded Commonwealth Games held in Delhi from 3 to 14 October 2010. On October 11, 2008, in Pune, Kalmadi was elected president of the Indian Olympics Association for the fourth time
During the felicitation ceremony that had been arranged to honour the three Indian medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Kalmadi reportedly walked out because he had not been offered a chair next to the Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari. In January 2010, former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh accused Kalmadi of being a 'sports mafia'.
CWG Scam
The conduct of 2010 Commonwealth Games has come under public scanner and legal scrutiny as well with the Chief Vigilance Commission (an apex anti-corruption body of India) asking CBI to probe certain aspects of the games' organization. For this, the opposition demanded the resignation of Suresh Kalmadi. It has been alleged that illegitimate wealth created through over reporting (inflating) of games costs has been parked with the Jaypee Group, through financial involvement of his son, Sumeer Kalmadi, in the F1 circuit project at Greater Noida. However, Kalmadi continues to deny corruption charges. Finally, in spite of repeated attempts at meeting with the PM, officials in the PMO have thwarted any direct meeting between the two since the Commonwealth Games controversy. Finally, minutes before the start of the Winter Session of Parliament on 9 November 2010 the Congress party gave marching orders to Suresh Kalmadi. He is still in the media glare and continues to deny any corruption or money laundering!
Wikipedia Inputs; Click here

Kalmadi's team to study Beijing Olympics cost the exchequer Rs 8 Crore

CWG Scam: India Today Maneesh Pandey New Delhi, February 17, 2011 Updated 09:40 IST •Kalmadi, Bhanot sacked from CWG OC• Shunglu panel slams Kalmadi, Lalli• OC paid for Mrs Kalmadi's trip: CAG
The mystery of controversial Beijing trip of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) - labelled the jumbo junket of Suresh Kalmadi - has been solved.

If the official reply to an RTI filed by Subhash Agrawal is to be believed, Kalmadi and his friends spent Rs 8.15 crore to take 166 people on board for this "study group and observer programme" to Beijing to learn "first-hand about the technical and logistics details of Olympics in August 2008".

MAIL TODAY was the first to report about the CWG junketeers, including those who made it to the Beijing Olympics as the observer group, and had pointed out that there were many in the trip who, sooner or later, had little role to play in the CWG preparations.

The RTI reply endorses this and hints further - " some of the names in the list were purely out of obligation".

For instance, Chhattisgarh governor Shekhar Dutt, then the deputy national security adviser.

What was his role in the OC? Sources in the government said that Dutt was on leave from office to enjoy Kalmadi's party.

He was, in fact, present at the sports presentation event at Hotel Guo Yi in Beijing on August 19. He had signed in the visitors' register as deputy NSA and member OC, CWG.

There were others like National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and his son-inlaw and Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who had little connection with the sporting event.

Even the name of Nafisa Ali among the 166 Beijing junketeers raises question. There were some like Vijay Goel, who was later shown the door by Kalmadi.

The team also included four persons from Pune whose contributions to the OC are hard to assess.

However, they are being probed by the investigators. The trip, nevertheless, came at a cost of `8.15 crore, says the official reply.

It is anybody's guess what the group learnt in Beijing and how effectively it implemented the lessons back home.

The trip was meant to be a "learning experience to understand the physical environments of the Games being conducted there".

Also, the observer group was required to keep a record of processes, operational needs and policies which would have supported the organisation of the Games.

Interestingly, one of the key sessions, which the OC claimed to have been attended by the group, was related to ticketing, workforce and technology. The ticket distribution mess during the CWG, the accreditation and other technical glitches only explain what the group had actually learnt from the trip.
Suresh Kalmadi spent Rs 8 cr on his Beijing junket

Comment: Suresh Kalmadi's largesse to his Cronies and Sycophants down the drain. Had he only taken professional help from the Indian Armed Forces Kalmadi could have saved the Nation 8 Core Rupees!

Asian Games Medal Tally: India moves up to 6th position

26/11/2010
Medals Tally
Country/ Gold/ Silver/ Bronze/ Total

China 181 104 95 376

South Korea 72 61 85 218

Japan 39 68 86 193

Iran 19 11 23 53

Kazakhstan 15 18 32 65

India 14 17 33 64

Chinese Taipe 12 12 33 57

Uzbekistan 10 17 20 47

Malaysia 9 17 13 39

Thailand 9 7 31 47

Hong Kong 8 15 15 38

Citizens Voice
Friday, 26 November 2010 17:02:23
Three cheers to all the Indians who have medals for our country. If our sports persons who excelled in CWG did well here, our medal tally would have been much better. Hope we do well in future events. We all should encourage our children to take part in sports and games. All the schools should be granted recognition only if they have playground and other sports facilities. Should make sports compulsory from school itself. At the same time the corrupt and incapable so called sports heads should keep away from the games. Jai Hind.

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 2010 Medal Tally: India on eighth spot

November 16, 2010
In Asian Games 2010 Medal Tally, India is on eighth spot, with one gold medal, 4 silver medals and 3 bronze medals. China is still on top with 58 gold medals, 22 silver medals and 21 bronze medals. India's Ashwini Ponappa and Jwala Gutta enters in the pre- quarter finals of the women's double badminton event in the Asian Games 2010. Ashwini and Gutta defeated China's Tian Qin and Zhao Yunlei. Ashwini and Jwala won the first game by 21-13.

Asian Games 2010 Medal Tally

China: Gold 58, Silver 22, Bronze 21

S Korea: Gold 19, Silver 14, Bronze 19

Japan: Gold 13, Silver 25, Bronze 25

Hong Kong: Gold 3, Silver 5, Bronze 3

C Taipei: Gold 2, Silver 4, Bronze 9

North Korea: Gold 1, Silver 4, Bronze 9

Kazakhistan: Gold 1, Silver 4, Bronze 7

India: Gold 1, Silver 4, Bronze 3

Malaysia: Gold 1, Silver 1, Bronze 3

Phillipines: Gold 1, Silver 0, Bronze 3

Are our Sports Federations functional? The above results speaks for itself!
November 16, 2010
The Government has been insisting on adoption of good governance practices by all National Sports Federations (NSFs) including Indian Olympic Association (IOA). These include fair, transparent and democratic elections of office bearers, representation of sportspersons on the elected body, financial accountability, etc. This matter was also discussed at a meeting with International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials in June, 2010 in Lausanne, Switzerland, in which IOA had committed to revise its own Constitution, in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the basic principle of good governance, for the organization of Olympic movement. IOC has informed that this process is being done in close coordination with them. The final draft of new constitution of IOA, is in its final stages of adoption. This was stated by Dr. M.S. Gill, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, in the Lok Sabha today, in a written reply to a question by Shri Nishikant Dubey.

The Minister further stated that the Government has re-iterated the guidelines on tenure limits, with a slight modification to align them with the norms followed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Some National Sports Federations contested the guidelines, but the Hon’ble Delhi High Court has refused to stay the government guidelines.

With regard to financial accountability, all NSFs, including IOA are required to submit their annual statement of accounts, including utilization certificate for grants released by the Government. As per the General Financial Rules, fresh grants are released only on receipt of utilization certificates of previous grants as soon as they become due. In addition to above, the Government has introduced a system, of grant of annual recognition to NSFs. Under this system all aspects of the functioning of a NSF are duly scrutinized before according recognition, the Minister added. RM/JL- PQ– USQ1250 - LS
Functioning of IOA

The best opening ceremony in sport ever!

If the CWG opening ceremony in Delhi stunned the world last month, the Chinese took the concept of ceremonies to an altogether new level with a display that not only left the world speechless but even breathless. The Asian Games Opening Ceremony was truly the most wonderful ever on earth.

Guangzhou: Two years after the spectacular success of the Beijing Olympics, China dazzled the world once again by unveiling the 16th Asian Games with a spell-binding opening ceremony in which water was the overwhelming theme and athletes were ushered in a unique boat parade on Pearl River.

The theme was water and the main part of the ceremony was held at Hai Xinsha, an island located on China's third longest river, which is the life-giver to the southern part of the world's most populous nation.

The four-and-a-half-hour ceremony started with trademark fireworks and the 37,000 capacity crowd was up on its feet when 1320 artists from the city's oldest kung fu school descended with giant LED screens in the backdrop.

The mesmerisingly choreographed act had the artists performing breathtaking acrobatics while being several feet above the ground. The LED screens flashed the cityscapes and the artists formed formations to look like eagles flying through the sky.
click here for full report
The 16th Asian Games sets sail on Pearl River: The Official Website of the 16th Asian Games

16th Asian Games Portal and Schedule of Events

The Official website of the 16th Asian Games
Indian Contingent at Asian Games 2010- Click here
Asian Games flame visits Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing, famous for the Duan Inkstone, became the 14th city in Guangdong Province to welcome the flame of the 2010 Asian Games on Friday (October 29). Eighty torchbearers took party in the relay.

Asiad Torch Relay held in Qingyuan[2010-10-28]

250 Chinese paintings to promote 16th Asian Games[2010-10-28]

Tickets of 1st and 2nd stage of Asiad can be received late Oct.[2010-10-28]

Asian Games Town under final review before Monday opening[2010-10-28]

Draw results of Squash of 16th Asian Games[2010-10-27]

Cocachin ready for visits nearby Asian Games Town during Games-time[2010-10-27]

Aoti Tennis Centre well on track to welcome tennis players[2010-10-26]

Third stage of Asian Games' ticket sale operates steadily[2010-10-25]

Draw results of Billiard Sports of 16th Asian Games[2010-10-24]
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

Good vs Evil: Kalmadi surpasses all fixers

By T.J.S.George, 13/10/2010
Good Indians vs Evil Indians
The Devas finally came to the rescue of India. The Rakshasas have not yet been destroyed, but they have been exposed sufficiently enough to save India's honour before a watchful world. We can now walk with our heads held high as befitting citizens of a great country.

Such was the hold of the demons that the Devas had to appear in multiple avatars - as Bharat Bala, as Shyam Benegal, as Prasoon Joshi, as the all-conquering Keshav and as hundreds of nameless but astonishingly coordinated school children. Together they made the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games a moment of pride for us, effacing if only for a while the shame of greed and incompetence that preceded it.

All of us had always known that India had the abilities and the skills to organise the most challenging of events. But our political sphere allows the scum of society to occupy commanding heights of organising committees. In the case of the Commonwealth Games, it was clear that a Disorganising Committee was making a hash of it. But that Committee reckoned without the assurance of our protectors that "for the destruction of evil-doers, for firmly establishing righteousness, Sambhavaami yuge yuge".

So the avatars came. And how magnificent India looked before the world. The seven years and seven-thousand crores spent by the Disorganising Committee brought us disgrace. The ten months and one hundred fifty crores spent by the creative cultural team for the opening ceremony brought us glory.

That difference came about because of the difference in attitude. The primary interest of the Rakshasas was to feather their nests. Pride in their country was a sentiment totally alien to them. The Devas, by contrast, were motivated by nothing but pride in their country and culture. Some of them who led the team did not even take a rupee as fees. This is India at its finest. The pity is that all too often the vilest outgun the finest.

More worryingly, there seems to be no stopping the Chief of the Rakshasa Brigade. People like Jaipal Reddy and M.S.Gill, having discovered that they were outstanding non-performers, kept away from the limelight at the opening ceremony. But not the unashamed Kalmadi. That he was allowed to speak at the august function was an affront to the country. He made it worse by acknowledging the presence of Abul Kalam Azad ( May his soul rest in peace!) and later by thanking Prince Diana (will her soul now rest in peace?). This man is a serial blunderer too.

But even he, given to selective deafness and selective blindness, must know that he is hated by the people of this country. The crowd at the opening jeered him. Some days earlier, when he was dining at an upmarket Delhi restaurant, upmarket people from nearby tables went up to him and abused him. The internet is full of scorn and derision.

Nothing seems to penetrate his skin, though. He is said to be busy with p.r.campaigns designed to convince the world that the opening ceremony was a smashing success because of his untiring efforts behind the scenes. Claiming credit for other people's work is an integral part of the fixer's techniques. He will claim credit for everything that goes well with the Games, putting the blame for things that go wrong on Mani Shankar Iyer's and other available shoulders. That's the style of this kind of operators.

But the machinations of the guilty men should in no way lead to their exoneration. They need to be held accountable and punished, not acquitted. If their political godfathers, who let them run wild in the first place, continue their misplaced sponsorship even after the Games are over, then the godfathers' role in the shenanigans will also have to be tracked and exposed. We are a land blessed by the Devas. Rakshasas belong to the nether regions where they can organise a Paataala Olympics.
Good Indians vs Evil Indians
click here for CWG corruption updates
Kalmadi: Fixer and Fielder of Fictituous Firms

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

India says good bye to Commonwealth Games

14/10/2010
India says good bye to Commonwealth Games
12 days of sporting extravaganza where India showcased itself to the world. After all the pre-CWG negativity, the Games itself were so full of energy. All good things have to come to an end and India bid farewell to the CWG 2010. If the opening ceremony was simply spectacular, the closing ceremony was a beautiful blend of Indian culture and Scottish tradition and left the world awestruck.

The Nehru stadium was painted in blue the whole evening and India once again displayed its might in ceremonies. CWG creative director Bharat Bala worked for over 18 months to get these two special days ready and why not! From the 'revival' of Vande Mataram to handing over of 'Games' to Scotland to some spectacular laser show to universal music of love, the evening was simply perfect. Did we miss something? The aroma of Scotland while taking over the games from India. The Chief Guest for the evening was Sri Lankan President Mahendra Rajapaksha.

CWG handed over to Glasgow
CGF Flag was handed over to Glasgow, the next host of CWG in 2014 in the beautiful country of Scotland. The flag was handed over by CWG 2010 Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi to Lt. Gov of Delhi, Tejinder Khanna, who then handed it over to the Scottish delegation led by Lord Smith of Cambridge, who will be the Chairman of the Organising committee for CWG 2014.
The organising committee of India had put up a bollywood-style extravaganza while being handed over the games by Melbourne in 2006 and today Glasgow responded with a fabulous display of Scottish tradition, heritage and culture in a 10-minute presentation that was simply stunning, especially the technicalities of the performance left the audience with a sparkle in the eye.
India says good bye to Commonwealth Games

Defence forces play their part in India's CWG success

The Times of India
Surender Negi, TNN, Oct 13, 2010, 03.47am IST

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has silently played a key role in India's march towards its highest medal haul in the Commonwealth Games. Army's efforts are not just limited to building a collapsed bridge and helping the security for the Games - sportspersons from the forces are also winning medals for the nation.

Till Monday, sportspersons from the Army have accounted for seven gold, four silver and five bronze medals. Naval sports persons are also not far behind fetching five gold and a silver & bronze each with Suranjoy Singh still in contention for gold in 52kg category in boxing.

This performance by them can be traced back to 2001 when the Indian Army launched its Mission Olympics programme. The programme was envisioned by the Army to train talented and potential sportsmen in selected sports disciplines to excel with an overall aim to ensure a podium finish in the Olympics. Army's Mission Olympic Wings (MOW) has got five world class facilities across the country for round the clock training under experienced coaches in athletics, archery, boxing, weightlifting, wrestling, fencing, rowing and yatching.

"The Mission Olympics is designed to produce outstanding results in international competitions. Children in the age group of 14-16 are trained to excel in various Olympic sports. It is all about catching them young. Pick them when they are about 14 and train them for a good six years," Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali, Director General of Military Training said. "They are getting everything as far as upgradation is concerned - equipment, facilities and motivation," he added. Shooting, which has emerged the bedrock of India's biggest tally, has also accounted for majority of gold medals that the forces have won.

While Army has won six out of its seven gold medals through shooting, Navy has won three out of five. Vijay Kumar (army) and Omkar Singh (navy) have been the most successful shooters, each winning three gold and a silver.
Read more: Defence forces play their part in India's CWG success - The Times of India Defence forces play their part in India's CWG success

Indian Armed Forces win 22 Medals
A figure for your consideration and for feeling proud. Out of the 33 medals won by India in CWG till now Defence Forces have bagged 22, 16 by the Army and 6 by the Navy.
Brigadier PT Gangadharan, Guards, Veteran

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

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

CWG Grips the nation- The magic has commenced

03/10/2010
CWG fever grips India. Craze for opening ceremony says it all
New Delhi: Here is the timeline of the 19th Commonwealth Games opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here Sunday evening.

The organisers have been very tight-lipped about the details of the opening ceremony. All they have said till now is 'it will be a blockbuster opening ceremony'. MSN now gives you a sneak peak as to what you can expect in the big ceremony today. Here is the schedule of the opening ceremony.

19:00: Opening film showcasing India to world (duration 2 minutes)

19:02: Countdown (3 minutes and 55 seconds)

19:05:05: Rhythm of India (12 minutes and 34 seconds)

19:17:39: Swagatam (4 minutes and 40 seconds)

19:22:19: Arrival of dignitaries (11 minutes and 50 seconds)

19:25:19: National anthem and raising of Indian flag (2 minutes and 15 seconds)

19:27:34: Athletes' parade (50 minutes)

20:17:34: Dignitaries' speech (11 minutes and 30 second)

20:29.04: The final lap of baton carried by Abhinav Bindra (10 minutes)

20:39:04: Arrival of the Games flag (11 minutes and 50 seconds)

20:46:54: Athletes oath taking ceremony (5 minutes)

20:51:54: Tree of knowledge (11 minutes and 20 seconds)

21:03:14: Yoga (7 minutes and 30 seconds)

21:10:44: Great Indian journey (8 minutes and 30 seconds)

21:19:14: Celebrating India (7 minutes)

21:26:14: Grand finale (9 minutes)
(All times in IST)

Several people queued up outside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to buy tickets for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony Sunday, even as the Organising Committee said all tickets for the gala event had been sold out.
There was a huge rush of people looking for tickets near the stadium's gate number 16, close to the Metro station.

Excitement amidst chaos and confusion
The excitement was palpable but there was chaos and confusion too at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games Sunday with hapless spectators and confused mediapersons asking around for directions and volunteers proving to be of little help.

A foreign media journalist along with his photographer, who were looking for the right entry for mediapersons, said better informed volunteers or banners giving proper directions would have made access easier.

Commencing at 7 p.m. the the inaugural ceremony will encapsulate 5,000 years of India's culture. Divided into six segments, it will feature some 7,000 performers.
Some 7,000 athletes from 71 countries will vie for 829 medals in 17 disciplines at the Games.
Source: IANS
CWG grips the Nation

Army Constructs foot bridge in 3 days

RAINBOW DELIGHT: The army is working overtime to rebuild the collapsed foot overbridge near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. It was called in to construct a Bailey bridge after the incomplete structure gave way last week. The new structure is almost ready, with soldiers showing how to bridge the gap with minimum fuss, time and money.

View of collapsed bridge which was under construction for 120 days now replaced in 3 days by Army Corps of Engineers.
Kalmadi deflects responsibility
FACING heat for inefficiency and mismanagement in preparations to the Games, Organising Committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Saturday tried to deflect some of the criticism, saying he was not solely responsible for the delays and the shoddy work.

“I don’t think the OC is responsible for it,” Kalmadi said, referring to the situation at the Games Village flats which has prompted visiting athletes to stay at hotels for the time being.

“The last 18 towers were handed to us just three days back and we have been working on these Games for the past few years. I wish all the venues were handed over to me earlier.

We would have done a better job,” he told reporters with Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell and CEO Mike Hooper by his side.

However, Kalmadi refused to step down.

“My job is to conduct the Games and I will do that. I am not going to quit.” He pointed out that several other agencies were responsible for projects related to the Games.

“Contrary to popular belief that the OC had the right to spend `30-40,000 crore on the organisation, we only had `1,600 crore allotted. The rest was taken care of by the government and the Indian Olympic Association. “Everyone had fixed responsibilities. Our job was to ensure that the athletes of all the countries reach safely and ensure that their stay is comfortable,” Kalmadi said.

“We have some issues in the Games Village but I think it is a fine Vil-lage. Only that some blocks have to be cleaned up. But all the infrastructure is good. The international zone, the food, the kitchen are good. I can assure you that our aim is to host a good Games. Our aim is to do as good as Melbourne did in 2006,” a defensive Kalmadi said.

He also sounded optimistic of finishing all work in time for the Games. “There are still eight days left for the Games, and we will, in the next few days, finish all the work that needs to be done,” he said.

He even said that athletes were made to stay in a university hostel during the 2002 Manchester Games. He avoided a direct answer when asked whether the mess meant India cannot hope to host the Olympics. “We will answer that question once the Games are over.”

He also sought to redress security concerns in the wake of the recent shooting incident near Jama Masjid. “We have had a CGF adviser who has been monitoring the progress of the work every second month,” he said.

Elaborating on the security arrangements, Kalmadi explained that there will be two police patrol cars — one in front and the other behind every team bus. An armed police person will also be present in the bus. Later, accompanying journalists at the Games Village, Kalmadi also urged them to look at the overall class of the Village, which he termed ‘fantastic’.

Pawar makes fun of his one-time protege
UNION agriculture minister Sharad Pawar decided to take a dig at Suresh Kalmadi, the man who is fast becoming the topic of most SMS jokes. Speaking at a public function in Pune, Pawar came up with a joke. “Nowadays, I am hearing a story that due to severe criticism, the chief of the organising committee decided to commit suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling, but ironically, the ceiling came down. Maybe the quality of the ceiling was not good,” he chuckled, drawing forth laughter from his supporters.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) functionaries said that they were waiting for an attack to come from Pawar for a long time. “He chose the right moment and spoke at the right place. The statement would not have had the desired effect in Delhi, but Pune is a different matter as it is the bastion of Kalmadi,” an NCP leader said. He added that the Kalmadi- Pawar fight is an old one.
Kalmadi deflects responsibility

CWG: National Shame Personified

Click image for enlarged print: courtesy Hindustan Times
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Can the Army Salvage the Commonwealth Games?

RSN Singh is a former military intelligence officer who later served in the Research and Analysis Wing, or R&AW. The author of two books: Asian Strategic and Military Perspective and Military Factor in Pakistan, he is also Associate Editor, Indian Defence Review.

The run-up to the Commonwealth Games, which for us is an indicator of the health of the Indian nation, does not augur well. The games are a critical reflection of our collective psyche, national character, sense of patriotism, individual and collective integrity, self-confidence and pride, governance, level of corruption, and most importantly, leadership. Each of these aspects of national health seems to have acquired cancerous proportions, notwithstanding the repeated and revised claims of an upward trajectory in the growth rate of the country’s economy.

For the past decade or so, the world has been seeing India as an economic and military power in the making. We seem determined to negate this growing impression by sabotaging the Commonwealth Games, an international event that we so enthusiastically bid for.

Citizens like me were enthused that the games would provide an opportunity to showcase ‘A Rising India’. Instead, it seems to highlight some ugly truths. Nations use such events to galvanize people and lift the sense of national pride. But such is the sense of despair amongst the Indian people, the organizers and the government that one wonders how the country and the countrymen will fare in the event of a full-scale war.

One segment of the political spectrum will be too happy if the games end up in a fiasco. Given the fractious and opportunistic nature of Indian politics, the opposition parties can be absolved of their cynicism with regard to the games, but the deplorable part is the bitter criticism from some responsible members of the ruling party. One of them publicly maintains that the games were a waste of money that could have been utilized for other purposes. The member is educated and erudite enough to understand the difference between “price of things” and “value of things” in the international arena.

Such statements by responsible people in the government have sown doubts about the very desirability of conducting the games. Given the single reference point for leadership in the ruling party, it is difficult to believe that the politician concerned could be taking regular potshots at the games and their organizers without the tacit approval of the powers that be.

What we thus see is the ugly manifestation of this politics of “keeping the house divided”. The nationalistic component of our polity has been missing in the preparation for the Commonwealth Games. Our power-hungry political leaders cannot be national leaders who focus on our prestige and purpose. The event also serves as a barometer of corruption in the country.

The culture of ‘cuts’ is facilitating the growth of carnivorous elements in politics, officialdom and citizenry, all raring to consume India. They are killing the very spirit of India. Take the fact that there is no talk of preparation of our sports persons and teams for the event. We don’t even seem to be bothered about their performance.

Contrast this with China’s accent on its performance in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. A nation does not become great merely by riding on an IT wave, or on nature’s bounties; it rises by the virtue of the character of its people. More than Mr Kalmadi and his team, the government of the day must be blamed for this mess. In fact, it is a microcosm view of governance and accountability in the country. If the games end in a fiasco, the world will blame India and not Mr Kalmadi for the criminal neglect of collective responsibility and monitoring mechanisms.

Beijing Olympics was China’s achievement, and London Olympics for which the British are fully prepared two years in advance is going to be Britain’s achievement. The Commonwealth Games could still be India’s achievement. If the government thinks that the time period is short and the task formidable, it should immediately put the armed forces in-charge.

Recently, the Indian Army had very smoothly and successfully organized the World Military Games. Besides, I have met scores of concerned fellow countrymen, who are willing to come forward and pitch in voluntarily by the toil and even meagre resources that they have, for the sake of India’s prestige and honour. Their only imperative is selfless leadership, which only the Indian Army can provide.
Can the Army Salvage the Commonwealth Games?

CWG: Scams sans sports

The Editor
The Times of India
New Delhi

Sir,
Mr Milkha Singh, the legendary sportsman, has said that because of scams bedevilling the Commonwealth Games it would have been better had the Army handled the mega event (The Times of India, August 8). Whereas the respect and the trust reposed by Mr Singh in the Armed Forces is to be appreciated the fact remains that their prime function is to look after the security of the country and, in exceptional cases, perform any other task for which their help is specially solicited or asked for.

However, there is great scope for gainful utilisation of a large number of Military Veterans who are adept in the areas of their specialisation at various levels of the hierarchy besides being committed and disciplined. Invested with due authority and status they rise to the occasion and acquit themselves as creditably as any others.
Warm regards.
Sincerely,
Wing Commander SC Kapoor (retd)
Member Indian Ex Servicemen Movement Veterans Groups

With reference to the excellent letter to the editor, "The Times of India", written by Wing Commander SC Kapoor (retd), I would like to say:
He has rightly lodged his strong protest with the editor over the publicity given to the victims of atomic "bombs that shook the world," while ignoring any homage whatsoever to the sacrifices of our own Jawans who are killed in action.

I recall my own disgust a long time ago when our political leaders used to "wail and cry" over the partition of Palestine, hailing Yasser Arafat as a great leader and patriot but never ever mentioned the Partition of our own India that suffered huge loss of territory and created TEN TIMES more refugees than the number of Palestinian refugees.

Mr. Yasser Arafat was received and honoured in India as State guest. He used to go back laden with honours and cash awards. Indian news media covered every detail of his trips at full length. I realized then that it was India's official policy to ignore her own Partition but to make big fuss over similar tragedies thousands of miles away from our borders.

It is very bad, indeed, to see that decades on, the same policy of ignoring our own soldiers and their sacrifices by the Indian media continues.
Regards
Rajinder Singh Rajput