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Ministry
plans to rate sports federations Bangalore: Star rating
for national sports federations? That’s another revolutionary concept the
Union sports ministry is studying these days. With a set of criteria that
the federations will have to meet to enhance their image, it is only a
matter of time before the A’s and A pluses, or their absence, mirror the
intrinsic worth of a national body. The criteria, suitably
named ‘desirable’ by the ministry, follow the nonnegotiable conditions
that were laid down in the beginning of the month to rein in the
federations. It may finally end with
an order that will ensure that sports officials do not continue in their
office for more than two terms and prevent the same person from being an
office-bearer in two federations at the same time. While
the December 2 order, which revolved around the annual recognition
procedure, included important areas — such as details of elections held,
steps taken against doping including compliance to World Anti-Doping Agency
and National Anti-Doping Agency Code, action taken on the issue of identity
cards to national athletes, and prevention of age frauds — the current
brain wave is all about introducing a qualitative change in the functioning
of the federations. “These
are not mandatory. The federations can implement them if they want to,”
top ministry sources informed TOI. “At the end of the year, federations
which meet the maximum number of conditions will be rated. A good cash
incentive for the development of sport and a star rating will come as added
value. It may even entitle them to additional government grants while their
players may get extra job quotas.” Some
of the criteria to be met are up-to-date submission of utilization
certificates for government grants and conduct of national championships in
all categories; but the ones that will catch attention pertain to the
development of a sport right from the grassroots. “We would want them to have a national academy for trainees, technical experts in each sphere of activity and an elaborate programme and courses for the development of coaches and technical officials,” sources in the Union sports ministry told TOI. There’s
more: federations which reserve 25% or more of the seats in its officialdom
to its sportspersons will get more marks. Roping in professionals to run the
administration, and to manage the team and website, could add to a
federation’s profile, the sources said. Source
: Times
of India
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Jagtap
crashes out of French Jr Open Squash NEW
DELHI: Indian Aditya Jagtap squandered an early lead before going down to
Rudi Rohrmuller of Germany in semi-final of the French Junior Open (U-19)
Squash Championships at Lille, Austria.
Shy girl with a ruthless streak on court (Article in Times of India :
2/2/2010)
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Don
Bosco lad Mahesh could do India proud in the new year Mumbai: Who will get India's first international success in the new year and decade? It could be the squash kids. Especially Mumbai's Don Bosco Borivli lad Mahesh Mangaonkar in the u-17 event. In years past the British Junior Squash Open, which is like a world event, always held in the first week of the year has brought India glad tidings. Saurav Ghoshal won the u-19 title in 2004 and Joshna Chinappa in 2003 (girls u-17) and 2005 (u-19), Deepika Pallikal (u-17 2008) and Mahesh Manganokar (u-15 2009) followed suit. For the 2010 event which began on Sunday India's Abhishek Pradhan is the top seed and Mahesh is 3/4. Mangaonkar usually beats Abhishek but at the last Nationals when Mahesh, down with dengue, played the final on the advice of his mom and lost. He was hospitalised soon after. Now though having lost a lot of strength and weight he is has a fortnight's training under his belt in Egypt under Amir Wagih and all set to bid for the u-17 title. No Indian kid has won back-to-back British junior titles. Says Mahesh's mother Anjali who has sacrificed her career as a financial consultant to accompany him all over the world,``Mahesh did well in Cairo, Egypt. No doubt we got just 15 days as Mahesh was given a job at the PSA Masters in Mumbai to look after the court. Mahesh got the chance to interact with the players but missed out on 15 days vital training. We hope it doesn't affect his chances.'' Anjali says Mahesh is a favourite of coach Wagih who pays personal attention to his fitness, squash training, shots and perfection required to build up a pressure on the opponent. ``The coach has prophesied that one day Mahesh will be World No. 1 if he continues to show same brilliance and dedication,'' says the mother. Maheh's schedule in Egypt was like this: His day began at 5.30. He did meditation and other routines. Went for 5-6 km running, then concentrated on the fitness programme given by Wagih. After having breakfast he would go to the courts for a gruelling session under Wagih's supervision. Wagih personally played with him and showed him the tricks of the game by asking him to practice the shots at least 50-75 times. No excuses and complaints were entertained on this count. The coach also gave the opportunity to Mahesh to play with the senior and well experienced players by organizing special match practice session in the evening which would continue till late in the evening, sometimes nine in the night. According to Wagih, squash is not just a game of power and stamina but also requires high level of brilliance without which victory can not begained that is what the coach is basically trying to drill into Mahesh to make him World No. 1. Says the mom with pride,``I personally accompany Mahesh everywhere in Egypt to look after his daily routine, diet, keep him immunized against cold and cough and to relieve Mahesh from mental stress. Also, this year Mahesh is in 10th Std and appearing for his examination and hence Mahesh has carried all his textbooks and other study material with him . He is doing the balancing act between his studies and the gruelling training sessions. I personally see to it that he sits for studies at least for two hours a day since this year is very important year for Mahesh.'' The mother feels Mahesh at the moment has grown mentally and physically matured to think of his own career and destiny and she does not find much difficulty in persuading Mahesh for studies since by this time he has realised his priorities and skill required for time management. ``There are good number of squash courts in Egypt and coach Wagih arranges various programmes for Mahesh and his other students to get the feel and experience of different types of court atmosphere. The coach also takes all the boys to various nearby cities in Egypt such as Alexandria though time is short,'' says Anjali. Mahesh's Indian coach Vaman Apte, who keeps in touch through the phone, has trained his mind to just focus on game, keep on playing the best game and continuously improve the performance and exhibit the best skill to all concerned.
MUMBAI: Big-time squash, in the
form of the world's top players on an all-glass court, will return to Mumbai
when the city hosts the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2009 from December 5 to 10.
With a total prize money of $152,000 (approx Rs 71 lakh), the tournament is
one of the biggest events on the squash calendar. Infrastructure conglomerate Punj Lloyd has
struck a threeyear deal with the game's governing body, PSA, to bring the
event to India. Bombay Gymkhana will host the event, which has a 32-draw
format with no pre-qualifying. "It will be one of the most
prestigious events in squash," said India's no.2 player Ritwik
Bhattacharya, who has been given a wildcard entry into the event.
"Apart from the prize money, there are also huge ranking points at
stake (on par with the Super Series Platinum)." Bhattacharya will open his campaign against
world no.12 Alister Walker of England while the other Indian in the fray,
Saurav Ghosal, faces Australian world no.17 Cameron Pilley in the first
round. The top-10 players in the world, starting with Karim Darwish of
Egypt, have all confirmed their entry. "This is like the season-ending
Masters Cup they have in tennis where the best players in the world
face-off," added Bhattacharya. "It's going to be huge for Indian
kids because they will be able to see the best in the business up close. It
is important to give them the vision, to aim for being the best in the world
and not just the nationals. "The players were all excited to be a
part of the event. For most of them, it will be their first trip here. The
PSA was very keen to have a tournament in India, and more specifically in
Mumbai." The city will host it's first big squash
tournament since the Super Series 12 years ago. For the event, an all-glass
court will be constructed at the Bombay Gymkhana, with a crowd capacity of
almost 1,200. Though the Masters is the penultimate
tournament, ahead of the Saudi International this year, the organisers are
looking to make it the season-ender from 2010. The tournament is also important as PSA is hoping to make a big entry into the Indian market, especially given the fact that India is heavily investing in their athletes ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Top
stars for city squash tourney
Not since the glorious
days of the Mahindra International which saw the best in business travel to
Mumbai (the last edition was held in 1997), has India seen top flight action
in the racquet sport. “It will be organised on a similar scale. Mumbai has
hardly seen good squash recently and we thought we’ll get something for
the fans this time,’’ said senior pro Ritwik Bhattacharya, who alongwith
former player Raj Arora is the brain behind the tournament. The Mumbai event is a new entrant in the international squash calendar. It is a Super Series Platinum event (the highest category in the sport) with a prize pool of about $150,000. While the Egyptians will be the ones to beat, the Indian challenge will be led by the top-two—Saurav Ghosal (ranked 33rd) and Ritwik (75th), who has been given a wildcard. “I’m sure the fans
will have a great time watching Shabana and Ramy play. They are a class
apart,’’ said Ghosal.
SPORTS
BODIES USE YOUR MONEY, RESIST YOUR SCRUTINY
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FLU
ATTACK ON SPORT - Swine flu deals body blow to squash nationals It's not right and not feasible. There has to be a case-by-case approach. The ministry cannot give a general directive to stop sport I N J E T I S R I N I WA S Jt Secretary, Sports
Hindustan
Times had reported on Monday that the Squash Racquet Federation of India (SRFI)
was contemplating postponing the Senior National Squash Championships due to
the outbreak of swine flu. On Tuesday, came
the confirmation that the event, scheduled at the Delhi Gymkhana from August
15, stood postponed indefinitely. Some of the
players, who had arrived in the Capital, were shocked by the notice at the
Delhi Gymkhana which said the event had been put off indefinitely and that
fresh dates would be announced later. In the midst of
this development, the stance of the SRFI, which is headquartered in Chennai,
came as a surprise. National coach
Cyrus Poncha said on Tuesday that the decision was taken after taking into
account the "concerns of parents". Asked if the government had
issued a directive, he said: "The decision has only been taken by the
SRFI." Asked if the SRFI had acted in haste, Poncha replied in the
negative. Around 350
players including top names like Joshna Chinappa, Dipika Pallikal and Saurav
Ghoshal were expected to compete in the individual category. Reacting to the
SRFI move, an organiser of the Sprite Indian Squash Professionals (ISP)
AllIndia tournament, which commences here on August 22, said: "The SRFI
has over-reacted. Sports Ministry
joint secretary Pravir Krishn said there was no need to panic. "Sport
should be encouraged in places where the threat perception is less," he
said. Another joint
secretary Injeti Sriniwas said the ministry was not planning a blanket ban
on sporting activities across the country. "It's not
right and not feasible. There has to be a case-bycase approach. The ministry
cannot give a general directive to stop sport," he said. He said a meeting with the Health Ministry was lined up later on Tuesday, but clarified: "That is for other issues, but we might discuss the situation arising out of swine flu." Source: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/ArticleImage.aspx?article=12_08_2009_018_004&mode=1 |
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SQUASH
WORLD JUNIORS BEGINS TODAY EYEING A HOME
RUN
Besides
Dipika, India have fielded 10 others — with Anwesha Reddy (9/16th seed),
Anaka Alankamony, Surbhi Misra and Harita Omprakash expected to give a good
show. |
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‘Doctors’
may put Pallikal to test Leslie
Xavier I TNN Chennai:
Dipika Pallikal’s bid to become the first Indian to win a world title
could be upset by “doctors”, or rather “would be doctors”. |
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All OCI’s/PIO’s and players of Indian origin can play in the Nationals & Inter State Justice Sistani ruled that “Consequently
the impugned rule restricting foreign nationals of Indian Origin from
participating in the National Championship is quashed.” This order was
stayed by the SRFI and then they withdrew their appeal on the 18th of March
2009. But they have not bothered to inform anybody about this new law
instead added the old defunct rule (no 2 in the entry form) |
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Another
WISPA title for Joshna Chennai : Joshna Chinappa's love affair with Malaysia continues. But Low Wee Wern, her Malaysian rival, won't be happy about it at all. The India No. 1 squash player lifted her third WISP tour title beating home favourite Wern 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 17-15in the final of the $16000 NSC Series No. 6 event in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. It was November last year when Joshna created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a WISPA title when she beat Wern in the final of the NSC Super Satellite No.3 event in the South East Asian country. The Chennai girl followed it with another spectacular win in the NSC Super Satellite No.4 event a week later, and her final opponent was again Wern. Joshna was out for the count literally, being two games down against the higher-ranked Malaysian, before she came roaring back to settle the affair in five games on Saturday. The effort shows her progress in two aspects of her game-fitness and mental strength. "It was a tough match and I had to play well to fight back from two games down. I feel I am mentally fitter and stronger now," said Joshna, thanking her coaches in the city-based Indian Squash Academy (ISA). Source : http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOINEW/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI |
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Squash
In
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SQUASH-ed!
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| Neha Dhupia's beau Ritwik
Bhattacharya is a squash champ. Sooner or later she, too, had to
evince interest in the game, rather than remain a mere spectator. It is learnt that the actress, too, has taken to the sport and has been spotted at a club in Bandra enjoying the game. Says Neha, "Yes, I have been playing squash off and on but am not taking professional lessons. Squash is an extremely entertaining game." Playing for fun The actress, however, states that she has never played squash with Ritwik. "I play for fun with my friends," she points out. "But it isn't that I have taken to the game because he is a professional squash player. During my growing up years in New Delhi, both my dad and brother played it, so I was quite tuned in to it. I have always been extremely inclined towards sports. If not an actress, I'd have definitely been into some sports." At the moment, Neha's interest in squash is limited to enjoying the game. "Just like Ritwik loves to watch B-Town movies and is an avid cinegoer," she says. |
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Neha is currently shooting
for Vipul Shah's Action Replay at Karjat. "As the shoots are
mainly at nights, I have the afternoons free to indulge in a game of
squash. Playing a sport is definitely more fun than merely working
out." The actress also features in Priyadarshan's De Dhana Dhan. that has just had a Singapore schedule. "There is another stint of shooting left for it," she says. I have several films lined up which includes Paying Guest, I Am 24, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and Pappu Can't Dance Saala. I am hoping that there are all spaced with the strike having pushed back everything |
Confusion
reigns over PIO sportspersons
by Ajai
Masand (Article in Hindustan Times, New Delhi : 2nd June 2009 )
I
have been denied the right to compete in an individual capacity too and
rendered an outcast by the Sports Minister - KARM KUMAR
THE
PEOPLE of Indian Origin (PIO) issue is back to haunt the Sports Ministry.
After the ministry’s order in December that no PIO or Overseas Citizen of
India (OCI) could don the national colours in international competitions or
be entitled to monetary assistance, comes the letter from the Ministry of
Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) that it was not consulted on the issue.
A letter written
by the Diaspora Services Division of the MOIA to the secretary, Sports
Ministry, says: “In terms of allocation of business, this ministry is to
be consulted by the concerned ministries in all matters concerning overseas
Indians handled by them. It may be pointed out that the MOIA, being the
ministry created specially to look after the interests of PIOs and NRIs, has
not been consulted while taking the above action.” Interestingly, I.
Srinivas, joint secretary, Sport Ministry, said on Monday that the MOIS had
been “extensively consulted” on the issue. “There is some
misunderstanding but the MOIS was consulted,” he said.
The MOIA letter,
written by its Diaspora Services Division joint secretary,D.N. Srivastava,
on May 21, further says: “The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is
requested to consider review of its guidelines in respect of PIO/OCI
sportspersons who have represented India earlier so as to make them eligible
for representing the country in international sports events, etc.” The
Sports Ministry, under M.S. Gill,had dropped a bombshell on PIOs/OCIs
stating that the honour of representing the country should not be given to
foreign citizens. “When it is a question of Indians versus others (read
PIOs/OCIs), the government’s priority is Indian citizens,” the Sports
Ministry had said in December.
Sportspersons of
Indian origin like tennis players Prakash Amritraj,Sunitha Rao,Shikha Uberoi
besides a host of others in other disciplines including medal prospects in
swimming, shooting and squash overnight became ineligible to play for the
country despite having donned India colours in the Asian Games,Davis Cup,
Fed Cup and the Olympics earlier.
The move was
severely criticised by the affected parties but the Sports Ministry had
struck to its stand that everyone including the MOIA, Indian Olympic
Association (IOA) and sports federations had been consulted.
Now it
transpires that the MOIS was in the dark all along.
A Right To
Information (RTI) application submitted to the MOIA by an aggrieved OCI,
squash player Karm Kumar,on March23,demanding copies of all the responses
received from the Sports Ministry regarding PIO/OCI status to represent the
country got this response.
“The MOIA has
not received any documents from the Sports Ministry…this ministry has not
issued any notification on the subject of PIO/OCI,” said the MOIA letter.
Karm, born and
brought up in India, has a British passport because of his father.He is now
fighting for his right to represent the country in the World Juniors. On
Monday, he was declared ‘stateless’ and the WSF vice-president Gerard
DeCourcy stated that the 16year-old’s entry could not be accepted for the
World Juniors in July since he “is not represented by any country”.
India ’s most
successful squash player Saurav Ghosal reached the highest of 29 in the
latest PSA world ranking.
Saurav, delighted with
his ranking, said: “I hope to take Indian squash to the top and win medals
for the country.”
Saurav started playing
the professional tour in 2003 but has only been a full-time for a year. This
remarkable achievement has been achieved due to his dedication and
discipline. Originally from Kolkata, Saurav shifted his base to train at the
ICL Squash Academy here and currently is based in Leeds , training with
Malcolm Willstrop.
Saurav is also a recipient of the Arjuna Award in 2007 and is an Asian Games medallist. Saurav is preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games where he hopes to get a medal. The Union ministry of youth affairs and sports has been supporting him in this regard under its new scheme for preparing the Indian teams for the Commonwealth Games.
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PROSQUASH, the news
magazine of the Indian squash Professionals, distributed free of
cost to sporting clubs and institutions all over the country and to
more than 3,000 individuals, has completed its golden jubilee. The
brainchild of Mahendra Agarwal, the founder member of ISP, the
magazine has grown from the initial issue of four pages to its
current 16-page avataar. The magazine has provided a platform for squash players at all levels to gain exposure, glean information and voice their grievances, with pride of place being awarded to the professionals (called markers) the backbone of any sport in the country. The magazine has focused on the grass root level, awarded scholarships to deserving kids, helped talented players gain sponsorships and has also benefited a lot of youngsters seeking admissions abroad in reputed universities. The 50th issue of PROSQUASH was released recently by ISP Executive Director Anil Diggikar (Additional Municipal Commissioner of BMC, Projects) along with ISP founder director Mahendra Agarwal in the presence of talented youngster Mahesh Mangaonkar, the junior British Open champion and Noreena, VP, ISP. |
RIGHT
TO INFORMATION IN SPORT
Article in Times of India,
Delhi : 8th April 2009
Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy, who championed the cause of Right to Information (RTI) and campaigned for years till it became a law by an act of parliament, is happy that it is now applicable to sports bodies also. Roy, who lives in a small village in Rajasthan, now says it is a gift to her activist husband former squash star Sanjit Bunker Roy, who founded the Tilonia Social Work Research Centre near Ajmer The Central Information Commission (CIC) has admitted an appeal by the late president of the Jaipur district chess association and MP from Jaipur, Girdhari Lal Bhargava who after the formation of a rival chess body in the state, the Rajputana Chess Association, served a notice to the Chess Federation of India demanding a copy of its constitution and other details. The chess federation, in its reply, argued that being an autonomous body it did not come under the purview of the RTI act. But the CIC, after hearing the appeal, ordered that the chess federation is a public authority as it receives grants from the Union government and is answerable to any information sought under RTI act. The order upholds the right of anyone to seek any information from national sports federations.
SRFI
replaces player, but without trial
Article in Hindustan
Times, Mumbai : 06 Apr 2009
After the Hindustan
Times highlighted grave discrepancies in the team selection for the Qatar
Junior Squash Championships, which got under way on Saturday, the Squash
Racquet Federation of India (SRFI) has replaced "overage" player
Karan Malik with Ramit Tandon in the 'draws' posted on the Championships'
website.
Two days back HT
reported that the SRFI had chosen a team for the prestigious competition
flouting all Sports Ministry norms of organising selection trials and
selected an overage player --- Malik --- for the event.
However, the SRFI again
didn't organise a trial before selecting Tandon on April 2. What is all
the more shocking is that the SRFI had given in writing to the Delhi High
Court that Tandon had declined the offer for the Qatar tournament because
of exams and that is why Malik was chosen.
The inclusion of Tandon
has raised quite a few eyebrows in the squash circles, as he is not
conditioned considering he has been preparing for exams. Going by
performance, U-17 No. 5 Ashray Ohri from Mayo College should have been
included as number 1 and 3 seeds are overage and the 2nd and 4th seeds had
declined, but he is completely unaware of the unfolding events and his
position as a frontrunner for selection.
"My son is unaware
of all these developments," said Ashray Ohri's father, Ashwin, from
Darjeeling. "This is not jut unfair but also demoralising for my son.
The Squash Racquet Federation of India (SRFI)
has selected the squad for the Qatar Junior Championship, from Saturday to
April 10, without calling for trials and keeping the names of the
‘selected’ ones under wraps all through.
And that’s not it. A fax sent by SRFI
to Qatar Squash Federation (QSF) shows Karan Malik in the Under-17
category, while documents in possession of HT confirm that the
boy turned 17 on December 12, 2008.
In fact, the Long Term Development
Programme (LTDP) submitted by SRFI to the Sports Authority of India (SAI)
also shows that the boy is now 17 years and four months old. Not only
that, the participation letter sent by SRFI to QSF and duly endorsed by
national coach and Dronacharya Award winner Cyrus Poncha also shows that
the boy is not an U-17 player any more. Malik’s mother, Kiran Malik,
confirmed that her son had turned 17 in December 2008. "I don’t
know which category my son is participating in. The SRFI doesn’t inform
us on these issues. Probably, it’s an oversight on the part of the SRFI.
His passport has the original date endorsed on it," she said.
What is all the more disconcerting is the
fact that no trials were held to select the team despite the QSF sending
the invitation last December and Poncha sending the confirmation two
months later.
The championship is for both individual
and team categories. In the two team events, four players per country are
allowed, out of which two U-13 and two U-15 are allowed in the U-15
championship. In the ‘Open’ championship, two U-17 and two seniors are
allowed to participate. Ravi Dixit and Paramit Singh already make up the
‘Open’ category, leaving Karan as the odd man out.
“This is sheer double standards,”
says squash player Divij Singh’s father, Vijay Singh. Singh after
lodging complaints with the Sports Ministry, Indian Olympic Association (IOA),
Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the government observer for squash was
forced to approach the Delhi High Court to get a fair selection trial for
his son.
“The SRFI has not cared to follow its
own selection criteria. They are selecting players without trials. They
have bypassed the entire Senior Nationals results to choose the team from
U-17 and U-19. I came to know about it by chance and filed a petition in
the High Court against SRFI, SAI and Sports Ministry.”
In the ‘Open’ category, it’s
strange that India’s top players like Saurav Ghohsal, Siddharth Suchde,
Ritwik Bhattacharya, Sandeep Jhangra and the likes have reportedly been
bypassed and second or third rung players like Ravi Dixit and Paramit
Singh included.
Poncha could not be contacted despite repeated efforts, while SRFI’s foreign consultant S Maniam said he had nothing to do with the selections.
Source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=768c272c-339e-40f4-bd90-a2024f27cd6c
Hardly
ban-nered
(Article
in Mumbai Mirror : Tuesday, March 24, 2009)
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Anushka
Sharma is free to sign films outside the Yash Raj banner and
that's just what she is poised to do
Here’s one actress who knows what she is signing. Not blinded by the opportunity to debut with a banner like Yash Raj Films, Anushka Sharma has signed a contract with the banner under which they won’t just make three films with her, but she is free to work outside the YRF banner if she wishes. But where is Anushka then? “I’ve been right here,” replies Anushka. “I spoke as much as I could about Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and now I’m busy reading scripts. I’m looking at a lot of projects outside the Yash Raj banner. I am no stranger to contracts, I know how they work. Look, I’ve been working since the time I was 16 years old. I
choose my work carefully. When Rab Ne… released, people
misunderstood that I will be seen next only in a Yash Raj film.
But that’s hardly true. Besides, in today’s age who will offer
a newcomer a contract that binds her?” Anushka adds that she’s
on the verge of signing a couple of projects, both outside and
within the Yash Raj banner. |
Ghosal
aims to break into top 20
(Article in
Hindustan Times, Mumbai : 17th March 2009)
 |
AFTER
A fabulous 2008, the effects of which now reflect in his rankings, Saurav
Ghosal is striving to break into the top 20 by year-end. Ghosal’s
current PSA ranking of 34 is his highest ever and makes him the first
Indian in the top 40. Back
where he was born and began playing squash, Ghosal said four years of
staying in Leeds and training under English coach Malcolm Willstrop has
really helped. “Malcolm has been of great help both technically and
otherwise,” Ghosal, who is here to play the Kolkata Challenger beginning
at the Calcutta Racket Club on Wednesday, said. Ghosal
has world No.7 James, Malcolm’s son, as his training partner in Leeds.
“James Malcolm’s son, as his training with him day in and day out has
improved my pace to a great extent. I don’t have to huff and puff while
playing a fast player now,” Ghosal, who won his biggest career title,
the Ornano International Open trophy, a PSA Tour event in Bordeaux
(France) last year, said. |
“I
am pretty well-settled in Leeds at the moment. I know game-wise I am there
and it’s just that I have to beat players who are ranked higher than me
more often. The title in Ornano has given me a lot of confidence. I have
beaten top-ranked players there and I know I can beat them again,”
Ghosal said. The 22-year-old national champion shares his apartment at
Leeds with another Indian player, Harinder Pal Sandhu, who too has
followed Ghosal first to the ICL Academy in Chennai and then to England.
In
many ways, Ghosal has been a trendsetter in Indian squash. He was the
first Indian to win a medal at the Asian Games 2006 in men’s singles and
won the prestigious Drysdale Cup at the British Junior Open in 2004, which
made him the World’s No.1 junior. He also became the first Indian to
earn a place in the Tournament of Champions main draw at the Bear Stearns
Tournament of Champions squash 2007 at New York and was awarded the Arjuna
in 2007.
Having
lost in close matches last month to Austrialia’s David Palmer, the 2008
British Open champion and Nick Matthew, the first homegrown English player
to win the British Open 2006 and currently ranked 5 in the world Ghosal
has set sights on upsetting world No.11 Malaysian Ong Beng Hee, his likely
quarter-final opponent here.
“Beating players like Beng Hee is my target now and that would help me break into the top 20 by the end of the year. A good ranking is very important as you get to play more tournaments but it’s a lot of hard into maintaining it. There is a bit of luck too but that’s something, which is not in your control,” Ghosal said.
Outdoors...and
just loving it!
Article in Mid-day, Mumbai : 14th March 2009
Squash stalwart Ritwik Bhattacharya talks
about how he chills out
My Dream Weekend
|
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FOR any sportsperson, living a disciplined
life is very important. One needs to be completely focused for training
schedules and practice sessions to reach the level needed to play against
top- class players. But at the same time, one also needs to keep the body, and more importantly, the mind fresh. So, as I give 100 per cent during my training, I do the same with my breaks. I have a fixed training schedule for the coming months and that includes breaks at the right time so that I can refresh myself and recharge the batteries. If I am in Mumbai, I usually look at going out of the city on weekends. |
Sports
czars must quit after 8 years, says HC
10 Mar, 2009 0104hrs IST
[
NEW DELHI: Most of them do not believe in
handing over the baton. Perched securely as heads of various sporting
federations, sports bosses have been virtually unmovable. But maybe not for
long. The Delhi High Court has now ruled that the Centre's guidelines on
restricting the tenure of office-bearers in sports bodies to two terms
should be strictly enforced.
Many sporting chiefs, includes several politicians, may have to rework their
plans as the HC ruling means that the government funds to these
organizations may dry up if they cling to office for more than eight years.
The ruling could lead to changes in the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as
well as other sports bodies.
Disposing a writ petition filed by Narinder Batra challenging the long stint
of K P S Gill as president of Indian Hockey Federation, Justice Gita Mittal,
in her 157-page judgment, ordered the Centre to look into fund utilization
by IHF. Gill was removed as IHF chief almost a year back by IOA which formed
an ad hoc body to run the sport in the country.
Though the petition focussed on IHF's functioning, the HC did not forget to
look into similar stories in other sports bodies including the apex IOA,
which the court said were quite aware of central government guidelines.
Justice Mittal said the associations could not term guidelines as
interference in their autonomous functioning. She clarified that guidelines
laid down criteria to give wide representation to states in sports
administration panels.
"It will therefore be apparent that the sports bodies have accepted the
authority and competence of the government to lay down conditions and
guidelines for eligibility, recognition of a federation or an association as
a national level body as well as the manner in which dispensation of funds
and state largesse would be effected," she said.
Ruling against a single individual staying as president or secretary of a
sports body for years, Justice Mittal said there was every possibility that
vested regional biases and interests could influence decision-making,
especially selection of teams.
"If such a tenure clause is not enforced, office-bearers could be
repeatedly elected from a particular region and continue to dominate the
affairs of the association/federation after having created a monopoly over
the sport," the HC said.
Justice Mittal added, "Vesting the control (of sports bodies) in
authorities from a particular region may result in diversion of funds,
selection of players from and development of a sport from only a particular
region. The national federation would not then remain representative of the
hopes and aspirations of sportspersons of the entire nation."
The only panacea for this was a limited tenure of two terms as prescribed in
the government guidelines. "A limited office tenure will have the
impact of minimizing, if not eliminating, allegations, criticism and
elements of nepotism, favouritism and bias of any kind," Justice Mittal
said.
High
Court ruling on terms of office-bearers
Article
in The Hindu, Saturday : 7th March 2009
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has ruled that the Union Government guidelines on tenure of office-bearers of the National Sports Federations (NSFs) are maintainable and enforceable.
Disposing of a petition filed by Narinder Batra of the Jammu and Kashmir Hockey Association, Justice Geeta Mittal of the Delhi High Court directed the Union Government to “examine all complaints made by the petitioner” with regard to the breach of government guidelines as well as the terms for grant of financial and other assistance to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and the utilisation of the funds.
“Undoubtedly, the action as per the guidelines has to follow such investigation,” the court said.
AllegationsMr. Batra had filed the writ petition in May, 2005, alleging mismanagement and violation of the terms of the Government guidelines by the IHF.
He also made serious allegations of financial irregularities by the IHF President, K.P.S. Gill, and former Secretary, K. Jothikumaran. (The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) ad hoc committee runs men’s hockey in the country at present.)
The court judgement has ramifications beyond the IHF.
For the first time, clarity has been brought into the vexed “guidelines” issue and the court has come down heavily on the Government for not implementing the provisions in the guidelines.
The one on tenure of office-bearers stipulates that an office-bearer of a federation can have two terms of four years each at a stretch, the second one on a two-thirds majority.
The IOA took the lead sometime in the mid-1980s to flout the guidelines by amending its constitution and almost all NSFs followed suit.
The IHF told the court that it had amended its constitution in February, 2004 to allow more than two terms on a simple majority vote.
The Government affidavit stated that the guideline regarding tenure was not being insisted upon in the “interest of sportsperson.”
“What is the interest of sportsperson is neither detailed nor spelt out...,” Justice Mittal noted.
Two amendments“It is an admitted position that the guidelines were framed and circulated in 1975, amended in 1997 and 2001 with the approval of the Ministry of Finance... State revenue was involved.
“It was incumbent on all those working the guidelines to ensure that the guidelines were strictly complied with. Certainly there cannot be dispensation of State largesse which includes large amounts of funding and other technical assistance without compliance of the guidelines laid down for such dispensation,” the court said.
Justice Mittal said the Government had permitted complete autonomy to the NSFs and there was arbitrariness in their functioning.
Players and coaches remained almost unrepresented in Indian sports bodies in complete contrast to the situation in international federations which had celebrated sportspersons in important positions.
While noting that Indian hockey continued to languish at the bottom, Justice Mittal made these observations on its administration:
“The facts placed by the respondents and the curtain attempted to be drawn over what Indian hockey was before this court is a chilling certification of the negative performance or failure of a board.”
SQUASH : ASF LEVEL 1 COACHING COURSE
To be conducted by The
National Consultant Coach Major. S. Maniam at the BG Courts
Dates : 2-6 March 2009 ( both inclusive )
The objective of the course is to provide an opportunity to existing / potential squash coaches to enhance their knowledge and potentially acquire a ASF ( Asian Squash Federation ) certification. Needless to mention that more qualified coaches means that players receive better coaching and the general standard of the game in the country is bettered. Major S. Maniam is extremely qualified and conducts such courses across Asia.
The course will be conducted at the courts. Daily sessions will start at approx 9.30 am and wind up before 5 pm . There will be a written and practical exam on the last day of the course. i.e. 6 March
Certificates of participation will be given to all the participants.
The participation fee for the course is Rs.4,000 per participant which includes
- Lunch on all five days of the course
- Tea/ Coffee
- Course Material
There are limited seats available for this course. Those interested may confirm their participation with :
Mr.M.R. Singh
Sports Office
Bombay Gymkhana
Tel : 22070311
E Mail :
adminsports@bombaygymkhana.com
Remembering heroes in uniform: a squash event after Kamte, an oil find after
Omble
Article in Indian Express, Mumbai - India – 5th February 2009 - By
Shivani Naik
 Ashok Kamte |
AGED as they are within four walls of a squash court, one of which is see-through glass, squash players tend to bare their rage and throw tantrums in full view, often disagreeing with referee-calls. Ashish Bhagra, a club regular of many years, remembers one distinct opponent who never did. Not once. “If it was a let, it was a let; if it was a stroke, it was a stroke,” he recalls the manner in which the late police officer Ashok Kamte played his squash and never questioned the judge’s call. It could be anyone umpiring — a small boy or a marker — Kamte played on, never arguing, throwing himself onto the next ball to seal the next point. The one other thing Bhagra cannot forget is Kamte’s favourite punchline when they met over dinners later in the night after their regular games of squash. “Work hard, play hard, die young, leave a good-looking corpse,” he would say after a rejuvenating squash workout. The words came back chillingly to Bhagra when Kamte, Mumbai’s Additional Commissioner of Police, East Region, was killed during the 26/11 terror-attacks. |
A staunch sportsman, who mixed gym regimes and squash and pumping weights, golf and a variety of other sports through the week, Kamte had stuck to his squash the longest — having started early in his teens, since he came from a defence family, where the sport isn’t uncommon. A doubles tournament in the city, in memory of the late cop, hence is most apt, as ISP’s Braveheart Ashok Kamte Squash takes off from February 68 at the Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana.
Though he started out in athletics ¿ hammer-andjavelin throw and avidly followed body-building and weight-lifting, squash sparring mates often turned into buddies for Kamte, and that’s how Mahendra Aggarwal of the Indian Squash Professionals (ISP), forged a friendship with him, having met through journalist Raju Chainani at CCI. “I’ve never seen a dynamic officer like him, and as a homage to him, we decided we’d hold this tournament,” Aggarwal said.
Having once returned from a UN peace-keeping mission, Kamte had been dining with Aggarwal at a restaurant, when the waiter nervously watching the 12 midnight deadline approach, queasily asked them to wrap up their dinner fast. He said he feared a police officer who’d been recently posted there and was known to be strict on deadlines, mistaking Kamte for a foreigner, even while the IPS of ficer happily carried on his conversation on squash. “It took a lot of time to convince him that the man dining at the table was in fact the strict cop,” Aggarwal recalls.
When posted at Thane as rural SP, Kamte was a regular at the Asmita Club and then at the Jindals courts. Squash pretty much stayed a constant wherever he went as he hunted down the nearest courts to train in Pune, Sangli and So lapur. Although a knee injury forced him to completely stop two years ago, he’d hang around courts and watch all the action when he moved to Mumbai.
“Squash was fitness, while books on the musclemen and music were relax ation for him,” Bhagra reminisces.
