Govt. has asked us to stick to norms

The Indian team for the Commonwealth shooting championship to be staged in the Capital here in February may not have the best names, but that has not cut much ice with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

Asked to respond to the reports in a section of the media that the sports ministry had asked for fresh trials for the shotgun marksmen who had refused to continue with the second trials in Patiala recently, the secretary general of NRAI, Baljit Singh Sethi said that it was news to him, as he had not heard anything from the government.

Recovering from a bout of severe hiccups back home in Kottayam, National coach Prof. Sunny Thomas, stated that the shotgun marksmen had precipitated matters by boycotting the trials.
Indiscipline

“There is a way to protest. They should have continued under protest. This was indiscipline, and everyone will start doing this if we accept such things”, said Prof. Thomas.

Interestingly, the shotgun trials were originally scheduled to be held in Pune or Bangalore, and it was the shotgun shooters who had requested that the trials be held in Patiala during the National championship as they raved about the range.

“There was a problem with the machines, but it was rectified”, said Prof. Thomas.

Both the National coach and the secretary general of NRAI insisted that the selection norms had been publicised months in advance, and everyone was clear that the scores of the National championship and the two trials would be considered.

“For the air gun shooters, we also took into account their performance in the Asian Air Gun championship in Doha in December. If there were four scores, we took the best three and if there were three scores, we took the best two”, said Prof. Thomas.

They argued that it would be unfair to go back, after everything was finalised. The team for the Commonwealth Championship and the first two World Cups of the season were decided by the selection committee.

The teams for the World Cups have not been announced, as there is a lot of time left for the same.

Diet secrets of ace shooter Vikram Bhatnagar as he prepares for the Commonwealth Games

I t is difficult to imagine that a shooter could be vegetarian. So when Commonwealth Games' silver medallist and national double trap champion Vikram Bhatnagar says he is vegetarian on Mondays and Tuesdays, it comes as a pleasant surprise.

Vikram agrees that traditionally, shooting owes its roots to bloodlust and military sports, but his case is different. Vikram, son of an educationist, took to shooting when he was in his late 20s.

Expensive sport

“Shooting is one of the most expensive sports. So mostly sons of marksmen and army officers opt for the sport — or your father should fund you.” He didn't want to go for the last option. “I decided to go for shooting only when I became independent.” Ordering a tandoori platter, Vikram delves deeper.“See, this is the most objective sport. Here, no influence can work. Either you have hit the bull's eye or not. The results are self-explanatory.” Taking a bite of paneer tikka, Vikram analyses the demands of the game. “As it is a mind sport and the brain is one of the most calorie-hungry organs of the body, two-three days before the event I take a carbohydrate and protein-rich diet. I avoid Chinese food because it contains monosodium glutamate. It is said to affect beta receptors which help in maintaining concentration.”

Chinese food

Talking of Chinese food makes Vikram recalls his experience in China, when during the Navratras his friends made him visit a restaurant. .

“We were expected to pick an animal of their choice and hand it over to the chef. “Such concepts create revulsion to non-vegetarian food,” says Vikram, digging deep into the greenery of vegetarian momos. Not a frequent visitor to the kitchen, Vikram says he knows the basics and won't die of hunger. “My speciality is French toast. I make it quite well,” he insists.

Cycling: McCauley, Holt aid their claims for Games spots

Gordon McCauley and Melissa Holt staked their claims for inclusion in the Commonwealth Games when they upset more fancied rivals to win the time trial at the national road cycling championships in Christchurch yesterday.

McCauley (Auckland) added a third men's time trial title to his five national road race wins, while Holt (Cambridge) made it three national time trial titles in a row on a flat but windy course at Lincoln University.

McCauley qualified as the final rider, which he said gave him the edge, and produced a superb 50m 10s for the 40km distance.

The time, the fastest recorded for a national time trial championship, saw him finish nearly a minute clear of 2007 champion Jeremy Vennell (Hawkes Bay) with Olympic pursuit medallist Marc Ryan (Timaru) third.

"I'm pretty stoked with that. While I am defending the road race title on Sunday, for me the nationals was all about the time trial," McCauley said.

"Time trialling is my strength and this flat course suited me. I have put my hand up for the Commonwealth Games with the course in New Delhi also flat."

McCauley, who won a bronze medal at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, said he believed he was capable of a second medal.

"I prepared really well. I've been training on the course and had a really good performance."

He is not confident of repeating his success in tomorrow's road championships. "The course is much tougher and today was my focus. My aim on Sunday will be to ride for my teammates."

Holt, the former Europe-based professional, has been mixing cycling with triathlon in recent years, competing in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii last year.

She was impressive yesterday in recording 35m 51s over 25km to finish 40s clear of world individual pursuit champion Alison Shanks, with world time trial bronze medallist Linda Villumsen third.

Holt said the win was her best.

"It was the best of the three wins because of the calibre of the riders that was here," she said. "I've been riding well and it's nice to know that if you do the hard work, it pays off."

The Athens Olympian is hopeful her performance will give her a real shot at selection for New Delhi.

Holt said her involvement in Ironman racing has been a real benefit for her performance in time trials.

"After all that is what the Ironman is on the bike - it's an individual time trial. The other thing is that the cross training with the swimming and running keeps me fresh.

"I will be racing in Ironman New Zealand again in March and I think if I can take my fitness levels from there and add the cycling intensity it will be a great way to prepare for the Commonwealth Games if I am selected."

She is not so confident she can make it a triple double in tomorrow's road race after winning both titles in 2008 and 2009.

"It's going to be a real race of attrition. I will hang in there as long as possible and then we will see what the options are on that last lap."

Earlier Christchurch teenager Michael Vink, riding for the Subway Avanti team, took out the under-23 title, clocking 50m 14s for 40km, the second fastest time overall for the day. He finished ahead of Beijing Olympians Wesley Gough and Jesse Sergent.

Federations are houses in complete chaos

India’s sports federations need to first put their own house in order before they showcase to the sports world their growth, organisational ability and money-spending power by hosting the Commonwealth Games.

The year of the Games has begun with each day bringing in news, which should embarrass all those who believe that our inefficient and corrupt past is behind us.

If the news that the National Rifle Shooting Federation has been fined Rs 8 crore for selling ammunition for which they have been given exemption from import duty was not bad enough, today we have hockey players revolting against their federation by not attending the camp for the World Cup.

Much before these two disasters struck, we were faced with a situation where the weightlifting federation could have been banned for two years for a “crime” which has become a chronic disease with them.

That the use of performance-enhancing drugs is rampant in Indian sport is a well-known secret with lifters being the prime culprits. It is difficult now to keep count of those having been found guilty. In a sport, which can bring us a clutch of medals in the Commonwealth Games, India was told to change its federation office-bearers or face sanctions. It would have meant not being eligible for the Delhi Games. The federation did comply with these orders by juggling the posts of the same set of people. What a crass joke, if it can be called that. The federation could still face a ban if the international body gets to the bottom of this skulduggery.

The shooting federation, in its defence, has denied that it is selling ammunition, as reported by the media. They are blaming the wrong interpretation of rules, which do not allow them to give this ammunition to their state bodies. This could very well be true, and if so, a probe needs to be ordered to find out whether the allegations that the federation officials make a killing by selling the ammunition to shooters at market rates, are true or not.

The hockey scene is getting murkier by the day. Much as the ouster of KPS Gill, under whose autocratic regime hockey stagnated, was welcome, the Indian Olympic Association has added more filth to the cesspool called Indian hockey.

The international hockey federation has expressed its displeasure at the way elections for Hockey India are being planned, making it impossible for fair and transparent voting to take place.

India have cancelled the four-nation tournament, and now the players have revolted, demanding a fixed salary from the federation. That our hockey players get a pittance is well known and these demands have been raised even during Gill's time. But wasn’t HI formed to take corrective measures to improve the health of hockey?

No wonder, Gill is smirking today and all those who wish a better future for Indian sports are left tearing their hair.

Business hit, traders want CP subway project stalled

Traders in Connaught Place have given New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) till next Monday to reconsider ongoing construction of subways in the area.

The civic body has taken up construction of eight subways in the Outer Circle, in view of Commonwealth Games on December 25, which has led to traffic disruption in the area.

As a result, business of traders in the area has taken a major hit, with sales down by 60 per cent.

“We met some NDMC officials on Friday to ask them to defer the ongoing subway work, till after the Games, along with the work of service ducting, laying of cables and pipelines underground, taking place in the Middle Circle,” said Atul Bhargava, president of New Delhi Traders’ Association (NDTA).

“None of these construction activities will be completed before the Games but will lead to a major loss of business for us. If clients head to other markets, it’ll be impossible to get them back,” he added.

“We are trying our best to complete the work on-time. All these construction activities have to be taken up in a sequence and can’t be deferred for later. We have got all clearances from the traffic police and the work has to meet a deadline,” said Anand Tiwari, spokesperson, NDMC.

“If NDMC doesn’t revert by Monday 3 pm, we will have to decide on our further course of action, as we cannot keep quiet anymore. We will either have to meet senior government officials on this issue or resort to other means to save our business,” said Bhargava.

“For months now, we have been trying to tell NDMC to identify alternative parking sites but they chose to ignore our pleas,” he added.

Traders claim it is impossible for people to walk around and drive in CP due to the barricading. NDMC sources said while tunnelling work would be complete before the Games, they would not be able to transfer the cables and pipelines underground, defeating the purpose of digging up the area.

Indian wrestlers will do well in C'wealth Games: Sushil

Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Sushil Kumar today said he was confident of a good show by the Indian wrestlers in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi later this year.

"There has been a remarkable improvement in the wrestling team. Besides, the team is completely fit," Sushil said, on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Lakulish World Yogasan Championship 2010.

"The team is preparing on a war footing and we are trying to win as many medals as possible," he said.

The wrestler said he had taken to yoga to improve his performance ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

"I feel yoga is very important and every sportsperson requires yoga because they can learn something new from it," he said.

"I also practise meditation, it improves concentration," Sushil said.

Leaving them out in the cold

In its eagerness to delight foreign guests, who are expected to come to the capital during the 12-day Commonwealth Games, Delhi is leaving no stone unturned. As a part of its beautification drive for the Games, the zealous officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) recently demolished a temporary shelter meant for 250 homeless people in central Delhi. The shelter was removed not just to make the area look more presentable but also because it was an “illegal encroachment” that led to “unsanitary conditions and traffic problems” in the area. Thankfully, the Delhi High Court stepped in and ordered the government to rebuild the centre. The MCD did follow the order to a T: it rebuilt the shelter, but even in this biting cold, it has no blankets, bedding and carpets. The helplessness of those who used this temporary shelter, a tent actually, can be gauged from the fact that even this half-hearted arrangement is being seen as a blessing. According to a conservative estimate, there are 1.5 lakh homeless pople in Delhi and there are only 17 regular round shelters that run throughout the year. In the winter of 2009, the government and NGOs were running 47 shelters.

Chief Ministers of Indian metropolises have often talked about the pressure that our cities face from migrants and how they, in turn, put pressure on the civic amenities of cities likes Delhi and Mumbai. While much of this is correct, it is also true that migration is a reality and instead of seeing it as a constant headache, there must be some coherent policy on how to handle people who leave their homes to come to the cities and end up being homeless. The policy on these homeless people has been ad hoc and in Delhi, the number of shelters are increased only during the winter season. Life on the streets is harsh and dangerous for anyone, more so for women and children. Yet many parts of Delhi, like west Delhi, are still not covered even by this ad hoc policy.

Along with giving people the bare minimum of having a roof over their heads, the state has to make certain other interventions for these unfortunate people: healthcare services, livelihood opportunities and, more important, some sort of identification. A proper identification document will help them access government programmes. But, of course, let us not forget the suffering of these people left to the elements when we are in our warm and secure environs. Surely, they deserve a little more compassion.