Controversy in the olympic games

It is the silly season, or so it seems, with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) taking a leaf out of the Indian Weightlifting Federation’s book and suspending 15 athletes for not reporting to the national camps in Sonipat (men) and Lucknow (women). The noise around weightlifter Punam Yadav’s decision to slip away from the camp in Patiala without informing anyone had barely died down when 15 wrestlers axed the very branch on which they were resting. File picture of India's Geeta Phogat in action. Reuters It seems as if the wrestlers, many of whom were in the forefront of a campaign against the Haryana government's decision to re-adjust the reward amounts for their success in the Commonwealth Games, were unprepared for the federation to take such a stern stand. That only Babita Phogat has surfaced with her explanation of being injured is a fact that tells a story of its own. In the grapplers’ case, some of the blame can be taken by WFI itself. There is no doubt … [Read more...] about Phogat sisters’ controversy indicates the need for elite athletes to shun prima donna mindset and communicate with federations

This is the second of an 8-part series looking at each group, one at a time, for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Group B includes Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and Greece. ArgentinaAlbicelestes (White and Sky blues). Key players: Martin Demichelis (Bayern); Pablo Aimar (Benfica); Maxi Rodrigues (Atletico Madrid); Lional Messi (Barcelona); Gabriel Heinze (Marseille); Esteban Cambiasso (Inter); Javier Mascherano (Liverpool); Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) Route to 2010: Argentina was placed fourth in the CONMEBOL confederation, representing the final spot that automatically qualified for 2010. The Albicelestes experienced a few nervous moments, losing 3-1 to Brazil at home and getting hammered by Bolivia 6-1 away. In the end, a 1-0 away win over Uruguay, in the final round of matches, ensured a comfortable 4 point margin over the 5th placed Uruguay. Recent results: 14 October 2009: Uruguay, 1-0 win, Montevideo, Uruguay. 14 November 2009: Spain, 2-1 loss, Madrid, Spain. Honours: World … [Read more...] about Examining Group B in the 2010 World Cup

With the best will in the world, I started pretty lukewarm about the Commonwealth Games. I’m keen about sport, especially cricket, but individual pursuits seldom excite me. Let’s face it, while the Commonwealth has its stars, without the United States, China, Russia and almost all of Europe and South America, the festival has a slightly second-rate feel about it. It’s always nice when Australia wins big, especially against England (and of course New Zealand), but the medals hardly compare in kudos with those of the Olympics. But having said that, after a couple of nights I found myself getting sucked in by Channel 7’s coverage. It has been unashamedly partisan, of course. There have been legitimate complaints about the jingoism that has meant every Australian competitor is to be televised at the expense of everyone else, but presumably that is what the backers, the sponsors and, yes, a large majority of the viewers want, so there is no point in whingeing about … [Read more...] about Inclusive and human: the Commonwealth Games