THE Malaysian women’s hockey team upset Canada 3-2 in New Delhi last night, placing the pressure on the men to deliver against hosts India tonight.
Malaysia, ranked 22nd in the world, took a 3-0 lead before losing their grip to the world No 19 team late in the second half.
The toast of the day was Norbaini Hashim who scored a brace in the 18th and 56th minutes, while Norfaraha Hashim delivered the third in the 49th minute.
Diana Roemer 56th and Anna Kozniuk 59th scored Canada. Today, the women will meet world No 7 New Zealand.
As for the men, Jiwa Mohan is optimistic of a good opening match: “The players know the score, and are looking to win every match because the Commonwealth Games is part of our journey towards the Asian Games. The feeling in camp is that India can be beaten, and we will strive towards that.”
Jiwa, based in Australia now, also praised the security measures adopted by the hosts.
“The difference from previous Games is that in New Delhi, security is tops on the Indian Government’s list and I personally feel very safe.
“The team feeling is good as players are focusing and zooming into their task as the first game gets closer.
“All the players are aware, that a few players like Kelvinder Singh and Jivan (Mohan) have been rested in Kuala Lumpur so, consistency and improvement are the qualities they need to maintain as this point of time.”
WOMEN’S Hockey: RESULTS --Group A: South Africa 12 Trinidad & Tobago 0; India x Scotland x.
Group B: New Zealand 5 Wales 1; Canada 2 Malaysia 3.
TODAY -- Women’s Hockey: Group A: Australia v Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa v Scotland.
Group B: England v Wales, New Zealand v Malaysia.
TODAY -- Men’s Hockey: Group A: Pakistan v Scotland, India v Malaysia.
Group B: New Zealand v Trinidad & Tobago, Canada v South Africa.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friendly: Canada 2 Malaysia 2 (Men)
HOT WORK: The New Zealand women's hockey team train at the National Stadium in New Delhi. LAWRENCE SMITH/Fairfax MediaWe played two halves against Malaysia on the Stadium pitch, one 25 min. half and one 20 min. half.
We started off fairly well and had most of the play.
After earning a couple of penalty corners, Scott Tupper slotted one between the goalies legs to go up 1-0. We then had a few very good scoring opportunities which we could not put behind the keeper in the goal.
The play then went back and forth a bit before we cashed in on one of our opportunities as Philip Wright received the ball in front of the goalie and quickly got it up and over him into the top of the goal. We let them get back into the game early in the second half when they scored on a quick counter attack to cut the lead in half.
We held it together for the rest of the half until the final minutes when they were given a suspect penalty corner that they converted low stick side. All in all it was not a bad game for us but a very frustrating result that we should have never let get away.
We will learn from our mistakes though and be ready for our opening match against South Africa on Tuesday.
Our post match routine of cooling down and ice bathing was quickly executed before we were off to the Village again for some dinner. As most of us are now adjusted to the jet lag, we will all be hanging out for a couple of hours before we head to bed and prepare for the day to come.
Dave Jameson
Field Hockey Canada media release
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Wrestlers request cow at Games Village
Cows are sacred on Indian streets, literally holy-cow...NEW DELHI, Oct 3, 2010 (AFP) - India’s much-fancied wrestlers wanted to have their own cow at the Commonwealth Games athletes’ village but the request was turned down, the Times of India said on Sunday.
The daily said that an unnamed government official was told that the grapplers wanted the cow to give them easy access to “unlimited and fresh milk”.
The official said it was not possible to bring a cow into the high-security complex, which was at the centre of a row over poor hygiene and accommodation standards that raised the prospect of mass withdrawals.
“They can have as much milk as they want at the dining hall,” the official was quoted as saying.
Wrestling makes a return to the Games after being dropped from the 2006 programme, with India top of the rankings and seen as the team to beat on home soil. Women’s wrestling is included for the first time.
Hockey a sell-out
By Harpreet Kaur Lamba
Hockey made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur in 1998 when the quadrennial event saw the entry of team sports for the first time.
That the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee — till date — has sold the most tickets for hockey matches, among the 17 disciplines at the Delhi Games, is proof, if any was required, to its popularity.
Much like the world stage, Australia have dominated hockey at the Commonwealth Games, winning five of the six gold medals available to date. The only one they missed out on was when the India’s women team clinched the gold at Manchester 2002.
Of the 10 teams set to battle it out at the Delhi Games in October, seven — Australia, England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Pakistan and hosts India — were part of the Hockey World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year.
"The competition at the Commonwealth Games is very high. We will face the Games knowing that it will be a difficult competition and at the same time, with the hope of getting the first medal in the Games," said men’s chief coach Jose Brasa.
In the men’s event, Australia are the reigning world champions, a clash with Pakistan is always awaited eagerly by both players and fans, while New Zealand and England have been creating ripples at the international stage for quite some time.
Of the lot, England’s rapid rise in both the men’s and the women’s event has been of note.
In 1998, England finished with a brace of medals — the women won the silver, losing to Australia in the final and the men won bronze, beating India on penalties in the third place play-off.
England have now won a medal at each of the three editions of the Games, barring gold. Keeping with their recent exploits in the international stage, the team will be one the strongest contenders for the October event.
In fact, the men’s semi-final between Australia and England in 1998 is considered among the most memorable matches of the CWG, with extra-time and a sudden death required before Australia emerged winners. The Kookaburras went on to win gold with a victory over Malaysia.
Said Australian coach Ric Charlesworth recently, "We are the number 1 ranked team in the world, but I think that can give teams a bit more incentive when they face us. England are very capable of beating us as we saw at the World Cup. India and Pakistan will be at home in the heat of Delhi and with the reduced squad sizes makes things less predictable."
For the Indian men, the event has been their Achilles’ heel. Despite a formidable team in the late 90s under the mercurial Dhanraj Pillay, along with the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Riaz and Dilip Tirkey, India have failed to break the CWG barrier.
The opening edition saw the men’s team finish fourth, the squad didn’t participate in 2002, and finished a lowly sixth in the last edition.
Said striker Tushar Khandker, "For some odd reason, the men’s team have not been able to produce the results at the CWG. Why, I cannot say for sure. For us, the present lot, it is motivation enough to do well."
The women, on the other hand, have had a decent run.
‘Golden Girl’ Mamta Kharab handed the country its brightest moment at the 2002 Manchester Games, when she struck an extra-time goal in a dramatic final to pip hosts and favourites England. India won 3-2 at Manchester to bring home their first-ever hockey gold at CWG. The girls followed it up with a silver in 2006 (Melbourne), losing the final to Australia.
Often referred to as the "friendly games", the CWG does not offer direct qualification to any major event nor does it guarantee a rise in world rankings. The Games have, for the years, stood for pride and sportsmanship.
As Khandker sums it up, "When a player dons a national shirt, nothing can be deemed as friendly.
"For me or any other player, the Commonwealth Games is equivalent to taking part in the Olympics or the Asian Games. When you play for India, you carry the hopes of a billion Indians along with you. It is pride that drives any sportsperson, everything else takes a backseat then," he said.
India’s challenge
The challenge from their opponents notwithstanding, India’s real battle would lie in conquering the demons within. The preparations for both the men’s and women’s squads have been mired by off-field controversies. From the ongoing struggle for power in Indian hockey to the players’ strike to the recent sex scandal involving the women’s coach M.K. Kaushik, the going has anything but smooth.
Said Brasa, "Uncertainty is bad for any team. We should be away from this dispute, and we should also keep the players away. The players and coaches have to concentrate on our aims to keep doing better.
"I hope that the teams would overcome these things to perform well," he said.
The Asian Age
Hockey made its Commonwealth Games debut at Kuala Lumpur in 1998 when the quadrennial event saw the entry of team sports for the first time.
That the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee — till date — has sold the most tickets for hockey matches, among the 17 disciplines at the Delhi Games, is proof, if any was required, to its popularity.
Much like the world stage, Australia have dominated hockey at the Commonwealth Games, winning five of the six gold medals available to date. The only one they missed out on was when the India’s women team clinched the gold at Manchester 2002.
Of the 10 teams set to battle it out at the Delhi Games in October, seven — Australia, England, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Pakistan and hosts India — were part of the Hockey World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year.
"The competition at the Commonwealth Games is very high. We will face the Games knowing that it will be a difficult competition and at the same time, with the hope of getting the first medal in the Games," said men’s chief coach Jose Brasa.
In the men’s event, Australia are the reigning world champions, a clash with Pakistan is always awaited eagerly by both players and fans, while New Zealand and England have been creating ripples at the international stage for quite some time.
Of the lot, England’s rapid rise in both the men’s and the women’s event has been of note.
In 1998, England finished with a brace of medals — the women won the silver, losing to Australia in the final and the men won bronze, beating India on penalties in the third place play-off.
England have now won a medal at each of the three editions of the Games, barring gold. Keeping with their recent exploits in the international stage, the team will be one the strongest contenders for the October event.
In fact, the men’s semi-final between Australia and England in 1998 is considered among the most memorable matches of the CWG, with extra-time and a sudden death required before Australia emerged winners. The Kookaburras went on to win gold with a victory over Malaysia.
Said Australian coach Ric Charlesworth recently, "We are the number 1 ranked team in the world, but I think that can give teams a bit more incentive when they face us. England are very capable of beating us as we saw at the World Cup. India and Pakistan will be at home in the heat of Delhi and with the reduced squad sizes makes things less predictable."
For the Indian men, the event has been their Achilles’ heel. Despite a formidable team in the late 90s under the mercurial Dhanraj Pillay, along with the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Riaz and Dilip Tirkey, India have failed to break the CWG barrier.
The opening edition saw the men’s team finish fourth, the squad didn’t participate in 2002, and finished a lowly sixth in the last edition.
Said striker Tushar Khandker, "For some odd reason, the men’s team have not been able to produce the results at the CWG. Why, I cannot say for sure. For us, the present lot, it is motivation enough to do well."
The women, on the other hand, have had a decent run.
‘Golden Girl’ Mamta Kharab handed the country its brightest moment at the 2002 Manchester Games, when she struck an extra-time goal in a dramatic final to pip hosts and favourites England. India won 3-2 at Manchester to bring home their first-ever hockey gold at CWG. The girls followed it up with a silver in 2006 (Melbourne), losing the final to Australia.
Often referred to as the "friendly games", the CWG does not offer direct qualification to any major event nor does it guarantee a rise in world rankings. The Games have, for the years, stood for pride and sportsmanship.
As Khandker sums it up, "When a player dons a national shirt, nothing can be deemed as friendly.
"For me or any other player, the Commonwealth Games is equivalent to taking part in the Olympics or the Asian Games. When you play for India, you carry the hopes of a billion Indians along with you. It is pride that drives any sportsperson, everything else takes a backseat then," he said.
India’s challenge
The challenge from their opponents notwithstanding, India’s real battle would lie in conquering the demons within. The preparations for both the men’s and women’s squads have been mired by off-field controversies. From the ongoing struggle for power in Indian hockey to the players’ strike to the recent sex scandal involving the women’s coach M.K. Kaushik, the going has anything but smooth.
Said Brasa, "Uncertainty is bad for any team. We should be away from this dispute, and we should also keep the players away. The players and coaches have to concentrate on our aims to keep doing better.
"I hope that the teams would overcome these things to perform well," he said.
The Asian Age
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Commonwealth or War Games?
A HAPPY BUNCH: Some of the Indian team members pose with ‘Shera’ during the flag hosting ceremony at the Games Village on Friday. — PHOTO: K MURALI KUMARBy S. Thyagarajan
NEW DELHI: Does sport continue to be an instrument of peace and harmony? If visionaries like Baron Pierre Coubertin, the author of the Modern Olympic Games, and Rev. Ashley Cooper, who sowed the seeds for a sports festival for the English speaking people, which we call the Commonwealth Games, were to witness what has corrupted their concept, their anguish would be immeasurable.
A siege!
Enveloped by a security blanket, the national Capital mirrors the elements of a siege. A visitor entering this metropolis will be startled by the indifference and apathy, a total lack of gaiety even with only two days remaining for the Opening Ceremony.
Flags, banners and pennants that actually accentuate the people’s involvement in a sporting extravaganza are conspicuous by their absence. Even the few are confined to a few areas.
The myriad loose ends are appalling in every segment of the run-up to the Games. And they continue to be so, with more and more glitches surfacing by the hour.
Sport is perceived as a vehicle of pleasure towards conquering new frontiers of excellence, but today its predominating sentiment is fear, compounded by the lack of compunction in giving in to the temptations of wealth and dope.
It is the fear complex that has forced quite a few stars to skip the Games, notwithstanding the reiterations by the powers-that-be that every inch of the city is under surveillance.
Added to this is the lack of a financial benefit, apart from the joy of climbing the podium. The threat to modern mega sporting events collapsing in a financial mess stems from the growing gigantism, which Coubertin and Cooper wanted the host to avoid.
Commercialisation
But commercialisation of sport has contributed enormously to this line of thinking. With 17 disciplines, CWG-2010, the 19th edition, becomes the costliest in the annals of the Commonwealth Games.
Probably, no other sporting event, including the Olympics, was disgraced by polemics as this venture is. Nothing seems to have moved in the right direction, but by the time the disintegration began to hit the face, efforts were redoubled involving multiple agencies, which proved to be insufficient to eradicate all the perversities that had manifested themselves thanks to the relentless focus by the media.
The mood here now seems to be one of despair, to run the event somehow, regardless of the criticisms and controversies waiting to erupt both at home and abroad. The image anyway has been tarnished, and the cosmetics applied in the eleventh hour are unlikely to obliterate the odium associated with Commonwealth Games 2010.
The Hindu
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