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THE International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday (May 15) said it had held successful meetings with exiled member India, following its suspension over claims of corruption and political meddling.   The Lausanne-based body said its representatives had held “fruitful” talks with India’s sports minister, Jitendra Singh, as well as members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to discuss the country’s eventual return to the fold.   India&r]]>
INDIA’S sole individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has been selected to appeal for the country’s return to the ranks of the International Olympic Committee, the sports ministry said on Friday (May 3).   The Indian Olympic Association’s membership of the IOC was suspended in December after Lalit Bhanot, who is facing corruption charges over the scandal-tainted 2010 Commonwealth Games, was elected its secretary general.   The IOC de-recogni]]>
IN AN exclusive interview, head of PR for StanJames.com Rory Jiwani gives Eastern Eye his views on all the top sporting action of the moment, and the best ways to try and make some cash…   What have you made of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) season so far?   The IPL is a fantastic tournament which lends itself to exciting in-play betting. Twenty20 cricket is full of momentum shifts and it only takes a quick sequence of boundaries or flurry of wickets to c]]>
PAUL Di Resta has urged his Force India team to go the extra mile to help him secure his first Formula One podium after another near-miss in Bahrain on Sunday (April 21).   The Briton equalled his career best with fourth place at Sakhir, leading the race for three laps and tantalisingly close to a top three finish before being caught by Lotus’s Romain Grosjean in the closing laps.   “We’ve got to take a great amount of credit and positives from the ]]>
    FORCE India made sure their cars got plenty of television exposure at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday (April 20) after Britain’s Paul Di Resta qualified fifth with his German team mate Adrian Sutil sixth on the grid. The cars were invisible to viewers of the same race last year after the team angered Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone by pulling out of a Friday (April 19) practice session so jittery staff could get back to their hotel before nightfall. ]]>
SAINA Nehwal entered the second  round of women’s singles with a comfortable win but Parupalli Kashyap went down fighting against former World No. 1 Taufik  Hidayat of Indonesia in the first round of the men’s singles in the Yonex Sunrise India Open in New Delhi on Wednesday (April 24).   Saina hardly broke a sweat to overcome Belaetrix Manuputi of Indonesia 21-12 21-15 in just 33 minutes while Kashyap put up stiff resistance before losing 21-13 21-23 18-21.]]>
CHINA’S enviable pool of outstanding talent makes it almost impossible for anyone else to make a dent on their ruthless domination of badminton, top Indian player Saina Nehwal said on Monday (April 22).   The London Olympic bronze medallist has been something of an aberration in the women’s rankings, being the lone non-Chinese in the top five for much of the last year and offering sporadic challenges to the sport’s super-power nation.   Nehwal is ra]]>
INDIA’S boxing pin-up boy Vijender Singh, who had been accused of taking heroin, has been cleared in an out-of-competition drug test, the country’s sports ministry said on Tuesday (April 16).   Singh, who won a middleweight bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was ordered by the ministry to take a test after local police accused him of using heroin on several occasions amid allegations from a fellow boxer.   “Vijender Singh...along with four others ]]>
INDIA appears no closer to a return to the Olympic fold as officials from the country’s Olympic association and sports ministry bicker over a controversial government sports code.   The IOC banned the country after refusing to recognise the results of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections held on December 5 due to government interference, which led to a tainted official being named its new secretary general.   The IOC offered a lifeline in January, invitin]]>
PAKISTAN’S cricket authorities on Thursday (April 4) ordered English-style pitches to help their struggling batsmen prepare for the Champions Trophy, to be played in England in June.   Pakistani batsmen had a woeful time on the fast and bouncy tracks in South Africa where they were whitewashed 3-0 in Tests and edged out 3-2 in the one-day series last month.   Teams from the sub-continent raised on slow, dry pitches have traditionally struggled in countries like]]>
INDIAN Olympic bronze-medallist boxer Vijender Singh has undergone dope tests as ordered by the government after police accused him of consuming heroin, officials said.   Vijender, who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, gave his blood and urine samples to the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on Wednesday (April 3), sports minister Jitender Singh said.   The boxer had earlier refused to be tested by Punjab Police, who while investigating his links to an alle]]>
IN A BID to put an end to the drug controversy, Indian sports ministry directed the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to immediately carry out a dope test on star Olympian boxer Vijender Singh, who has been accused of consuming heroin by police in Punjab.   Almost a month after Vijender’s name surfaced in the drug scandal, the sports ministry stepped in to clear the air on the issue by subjecting the ace pugilist to dope tests.   In a communication sent to Dir]]>
VIVEK Ranadive, a 55-year-old software company chairman from India and part-owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, has taken a lead role in a bid group to buy the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.   Ranadive, chief executive of Silicon Valley-based TIBCO and vice chairman of the Warriors, announced on Twitter that he was joining the group trying to keep the team in California’s capital and thwart a bid from a Seattle group.   “Looking forward to supp]]>
JEEV Milkha Singh has won the Asian Tour’s order of merit twice, has four wins on the European Tour and is the first Indian golfer to break into world’s top 50, but he feels he will continue to live in his father’s shadow until he wins a major.   More than five decades after Milkha Singh, Jeev’s father, narrowly lost out on the 400m bronze medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics, the ‘Flying Sikh’ has lost none of his popularity and his Bollywood biopi]]>
FORCE India’s Adrian Sutil showed he had lost little of his race craft after a year out of Formula One by finishing seventh in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday (March 17) and engaging in an enthralling battle with former close friend Lewis Hamilton.   Sutil was dropped by Force India at the end of 2011 in the wake of a night-club brawl in Shanghai that led to an 18-month suspended jail sentence and $2,61,300 (£1,72,722) fine for the German for grievous bodily harm.]]>
INDIA’S national hockey team announced on Friday (March 15) that it was calling off a series against arch-rivals Pakistan planned for next month amid growing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.   Narinder Batra, the secretary-general of Hockey India, said that the decision had been made at the instigation of the government less than three weeks before the start of a five-match home series.   Pakistan had also been due to host a return series straight]]>
INDIAN Olympic bronze-medalist boxer Vijender Singh has been questioned over his alleged links to a $24m (£16.11m) heroin haul and has refused to give blood or hair samples, police said on Tuesday (March 12).   Singh, who won a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, was interviewed near Chandigarh in northwest India on Monday (March 11) evening after an alleged drug dealer arrested with the heroin named him and fellow boxer Ram Singh as “clients.”   V]]>
  INDIAN police said on Sunday (March 10) it will question the 2008 Olympic bronze-medallist boxer Vijender Singh over alleged links to a man who was arrested after heroin worth $24m/£16m) was seized from his house. Police said the arrested man had named Vijender Singh and fellow boxer Ram Singh, both unrelated, as his “clients”. “It is crucial for us to question Vijender Singh because the peddler has named the boxer as his client. Even Vijender’]]>
A YEAR out of Formula One has increased Adrian Sutil’s desire to be a world champion and made him mentally stronger, the Force India driver said on Friday (March 8).   Sutil sealed his Formula One comeback last week with the Silverstone-based team giving the German racer a second chance as team mate to Britain’s Paul Di Resta this season.   Last year, the 30-year-old’s hopes of getting back into the sport looked remote after he was given an 18-month]]>
SAINA Nehwal took a step nearer becoming the first Indian woman ever to win the All-England title when she reached the semi-finals after a long drawn-out battle with a former champion.   Her 23-21, 19-21, 21-16 win over Wang Shixian, the 2011 winner from China, was a long, fluctuating and tense affair, in which mistakes were mixed with well constructed rallies, with Nehwal chiselling out a match-winning lead after the interval in the third game.   Always bearing a he]]>
INDIA has welcomed the International Olympics Committee (IOC)’s invitation to attend a meeting at its headquarters in Switzerland and sees it as a positive step towards its return to the Olympic fold, a top government official told reporters on Friday (March 8).   The IOC banned the country after refusing to recognise the results of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections held on December 5, which led to a tainted official being named as its new secretary general, becaus]]>
WITH the Tamil Nadu government refusing to host Sri Lankan athletes on political grounds, the third leg of the Asian Grand Prix scheduled to be held in Chennai on May 16 has now been shifted to Colombo.   After the Tamil Nadu government cancelled the prestigious Asian Championship scheduled to be held in Chennai between July three  and seven, the Asian Athletics Association has decided to hold the third leg of the Asian GP in Colombo on May 12.   On February 21,]]>
FORCE India has chosen Adrian Sutil as one of its main drivers for the new Formula One season over Jules Bianchi, the French rookie’s agent told reporters on Wednesday (February 27), signalling a return for the German after a 12-month absence.   Nicolas Todt, whose father Jean is the head of world motorsport’s governing body the FIA, confirmed the appointment but said he did not know whether British-based Force India would retain Bianchi as a reserve in 2013. &nbs]]>
ON MORE than one occasion, luger Shiva Keshavan has been on the brink of quitting due to India’s frosty attitude towards winter sports, but the pioneer’s passion and devotion are driving him towards a fifth Olympics.   Keshavan was just 16 when he participated in the 1998 Winter Olympics at the Japanese city of Nagano and since then he has represented India at three more Games.   The 31-year-old retained his Asia Cup title in Nagano last December with an ]]>
  A 101-YEAR-OLD Sikh believed to be the world’s oldest distance runner retired on Sunday (February 24) after ending his last race in Hong Kong on a high, describing it as one of the “happiest days” of his long life. Fauja Singh, nicknamed the ‘Turbaned Tornado’, finished the 10-kilometre (6 mile) run at the Hong Kong Marathon in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds -- half a minute faster than at the same event last year. “Today is one of m]]>
THE Chennai local government is refusing to host the Asian Athletics Championships in July in protest against Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes that targeted Tamil Tiger rebels.   Sri Lanka’s government has faced heavy criticism after photographs obtained by Britain’s Channel 4 suggested that 12-year-old Balachandran, son of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, was murdered and not killed in crossfire during the chaotic end of the island’s three-decade war.]]>
INDIAN International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Randhir Singh is confident the world amateur boxing federation (AIBA) will soon lift its ban on the country’s pugilists, the official told reporters on Wednesday (February 20).   The AIBA suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) in early December for “possible manipulation” of its elections, in the wake of a wider Olympic ban that has sent shockwaves through sport in the South Asian country. &n]]>
GERMAN driver Adrian Sutil neared a return to a Formula One drive on Monday (February 18) after he was confirmed as a test driver for the Force India team this week in Barcelona.   The 30-year-old - who was dropped by Force India for the 2012 season after a conviction for grievous bodily harm - will drive their new model VJM06 in Thursday (February 21)’s test session.   However, he still has to stave off competition for the second driver’s seat - alongsid]]>
INDIA’S government will seek the support of other countries where wrestling is popular to help the sport remain an Olympic discipline, the country’s sports ministry said on Wednesday (February 13).   Wrestling was stunned when the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board made a surprise recommendation on Tuesday (February 12) to drop the sport from the 2020 Games.   Part of the first modern Olympics in 1896 and all further editions of]]>
ADRIAN Sutil moved closer to a return to Formula One after the German driver visited the Force India factory for a seat-fitting on Thursday (February 14).   A spokesman for the only team still to finalise their 2013 driver line-up said the 30-year-old was at the Silverstone factory ahead of the second pre-season test in Spain starting on February 19.   “At this stage the test driving schedule for the Barcelona test is not finalised, but there is a possibility A]]>
FORCE India insisted on Thursday (February 14) its Grand Prix team would be able to carry on despite co-owner Vijay Mallya’s financial problems.   Shares in Indian businessman Mallya’s debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines plunged Wednesday (February 13) after banks said they would start recalling loans worth $1.5bn (£966m).   The liquor baron is, though, expected to recoup funds from the $2bn (£1.28bn) sale of a majority stake in India’s Unite]]>
HINDI may still be a rare language at the World Ski Championships but with one sixth of the world’s population and mountains higher than the tallest peaks in the Alps, India is planning to rival traditional ski nations in the near future.   Among the Austrians, Swiss and French, a small contingent in orange, white and green ski outfits - the colours of the national flag - has been spotted all over Schladming over the last 10 days.   The start lists for the wome]]>
INDIAN boxing’s pin-up boy Vijender Singh drags himself to the ring in the north Indian city of Patiala each day, sweats out mechanically and leaves wondering if it was all worth the trouble.   Singh’s frustration reflects the mood of the athletes in a country that has been kicked out of the Olympic family for allowing government interference in the functioning of its controversial Olympic committee.   To make matters worse for local boxers, the Indian Am]]>
FORMER British Open champion Darren Clarke on Sunday (February 10) led his four-man team to victory in a franchise-based golf tournament inspired by cricket’s Indian Premier League.       Clarke’s Uttarakhand Lions picked up the winner’s cheque of $250,000 (£159,278.21) by a one-stroke margin in a dramatic finish to the Golf Premier League at the Aamby Valley course near Pune.       The Lions, co-owned by In]]>
STAR discus thrower Krishna Poonia on Thursday (February 7) signed a two-year sponsorship deal with Hindustan Zinc Limited and described the help from the corporate world as a big relief since it will help her prepare well for the Asian Games and other multi-discipline events in the next two years.   It is the first sponsorship agreement with a private sector company for the Commonwealth Games gold medallist.   Poonia signed the agreement with the Vedanta Group&rsquo]]>
INDIA’S former Olympics chief pleaded not guilty in court on Monday (February 4) to an array of corruption charges related to his handling of the chaotic Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.   Suresh Kalmadi, a lawmaker for the ruling Congress party, faces charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, abuse of office and intimidation over a contract awarded to Swiss Timing, which is part of the Swatch luxury goods empire.   Swiss Timing, which is named in the case but ]]>
INDIA’S former Olympics chief pleaded not guilty in court on Monday (February 4) to an array of corruption charges related to his handling of the chaotic Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010.   Suresh Kalmadi, a lawmaker for the ruling Congress party, faces charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, abuse of office and intimidation over a contract awarded to Swiss Timing, which is part of the Swatch luxury goods empire.   Kalmadi and seven others pleaded not guilty i]]>
FORCE India gave their new Formula One car its track debut on Friday (February 1) with only one driver, Britain’s Paul Di Resta, confirmed for the season and mystery surrounding the identity of his eventual team mate.   Germany’s Adrian Sutil, a former Force India driver, and Ferrari-backed Frenchman Jules Bianchi, last year’s reserve, have both been linked to the vacant seat but the team were in no rush to make a decision.   “Paul’s her]]>
FORCE India presented their new Formula One car on Friday (February 1) with only one driver, Britain’s Paul Di Resta, in attendance and mystery surrounding the identity of his likely team mate.   After McLaren had unveiled their MP4-28 car on Thursday (January 31) with technical director Paddy Lowe nowhere to be seen after being linked to rivals Mercedes, it was Force India’s turn to continue the theme of absence.   Germany’s Adrian Sutil, a former ]]>
THE money-spinning Hockey India League has made a promising start in its first season, drawing the world’s top stars, a dash of Bollywood glamour, live television coverage and reasonable crowds.   The tournament, sanctioned by the sport’s world governing body and inspired by cricket’s popular Twenty20 leagues, has helped raise the profile of hockey in India and given the sport a new and innovative platform.   Organisers say crowds for the flood-lit ]]>
  HER personal high of being awarded the Padma Bhushan has coincided with turbulent times  for Indian boxing, leaving Olympic bronze-medallist M C Mary Kom with “mixed feelings” about getting India’s third highest civilian honour. “Obviously, it is a great honour to be considered worthy of this award, but at the same time I am saddened by the current state of affairs in Indian boxing. So, it is a case of mixed feelings ]]>
  SHIV Chowrasia’s wife will be ruing her decision to stay in bed on Saturday morning (January 19) after missing out on seeing her journeyman husband shoot the best round of the week at the Abu Dhabi Championship. The twice former European Tour winner teed off at 0738 local time in the second match of the day but the 5-foot-5 (1.65-metre) Indian quickly catapulted his way up the leaderboard with a flawless seven-under-par 65 earning a five-under total of 211. “My ]]>
  THE International Olympic Committee has offered a lifeline to suspended India by inviting its government officials for a meeting at its Lausanne headquarters.   The IOC banned the country after refusing to recognise the results of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections held on December 5 due to government interference, which led to a tainted official being named as its new secretary general.   Lalit Bhanot, who spent 11 months in custody last year foll]]>
NINE Pakistani players signed up for a new field hockey league in India are facing the heat after a flare-up along the border that reports suggest could also affect the women’s cricket World Cup.   None of the Pakistanis featured in the opening match of the Hockey India League (HIL) in New Delhi on Monday (January 14), and officials declined to comment when asked if they will play in the four-week event.   Trouble began on Sunday (January 13) in Mumbai when the]]>
A JUDGE on Friday (December 21) ordered prosecutors to charge India’s former Olympics chief and five other sports officials with fraud relating to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.   Suresh Kalmadi, who headed the Games organising committee, his deputy Lalit Bhanot and four others were accused of favouring a particular company while awarding contracts for installing a timing system for the Games.   Judge Talwant Singh ordered the prosecution to frame ch]]>
  THE International Olympic Committee has asked its recognised Indian members to contemplate taking legal action against officials of the country’s suspended Olympic association for misrepresenting the office.   The IOC refused to recognise the results of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) elections held on December 5 due to government interference which led to a tainted official being named as its new secretary general.   Lalit Bhanot, who spent 11 mont]]>
  SAINA Nehwal has kicked up a storm by retiring from a match she was on the verge of winning because of a knee injury.   The London Olympic bronze medallist had reached match point against Russian Ksenia Polikarpova in the first round match at the India Grand Prix in Lucknow on Wednesday (December 19) when she decided to retire.   “Even when I was playing at the Super Series Finals (in China last week), I was playing with a taped knee,” the worl]]>
BRITAIN’S Amir Khan defeated previously unbeaten American Carlos Molina in a light-welterweight showdown on Saturday (December 15), returning the Englishman to the world title scene after back-to-back losses.   After watching Khan batter Molina for most of the fight, referee Jack Reiss halted the bout following the 10th round as Molina’s cornermen asked him to end the lopsided contest.   “You could see the way I was fighting, more patiently,” ]]>
A FINANCIAL windfall awaits the world’s leading field hockey stars when they play in a new Indian tournament next month on the lines of cricket’s popular Indian Premier League.   The Hockey India League (HIL), sanctioned by the sport’s world governing body, will have the top stars turn out for five franchised-based teams from January 17-February 17, organisers said on Sunday (December 16).   Indian captain Sardar Singh was picked up by the Delhi Wav]]>
SAINA Nehwal’s hopes of winning her maiden ‘World Super Series Finals’ title this year went up in smoke as she lost her semi-final clash against top seed and current Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China in a three-game encounter.   The London Olympics bronze-medallist waged a grim battle against World No 2 Xuerui and took the match to the decider, but eventually ran out of steam.   Saina lost 20-22 21-7 13-21 to the Chinese shu]]>