http://rahulkumar127.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/08/india-s-olympic-gold-medal-and-role-of-administrators.htm

Sporting Infrastructure will have to be built along the urban and rural areas, before that happens the people have to become sportizens. People have to believe think ,eat and sleep sports. It is not just about playing sports and getting medals in the world events. Sports are played not only as a leisure activity & a hobby but also to improve the mental and physical powers of an individual. Now a days we r being hammered in all media about the benefits of calisthenics. One cannot ignore the role of sports in our daily life.

Training young kids requires motivation and also consistent support of the family. No Kid in this world has become a world champion without the patronage of the family members. Mothers and fathers have to take bold step in believing that their progeny can become world champions. Schools should include physical training and sports as part of their regular curriculum. Infrastructure can be built slowly but steadily as the pysche of the common man changes and he/she begins to embrace sports.

Attitude of the Govt officials and sporting administrators cannot be in different towards sports. sporting culture should be visible in all walks of life. People should breathe sports like many of the western nations and our friends in the east do. Respect towards athletes will help bring a higher self belief, encouraging them for lofty goals. Monetary and other form of rewards has to be quick and fast so that there will no disappointment for our heroes.

We have a long and ardous task of building a sporting India. China accomplished this task and why cannot we do it. It is our belief and dedication which can bring about this radical change. Let us take a first step towards this goal by givng more encouragement and rewards to our children and be ready for a sporting revolution. I believe that this radical transformation is not far away as we have showed to the world by becoming ITzens from Indians.

http://bnagari.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/08/sports-people.htm

The little, 7-year old Yang Peiyi had a chubby face and an uneven teeth.

But whose fault is it, anyway ? Well, it hardly matters. The little girl had to pay the price.

The Chinese wondered, what the billions of viewers around the world would think, if the petite song bird,
Yang Peiyi sang “Ode to the motherland” on the opening day of Beijing Olympics, with a buckteeth ?

They were ashamed. But they wanted her mellifluous voice. They couldn’t find a replacement for such
a great voice.

It is here that the legendary Chinese skills of making counterfeits came to their rescue.

But, what a tragedy ?

Little did the 91,000 people on that Friday night knew that it was not the beautiful, photogenic, Lin Miaoke
on stage, who is singing the patriotic song..!

As a matter of fact, it was the melodious voice of poor Yang Peiyi that soared above the enthralled audience.

But she was nowhere on sight. Because she had no camera-friendly face…!

Alas, lip-synching had entered the Olympics..!

Peiyi was robbed of a once in a lifetime moment. Simply because she was not pretty…!

Pretty is the queen that rules our land. But very few know, beauty is not in the face ; true beauty is a light
in the heart.

Memories are short. We may forget this episode in a while. Can the two girls forget so easily ?

I’m sure, Peiyi will be constantly reminded in life, “ am not pretty enough, that’s why I was hidden”.

And for Lin, well, ” I could not sing, because my voice was not good enough”.

And just imagine, to carry all this burden on their little shoulders when they’re just under 10.

China’s gold and silvers may not be enough to wipe out the tooth marks in these young hearts…!

http://bahrainahim.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/08/beijing-olympics-the-untold-story.htm

Sonnet: India’s Olympic Gold in 108 years!

From fourth, he forged ahead to win the gold!

He never knew, he would create history;

His golden finger was precise and bold;

His mind was clear, full of tranquility!

This was Abhinav Bindra at his best,

At Beijing’s Air-Rifle shooting this year

–An example for Indians for gold-quest;

The Chandigarh hero is now too dear!

Bespectacled lad in early twenties;

His thrill in life was indescribable;

His calm, composure won him gold with ease;

His final shot was perfectly able.

India’s hunt for gold-medals is now on;

Bindra heralded new Olympic dawn!

Fondly dedicated to the Indian Olympic hero

Copyright by Dr John Celes 08-11-2008

http://drcelestinemd.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/08/india-s-olympic-gold-in-108-years.htm

PICTURE STORY!

Olympics Games opens in Beijing in the National Stadium nicknamed as Birds Nest !
The National stadium will host the main track and field competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium can seat as many as 91,000 spectators during the Olympics. This stadium costs 423 million US$ for China to build .This is the showpiece of the Olympics and was designed by Swiss Architects.This is an architectural wonder which shows Chinas emergence as superpower.

Inside Story !

Ai Weiwei one of China’s renowned artists collaborated with the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in designing the Bird’s Nest. But since then he has become an outspoken critic of Chinese government policies on civil liberties and other issues. The man who designed this stadium says this “I was questioning whether it’s possible for a society that doesn’t have democracy to excite the joys and celebrations of its people. And is it possible for such a society to win international recognition and approval when liberty and freedom of expression are lacking? “Ai has coined the phrase, “pretend smile,” as a label for China’s Olympic effort. The biggest disappointment as per him is that China has fallen short of its promises, which is, “One World One Dream,”As the result of criticism he has not received any invitation for the opening ceremony!

PICTURE STORY!

Birds Nest at Night

China has spent estimated $42B To Host Beijing Olympics which is a big sum for a developing country to put into a two-week sports show. This Olympics hosted by Beijing would take the title of the most expensive games ever seen, thanks to the $20 billion worth of city improvements undertaken along with the games by the Chinese Government.

Insider Story!

The ground was broken on December 2003 to build Bird’s nest , and construction was started in March 2004. In January 2008, concerns about construction working conditions arose when it was revealed that 88 workers had died during the stadium’s construction. Chinese officials deny that there have been any deaths.

Picture Story

Aerial view of the Northeast Second Ring Road, a new highway interchange, from the top floor of a housing complex.

The plan to triple the size of Beijing’s expressways and build dozens of sports facilities is one of the largest construction projects ever in China since the construction of the Great Wall.Beijing had spent $12 billion in 10 years to spruce up the city. Much of the money will be spent on infrastructure and environmental projects regardless, but hosting the Olympics is seen as a natural extension of efforts to improve Beijing.


INSIDE STORY



New sports venues and $40 billion spent to improve China’s infrastructure have not solved Beijing’s air-quality woes.

Half of Beijing’s 3.3 million vehicles hs been pulled off the roads before the
Olympics to help clean the city’s air for the games. Under the Government plan during Olympics vehicles will be allowed on the roads on alternate days according to even or odd car registration numbers from July 20 until Sept20.

The Government has shutdown polluting factories in Tianjin, about 70 miles east of Beijing, part of the regional plan to temporaryly close factories across a large part of northern China during the Games.

SUCCESS STORY !

This turtle-shell-like structure is a terminal for a new express train linking Beijing Capital International Airport to downtown Beijing.Terminal 3 will be the world’s largest at nearly 10 million square feet.


At the same time, the money spent is already bringing benefits to China. This has given a powerful impetus to the construction of housing and transport facilities; Additional government contracts have encouraged the development of domestic high tech companies working in adavanced technology areas and expertise.

TECHNOLOGY STORY !

Light glitters on the glass-and-titanium shell of the National Grand Theater and on the surrounding water.

SMOG INSIDE STORY

Members of the US athletics team arrived in the Beijing city wearing face masks Pollution levels on a typical day in Beijing

Some researchers say pollution levels are nearly five times above WHO standards for safety.

While China Succeeded in creating a world class infrastructure for thIs Olympics on par or better than any other country which hosted in the past, this is one area which appears to be a challenge and huge embarassment to the Chinese Government .

Chinese promised green with the commitment of clear sky at the time of bidding for Olympics.Chinese officials promised to pour $12.2 billion into cleaning up. The difficulty is that Beijing has been trying to control pollution as its economy grows at more than 10% a year, Workers flood in from other provinces and more than 1,000 cars are added to the road each day.

President of the IOC, has warned that outdoor endurance events will be postponed if the air quality is poor.

While everyone was fighting for freedom and rights for Tibetians during the Olympic Torch events , the air quality has proved to be the biggest challenge now . It is finally going to be Mother nature who will decide the air quality .Wind can blow pollution to Beijing from thousands of miles away, while a lack of wind can cause chemicals and particulate matter to build up in the city.

Now the embarassment for Chinese Government for now is not freedom or human rights but this issue of freedom to breathe! The Western countries are trying to further embarass China by such gestures of asking athletes to land in China with face mask!

FINAL STORY OF ACHIEVEMENT

OPENING CEREMONY REHEARSAL

The Beijing Olympic Games will be a perfect occasion to fully display China’s 5,000-year history and its resplendent culture, a grand ceremony that will gather athletes from all over the world and present diverse and brilliant cultures.

The Olympic Games, especially the opening ceremonies, will be a showcase for the world’s fastest growing major economy. From the fantastic “bird’s nest” stadium to the lavish Olympic facilities which were all but complete last year, China is staking out its territory as an unprecedented success story on the world stage.

WELCOME BEIJING OLMPICS

WELCOME ASIAN SUPER POWER CHINA FOR THE SUPER SHOW

LET THIS BE THE MOST SPECTACULAR SPORTS EXTRAVAGANNZA OF THE YEAR 2008 !

http://sivaram56.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/08/beijing-olympics-picture-and-inside-stories.htm

sachin play only for record?

http://shareviews.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/08/should-sachin-saurav-rahul-leave-indian-test-team.htm

It can be argued that with such a negative mindset India will surely lose. Not necessary. In the first test, India tried to win from a losing position.

That in itself was self defeating.

Worse, once it was clear that the game was lost, they cut short the pain. They made the cardinal mistake of taking nothing out of a game. India forgot the very basis for test domination, as even adopted by Australia (recently in the West Indies) – win ugly rather than lose pretty.

Not that India lost pretty. Sri Lanka though, did win pretty, and that in itself is a rarity in test cricket nowadays.

But that is done. And it would appear so is India.

So, what does India do

1. Do not play bowlers by reputation. Play them by form, fitness, specific skills (as opposed to, he can also chip in with 20 runs down the order) Also how well do the Lankans play a certain bowler? Or better still, have they even faced this bowler before?

2. Do not set batting orders by reputation. With Kirsten’s coterie of mind healers and readers, an assessment of who’s in good mental shape will not be a tall ask. Weed out fragility or at best do not expose it early on. Allow confidence to shoulder extra responsibility – set game plans for batsmen, give them a sense of purpose – one that was missing in the first test. Make the plans flexible, bowler specific. Use the left-right hand batsman combinations intelligently. Demand more from batsmen who are allegedly in good form – Sehwag, Gambhir and Laxman.

3. Play tactics – control the pace of the game. If and when the two Ms are running at you like a bowling machine, do not be scared to take a breather – untie a lace, tie it again. Do the same with your pads. Do the MSD shuffle with the gloves. Try the SRT groin shuffle. Lighten up. Do not act like it’s your last day on a cricket field. Relive good memories of double hundreds even if you haven’t scored a double yet –Invent. Make up your mind not to get out. Talk to your fellow batsman like he is your fellow batsman – do not harbour bad blood from times he played under you or vice versa. Do not think too much. You are a cricketer.

4. Do not wait for the 3^rd test to play for pride. Play for pride now. Field players who have some pride left. Otherwise lack of pride will be India’s fall.

5. Do not overtly focus on any one or two bowlers. Only to win the toss, bat first and have another Vaas nightmare. Be wary of Vaas and the other quick.

6. No. 5 holds true for batsman. For starters, try and remember the name of Warnapura. Then, have a plan for him. Use Sehwag’s input for Dilshan. Phone Yuvraj for inputs on Sangakkara and Jayawardene, call Dhoni for any dope on Murali.

7. If the game’s flow is too uninspiring, create tension – often the only inspiration for India. Think the Lankans are actually the Aussies. Use Bhajji’s linguistic skills if nothing else.

8. Think like the Australians. But better still, play like them. Look back and learn that Sri Lanka like most teams tend to play one good innings and falter. Look back at the last Lanka-Australia series in the emerald isle – learn that a good second innings can topple the Lankans. So, try and extend the game to the 2^nd innings, fifth day. Stretch yourself. Stretch the Lankans.

9. Realise that No. 8 was pre-Mendis. Do not fear him. It shows. It showed in Colombo.

10. Play like your life depends on it. Because it does.

http://nakedcricket.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/07/how-to-win-a-lost-battle.htm

In the last two decades the Indian subcontinent has emerged as the commercial capital of world cricket. It’s a stock market that’s been all bulls and no bears. But of late, the sub-continent has seen a huge dip in stadium attendance and television viewership for Test matches.

In a country which doesn’t have a huge sporting culture, where people hesitate in letting their children take up sports as a profession, the triumph in the 1983 cricket World Cup started a new era. The country had seen a lot of success in hockey but it was the introduction of colour television in 1982 and the telecast of the 83 World Cup – accompanied with the lack of silverware in hockey – that did the trick for cricket.

That World Cup win was followed by victory in the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket in 1985. The scenes of Kapil Dev lifting the World Cup, Sunil Gavaskar letting the cork off the champagne bottle on the Lord’s balcony and then Ravi Shastri driving away with the Man of the Series Audi in 1985 lingered on in the minds of the watching public.

The 1987 World Cup, held in India and Pakistan, attracted still more admirers, and the 90s saw a surge in spectator attendance at the stadiums. Pakistan’s win in the 1992 World Cup in Australia, followed by an unexpected victory for Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup hosted jointly by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, saw cricket become big in whole of the sub-continent.

A few years later Bangladesh too got Test status. These four countries are not so successful at other sports and cricket is the only game the fans can look up to. This, along with the huge population, worked in favour of the sub-continent becoming the game’s commercial hub.

Some intriguing clashes between India and Australia and India and Pakistan saw a steep rise in the popularity of the longer version of the game in late 90s. In the new millennium Indian Test cricket saw new highs as India, 1-0 down and following on at the second Test in Calcutta, made a historic comeback to claim the series against Australia. Indian Test cricket moved further up as they levelled a series in Australia, then in England, and later beat the West Indies and England on their home turf.

India played their first Twenty20 game in December 2006 on their tour to South Africa. The Indian board were a reluctant entrant to Twenty20 and India’s second game came only in the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa in September 2007. The board did not give it much importance and senior players expressed their desire to not play.

India went in with a young team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and, on September 24, 2007, he stood with the trophy in his hand, a moment that would go down in the history as the “great divide” should Test cricket lose its supremacy.

The Test series between India and South Africa earlier this year failed to generate much interest. On the other hand, popularity of Twenty20 soared and, as a reaction to the Indian Cricket League, the Indian Premier League was born. The Twenty20 format, which was hailed as the saviour of domestic cricket, seemed to be gulping the shares of Test and one-day cricket. The IPL was such a huge hit that people started speculating about players retiring early from international cricket just to play in such leagues.

The fire got fuel as the Asia Cup tournament that followed turned out to be a dud. People in the sub-continent are waiting anxiously for the Champions’ Twenty20 to be held after the Champions’ Trophy.

India and Sri Lanka look to be the two best Asian teams currently and the ongoing Test series between the two is surrounded by huge anticipation

The series has seen the return of Harbhajan Singh to international cricket after being banned for the so called “Slapgate” scandal. The series will feature a fully-loaded Indian bowling battery with Zaheer Khan back to full fitness. People are waiting to see how either Dinesh Karthik holds up in the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The battles between Zaheer and Jayasuriya, Sangakkara and Kumble, Jayawardene and Harbhajan, Sehwag and Vaas, Tendulkar and Muralitharan have always been exciting. But this time all eyes are on the youngster Ajantha Mendis who bowls with a hard to figure out “Carom Flick” action. Experts have tipped the technically-sound Rahul Dravid to figure Mendis out. This promises to be a gripping battle within the battle.

Should this series fail to live up to the expectations, it would be hard to revive Test cricket in the sub-continent. But let us keep our fingers crossed and hope the series is a big hit and that Test cricket remains the premier format of the game.

http://drmohit.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/07/india-and-sri-lanka-playing-for-test-cricket-s-survival.htm

The Kinrara Oval must be basking in the limelight. Controversy, contrasting outcomes, concocted theories and corrupted team strategy, all combined to make Malaysia the place to be. For India, it was a match as crucial and vital as any they have played. India kept their hopes and their chances alive, but that was far from convincing and too tragic for comfort.

For the first half of the day’s play, India played like they were swimming in shark infested waters and no sight of shore. Had team India given up? Tendulkar and Lara have been in the spotlight in Malaysia. It was hard not to see why. When all else seemed doomed, Tendulkar refused to give up and cave in. If someone observed his face closely, he appeared sometimes annoyed and sometimes aghast at the manner in which some of compatriots played at the other end. It could also be questioned what Brian Lara was doing so lower down the order when he seemed the man for the day?

But to compare West Indies collapse with India is a non-issue. West Indies have a road they must traverse, to come into the picture again. India are losing the plot after having made awe-inspiring inroads under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership during the earlier part of the decade. Now there is a danger of slipping back to square one, in more ways than one.

It was the most curious thing for Greg Chappell to have said at the end of the first round match against Australia. Chappell’s nonchalance is as admirable as it is deceiving. It is hard to imagine a man with a vision that put him up in the position of the coach would have been as forgiving as the words attributed to him suggest. To read too much into defeat is sometimes harmful from the point of view that delving deeper into defeat puts forth more negatives than necessary. But to be absolutely dismissive of the events of the day construes to learn nothing.

But here is a coach who thinks virtually nothing of the shoddy exhibition against Australia. It does make one wonder about the commitment of the coach and whether it is indeed in alignment with the immediate needs of the World Cup in six months time. Surely there will be days when the pitch will be less than desired, the conditions favouring one team over another, the luck of the toss swinging the match in favour of one team over another. But surely those are precisely the acceptable conditions under which cricket is played, anywhere in the world. The pitch at the Kinrara Oval may have had more than normally accepted anomalies but the post analysis within the team dressing room seems rather dismissive of the entire aspect and approach which is bound to give a lopsided perspective.

These are exactly the kind of pitfalls one needs to avoid when building towards something as significant as the world cup. It makes one wonder if it was a factor in the way the team performed in the crunch time as well. Perhaps it was this kind of lack of seriousness to take into stride the adverse conditions and opposition and make a more restrained effort to play out the obstacles. It was not so much the pitch as some of the shot selections that suggest that a greater emphasis much be laid on staying at the crease, something Tendulkar did yet again. That required little genius. What it needed was ingenuity.

Victory can overshadow all flaws. But if that be the case yet again after this win, India are not likely to reach for the stars or go very far. This, without being too critical of the team, is a realistic yet grim reflection. One had only to see one part of the Indian batting to quickly assess that the team lacks stability. When players are unsure of the role they are playing and are constantly having to negotiate their way through changing fortunes, it is hard to imagine a peaceful, rested mind taking his position at the crease.

Another thing that has becoming somewhat of a stigma on the team is the association of the coach with the Australian way of preparation. While there is no harm emulating the success pattern of another, copying rarely solves the problem. The quicker the think tank come out of the Australian mode of thinking, the better they can focus on the needs of this team.

The subject of rotation, rest and experimentation have been thrown in in fair measure. But there is a need for background research and a healthy perspective in implementing ideas that may be better suited for a game plan in phases. To point out that Australia have lost a game or two, even against West Indies, in a bid to experiment and boost their bench strength is thinking in folly.

Australia have far many more victories than defeats in doing what they do because they have built on a commanding set of key personnel and then, essentially encouraged the competition with equally reliable men on the bench. India cannot afford to experiment like them. The team is not at that phase, not yet. There is first a need to establish the members firmly in this team. At the moment, there are too many youngsters unsure of their place in the next match. That will cost the team dear. They need guidance, a face lift, not an overhaul.

India, it appears, are looking for short cuts to success. While they may work on the odd occasion, they are hardly the road to consistent success. Manpower management has never been the need of the hour as it is now. Definition of role is conspicuously absent and flexibility non-existent without previous definition. That is a factor almost entirely lost on the team management at the moment. Even winning the world cup will not convince fans that the Indian team have learnt the lessons of long term sustenance.

This is a talented team in need of recognition, confidence and assurance. But above all, what they need is a specific role that each must provide. It is appalling to hear the coach nonchalantly express in a roundabout way that batsmen and bowlers are virtually swapping roles to find the perfect team combination. What is the need to swap roles? Would not India win more easily if each did what they were good at and on the side, try on an added skill or two along the way? Would it not make India’s approach to winning more facile? What is baffling is what seems obvious to spectators is largely lost on the team management! It is almost a case of – who will bell the cat?

Do not let this victory, admirable as it may be in the comeback shown, fool anyone. Would any cricket fan rather watch Irfan Pathan play as a pure batsman while his breathtaking bowling and his confidence in that department are virtually wiped off India’s game plan? How many times would India like to see Tendulkar bat alone? How many times would an Indian fan want Harbhajan Singh to bail us out, with bat and ball?

The match may have left the Malaysia tri series at a fascinating juncture, with Australia and India set to slug it out as West Indies put their feet up and smirk for being labelled ‘the dark horse’, but India have much to work on on the road to being genuine contenders to the throne!

http://sreelata.sulekha.com/blog/post/2006/09/a-race-against-time-and-unexpected-competition.htm