Chitfund scam hits IFA Shield tourney
Kolkata: The financial crisis in the aftermath of the chitfund scam in West Bengal has hit the 118-year-old IFA Shield hard, with the tournament still looking for sponsors as it will get underway with eight teams from January 29-February 11. One of the oldest football tournaments of the world, the Shield is sandwiched between the ongoing Federation Cup and the final leg of the I-League as many top clubs of the country will be missing from action. The eight teams include five I-League clubs – the ‘big four’ from Kolkata along with Shillong Lajong from the North East. The tournament will also have three foreign teams – Singapore League side Geylang International, second division Korean club Busang Kion Tong and Bangladeshi side Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club. Group I: East Bengal, United SC, Geylang International FC, and Busang Kion Tong. Group II: Mohun Bagan, Mohammadan Sporting, Shillong Lajong FC, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club. (PTI)
I don’t hanker after awards: Milkha
New Delhi: Legendary athlete Milkha Singh says he does not hanker after awards and is happy with the Padma Shri he received from the government back in 1958 after winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal. “I don’t hanker after awards. Everybody knows Milkha deserves more than a Padma Shri, but it is for others, including the federation, to nominate me to the government for higher awards,” Milkha told PTI on the sidelines of a programme here. “I am happy with the Padma Shri. What difference does it make to me if I am now given a higher Padma Award? The people of India knows my achievements. I did not want to run around for a Padma Bhushan or Vibhushan,” he said when asked about demands for Padma Awards by sportspersons. A higher category of Padma Award can be conferred on a person only when a period of at least five years has elapsed since conferment of the earlier award. However, in highly deserving cases, a relaxation can be made by the Awards Committee. (PTI)
India face Australia test in HWL today
New Delhi: The morale-boosting draw against Olympic champions Germany has done a world of good to their confidence as hosts India face a Herculean task when they square off with World Champions Australia in the quarterfinals of the Hockey World League Final, here on Wednesday. After back-to-back defeats against higher-ranked England and New Zealand in their opening two Pool A games, a struggling India gave the home fans something to cheer about and dished out a spirited performance to hold world number one Germany to a 3-3 draw at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Monday. If India’s opening two outings were horrible in terms of performance, they came up with much-improved performance in their last pool match to hold the mighty Germans. Unlike their previous two games, the Indians looked far more organised and co-ordinated in both attack and defence against Germany. One of the pre-tournament favourites, Australia will be a tough nut to crack for past masters India, who are struggling to get their footing back in world hockey. (PTI)
Disqualification a worry in Winter Oly
New Delhi: Already deprived of the privilege of playing under the national flag in next month’s Winter Olympics, two of the three Indians athletes participating in the Sochi Games are now worried about facing disqualification for lack of equipment. Alpine skier Himanshu Thakur and cross country competitor Nadeem Iqbal will have to buy new sports kits for the February 7-23 Sochi Winter Games or face disqualification if the Sports Ministry does not release the necessary funds. “I have to buy the whole sports kits as the ones I am using now will not be accepted in Sochi. I am fearing that I may be thrown out at the starting line,” Himanshu told PTI from Shemshak in Iran, where he is participating in a preparatory event. “The whole sports kit will cost at least Rs 6 lakh at the minimum. It can be more according to quality. I don’t have the money to buy the equipments. Whatever the money I had, I had spent on participating in events outside India to get qualified for the Games,” he said. (PTI)