Batra in Competitions Committee
New Delhi: Hockey India secretary general, Narinder Batra has been appointed as a member of the Competitions Committee of International Hockey Federation (FIH) for a second consective term. The changes to the Committees were approved at the last Executive Board meeting of FIH held in lausanne earlier this month. FIH President leandro Negre thanked all the new members for their dedication towards hockey and also the outgoing committee members for their services. Batra thanked Negre for his appointment and said it’s an honour to be part of the Competitions Committee. “It’s an honour for me to be part of the prestigious FIH Competitions Committee for the second consecutive term and it would be my endeavor to look after the interest of players and give my best efforts to promote the game of hockey at all levels,” he said.
Scuffle breaks out in PCI meeting
New Delhi: A scuffle broke out between the rival factions of the Paralympic Committee of India during its Annual General Meeting (AGM), here on Friday. The AGM was indefinitely postponed after PCI President Sultan Ahmed informed the members that a Bangalore-based court has restrained the body from holding any meeting. Secretary Paralympic Committee of Haryana, Giriraj Singh, and Shivajee Kumar of Bihar unit protested against body’s decision to defer the meeting and created ruckus. A PCI official, who was present at the AGM, said that Giriraj had allegedly brought bouncers who manhandled J P Singh, the head of the UP Paralympic Committee. “He (J P Singh) was beaten up by the bouncers brought by Giriraj. Thankfully, he is not seriously injured,” Nitin Arya, Secretary UP body said.
Smriti shoots 72; Nicollet 78
Agadir (Morocco): Smriti Mehra overcame blustery conditions to shoot a creditable one-over 72 to stay tied 21st at the end of the first round of the lalla Meryem Cup here on Friday. However, things were rather bleak for Sharmila Nicollet, who ballooned to seven-over 78 in the first round at the windy Golf de l’Ocean course. Mehra had three birdies against four bogeys in the first round. Meanwhile, Marianne Skarpnord made a perfect start as she carded a five under par 66.
EB goalie provokes crowd
Kalyani (West Bengal): East Bengal goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh, who let in an easy goal today, made headlines for the wrong reasons as he made obscene gestures to the angry supporters during their 2-2 draw against United SC in an I-league fixture here. Angry fans then clashed, prompting the police to resort to lathicharge. Hundreds of angry supporters blocked the team bus as the team, who was enjoying a 2-0 lead, conceded an easy draw following Gurpreet’s howler. The East Bengal goalkeeper had to bear the brunt of the fans’ wrath as he gave in to his temper showing his middle finger at the crowd. As the situation intensified police had to resort to lathicharge.
Qatar 2022 wc confirmed
Seoul: A senior official for the 2022 Qatar World Cup again downplayed suggestions that the tournament should be moved from the fierce heat of summer for player and fan safety. Hassan al-Thawadi, general secretary of the Qatar 2022 supreme committee, said on Friday, “we always knew about it ... we know there is an issue with the heat.” “It’s not like, people said this as we were like ‘wow, we thought it was snowing in the summer.’
PNS/Agencies