Jayaram loses in first round
Changzhou (China): After a splendid performance at the inaugural Indian Badminton league (IBl), Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram today suffered a shock defeat against lower-ranked Chinese Yuekun Chen in the opening round of the China Masters here. The world number 24 Indian, who had beaten the likes of world number 13 Wing ki Wong in Guangzhou, before defeating world no 5 Tien Minh Nguyen twice and world number 9 Jan o Jorgensen in the IBl, could not recreate the magic at the Olympic Sports Center Xincheng Gymnasium here. The Mumbai-based shuttler, who had played for champions Hyderabad Hotshotsl, lost 14-21 21-23 to world number 30 Chen in a 36-minute men's singles here.
`1000 cr for J&K sports facilities
Srinagar: Centre has approved a special package of Rs 1000 crore to strengthen sports infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, Minister for youth Services and Sports Taj Mohiuddin has said. "Under this package, a sports complex comprising both indoor and outdoor facilities would be constructed in every block of the State, besides a sports field would be constructed in every panchayat," the minister said at a meeting convened to review the functioning of department of Youth Services and Sports here on Wednesday. The Minister said work has already started on some ambitious projects in the State.
WADA to monitor Caffeine
Mumbai: Effects of caffeine, part of everyone's morning cup of tea or coffee, has got into the new list of substances that would be monitored by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) in order to detect patterns of misuse in sport. Also in the list of substances, which are not on WADA's Prohibited list but which it wishes to monitor in future, is nicotine, inhaled by smokers of cigarettes. "Stimulants bupropion, caffeine, nicotine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pipradrol, pseudoephedrine (< 150 micrograms per millilitre), synephrine, and narcotics hydrocodone, mitragynine, morphine/codeine ratio, tapentadol and tramadol have all been added to the 2014 Monitoring Programme for possible in-competition abuse," WADA said in a media statement after its Executive Committee meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday.
‘JC will tell where we stand’
New Delhi: Out of action for the past three months, Indian hockey colts will finally get to play at competitive level in the upcoming Sultan of Johor Cup, and chief coach Gregg Clark said it will give him an accurate idea about his wards ahead of the Junior World Cup. The Junior World Cup is to be held here in December. But Clark said the six-nation tournament in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, featuring top teams like Korea, Pakistan, England and Argentina besides India, will provide an "indication" of his wards' progress ahead of the all-important Junior World Cup to be held here from December 6-15. "It's nice to be finally going for a tournament. We have been in training camp for a couple of months now. I am happy with the way things have gone in the camp. But obviously at this point of time we would like to have more competitive matches as part of our preparation (for Junior World Cup). It will give us an accurate indication of where we are from the performance level," he told reporters at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium here.
‘Recover money from AFI’
New Delhi: A livid Sports Ministry on Thursday asked SAI to recover the money spent on the athletes' airfare from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for the embarrassment caused to the country after 17 over-aged sportspersons were barred from the Nanjing Asian Youth Games. The Ministry acted swiftly on the report submitted by the Sports Authority of India Director General Jiji Thomson, who has squarely blamed the AFI for the shocking incident. "We have told SAI that the amount must be recovered from the AFI. If they fail to return us the amount, we will not grant them any further advances in future," Sports Secretary P K Deb said.
2 boxers in Jr World C'ship qf
New Delhi: Indian boxers Aditya Maan (66kg) and Ashish (63kg) made their way into the quarterfinals of the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships with contrasting wins in the last-16 stage of the event in Kiev, Ukraine. But it was disappointment for 2013 Junior Asian Championship bronze-medallist Vishnu Dayanand Chayal (57kg) -- the third Indian to have made a place in the pre-quarters of the championship -- as he ended up on the losing side.
Olympic fight to go on: Jahangir
Karachi: legendary Pakistan squash player Jahangir Khan vowed today to keep fighting for a place for his sport in the Olympics despite the failed bid to join the 2020 Tokyo Games. The International Olympic Committee voted day to put wrestling back on the roster. PNS/Agencies