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Committee set up on Commonwealth Games

     New Delhi: India on Sunday announced a committee, for overseeing the preparations for the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi in 2010. The move comes as breather for India's Olympic Association (IOA), which had been consistently demanding for the early formation of the committee to act as a nodal agency between the IOA and the government. The announcement of the committee comes ahead of next week's visit by Mike Fennel, president of the Commonwealth Games. The original deadline for forming the organising committee was December 31, 2003. "All the work in some areas have already been started and are focused. I am sure that the date set for the games will be kept. The country will demonstrate that it not only has the capacity to organise the games but set up an example of it," Union Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh, told a news conference here. In a major boost for sports in the world's second most populous nation, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had last year opted for New Delhi by an overwhelming 46-22 margin over its only rival, the Canadian City of Hamilton, making India the only the second Asian host in the Games' 80-year history.

     The 2010 Commonwealth Games will be India's first big international sports event since the 1982 Asian Games. New Delhi hosted the inaugural Asian Games in 1951 and again in 1982 but lost its bid for 2006 to Doha, the capital of the tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar, gaining just one vote in addition to its own. Millions of dollars are being spent upgrading the city's overloaded infrastructure. The event will also draw tens of thousands of tourists, competitors, officials and journalists, giving a major boost to the economy. New Delhi had failed in its bid to host the 1994 edition, which went to Victoria, Canada but had argued this time that the Games should be taken out of Britain, Australia and Canada which have hosted most of them since they were launched in 1930.

PCB members inspect match venue Kanpur (Go To Top)

     Kanpur: A two-member Pakistani delegation arrived here on Sunday to assess security at the match venue ahead of the test series with India. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official Zakir Khan and Sohail Khan, a security expert, on a five-day tour would submit their report about the safety of the players to the PCB. Zakir Khan, General Manager of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said, that the board ould soon take a decision on their report. "We have inspected and had discussions with the concerned officials here. We can comment after complete inspection. Right now there is nothing much to say. We also have to submit reports to PCB," said Khan. The Pakistan squad is scheduled to arrive on February 25 to play three tests and five one-day internationals. The cricket stadium here slated to host Pakistan, is in shambles but authorities claim they will put it in shape before the much- awaited series begins late next month. Most the stadium's student's gallery, public gallery and boundary wall are severely damaged and even the fencing dividing the playing field from the stands has collapsed. Senior state cricket board officials have rushed to the site and assured action but with less than a month remaining before the series begins, the task is mammoth. "We are aware and I assure you that we will get the stadium in shape soon. The gallery, which has gone old and is damaged will be repaired soon," said IM Rohtagi, a senior member of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association.

Safin wins second grand slam title (Go To Top)

     Melbourne: Russia's Marat Safin on Sunday won the Australian Open by defeating Lleyton Hewitt in the final at Melbourne. Safin beat Hewitt in four sets 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-4. On his way to a second grand slam title, the 25-year-old Safin had beaten world No 1 Roger Federer in the semi-finals. Earlier, in 2000, Safin had won the US Open.