Carl Froch to fight Denis Inkin in WBC title eliminator

Posted on January 27, 2012 by admin

In Carl Froch, Britain have a really huge and promising hope to stamp its authority on the sport of boxing. While football and cricket make up the bulk of the sporting culture in Britain, boxing is often relegated to the sidelines to be practiced by a chosen few. But that could change to a considerable degree should Froch beat Russia’s Denis Inkin and gain the right to battle it out for the prestigious WBC title. Although the fight is yet to be given a date and a venue, the anticipation and hype are already multiplying. Froch is 30 years of age and is unbeaten in 22 fights and the WBC has made the statement that should he beat the 29-year old Inkin, who is himself unbeaten in 31 professional encounters, then the boxer from Notthingham would qualify to fight 35-year old Joe Calzaghe for the WBC title. Froch is certainly the favourite to win the fight against Inkin. The duo confronted each other in an amateur tie in 1999. Although things have much changed in the last 8 or so years, Froch’s recent run of confidence and public support should see him through against Inkin this time around too. Carl Froch says: I’d like to think Joe Calzaghe will be there when I get past Inkin. I want to keep that dream alive. I’m one fight away from the ultimate aim and the biggest prize in boxing, the WBC title. Inkin is a decent fighter who is cool and skilful. I boxed him as an amateur in 1999 when he beat me on points but I put him down in the last round with an uppercut that really hurt him. This will be revenge. Image Source: Monokli

IOC strips Jones off her Olympics laurels

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

The unbeatable five Olympic medals of sprinter Marion Jones during the Sydney 2000 Games were snatched from her by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after admitting she was a drug cheat. All her hard work and pains were put to waste after IOC ruled out that she has no right to claim her winnings after being found doping before her game in Sydney Olympics. Prior to the scandal, Jones was considered as a superstar in track and field after receiving three gold and two bronze medals in Australia. It was an achievement that no other female sprinter ever achieved in history. As a consequence of her disgraced drug cheat, IOC president Jacques Rogge banned Jones to be part of the Beijing Olympics and possibly barring her from the succeeding Olympic Games. Simply put, it is the end of her career as an athlete. But this has not yet been made official. Her admission disqualified her from her winnings and the results were scrapped. Even her American team mates were in hot water whether they will be part of the disqualification and the second placer Katerina Thanou be given the gold medal considering she too has allegations of doping. Jones bested gold medals in the track of 100m, 200m and 4x400m relays in Sydney. Her bronze medals came from her long jump competition and 4x100m relay. Aside from snatching her Sydney triumphs, she was also disqualified in 2004 Athens Olympics record finishing fifth in the finals’ long jump competition. Jones already returned her medals to the IOC.

Baseball players using steroids soon to be identified

Posted on January 25, 2012 by admin

Around 50 players or more who are currently playing and those who have retired in the Major League Baseball (MLB) will be part of the list involved in the illegal use of steroids or wonder drugs that boost performance of the players. This was according to the recent report published by the New York Times. The investigation on this issue was led by George Mitchell, who is planning to submit his findings for more than a year to a news conference. Steroids are the so-called enhancing drugs that heighten the adrenalin rush of the players while in play. These are not permitted to be in use since they are unnatural enhancers causing a feeling of highness or euphoria in players. MLB officials met Mitchell in his law firm DLA Piper where the former were given report copies prior to the making of the investigation be public. Based on reports, pieces of evidence gathered by Mtchell were in the form of phone records, checks, and shipment transaction of the prohibited drugs. Mitchell’s report is a crucial finding since there were attempts to deny allegations that baseball players were not using steroids and all other investigations in the past where treated as mere ‘hearsays’ and no basis. Reluctance among players to talk was a big factor to identify the issues’ whereabouts. But Mitchell was able to get accounts of the managers, former players, coaches and attendants about what they know on the issues as evidence of steroid use. There were already names surfacing but their identities and their involvement have yet to be confirmed

2060: The year when no new sports record shall be set

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…..the countdown has begun for 2060 when scientists in France say no more sports record will be created or broken. If experts at France’s biomedical and epidemiological institute of sport, Irmes, are to be believed, then the world would have reach its physiological capacity just over 50 years from now. According to Irmes, athletes have been consistently using their increasingly exploring their capabilities over time. Way back in 1896, when the world’s first modern Olympics were held, athletes were using 75% of their physical capacity but after more than a century, they are employing 99% of it. The researches at Irmes, which has connections with the French sports ministry, say that by 2060 athletes will be using the entire 100% of their physiological capacity and that would imply no more records being set or old records being broken. That will be the end wall for all sporting records. Head of Irmes, Jean-Francois (cedilla) Toussaint, says: It’s the beginning of the end. We are reaching the limit in terms of physiological capacities of the human race. One can observe phases rich in records at the start of the century, and in the 20s and 50s to 60s, and two sluggish periods corresponding to the two World Wars. But since the 1970s, the graphs show an inexorable decline in the number of records beaten. Mr Toussaint further said: It is improbable that a man on two feet will one day run the 100 metres in nine seconds. The world seems to be reaching the climax in one particular aspect. Sport is the biggest turn on in he world and it appears that by 2060 much of the charm of sport will be lost. Image Source: Hone Watson Source: the Telegraph

Manchester United Hammer(ed) late!

Posted on January 23, 2012 by admin

West Ham left it late to inflict a surprising 2-1 defeat on Manchester United. Title holders and league leaders Manchester United headed into Saturday’s fixture at Upton Park full of confidence. They were in for a rude shock as a late charge by the Hammers handed them a defeat. United started brightly enough and the opener was scored by Ronaldo in 14th minute itself. He headed home a Ryan Giggs cross. Thereafter, however, the inform midfielder was guilty of missing a penalty in the 2nd half, after a handball by Jonathon Spector. Curbishly’s men pushed for an equalizer and they came close on 36th minute when Kuszczak denied Nolberto Solano. Carton Cole also came close but his header went just over top of United’s bar. At the troke of halftime, Ronaldo was put through for a wonderful opportunity. He dragged his shot wide to leave score at 1-0 in favor of United. In the second half too it was the home time that made all the moves and they were justly rewarded in the 77th minute. Noble’s corner found Anton Ferdinand in open and he poked his shot into the net. United tried to push for a win and sacrificed Hargreaves for Nani. It was this tactical blunder that perhaps cost them the match. Another Noble set-piece found Matthew Upson who gleefully headed the ball into the back of the goal. With this result West Ham earned their third successive win over the Red Devils. Also, Anton Ferdinand got one over his elder brother and United stalwart Rio. The Londoners have also added a twist to the title race at the very last of 2007. With Arsenal result still awaited, it is not clear who’ll head the table as action moves to a new year. One thing’s for sure though, there might be some surprises before this title is won! Via

Pereira, Nystrand add 2 more swim world records at Arena World Cup

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

Arena World Cup in Berlin has become judging ground for world’s top swimmers who are preparing themselves for the Beijing Olympic Games. In the two-day event, Swedish Stefan Nystrand has made two world records. The 26-year-old and a freestyle and breaststroke swimmer, Nystrand has bettered the world record in the men’s 50-meter freestyle by clocking 20.93 seconds, and a day earlier, a world record in the 100-meter freestyle by finishing in 45.83 seconds. He said, It’s my aim to keep on improving, especially with regard to the Olympic Games next year. I would like to capture two gold medals there. Nystrand explained that because loosing few competitions in the past, he drastically changed his lifestyle two years ago, going on a diet and increasing his training programme. In the women’s events, Dutch Marleen Veldhuis set the world record in the women’s 50-meter freestyle by clocking 23.58 seconds, lowering the old record by 0.01 second. South Korean swimmer Park Tae-Hwan does not lag behind from the top swimmers of the world. He also seized two golds over the past two days. The fast swimmer firstly bagged gold medal in in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle swimming and after five minutes he participate in the men’s 200-meter freestyle and finished with 1:42.22 to seal his second gold medal. Speaking about the success of Park, his coach Seok Ki Park said, It’s no problem for Tae Hwan to compete on such a high level in two successive races. We have not decided yet if Tae Hwan is going to compete in the200m freestyle at the Beijing Olympic Games. Our priority are the 400m and 1500 freestyles

Controversies drive Sania out of Indian courts

Posted on January 21, 2012 by admin

It is indeed unfortunate that India is still not the country conducive enough for a rising young sports star. I am talking about our rising tennis sensation Sania Mirza. At a press conference yesterday, the 21-year old announced her decision to opt out of next month’s WTA Bangalore Open. She also said that she has decided not to play in India this year, owing to never ending controversies from religious extremists. Sania said, I am not playing in Bangalore Open. I have been advised by my manager not to play because a lot has been happening in the past few months…Every time I have played in India, there has been some kind of problem. So we just thought it was better not to play this time… It (withdrawing from the Bangalore Open) is not an extreme reaction. The controversies have been going on for a long time. It is not easy to deal with such stuff… Just before the Australian Open last month, she was in a controversy when pictures showed her bare feet resting near the Indian flag. After this the current world no. 29 had even thought of quitting the game for ever. Such continuous rows and protests against her attire, ad campaigns and style sense indeed have dissuaded her to stay focussed in the career and eventually, this has hampered her game. She has always been distracted from tennis on account of these extremist statements challenging her faith and patriotism. Her mixed doubles partner, Mahesh Bhupathi was quoted saying, She has really been pained by all that has happened in the last few months. It is really unfortunate. We want that she should have the right frame of mind when playing in tournaments. It is indeed a shame for people of India, to witness such a terrible and nonsensical religious uprising, every time she steps on the tennis court wearing mini skirt or sleeveless top. When will these people grow up? When will they realize that she is playing for India? People should be concerned about how she plays the game and not about the length of her skirt! I mean I find these extremist opinions even in this generation so ridiculous. The management of such popular sporting events cannot stitch clothes depending on the player’s religion. It is regrettable that the first ever female tennis player from India, who has won numerous accolades for her country on account of her tennis talent, has backed out from playing in India. I doubt, whether this decision will have any sensible impact on the unlimited demands of the ultra-nationalists. Source:

2 year suspension for tennis star Hingis

Posted on January 20, 2012 by admin

Martina Hingis has been banned for 2 years after she was found testing positive for cocaine in a dope test, conducted during the 2007 Wimbledon championship. The Swiss star had appealed against the dope charges, but the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has discarded her appeal. It has declared a ban to be effective from 1 October, 2007. Hingis, who has won WTA singles title 43 times in her entire career, had just revived her game in 2006 after a gap of three years. The tennis superstar had tested positive during the customary urine test performed after she lost to Laura Granville at the third round of the tournament. The five-time Grand Slam winner had previously defended herself persistently by saying that she was 100% innocent. She asserted her innocence by proclaiming that her hair test, which can prove whether a person has consumed cocaine or not), was negative. The 27 year old former world number one not only retired from international sports after the doping revelation, she also had to surrender her ranking points and prize money both from the then ongoing Wimbledon series and any succeeding contests. In the month of November, 2007, her spokesperson Mario Widmer told BBC Sports, She will be fighting this, of course. You can be clear about that. Later, ITF issued a statement that said, Following a two-day hearing in December 2007, an independent anti-doping tribunal found that a sample provided by Ms Hingis on 29 June 2007 at the Wimbledon Championships had tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine…The tribunal rejected the suggestion made on behalf of Ms Hingis that there were doubts about the identity and/or integrity of the sample attributed to her…The tribunal also rejected Ms Hingis’s plea of no (or no significant) fault or negligence, on the basis that no mitigation was possible as it had not been shown how the cocaine entered her system. It is expected that millions of her fans across the globe will be deeply disheartened by the news of her suspension term.

Olympic champion Gatlin’s dope-ban shortened by 4 years

Posted on January 19, 2012 by admin

It is reported that Justin Gatlin’s 8-year-long suspension on charges of doping, has been cut down to only 4 years. The 100m Olympic champ from America was banned in 2006, when he tested positive for testosterone at the low-level relay race held at Kansas in the month of April 2006. He was the winner of 100m title at the Athens Olympic in 2004 and won the world 100m and 200 m titles in 2005. Initially, Gatlin was supposed to be given a lifelong ban! Then he willingly came forward to assist the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (Usada) anti-doping crusade and he was sentenced to 8-year-ban. After the 25-year-old appealed again against the length of suspension last summer, Usada revealed that an arbitration board had voted 2-1 in favor of the 4-year suspension. According to The Washington Post reports, two among the three members of the arbitration panel suggested that they could not give less than a 4-year ban because of the another positive dope-test of Gatlin in 2001. Even after the reduction of his suspension term, the champion racer will not be able to compete again before 24th May, 2010. It is expected that he will be appealing again to further cut down the 4-year term even though this is the minimum sanction as per 2006 recommendations of the worldwide governing body IAAF. Neither Gatlin nor his solicitor has yet made any comment on the recent judgment or whether they will again appeal against this verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). Gatlin has not participated in any competition after he won the 100m race at the 2006 US national championships held in June. Gatlin, who was the strongest contender and the defending champion at Beijing Olympic, confessed that he had tested positive for doping, had claimed that he never consumed those banned compounds deliberately. His mother has told the media that her son is still optimistic about starting to race again in future. She said, There is no doubt about that…We will be talking to his lawyer. I think everybody is blindsided by this decision. When Gatlin tested positive for doping at Kansas in 2006, it was his 2nd drug test in which he failed. He first failed a drug test in the 2001 USA Junior Championships when amphetamines were found in his samples. But then, the reason for this failed test was reportedly caused by a medicine that he had been consuming for almost 10 years to tackle his attention-deficit disorder. As per the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) code, he was supposed to be punished with a lifetime suspension after 2 failed tests. On Tuesday, Usada chief executive officer Travis Tygart said, Mr Gatlin should be commended for his decision to cooperate with authorities following his positive test…However, these efforts do not completely remove his responsibility for his second doping offence…Given his cooperation and the circumstances relating to Mr Gatlin’s first offence, the four-year penalty issued by the arbitration panel is a fair and just outcome. How far Gatlin truly executes his promise to campaign against anti-doping after his 4-year sanction is over, is a contentious issue.

IAAF slaps two-year ban on Marion Jones

Posted on January 19, 2012 by admin

Sprinter Marion Jones has been slapped a two-year ban by the world governing body of athletics, IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation), for doping. She has also been stripped of her Olympic and world championship titles and all her other results have been annulled. All relay teammates of Jones ( from the 2000 Sydney Olympics) have also been disqualified and stripped of their medals. Jones has also been told to return prize money, estimated at $700,000. According to IAAF spokesperson Nick Davies, Jones can compete only after she has paid back the stated amount of prize money. Therefore, though Jones has actually retired, she remains officially suspended till 7 October 2009. She would also have to give a 12 months’ notice to the IAAF if she wanted to compete again following the ban. Jones won the 200 meter world title in 2001 and had claimed the gold medals in the 100 meter, 200 meter and the 1600 meter relay in the Sydney Olympics. She also won the bronze medals in the 400 meter relay and long jump in 2001. Jones had admitted that she had taken the designer steroid ‘the clear’ during the period September 2000 to July 2001. She retired last month after pleading guilty to federal investigators in 2003. She has returned her Olympic medals ( five), and has also agreed to forfeit all her results dating to 1 September 2000. However, IAAF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are yet to take a stand on altering the record books and revising the awarded medals. It is up to the IOC ( which has the authority over Olympic medals) to decide whether Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou would be upgraded to the 100 meter Olympic gold medal. Thanou and Kostas Kenteris (Thanou’s fellow Greek runner) had failed to show up for a drug test in 2004, stating that they had been injured in a motorcycle accident and both pulled out of the Athens Olympics, 2004. Both were later awarded two-year bans. Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC, has stated that only ‘clean’ athletes will be moved up in medal positions. There would be no automatic upgrades, and hence, keeping the 100 meter winner’s spot vacant remains a possibility. source