Mary Kom gets Khel Ratna; Sarita Arjuna

New Delhi, July 29: For the first time since the inception of the Rajiv Khel Ratna Award in 1991, three sportspersons -- four-time world boxing champion Mangte Chungneijang Marykom, Olympic bronze medallists boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Sushil Kumar -- will receive the country`s highest sporting honour.

Mary will be the second sporstperson from the state to receive the prestigious award after weightlifter Nameirakpam Kunjarani.

The only other time more than one sportsperson was bestowed the award was in 2002-03 when shooter Anjali Vedpathak and athlete K.M. Beenamol shared it.

Meanwhile, chief minister of Manipur, O Ibobi Singh and his SPF government expressed happiness over the selection of Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Laishram Sarita for the Arjuna Award.

The chief minister said that four-time world boxing champion May Kom and international player Sarita were really rare and talented players. He expressed his pride at getting the most prestigious sports award by the players of the state and also asked the young players to concentrate and become good players while assuring that sports would surely bring peace to the state.

N Biren Singh, state minister for youth affairs and sports also expressed his happiness over the awards to be given to the players of the state and felt proud of such achievements by the state’s boxing players.

The sports ministry also announced the list of 15 Arjuna Award winners Wednesday.
India`s opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, world No.6 badminton player Saina Nehwal and trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, who equalled the world record, are among those selected for the Arjuna Award.

The selection committee headed by former table tennis player Indu Puri also selected Olympic medallist Sushil`s coach Satpal and former All England Badminton champion and Saina`s coach Pullela Gopichand for the Dronacharya Award.

The prize money for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awards have been increased.

Khel Ratna prize money has been hiked from Rs.500,000 to Rs.750,000 while Arjuna, Dronacharya and Dhyanchand Awards prize money has been increased from Rs.300,000 to Rs.500,000.

List of awardees:
Rajiv Khel Ratna: M.C. Marykom (boxer), Vijender Kumar (boxer) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling)
Arjuna Award: Mangal Singh Champia (archery), Sinimol Paulose (athletics), Saina Nehwal (badminton), L. Sarita Devi (boxing), Tania Sachdeva (chess), Gautam Gambhir (cricket), Ignatius Tirkey (hockey), Surinder Kaur (hockey), Pankaj Shirsat (kabaddi), Satish Joshi (rowing), Ranjan Sodhi (shooting), Poulami Ghatak (table tennis), Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestling), G.L. Yadav (yachting), Parul Parmar (badminton disabled) .

Dronacharya Award: Baldev Singh (hockey), Jaidev Bisht (boxing), Satpal (wrestling) and Pullela Gopichand (badminton) .

Dhyanchand Award: Ishar Singh Deol (athletics), Satbir Singh Dahya (wrestling).

Controversy over formation of 'Hockey Manipur'

Manipur Olympic Association (MOA) on the one hand and Manipur Hockey Association (MHA) and Manipur Women’s Hockey Association (MWHA) on the other are at loggerheads over the formation of 'Hockey Manipur' to run the game in the state.

Manipur Hockey Association (MHA), along with Manipur Women’s Hockey Association (MWHA) had constituted an interim unified body — Hockey Manipur — in a joint meeting on June 28 with MWHA president N Momon Devi as president and Th Manihar Singh as secretary general.

However, the Manipur Olympic Association on June 29 formed another ad hoc committee called Hockey Manipur, with MOA vice-president BC Singh as chairman and Olympian Ksh. Thoiba Singh as convenor.

The MOA in a statement said an Indian Olympic Association instruction on June 1 had necessitated the move. The Manipur Hockey Association and Manipur Women’s Hockey Association's membership to MOA was also suspended.

Hemjit finishes fifth in Asian Youth Games

Yumnam Hemjit Meitei was the only Manipuri in the Indian team in the inaugural Asian Youth Games (June 29-July 7) in Singapore.

He finished fifth in the 3 metre springboard diving final held on June 30 with 397.70 points. Wu Dongliang of China was first with 626.60 points, Alharbi Rashed of Kuwait second with 474.95, Cho Sung In of South Korea third with 474.05 and Ali Ospan of Kazakhstan fourth with 417.80 points.

Hemjit stood fourth in the preliminary rounds.

Hero's welcome accorded to Suranjoy

Imphal, June 19: Asian Boxing Championship gold medallist Mayengbam Suranjoy Singh was accorded a warm welcome by the people of Manipur on his arrival at Imphal today.

Suranjoy, who clinched the flyweight category (51 kg) gold medal at the Asian championship held at China's Zhuhai from June 7 till 13, arrived at Tulihal Airport at around 9.15 am from where he was accompanied by a large number of enthusiastic supporters to SAI SAG Centre, Khuman Lampak Sports Complex.

At the felicitation programme hosted by SAI NERC, Imphal and attended by many SAI officials and sportspersons, Mayang Imphal Assembly Constituency MLA Dr Kh Ratankumar, who is also the chairman of MANIDCO, formally handed over a cash reward of Rs 50,000 in recognition of the 22 year old's accomplishment at the international arena.

Later in the day, Suranjoy also attended another reception programme jointly organised by Mayang Imphal Khuman Youth Association and All Uchiwa Development Association at Uchiwa Pakhangba Lampak.

A native of Mayang Imphal, Suranjoy ended India's 15 year gold medal drought at the Asian Championship with the triumph at the recently concluded Zhuhai championship.

Suranjoy's career collection, so far, include eight gold, one silver and same number of bronze medals at the National level competition while at the international level his haul has gone up to four yellow metal, five silver and two bronze medals.

Source: The Sangai Express

Another Story:
Imphal, June 19: His gold medal glittering in the sun and tears streaming down his face, Manipur’s very own Mike Tyson returned home today to a tumultuous welcome.
Boxer Mayengbam Suranjoy Singh has not only brought a gold medal — which he won at the Asian Boxing Championship held at Zhuhai in China — but also hope and joy for the state which has been wreaked by violence in recent times.

Suranjoy defeated Chinese boxer Li Chao 9-8 in the final of the 51kg bout at the boxing meet held from June 7-13.

It was truly a champion’s welcome as hundreds of fans, well-wishers and family members garlanded Suranjoy with tears of joy at Tulihal airport here this morning. Amid the jostling, Suranjoy said, “This is just the beginning and I hope to repeat and better myself in future competitions.”

“This is an Asian ring but I hope to do better in the world championships and Olympics,” he added. The pugilist credited his success to his coach N. Ibomcha Singh, who had guided and nurtured him.

Suranjoy, a native of Uchiwa Leirak Achouba in Mayang Imphal, is a chief petty officer in the Indian Navy in Mumbai.

The crowd that was eagerly waiting at the airport went berserk as Suranjoy was heaved onto an enthusiastic fan’s shoulders.

Among those present at the airport were Mayang Imphal Congress legislator Kh. Ratankumar Singh along with erstwhile coach N. Ibomcha Singh and another boxing champion, Dingko Singh.

The boxer was later driven in an open jeep through the streets of Imphal. He also visited the Special Area Games complex at Khuman Lampak to express gratitude to his mentors and friends. Ratankumar presented him a cheque for Rs 50,000.

Suranjoy’s proud father, M. Inakhunba Singh, was speechless with delight. The state government will felicitate Suranjoy along with silver medallist Th. Nanao Singh, at the Khuman Lampak main stadium tomorrow morning.

Source: The Telegraph

Upbeat boxers eye Commonwealth glory

On a high after its best ever performance at the Asian Boxing Championships in 27 years, Indian boxers expressed a lot of confidence.

Talking to the media after his arrival with the rest of the team in New Delhi on Tuesday, Suranjoy Singh, the sole gold medallist at the Zhuhai meet, said, "I will win gold at the Commonwealth Games."

India won one gold, two silver and four bronze medals at the meet, finishing third behind China and Uzbekistan.

Chief coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu was visibly upbeat. "Boxers who had been written off have made excellent comebacks," he said, "The youngsters have also made a mark."

On whether the contingent should be expected to bag gold at the Commonwealth Games, he said, "100 per cent."

Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Kumar was also optimistic about India's future prospects.

"We have a number of juniors like Balwinder (Beniwal), Nanao (Singh) and Suranjoy who will definitely brighten our chances of winning more medals in future," he said.

On being asked if the gold medal was expected, Suranjoy said, "Yes, I was hoping to win after bagging gold in a previous competition in the Czech Republic."

"I have to now prepare and work even harder for the forthcoming World Championships and Commonwealth Games," Suranjoy added.

He admitted that his short stature was a bit of a problem but said it wasn't a big factor.
Suranjoy's gold is India's first since 1994, when Rajkumar Sangwan had triumphed in Tehran.
"Suranjoy is very aggressive and strong-willed," remarked Sandhu.

"He was confident of and committed to winning the gold medal. He has snatched the medal from the Chinese."

Sandhu also expressed satisfaction at the team's overall showing. "It was a morale-building performance.

In fact, Vijender was also expected to win gold, but had a bit of bad luck, losing to a boxer from the host nation. The crowd's raucous cheering put him off a little."

Although he had to settle for bronze at Zhuhai, Vijender didn't sound overly disappointed. "Beating the world champion (Uzbek Atoev Abbos) in such an important tournament was extremely gratifying," he said.

Sandhu thanked the support staff for the contingent's improved display. "The entire team's coordinated efforts, in addition to the support from the sports ministry under Mr MS Gill, are bearing fruits."

Source: www.espnstar.com

Suranjoy comes of age

New Delhi, June 16: With three gold medals in three international meets this year, Suranjoy Singh is tipped to be the next big thing in Indian boxing. This, though, comes a few years after the Indian Boxing Federation’s selection committee had told him that he was not good enough.
The 22-year-old Manipuri boxer’s story seems to be the quintessential prodigy-showing-early-promise-before-losing-his-way one. But for once, it doesn’t end there.

A bronze medallist at the world junior championship in 2004, Suranjoy didn’t have a smooth transition from the junior to the senior level. Struggling to cope with the increasing demands of the sport, he failed to meet the expectations. A first-round loss at the 2007 national championship in the Capital, and he was off the selectors’ radar.

“I became so miserable when I was told that I was not good enough. That was very hard to deal with,” says Suranjoy, back from the Asian Boxing Championship in Zuhai, China. “Basically, I was finding it hard to compete at that level all of a sudden.”

Concurs national coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu: “He had tremendous potential but lost his focus when he graduated to the senior level. Slowly, he was no longer being considered for national camps and Indian contingents participating in tournaments abroad. The committee, in fact, told him not to waste his time as well as theirs.

“Sometime last year, he came to me and asked for a second chance. He promised he wouldn’t let me down, and I am glad to say he hasn’t.”

Source: Indian Express

Suranjoy Singh

Football's loss is boxing's gain

New Delhi, June 16: Suranjoy Singh could have gone the Rennedy Singh way but football's loss turned out to be boxing's gain as the Manipuri pugilist went on to end India's 15-year wait for a gold medal at the Asian Championships.

The 22-year-old wanted to make it big as a footballer like his famous state-mate but his elder brother Suranjit - a former boxer himself - motivated him to take up boxing after a frustrating wait to make it to national level football.

The transition, however, was not easy as it was initially unacceptable to his family."I was into football and seriously thought of a career in it because the game is huge in Manipur but not getting a national break frustrated me," Suranjoy told PTI.

"My brother introduced me to boxing at that point and it was he who made me realise that success in an individual sport would fetch me a lot more recognition and satisfaction. After giving it a thought, I realised that he was right because I would have been probably lost in a team sport like football," the diminutive fly weight (51kg) boxer added.

The Navy man said once he made up his mind to take up boxing, he found it hard to convince his parents.

Source: Press Trust of India

Asian Boxing Championships

Suranjoy ends India's 15-year gold drought in Asian boxing

Zhuhai (China), June 13: Manipur's Suranjoy Singh gave India its first Asian Championship gold in 15 years while Thokchom Nanao Singh and Jai Bhagwan settled for silver medals as the country's boxers rounded off a 27-year-best performance in the elite event here today.

India ended their campaign with a gold, two silver and four bronze medals, which went to Jitender Kumar (54kg) Vijender Singh (75kg), Dinesh Kumar (81kg) and Paramjit Samota (+91kg). The team was placed third in the overall standings behind hosts China and Uzbekistan.

The performance this time is a marked improvement from 1982 championships held in Seoul where the country's boxers notched up two gold, an equal number of silver and a bronze medal.

The last gold medal for India in the Asian Championship came in the 1994 edition in Tehran where Rajkumar Sangwan finished on top in the super heavy weight category.

And today, it was a fly weight (51kg) boxer who broke the 15-year jinx. Suranjoy, a junior World Championship bronze medallist in 2004, beat Li Chao of China 9-8 in a thrilling encounter.

"It was certainly not one of my best performances because my opponent came very close to upstaging me but I am thrilled to win India's first gold medal here in 15 years," an elated Suranjoy said.

Another Manipuri, Nanao (48 kgs) settled for a silver losing 8-9 in a cliffhanger finaL to Pongprayoon Keaw of Thailand.

Nanao was leading after winning the first round 3-2 and was tied 6-6 at the end of the second round. He was leading 8-7 in the third round with less than ninety seconds from the finish but the Thai boxer came back strong to win 9-8.

Cricket in Arunachal

Fund crunch hits cricket
Itanagar, Jan 1: Cricket in Arunachal Pradesh faces an uphill task, always walking a tightrope on matters of finance.
Established in 1997, the 12-year-long wait was over for the association with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) giving it affiliation recently, but the celebrations that followed were shortlived.
The cash-strapped cricket association that has none other than PWD minister Nabam Tuki as its president, is struggling to acquire funds and get a plot of land to build a stadium of its own.
Lacking even the “bare minimum” infrastructure for cricket in the state, the Arunachal Cricket Association had somehow managed to organise the first edition of the under-17 tournament in 2007 with Rs 5 lakh assistance from chief minister Dorjee Khandu and some donations from well- wishers.
On the basis of organising the tournament held successfully, the BCCI accorded affiliation to the ACA on September 27, 2008.
After getting the BCCI affiliation, however, the Arunachal Cricket Association was unable to raise the necessary funds for the 2nd edition of the under-17 tournament in 2008. The tournament, which was slated for October 15, had to be rescheduled for November 17 onwards because of funds constraint.
According to the association, it had managed to hold the second edition, too, as a low-key affair without any sponsorship where only a few teams participated.
“The tournament was quite a success and it generated a good response, but our anxieties are far from over. We are finding it difficult to find a plot of land to build our own stadium,” Arunachal Cricket Association secretary Tado Kholi said.
“Indira Gandhi Park, the venue of the 2007 tournament, was in a bad shape bearing the brunt of government programmes and cultural shows that were organised there. We had to incur extra expenditure in sprucing up the ground, besides paying the forest department, which maintains the ground, Rs 1,000 per day for holding the tournament. Somehow, we organised the tournament with a budget of Rs 4 lakh,” Kholi said.
“But this year, even after fixing the schedule for the tournament, we were still groping in the dark because of lack of funds,” Kholi said.
Though talks are on to find a plot of land in Jully or Doimukh area, unless the formalities are cleared nothing can be said, he added.
The association’s secretary said even after knocking on the door of sports minister Atum Welly for allotment of land for a cricket ground, he only got a verbal assurance.
Source: The Telegraph

Snippets

Oil India storm into I-Day Cup final
Nagaon, Jan 1: Oil India Football Club, Duliajan entered the final of 60th Independence Day Cup football tournament defeating Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) Sports Club, Guwahati 4-0 in the second semi-final match at Nowgong Sports Association’s Nurul Amin Stadium here today.
Oil India maintained their good run in the tournament with another impressive show today, outplaying the fancied ASEB to earn a comprehensive victory.
Striker Bhupen Gogoi scored the first two goals in the 29th and 44th minutes of the game, while midfielder Stephen Njoh scored the third goal in the 58th minute.
Manas M. Chetia scored the last goal for Oil India during injury time.
Oil India will now meet last year’s runners-up BSF, Jalandhar in the final on Saturday.

Imphal West triumph
Imphal: Imphal West District Football Association claimed the title of the 11th Inter District Women's Football tournament with a come-from-behind 2-1 win and making it 7-1 aggregate victory in the double-leg competition at Khuman Lampak main Stadium on Wednesday.
Even though the Imphal East eves side surged ahead on Ng Bala's seventh minute score the arch rivals equalised through Th Tababi in the 33rd as O Bembem converted a penalty in the 56th minute to ensure the title win.

Junior National Football at Bhillai

Results of Group A QF league matches on Jan 2: Manipur beat Meghalaya 2-0; Punjab drew Gujarat 0-0
Results of Group B QF league matches on Jan 1: Jharkhand beat Chandigarh 2-0; Delhi beat Uttar Pradesh 2-1
Results of Group A QF league matches on Dec 31: Meghalaya beat Punjab 1-0; Manipur beat Gujarat 5-0
Results of matches on Dec 30: Cluster III: Bengal 3 Tamilnadu 0; Cluster VII: Delhi 4 Madhya Pradesh 0