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

Junior National Football

Results of matches on Dec 29 at Bhillai:
Cluster IV: Uttarakhand 4 Pondicherry 0
Cluster VII: Delhi 2 Mizoram 2
Cluster VIII: Uttar Pradesh 4 Bihar 0
Cluster III: Punjab 2 Orissa 0
Cluster IV: Jharkhand 3 Assam 2
Results of matches on Dec 27:
Cluster IV: Assam 3 Uttarakhand 1
Cluster IV: Jharkhand 13 Pondicherry 0
Cluster III: Maharashtra 2 Punjab 2
Cluster VIII: Uttar Pradesh 3 Tripura 0
Results of matches on Dec 26:
Cluster I: Haryana 2 Kerala 0
Cluster VI: Manipur 5 Karnataka 0
Cluster V: Gujarat 3 Himachal Pradesh 0
Results of matches on Dec 25:
Cluster IV: Assam 10 Pondicherry 0
Cluster VIII: Bihar 6 Tripura 1
Cluster III: Orissa 0 Maharashtra 0
Cluster IV: Jharkhand 3 Uttarakhand 0
Results of matches on Dec 24:
Cluster I: Haryana 1 Meghalaya 1
Cluster II: West Bengal 0 Chandigarh 1
Cluster V: Chhattisgarh 1 Gujarat 3
Cluster VI: Goa 0 Manipur 0

Manipur Women's Winners Cup

Manipur cops win BM Singh Trophy
Imphal, Dec 28: Manipur Police Sports Club lifted the 8th Women Winners Cup for B.M. Singh Football Trophy crushing Naharol Yaipha Thourang Club 5-0 in the last league match played at Khuman Lampak Main Stadium here today.
Th. Tababi Devi scored four goals, including a hattrick. This is the record seventh win for Manipur Police women’s team in the prestigious B.M. Singh Football Trophy. Naharol Yaipha Thourang Club had won the cup once.
Manipur Police Sports Club collected 12 points and bagged Rs 2,000 with the trophy while runners-up Naharol Yaipha Thourang Club fetched nine points and won Rs 1,500 today.
The lone presence of international player Ng. Bala Devi in Naharol Yaipha Thourang Club could hardly bring about any change as she was marked all the time and did not get her teammates’ support throughout the game.
Manipur Police Sports Club were all fired up right from the beginning with good support from their medios with striker Th. Tababi Devi scoring four goals. Two of the Police goals were almost gifts from Naharol custodian S. Memtombi Devi.
Th. Tababi Devi drew first blood in the 7th minute after she sent a right-flank cross to the goalmouth where the ball hit Memtombi Devi and rolled into the net. The second goal came in the 12th minute as O. Bembem Devi fired a lofted shot from the middle that was totally misjudged by the Naharol goalkeeoer. The police club was leading 2-0 till the first half.
Naharol Yaipha never had an easy moment in the game as Manipur Police mounted pressure throughout the second half and Th. Tababi Devi had a marauding run, beating defenders to come up with three more goals. She scored in the 45th, 52nd and 69the minute completing her hattrick.
Earlier today, Eastern Sporting Union had a 4-0 victory against United Progressive Sporting Association. Th. Umapati Devi, M. Mandakini Devi, P. Vijeta Devi and A.Romi Devi scored the goals. They finished third with six points.
Kangchup Road Youth Physical and Sporting Association finished fourth with three points and United Progressive Sporting Association finished last without a win from four games.
Source: The Telegraph

AIFF Executive Committee

Ankur Dutta VP; Ranjith, Larsing members
Following is the AIFF Executive Committee members for 2009-2012:
Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi - President
Praful M. Patel (WIFA) - Vice President (West Zone)
A.R. Khaleel (Karnataka) - Vice President (South)
Subarata Dutta (IFA) - Vice President (East)
Venod Sharma (Chandigarh) - Vice President (North)
Ankur Dutta (Assam) - Vice President (North Nast)
Hardev Jadeja (Gujarat) - Treasurer
Joaquim Alemao (Goa; West) - Member Executive Committee
A.R Dev (Madhya Pradesh; West) - Member Executive Committee
K.M.I Mather (Kerala; South) - Member Executive Committee
C.R Visswanathan (Tamilnadu; South) – Member Executive Committee
Inder Singh (Punjab; North) - Member Executive Committee
Sunil Bhardwaj (Haryana; North) - Member Executive Committee
M.A. Alam (Orissa; East) - Member Executive Committee
Tempo Bhutia (Sikkim; East) - Member Executive Committee
L. Ranjith Roy (Manipur; North East) - Member Executive Committee
Larsing M. Sawyan (Meghalaya; North East) - Member Executive Committee`
Rakesh Yadav (Railways ) - Nominated

Dingko's Bangkok Asiad Feat Revisited

I miss running with the tricolour, says Dingko

Chennai: The country has forgotten Dingko Singh, who won India a gold medal in Bangkok Games in 1998. A week after New Year's Day, Dingko will only turned 30 and that probably compounds the romance and the tragedy of the boxer's story - Akhil Kumar, the current braveheart, is 27, and by no means a late bloomer.
A maverick boxer far ahead of his time in terms of technique, it was the Dingko's talent and audacious arrogance in the ring that set him apart from the rest. A technical catalyst, his boxing serves as the reference point for the change in Indian technical approach that was adopted post-Athens 2004, benefits of which are being reaped by the current lot.
"What he did came naturally to him, but all the boxers today are trained to fight like Dingko," said a boxing federation official, adding that there was no better method to adopt to score than Dingko's technique.
"Suddenly, in four years time, we began winning," he adds.
Coaches at SAI centres across the country still turn eloquent over his famed reaction time and speed, but temperamental to the point of disbelief, Dingko probably could not have burned brighter. Injuries began to take a toll and four years ago he made his exit.
As the country prepared for the Athens Olympics, a brief news item said he had lost in the first round of the Hissar Nationals - an event in which he would usually sleepwalk to victory.
Today, a much-mellowed Dingko himself is busy completing a National Institute of Sports (NIS) coach diploma.
"Only he can impart that speed and the locked elbow punch," says a fellow coach, adding, "We can't lose him anymore."
Sent to an orphange in Imphal as a kid since his mother couldn't raise six children, Dingko took to boxing to channelise his anger. Back home in Imphal, he caused scores of girls and boys alike to suddenly throng the Zen-master-like Imbocha Singh's boxing classes at the sprawling Khuman Lampak SAI Centre of Excellence, making it the cradle of the sport before Bhiwani replaced it.
Dingko remains the reason why multi-world champion, Mary Kom still dissolves into giggles at the every mention of her hero's name, like a schoolgirl talking about her favourite movie star. The Manipuri unabashedly admits that it was Dingko's 1998 gold that spurred her to take up boxing.
"I miss running with the tricolour after winning boxing tournaments," says Dingko, adding, "Maybe one day my son Dingson will do it. He's only eight, but seems keen."
There is a pause on the phone line, and then he asks. "Do you know what Dingson means? Son of Dingko," he laughs. Dingko Singh is much-mellowed now but the arrogance remains. Good to know some things don't change.
Source: The Times Of India

Mary Kom Exploits

Manipuri gets 4th consecutive World Championship gold

Ningbo City (China), Nov 29: India's M C Mary Kom (46kg) re-asserted her status as the world's most successful woman boxer clinching an unprecedented fourth successive gold medal but India failed to retain the team crown at the fifth AIBA World Championships here on Saturday.

In a repeat of the previous World Championship final in New Delhi, the 25-year-old out-punched Romania's Steluta Duta 7-1 to grab India's only gold medal at the event.

The other Indian finalist, N Usha (57kg) had to be content with a silver for the second successive time after she lost 1-6 to Chinese Qin Jian.

The defending champions, who were here with a small seven-member contingent, thus finished the tournament with a haul of one gold, a silver and two bronze medals -- through Chhoto Laura (50kg) and L Sarita Devi (52kg), who lost in the semifinals yesterday.

Though she couldn't ensure that the team retained the overall title, Mary Kom was once again the star of the show for India.

The Manipuri boxer remained away from the ring for two years to take care of her twin babies after completing a hat-trick of World Championship golds in New Delhi.

The pint-sized pugilist returned to don the gloves this year at the Asian Championships in September where she failed to retain her gold and settled for a silver.

She claimed the National title earlier this month before leaving for the World Championship to achieve the spectacular feat.

Justice for Monika

Don't disclose B sample result: Delhi HC
Imphal, Dec 4: The Delhi High Court has ruled that the B sample test result of weightlifter L Monika Devi should not be disclosed without the permission of the court.
An order to this effect was passed by Chief Justice AP Shah and Justice S Muralidhar on November 26 cting a petition jointly filed by Monika Devi, Ex-MLA L Ibomcha Singh and retired Medical Director Dr Th Suresh Singh.
The joint petition prayed for the intervention of the High Court in taking up necessary action against the officials responsible for the last minute exclusion of Monika Devi from the Beijing Olympics and for giving compensation by the Union of India for the mental harassment caused to the lifter.
The petition also contended the report of the urine sample of Monika taken during the Olympic trial as invalid.
Jan 7, 2009 has been fixed for the the next hearing.
The Sangai Express

Court issues notice on Monika plea