Chinese lifters set for medals sweep
By Luke Phillips
DOHA: China look set to sweep the medals table in weightlifting at the 15th Asiad in Doha, although there promises to be keen competition from Iranian and other central Asian countries lifters.
One country not taking part, however, is India, whose officials cannot afford to pay a $50,000 fine for positive doping tests on four lifters before and during the Commonwealth Games in Australia earlier this year.
There is also a cloud hanging over sport heavyweights Iran, which had nine weightlifters banned for two years for testing positive on the eve of the world championships.
Asiad organisers can only pray that the spectre of drugs does not raise its ugly head in Qatar and further besmirch a sport that has been rocked by countless doping controversies.
The ban on the Iranians did not affect the country's best known lifter, the 105+ kilogramme double Olympic champion and world record holder Hossein Rezazadeh.
He was one of only two athletes on the 11-strong squad to test negative for excess levels of testosterone.
Rezazadeh, who holds world records in all three disciplines, was the only Iranian weightlifter to travel to the world championships in the Dominican Republic in October.
He successfully defended his world crown there but refused to go for records to avoid burn-out before Doha, where his main rival is likely to be China's Dong Feng, who won overall bronze at the worlds.
When it comes to medal hauls in Qatar, however, it looks to be only one nation with the clout to surpass the rest during the December 2-6 competition: China.
The communist nation dominates women's weightlifting and has also recently shone in the lower weight categories in the men's competition.
In the men's 56kg division, China's junior world record holder Li Zheng will be looking to follow up on his three world gold medals garnered in October.
Similarly, opponents will find it hard to out-lift double world champion Qiu Le in the 62kg class, while 2004 Olympic gold medallist (62kg) Shi Zhiyong will be in the hunt for another glittering haul in the 69kg category.
In the women's competition, recent results suggest China will enjoy most of the success after its five gold medals from the seven weight categories at the recent world championships.
In the 48kg event, Yang Lian stormed away with gold medals and world records from all three categories in her debut appearance, setting a high standard ahead of Doha.
Yang's compatriot Qiu Hongxia also broke world marks at the tournament in the 53kg clean and jerk and overall total, but will face stiff competition from Thailand's Junpim Kantatean and Indonesia's double Olympic silver medallist Raema Lisa Rumbewas.
There was further gold medal success at Santo Domingo in the 58kg class with Qiu Hongmei lifting the winning total, while Quyang Xiaofang took the honours in the 63kg event.
However, Quayang will be under pressure in Doha as Thailand's Olympic champion Pawina Thongsuk returns to action after missing the worlds.
Thongsuk was rested to prepare properly for the Asiad and will be fully focused on securing her first Asian Games gold.
Elsewhere, in the women's heavyweight categories, Cao Lei of China will be a favourite after comfortably outperforming Korea's Kim Soon-Hee and Indonesia's Sinta Darmariani in the 75kg class at the worlds.
The weightlifting competition is split into two disciplines, the snatch and the clean and jerk. Medals are also presented for the combined scores from both events. (AFP)
Journos give thumbs up to Games food
WITH an aim to deliver the best ever Asian Games, Doha organisers are catering not only to the needs of athletes and officials, but also to more than 4,500 journalists from all over the world, including their food needs.
"A big Thank You to the organisers, who provide delicious food in the Main Press Center," said Chinese reporter Xue Jianying, who has covered five Asian Games and as many Summer Olympics.
"The organisers are hospitable," he added.
The organisers offer two meals to the journalists each day, one breakfast in hotels and one in the Main Media Centre, where an international buffet is served during the Games.
The buffet offers Arabian, Asian, continental and sub-continental dishes including salads, cheeses, cold cuts, pastries, fresh fruits, breads, preserves, cereals and beverages.
"I'd say that I have sampled the best food in a sports meet here in Doha after covering so many events," said another Chinese reporter Yang Ming.
"It is beyond my expectation," said Yang's colleague Pan Yi. " After talking to the catering service manager, I know that there are 1,200 dishes on the menu."
Sun Yi, a Chinese reporter with Legal Mirror, wrote that he was impressed by the 4,800-seat dining hall and 5,000 different dishes. "I spent 10 months on making the menu. I am sure from the opening of the Athletes' Village to its closing, the daily menu will not repeat at all," chef Chen Zhida, a Chinese Singaporean, was quoted by Sun.
It seems that the organisers have determined to give all participants the best taste of the Games.
"The organising committee has employed a master caterer with extensive international and Olympic experience to work with us, to plan, liaise and deliver all catering requirements for the Games," said Yousef M al-Othman, Deputy Director General of the Doha organising committee.
"The menus will not only meet the diverse cultural needs of our multi-national participants, but will also look at their vegetarian and medical considerations.
"We are aware of the athletes' culinary likes and dislikes, thanks to extensive research already done." (Agencies)
Koreans upset with Kimchi crackdown
DOHA: South Korea's medal hopes at the 15th Asian Games may have been dealt a blow after Doha officials confiscated their national dish from team members at the Athletes Village.
A Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) official said organisers had banned food from being taken into the village but that the regulation was usually overlooked for traditional items such as Korea's spicy national dish, kimchi, Yonhap News agency reported.
A member of the KOC was held by police for two hours after protesting the measure, the official added.
Typically radish or cabbage packed with ginger, garlic and hot peppers and then pickled, kimchi is eaten with most meals in South Korea.
"Technically no food can be taken into the Village, yet it has been customary to overlook this ban for certain traditional food," the KOC official said.
"Security at the village...confiscated instant noodles, kimchi, anchovies, dried liver and other foods and beverages that South Korean athletes wanted to take into the Village," he added.
While Korean food is provided in the Athletes Village, it is typically in short supply. The KOC said the lack of kimchi and other traditional food might hamper the athletes performance.
Thailand's soccer team suffered a similar problem when their supply of food was confiscated at Doha airport.
Qatari customs officials seized almost $1,000 of dried fried beef, rice, chillies, fish sauce and chilli paste.
The opening ceremony for the 15th Asian Games takes place in the Qatari capital on Friday. (Reuters)
China: a sporting powerhouse that is only getting better
DOHA: International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge hailed the Athens Olympics in 2004 as “the Games where we saw the awakening of Asia”.
While South Korea and Japan have undoubtedly taken strides, what he was primarily referring to was China, which has positioned itself as the key challenger to the United States’ as the world’s dominant sporting power.
In the two years since Athens, when the communist giant increased its gold medal haul to 32, just four less than the United States which topped the table, it has ominously continued making progress.
It goes into the Asian Games in Doha this week as the overwhelming favourite to top the medal tally. If, as expected, this happens it will be its seventh consecutive medal topping Asiad achievement since 1982.
Few are betting on the juggernaut being derailed. On the contrary, it is seen as building steam towards the ultimate target of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
At the 20O2 Asian Games in Busan 85 percent of China’s team were participating in their first major tournament, and it signalled the emergence of bright new talents, many of whom went on to shine in Athens.
That team is now four years older and, led by hurdler Liu Xiang, will form the backbone of the Chinese squad in Doha. But, like Busan, new blood is again being introduced as momentum builds towards 2008.
The Asiad is seen as a litmus test for Beijing, where China, home to 1.3 billion people, will have national pride at stake as it aims to topple the United States from its pedastal for the first time.
The United States knows its position as No.1 is threatened.
US Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth told American media this year that China will “spend more money in preparation of athletes, and they should clearly be favored to win the most medals and win the most gold”.
China has proved it is virtually unbeatable at table tennis, dominantes diving, is at the top of the tree in badminton, and has world class shooters and judo stars.
Their women are legendary in weightlifting circles and their dominance at gymnastics was reinforced at the world championships in October in Denmark when they swept the board with an unprecedented eight titles.
They are also starting to mature in the blue riband sporting events that previously alluded them and in which they are desperate to shine.
They now have an athletic world record holder in Liu, and the message from the World Junior Athletics Championships earlier this year was that more could be following.
China bagged 17 medals, including five gold, finishing behind only Kenya.
Drug scandals in the 1990s derailed their dominance in the swimming pool, but once again Chinese swimmers are starting to make inroads with Luo Xuejuan snaring gold in Athens in the women’s 100m breastroke.
The Asian Games and the World Swimming Championships in Melbourne next year will be a benchmark to determine how far they have progressed since then in that high-profile sport.
“The traditional powers of the Olympics will have to work very, very hard to maintain their present positions,” said Rogge on China’s emergence during a visit to Beijing in October.
“This has been an extremely pleasant trend for us to see.” Rather than simply topping the medal table here at the December 1-15 event, China will want to beat the 150 gold medals it won in Busan and reiterate to the world its determination to be number one. (AFP)
IOC ‘very satisfied’ with London 2012 progress
KUWAIT CITY: The International Olympic Committee yesterday said it was very satisfied with the preparations for the London 2012 Games despite a barrage of media headlines questioning the budget, its legacy and political in-fighting.
“We are not unduly concerned by recent events in London,” an IOC official told Reuters on the eve of a two-day executive board meeting.
“We remain very satisfied with the state of planning,” the official said. “We are fully confident that a professional job is being done by LOCOG (the London organising committee).” In the past month, London’s summer Games preparations have gone from spectacular to controversial as organisers squabble over the costs, politics and the legacy the Olympics will leave behind.
Until the October resignation of American businessman Jack Lemley as chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, preparations appeared to be trouble-free.
But Lemley’s sudden departure and consequent comments to an American newspaper that London was not moving fast enough sparked a media frenzy with progress overshadowed by questions over a potential budget rise, an unexpected VAT bill, increased security concerns and the size of the post-Games legacy for the capital.
The official said recent negative headlines were just part and parcel of the run-up to such a major event, which currently is well on track.
“We see the debate that is happening with a degree of perspective, knowing that it is part of the UK’s democratic process to have in-depth discussions of this nature,” the official said.
The IOC inspected London in October and also reviewed the finances for the Games. (Reuters)
Games expected to help ease chilled inter-Korean relations
SEOUL: The two Koreas are set to compete again as rivals in the upcoming Doha Asian Games but will likely march together in the opening and closing ceremonies of the sports event, raising hope that the show of unity might help ease frayed inter-Korean ties.
South Korea said last week it would accept North Korean proposals to perform the joint march and resume talks on fielding a single team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics on the sidelines of the 15-day Asian Games, scheduled to open
Friday.
“North Korea was seen as making a gesture to foster a more reconciliatory mood through sport,” said Chung Sung-chang, a researcher at Sejong Institute, a private think tank in South Korea.
“Whatever reasons the North has for making the proposal, the Asian Games will eventually serve as a venue to help ease chilled inter-Korean ties, I believe,” he said.
“Think about the role of ping pong when the United States and China normalised ties in the early 1970s.”
Critics note that the North made similar overtures at inter-Korean sports talks in the past when it experienced difficulties on the international stage, but few agreements were ever reached.
North Korea was slapped with U.N.-imposed arms and financial sanctions after it performed its first-ever nuclear test on Oct. 9, despite repeated international warnings not to do so.
South Korea suspended its regular food and financial aid to the North after the reclusive country conducted a barrage of missile tests in July.
The North later agreed to return to stalled international nuclear disarmament talks but experts say the revived talks are unlikely to see a major breakthrough anytime soon.
“I can feel what the North Koreans want to get” by proposing the joint marches and sports talks, said Yang Mun-su, a professor at the graduate school of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University. “Still, such developments can be a positive turning point for inter-Korean ties.” (Agencies)
Iran president plans to visit Asian Games
TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit the Asian Games in Qatar, a presidential aide said yesterday after FIFA provisionally lifted a ban to let Iran’s soccer team compete.
“Ahmadinejad will go to the Asian Games in Doha,” a close aide to Ahmadinejad told Reuters but did not give details about when the president might travel or why he had decided to go.
FIFA had suspended Iran, who won the Asian Games soccer title in 1974, 1990, 1998 and 2002, from all international competition last Thursday because of what it cited as government interference in the sport.
The Iranian president, a keen soccer fan, caused a stir earlier this year when he said he might attend the soccer World Cup finals in Germany, where Iran won a place but finished bottom of their group. In the end, he did not turn up.
Some German politicians had said Ahmadinejad would not be welcome because he dismissed the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed by the Nazis, as a “myth” and called for Israel’s destruction.
The Asian Games run from Dec. 1- Dec. 15. (Reuters)
Fifa lifts ban on Iran for Games
DUBAI: World football's governing body Fifa has temporarily lifted its ban on Iran so it can take part in the Asian Games football competition after frantic behind the scenes manoeuvring.
"The ban has been provisionally lifted. The team can participate in the Asian Games," Fifa president Sepp Blatter said in Dubai.
It followed what Blatter called "alarming phone calls" from Iranian authorities and the country's ambassadors in Europe after Iran, the defending champions, were tossed out of the Asian Games which start this week in Qatar.
"We have agreed with Iran a route that needs to be respected. We have given them until December 5 to do so," he said without going into details.
"In the meantime, together with the Asian Football Confederation, we have agreed to make sure they can participate in the Asian Games.
"If they fully agree to our roadmap to a normalisation of the situation, then we will lift the ban altogether.
"If the promises are not applied, then the ban will remain effective and it will affect the Asian Cup draw (on December 19).”
In August, following the national team's World Cup failure in Germany, the Iranian football federation's elected president, Mohammed Dadkan, was sacked, following complaints by lawmakers.
Both Fifa and the AFC set a November 15 deadline for Iran to reinstate Dadkan and to comply with the Fifa statutes, but Iran refused to meet the deadline. Iran football chief Dariush Mostafavi said they would now work to meeting Fifa's demands.
"We have informed Fifa that we will adhere to all of their requests," he said. (AFP)
Baskaran, Tirkey aim for hockey success
INDIAN hockey coach Vasudevan Baskaran and captain Dilip Tirkey are confident of putting up a good show at the Asian Games despite a string of poor results in the recent past.
The team had a good 90-minute workout at the Rayyan Stadium yesterday and coach Baskaran said they were targeting the final. "India expects instant results from its sporting teams. When they see an Indian team flying out they expect them to come home with victory," said Baskaran. He added: "The Asian Games are very important for India. We are all prepared and have brought an experienced side. The boys have worked hard with two major camps back home." On the goals of his team for the tournament, Baskaran said: "Our first target is to make the final."
Baskaran was the captain of India when it won the last of its eight Olympic gold medals in Moscow in 1980.
Captain Tirkey, one of the most experienced players in the side, added: "We will be focusing on good match results and will be taking it one match at a time. We have a good team that works and we will be improving as the tournament progresses."
India is the only country to have won a medal at each of the previous 12 Asian Games where hockey figured as a discipline since its introduction at the Tokyo Games in 1958.
India has won two gold (1966 and 1998), nine silver and one bronze in the game. At the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, India lost the final to hosts Korea. Pakistan, who have won seven of the 12 Asian Games gold medals, will be hoping to make up for the failure to figure among the medals in 2002. They lost the bronze play-off match to Malaysia. The Malaysians also had their first major training session yesterday. Bronze medallists on six occasions, Malaysia have never made the final.
Kuhan Shanmuganathan, the captain of Malaysian team and one of the most experienced players in the competition, said: "We have the best possible 16 and we have trained together for a year. We are in a tough group with Japan and Pakistan, who are ranked higher than us, but we are confident of making it to the semi-finals."
Said coach Tan Wallace: "There is no pressure, we know what to expect and we have the right amount of experience. Our first objective it to get into the semi-finals, which is tough." (IANS)
Bhutia to lead Indian football team
NEW DELHI: Star forward Bhaichung Bhutia would lead the 20-member Indian team in the 15th Asian Games Football Championship starting today.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced the team which will participate in the Games on its own expense after the Indian Olympic Association decided against clearing it, citing dim chances of its success. India, placed in Group D alongside Hong Kong, Maldives and Iraq, will launch their campaign against Hong Kong tomorrow.
The Indians prepared for the Games in Dubai, playing some warm-up games in in Dubai.
The AIFF has brought in two mid-fielders — Climax Lawrence of Dempo Sports Club and Chandam Chitrasen of Churchill Brothers — in place of Mehrajuddin Wadao. Defenders Narinder Singh and forward Tarif Ahmed Shaikh have also been dropped.
Team: Goalkeepers: Sandip Nandy, (Mahindra Utd), Subrata Pal (Mohun Bagan), Subhasis Roy Chaudhary (Mahindra Utd). Defenders: Surkumar Singh (Mahindra Utd), N S Manju (Mahindra Utd), Anupam Sarkar (Kingfisher East Bengal), Habibur Rehman Mondal (Mohammedan Sporting), Debbarta Roy (Kingfisher East Bengal). Midfielders: Steven Dias (Mahindra United), Th Bungo Singh (Churchill Brothers, Goa), Subhash Chakraborty (Mohun Bagan), N P Pradeep (Mahindra Utd), Gouramangi Singh (Sporting Clube, de Goa), Climax Lawrence (Dempo SC), Chandam Chitrasen (Churchill Brothers , Goa).
Forwards: Syed Rahim Nabi (Kingfisher East Bengal), Manjit Singh (Mahindra United), Sunil Chhetri (JCT ), Bhaichung Bhutia, Captain (Mohun Bagan) and Sushil Kumar Singh (Mohun Bagan). (Agencies)
India hope to break jinx in archery
NEW DELHI: India is set to break the archery medal jinx in the Asian Games, with national coach Dharmendra Tiwari saying that the country could win at least two medals.
"I feel we can win a medal in the men's team championship and also in the individual section," Tiwari told IANS in an interview.
"Jayanta (Talukdar) is in good form and if he peaks at the right time he will bag the individual gold," said the coach. India has never won a medal in the sport since it was introduced in the Asian Games programme in 1978 at Bangkok. The closest India came to winning a medal was at the 1986 Seoul Games when Pradeep Kundu missed the bronze by one point. Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai, Vishwas and Mangal Singh will represent India in the men's category while Dola Banerjee, Reena Kumari, Chekrowlu Swuro and Punyaprabha will lead the women's challenge in the Dec 1-15 Games.
Talukdar, currently ranked second in the world, has been in fine form this year as he won the gold in the World Cup in Croatia and also in the Asian Grand Prix in Bangkok. He equalled the 70-metre world record score of 347 points at the Commonwealth Championships at Jamshedpur this month. But he was disqualified in the quarter-finals for raising his bow too high, which was a breach of FITA (world body of archery) rule. In the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Indian men finished fourth, just six points behind China. The women's team failed to finish inside the medal bracket, while Dola finished 10th in the individual category.
Coach Tiwari is hopeful of a good performance in Doha. "For the past 18 months we have found considerable success in international tournaments and that has boosted players' confidence," said the man who is also a coach at the Tata Archery Academy in Jamshedpur. In the World Championship in Madrid last year, the men's team won the silver and women's team finished fourth. In the Asian Championship here, also last year, Indian men again won the silver and the women's team bagged the bronze.
"Our performance in the Asian Championships will stand in good stead for the Doha Games because we will be facing the same teams again," said Tiwari.
According to him, the women's team will find it a bit tough to make a podium finish. "The women's team will have a tough time against archers from South Korea, Japan and China. But they should look back at their past performance in the Asian Championships where they finished fourth and that should inspire them," he pointed out.
But the coach had words of praise for Dola, and said: "She (Dola) has done well in the World Cup in Turkey by finishing sixth. And a little more effort can land her a medal in the Asian Games."
Squad: Men: Jayanta Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai, Vishwas and Mangal Singh.
Women: Dola Banerjee, Reena Kumari, Chekrowlu Swuro and Punyaprabha. (Agencies)
Chinese Taipei down Kuwait
CHINESE Taipei staved off a Kuwait recovery to win their opening game of the 15th Asian Games men's volleyball preliminary round with a 25-17, 25-18, 25-27, 25-18 victory at the Al Rayyan indoor hall yesterday.
The fourth set was locked at 16-16 before Chinese Taipei reeled off seven of the next eight points and clinched victory with a service winner from Hung Jung Chung on their fifth match point.
Chinese Taipei had seemed on course for a 3-0 victory when they led 24-21 in a third set littered with errors, but a brave fight back saw Kuwait save four match points and ultimately take the set with a successful block by Sultan Abdulmajieid and a deflected spike by Abdullah Mansour.
This recovery gave Kuwait, who had beaten the Maldives 3-0 in their opening Pool C game on Sunday and needed a victory to confirm their place in the next round, renewed hope, but it was not to be.
Chinese Taipei had earlier made a fine start to their campaign by taking the first set 25-17 against Kuwait.
They held a narrow 15-13 advantage, but moved clear with five points in a row.
The opening set was won when Sultan Abdulmajieid hit a serve long, one of five service errors by Kuwait and one of nine errors in total.
Chinese Taipei tightened their grip on the match by winning the second set 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead, having led from the first point to the last. Inspired by the spectacular retrieving of libero Chein Wei Lun, Chinese Taipei sealed the set with a spike down the middle by Chou Tsung Hao.
Chinese Taipei, ranked 40th in the world, played impressively, although their coach Chen Chun knows that tough battles lie ahead of them.
"Our biggest challenge will be against Thailand to get through into the final round," said coach Chen.
Kuwait coach Senad Begic was understandably disappointed, saying: "We fought back well but had no luck. Our libero (Rashed al-Rashoud) is very good and we have young players who are learning. It was easy against the Maldives, but Chinese Taipei are a good team."
In another match, Bahrain opened their competitive campaign with an entertaining 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20 victory over Lebanon in their first round Group B match.
They now go into their second fixture against Mongolia today knowing that victory will take them through to the next round as group leaders. Lebanon defeated the Mongolians on Saturday 3-1 and will also hope for a Bahraini victory for them to stay alive in the competition by finishing second.
With the lead constantly changing in a tense opening, it was Bahrain who held their nerve to see out the first set, and the game initially had the hallmarks of going the distance. Lebanon had to win if they were to guarantee their place in the next round, following their four set victory over group rivals Mongolia on Sunday. The second set followed a similar pattern to the first as a late surge of points saw Bahrain prevail and establish a 2-0 lead — leaving the Lebanese with an uphill struggle to rescue something from the match.
In a tight set once again, there were no more than three points ever separating the two sides throughout, but although Lebanon started brightly, Bahrain proved the stronger to take four of the last five points when the set was delicately poised at 21-21.
Lebanon pulled themselves back into the match after a spirited performance, largely inspired by 35-year-old skipper Marwan Hosri, as they benefited from greater variation in their play to edge the third set 25-21.
Bahrain finally clinched victory by taking the fourth set 25-20 and the match 3-1. Although the set was well fought, as indeed were the previous three, the Bahrainis always looked the more likely winners with their stronger physical presence at the net.
In another match, United Arab Emirates finish top of Pool D after sealing a 28-26, 25-22, 25-22 win over Hong Kong, China, although both sides qualify for the next round following Palestine's withdrawal from the competition.
Gaza violence threatens Palestinian participation
DOHA: Unrest in the Gaza Strip is threatening to derail the Palestinian territories participation in the Asian Games, with their volleyball team forced to pull out yesterday.
“The border in Gaza Strip is still closed and no athletes or team officials can get out of Gaza,” said a statement from Asian Volleyball Confederation vice president Yim Hyung Bin.
“Unfortunately the whole volleyball team is from Gaza and as a result they will not make it. For other athletes, the situation will be assessed on a day by day basis.” The Gaza Strip has been rocked by violence, although a ceasefire was holding yesterday for a second day despite continued unrest in the occupied West Bank. (Reuters) |
