January 2013

Asian Jr Weightlifting

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, the female Weightlifter from India won three bronze medals for Indian Team on the opening day of the 19th Junior Women Asian Weightlifting Championships in Yangon in Mynamar. To win and secure medals she lifted 168kg in the 48kg weight category — one each in snatch (74kg), clean and jerk (94kg) and total (168kg). Mirabai, got selected for the event after lifting 163kg in the trials and had managed an additional five kg more during the main event. Mirabai was fifth in 48kg weight category in the last edition of the tournament in Pattaya (Thailand). She had earlier clinched gold in the dame category during the seventh National Youth (Girls) Weightlifting Championships held at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh in year 2011.

CHESS

Women’s World Championship Crown

Anna Ushenina of Ukraine on 1 December 2012 won the Women’s World Championship Crown of Chess at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia after defeating Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria in first set of tie-break game. Anna won the title along with 60000 US dollar for the efforts made by her to win the Chess championship. In 2013 Anna would be playing the next world championship against Chinese Yifan Hou, which is a part of new cycle in Women’s World Championship.

World Youth Chess Championship

M. Mahalakshmi and R. Vaishali from Chennai on 19 November 2012 won Gold at the World Youth Chess Championship in Slovenia. Arvindh Chithambaram (Under-14 Open) from Madurai and Girish A. Koushik (Under-16 Open) from Mysore won Silver Medals in the championship. G.K. Monnisha (under-14) and Savant Riya (Under-12) secured Bronze at the Championship for India. R. Vaishali was successful in securing her position in under-12 girls honours. Arvindh Chithambaram lost gold after losing the tie-up with the American Troff Kayden by a tie-break score at the end of the 11-round event.
N Priyanka Won World Youth Chess Championship

Asian under 10 girls chess champion Nuthaki Priyanka bagged the world youth chess championship at Maribor, Slovenia on 18 November 2012. She completed with 9.5 points of 11 rounds. Priyanka completed her game against US-based Wang Annie in 38 moves. She is the 5th standard student of Mustabada Sports and Educational Academy. She became the second girl to win the title from Hyderabad after Koneru Humpy who bagged her title in 1997. V.R. Bobba, the noted coach provided training to Priyanka. In the middle of the game, the Hyderabadi girl committed blunders by running into the time trouble, but despite losing there she bagged the title. She has become the fifth one to bag the title from Andhra Pradesh in the under-10 category after P. Hari Krishna, K. Humpy, Ch. Moineesh and Sahajasree. On her victory, Global Chess Academy director, District Sports Development Officer as well as Krishna District Chess Association secretary congratulated her.

VARIOUS

IOC suspended Indian Olympic Association

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the India Olympic Association (IOA) on 4 December 2012 and eventually this might also lead to IOA ban from Olympic movement.
IOA ban from Olympic would result in consequences such as:

• No funding from IOC

• No officials from India would be invited by IOC to any events such as Paralympics and Olympics

• No India athlete would be allowed competing under India’s flag; but could be permitted competing under IOC flag

• Commonwealth Games Federation as well as The Olympic Council of Asia might also go with the trend which would lead to similar sanctions in case of Commonwealth Games as well as the Asian games

IOC suspended IOA because India was following the Sports Code of government in the IOA elections, which is against the Olympic Charter. IOC declared that following of Sports Code of government is actually the interference of the government in the Olympic Movement. Suspension of IOA from Olympics came just before the Election Day. IOA officials declared that the elections would go as planned and scheduled. IOA has been holding the elections on direction by the Delhi high court which had asked this body to conduct its polls as per the Sports Code and its own constitution.IOA decided this after it put down the bid of IOA to send the 2-member delegation for explaining its scenario. It was already evident that the suspension was in the line because of the development in run-up to these elections. After sending various letters to IOA, asking it to follow the Olympic Charter, IOC warned for the first time regarding suspension on 23 November 2012. Then it gave the second warning of suspension to IOA on 28 November 2012. It is worth noticing that the decision of IOC was welcomed by several former as well as current sportspersons. They believed that suspension was an opportunity of cleaning the hassles in IOA.

Four-Year Ban for Felony Athletes under New WADA Code

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) proposed that athletes found guilty of the serious doping felonies will be suspended for 4 years from 2015. However no specific rules were made for banning the wrong-doers from Olympics. At present, the athletes who are found guilty of their first main doping felony are put on 2-year ban followed by a life ban in case of successive positive tests. WADA proposed in its second draft of2012 WADA code that there will be an introduction of longer ban for the offenses which include Human Growth Hormone (HGH), anabolic steroids as well as trafficking and masking agents. This draft was reviewed from 17 November 2012 to 18 November 2012. The draft has doubled the suspension length for the offenders and has also widened anti-doing oragnisations’ scope to impose the lifetime bans. Nevertheless, in the draft there is no consideration to the former International Olympic Committee (IOC) rule in context with the Olympic participation. This rule was ruled in refusal with WADA Code back in 2011 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the highest sports’ court. As per the IOC rule which was introduced in 2008, in case the athletes were suspended for six months or more than that, participation in next Olympic Games was banned. According to the new WADA Code draft, there has also been an inclusion of the proposal about the prohibited substances or techniques which are contradictory to the sports spirit or health of an athlete. This proposed draft will also go for review between November 2012 and March 2013, after which it will be presented to WADA Foundation Board before preparation of the final draft.

NADDP Suspended 11 Athletes for Two Years on Charges of Doping

The National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (NADDP) on 5 November 2012 suspended all the 11 athletes for two years, who were tested positive with methylhexaneamine (MHA) in the run-up of the last Commonwealth Games. The decision came-up after a twenty five months long hearing process and the suspension would be in effect from the date of decision making. The panel hearing into the case also ordered disqualification of all the records and results by their name recorded from the date of sample collection, it would also include omission of all the consequences that included forfeiture of all the points, medals and prizes. Following the provisions of Article 10.8 of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the code of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which is yet not applied in the hearing procedures of Indian disciplinary, would mean the loss of Bronze Medal in the 96 kilogram freestyle category of Wrestling from wrestler Mausam Khatri, which he won in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

The additional disqualification of results from sample collection date, under Article 10.8 of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) rules and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code, hitherto not applied in Indian disciplinary hearing procedures, will mean that wrestler Mausam Khatri will lose his bronze medal in the 96kg freestyle category in the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Under the same provisions, swimmer Richa Mishra would lose all the 16 medals that include 11 Gold in the National Games February 2011 held at Ranchi along with the other five Gold won during National Swimming Championships held in October 2012 at Pune. Others, against whom the hearing were carried on and whose name were included in the suspension orders include six wrestlers out of which Rajeev Tomar is an Arjuna Awardee and rest five are Sumit Sehrawat, Joginder Singh, Gursharanpreet Kaur including Mausam Khatri. The list also have name of two athletes namely Saurabh Vij and Akash Antil along with three swimmers and they are Amar Muralidharan, Jyotsana Pansare and Richa. The disciplinary panel that was hearing into the case included retired judge Dinesh Dayal and former Asian badminton champion Dinesh Khanna and Dr. N.K. Khadiya disqualified the evidence presented to establish deviations in proceedings of the laboratory and other agencies involved in the processes.

IAAF World Athletes of the Year 2012

Usain Bolt won the IAAF World Athlete of the Year Award 2012 for the fourth time and United States sprinter Allyson Felix won women’s World Athlete of the Year Award 2012 on 24 November 2012 during the IAAF’s 100th Anniversary Celebration. The Jamaican sprinter Bolt had won for defending his gold medals in the 100 and 200 meter races of the summers’ Olympic Games, he also won the same award previously in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Bolt managed to be ahead of United States hurdler Aries Merritt and Kenyan runner David Rudisha to win the award.

Allyson Felix managed to secure her Gold medal in the London Olympics in the 200 meter race. Before this she managed to settle down with the Silver in the Beijing Olympics in the year 2008. New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams and British heptathlete Jessica Ennis were the other finalists of the Women award segment, who also were the gold medalists in London Olympics.

In 2003, Bolt and Felix won the Rising Star awards for the most promising young athletes of the year. United States hurdler Aries Merritt was successful in winning the Inspiration Award for his season and the award included a gold medal and a world record in the 110-meter hurdles. David Rudisha won the Performance of the Year award for his record-setting gold medal run in the 800 meters; he was the winner of the Athlete of the Year in 2010. Keshorn Walcott, Javelin thrower of Trinidad and Anthonique Strachan sprinter of Bahamas won the Rising Star awards.

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