SPORTS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

Photo of the day Wrestling Takes A Stance, Will IOC follow?

NEW YORK: Magic Johnson took a stance to save Olympic wrestling. So did Mickey Mouse. Rulon Gardner took his on the Great Wall of China. The less famous hunkered down in front of the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower and mosques in Iran, on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and even in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus. If the swells who run the International Olympic Committee have lingering doubts about the lengths people would go to save the sport, well, let ‘em check out how many Jordan Weaving (RSA), Scott Deroue (NED) and Marcos Ramirez (ESP) race at Red Bull Moto GP Rookies Cup brides and grooms around the world 2013 at Autodrom Brno in Brno, Czech Republic on August 24, 2013. —www.redbullcontentpool.com posed for “ready, set, wrestle” snap- shots - view them at (hashtag) TakeAStance - just moments before exchanging vows. When the IOC served notice last February that it was prepared to toss Waller, Raza put wrestling out of the Olympic rings by the 2020 Games, rather than its clout- heavy competitors, modern pen- tathlon and field hockey, the uproar ahead was swift and loud. Wrestling had more fans, more viewers, more mem- ber nations and millions more partici- : Half-centuries by Malcolm Waller and pants around the globe, if only enabled Zimbabwe to take a first innings lead on the second day SCOREBOARD because you don’t need a javelin or a of the first Test against at the yester- horse to compete. But the IOC did the day. HARARE, Harare Province: Close of play scores on the sec- sport a favor. Zimbabwe were 281 for seven at the close, a lead of 32. ond day of the first Test between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Wrestling resembled your cranky, Waller changed the tempo of the match with an aggressive 70, the Harare Sports Club yesterday. know-it-all uncle who always shows up while Pakistan-born Raza made 60 on his Test debut. The pair late at the family dinner - bloated, SYDNEY: In this Sept. 27, 2000, file photo, United States wrestler Rulon Pakistan, first innings (overnight 249-9) added 127 for the fourth . They came together after bombastic and still determined to live Gardner celebrates a gold medal victory at the Summer Olympics in Zimbabwe lost two off successive balls. Khurram Manzoor lbw b Panyangara 11 Sydney. Gardner is among those around the world who posed for ‘ready, c Sibanda b Chatara 5 off a glorious past. The purest of sports With only one run added to the lunch score of 67 for one, had grown flabby, piling on layers of set, wrestle’ snapshots in an effort to save Olympic wrestling under the was caught behind for 31 off the last ball of an over c Sibanda b S. Masakadza 78 campaign #TakeAStance. — AP b Panyangara 3 rules and a convoluted scoring system from . was deceived that made it hard to follow. Yet those at Ortiz, and more than a few of them “We have done everything possi- by a and bowled for 19 by the first ball of Misbah-ul-Haq c Sibanda b Utseya 53 the top of the international federation joined the (hashtag)TakeAStance cam- ble in this time frame,” said FILA presi- the next over. c Mawoyo b Utseya 4 - known by the acronym FILA - paign as it rolled out. dent Nenad Lalovic, who took over Waller hit a boundary off the first ball he faced from Ajmal Adnan Akmal b Chatara 18 shrugged off every warning or propos- and continued to go for his shots as he reached his third Test lbw b S. Masakadza 7 Unlike those competitions, though, from the imperious Raphael half-century off 63 balls with 11 fours. Saeed Ajmal b Chatara 49 al for even modest changes, certain wrestling still looks like your father’s Martinetti just days after the IOC’s Raza, who was a late inclusion in the side when regular cap- Junaid Khan c Mutumbami b Panyangara 17 they knew what was best. sport. What’s different, in addition to action in February. “We were limited tain withdrew because of the birth of his first Rahat Ali 0 Seven months later, those men are the compressed Olympic version now by the time between, (but we did) child, started his first Test innings cautiously and contributed Extras (lb3, w1) 4 gone, replaced by a leadership group on offer - two rounds instead of three; everything possible, and implement- Total (90.1 overs) 249 only 11 in the first 50 runs of the partnership, although he that is smart, inclusive and willing to more incentives in the new scoring ed it.” If the IOC needs more proof, Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Hafeez), 2-21 (Manzoor), 3-27 (Younis), 4- picked up the pace either side of tea, reaching his fifty off 98 listen. The rules and scoring system system for wrestlers to take chances - is here’s a suggestion: Check out the 120 (Misbah), 5-132 (Shafiq), 6-157 (Akmal), 7-173 (Rehman), balls. have been overhauled, and Gardner’s that it could become your mother’s photo op from New York City in mid- 8-182 (Azhar), 9-249 (Junaid) Ajmal, Pakistan’s most successful bowler with four for 74, had rallying cry from February - “If we don’t sport, too. In addition to adding May, when the wrestling communi- : Chatara 22.1-6-64-3, Panyangara 20-2-71-3, S. Waller caught at slip after an innings which lasted 100 balls and fight, we’re going to die” - has been women and former athletes to the fed- ties from the United States, Russia Masakadza 22-8-40-2, Chigumbura 2-0-15-0, Utseya 23-1-55- included 14 boundaries. Raza, 27, whose family moved to heard and heeded in the farthest-flung eration’s leadership, FILA is proposing and Iran united in a combined appeal 2, H. Masakadza 1-0-1-0 corners of the globe. two more weight classes for women, to save the sport. There’s likely not Zimbabwe in 2002, also fell to the off-spinner, mistiming an (1w) attempted lofted drive to be caught at midwicket. He batted for The IOC votes Sunday among taking one each from men’s freestyle another cause on the planet at the wrestling, squash and a combined bid 118 balls and hit ten fours. Zimbabwe, first innings and Greco-Roman. moment that could do that. — AP (40 not out) and (16) took T. Mawoyo c Adnan Akmal b Junaid Khan 13 from baseball-softball to determine Zimbabwe into the lead with a seventh wicket partnership of 43 V. Sibanda c Adnan Akmal b Junaid Khan 31 which sport gets the final spot in 2020, before the latter was bowled by Rahat Ali in the penultimate H. Masakadza b Saeed Ajmal 19 and it isn’t expected to be close. Most over of the day. Sikandar Raza c Misbah-ul-Haq b Saeed Ajmal 60 observers believe the IOC has already Cup heartache It took Zimbabwe just two balls to wrap up the Pakistan M. Waller c Mohammad Hafeez b Saeed Ajmal 70 been pinned. innings at the start of play, with the tourists losing their last E. Chigumbura not out 40 It’s not hard to understand the wicket without adding a run to their overnight 249 for nine. R. Mutumbami lbw b Saeed Ajmal 13 timeless appeal of wrestling, but what motivates Heremaia Ajmal was bowled by the first ball he faced from Tendai P. Utseya b Rahat Ali 16 the IOC is looking for nearly three mil- Chatara on his overnight score of 49, one short of his second Test S. Masakadza not out 2 lennia after the original Olympics is LONDON: The disappointment of “We were really disappointed with half-century. Extras (b5, lb10, w2) 17 what they got in the closing days of Wembley defeat is still all too raw for how we performed but the good thing Tina Mawoyo and Sibanda put on 25 for Zimbabwe’s first Total (7 wkts, 87 overs) 281 last summer’s London Games. That’s Hull FC but Aaron Heremaia insists his is that normally you lose the big final wicket. After bowling four overs from over the wicket, the left- Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Mawoyo), 2-68 (Sibanda), 3-68 (H. when a smart, cocky bundle of US side have been given a shot at redemp- and the season is over. “But with the armed Junaid switched to around the wicket and the change of Masakadza), 4-195 (Waller), 5-212 (Raza), 6-235 (Mutumbami), energy named Jordan Burroughs faced tion they cannot afford to waste. Challenge Cup coming earlier we have angle brought immediate success as Mawoyo nudged tentative- 7-278 (Utseya) Iran’s Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi in the Heremaia came off the bench and a chance for redemption. And we owe ly at the first of the new over and was caught behind by Bowling: Junaid Khan 20-6-61-2, Rahat Ali 18-3-53-1 (1w), middleweight freestyle gold medal was one of the few Hull players to it to the fans but most importantly we Adnan Akmal for 13. Abdur Rehman 19-5-56-0, Saeed Ajmal 26-3-77-4, Younis final. impress in the Challenge Cup final two owe it ourselves as players.” It was a disappointing day for Pakistan, with only Ajmal and Khan 4-1-19-0 The atmosphere inside the ExCel weekends ago as Wigan ran out 16-0 Elsewhere, Castleford round off their Junaid posing a consistent threat to their underdog opponents, To bat: T. Panyangara, T. Chatara Center was electric, with chants from winners. But Peter Gentle’s side season with a trip to Wakefield on although Rahat bowled a hostile three-over spell with the sec- Match situation: Zimbabwe lead by 32 runs with three wickets the fans of two of the sport’s tradition- bounced back with a 34-33 revenge Sunday in what could well be Rangi ond new ball. — AFP remaining in the first innings. al powers being traded like punches. win over the Warriors in the Super Chase’s last game for the club. With the clock running down in each League last weekend, a result that lifted Chase, who played for St George in them to sixth in the table. the NRL, has handed in a transfer of the first two rounds, Burroughs cool- And, with a chance to seal a home- request and been heavily linked with a ly executed a double-leg takedown of playoff tie with a win over fifth-place St move to Salford. Castleford and Goudarzi to lock up the match and Helens on Friday, New Zealander Wakefield are both out of the play-off make a third period immaterial. Heremaia insists the Challenge Cup race and Tigers head coach Daryl Afterward, Burroughs waltzed into final defeat is their primary motivation. Powell admits his side will struggle to the interview room and handled a “We’ve got a good opportunity to replace Chase. “Rangi is special player reporter mining the geopolitical angle get a home tie for the first round of the and he certainly is if you give him any with the same elan he’d displayed on play-offs,” said Heremaia, who played time,” said Powell. “You can’t replace the mat just moments earlier. for New Zealand Warriors in the NRL Rangi, you’ve got to play slightly differ- “Did it make any difference that you before moving to Europe. ently. “There’s a lot of talk about Rangi were wrestling an Iranian?” he was “To get the home tie is massive, it’s but if he has seen fit to play somewhere asked. “If the Queen of England knockout rugby so any advantage you else that’s his prerogative.” stepped out onto the mat,” Burroughs can get you want to have. We love play- London Broncos head coach Tony replied mischievously, “I’d probably ing at the KC Stadium and, with St Rea breathed a sigh of relief after they double-leg her.” Helens coming here, we are looking ended a four-month wait for a Super Burroughs will almost certainly be forward to it. “It’s almost like the play- League win with victory over Bradford back for Rio in 2016, having so far offs are here already, Saints want a Bulls last time out. rebuffed the blandishments and better home tie as well so both teams will be And, while the capital club remain paydays in mixed martial arts and ulti- going all out. It’s been such a topsy- bottom of the table, the former mate fighting that have siphoned off turvy season so to think we could finish Brumbies coach has called for more of it off by finishing fifth is amazing really.” the same at Hull KR on Sunday. “It cer- so many of his successful predecessors. Heremaia added: “It was a tough tainly helps our cause-it lifts everyone The UFC circuit boasts that nearly 70 week after the Challenge Cup and I at the club and keeps everyone percent of its fighters wrestled in high think a few guys were still feeling a bit enthused about what we are doing,” school and college, including stars HARARE: Pakistan’s bowler Junaid Khan (second right) throws the ball as Zimbabwe’s batsman Prosper Usteya (left) sorry for themselves against Wigan. Rea said. — AFP Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and Tito looks on during the second day of the first Test match. — AFP Top shooter Bindra demands clean IOA

MUMBAI: India’s elite athletes have piled the pres- population. “To a certain extent, yes (the IOA has body to maintain the “highest moral standards” of person, who has just been charged, from contest- sure on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and failed the country),” Bindra told Reuters in an inter- the Olympic Movement in the country. ing elections.” demanded the removal of all tainted officials in view. “A lot needs to be done for Indian sport and “We are at a stage where we can either get An Olympic ban means an effective end to order to overturn the country’s Olympic ban. with our potential we are nowhere near where we reforms in place or go back to the status-quo,” funding from the IOC to the national body. No offi- The IOA was suspended by the International can be. “We are still stuck with fighting on clauses Bindra, one of the few Indian athletes to consis- cials from that association can attend meetings Olympic Committee (IOC) last year for electing Lalit that are absolutely non-negotiable... something tently question India’s sports administrators, said. and athletes of a banned nation cannot compete Bhanot, who served 11 months in jail on corruption which is all about ethics. “This petition was started because of all that has under their country’s flag. charges, as its secretary general during its contro- “The ethical standards are laid down under the happened in the last few weeks. “We want a clean “It has been frustrating,” Bindra said. “The recent versial December poll. During crucial meetings in Olympic Charter and to defy that is not good. It and effective Olympic body where it can help us Asian youth games has been a prime example Lausanne in May, the IOC offered the country a life- does not go well for the Olympic movement,” said and Indian sports to grow and we athletes can rep- where our athletes took part as independent ath- line, asking the suspended IOA to amend its consti- Bindra, who has been joined by Sushil Kumar, who resent our country and our flag once again.” letes under the banner of the Olympic Council of tution and, among other things, bar any person won a wrestling bronze in Beijing and silver in The issue is expected to be discussed when the Asia. It is disheartening and frustrating. charged for corruption from holding office. London, and multiple grand slam doubles winning IOC meets in Buenos Aires this week to elect a suc- “I think we should follow the Olympic charter But in a meeting this month, the IOA refused tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi in demanding a cessor to Rogge and pick the venue for the 2020 and the guidelines as the whole world is following such a blanket ban, instead proposing an ethics corruption-free IOA. Games. it,” he said. “We have been suspended for a year committee would look into the case of any official The Indian government has also backed the “There are always going to be some disgruntled now and we should get back more reformed. who has been convicted for less than two years in IOC’s efforts in barring tainted officials from con- people. We have accepted all that the IOC has “The most important thing is that we have to jail. Abhinav Bindra, who won India’s only individ- testing the national Olympic body’s elections. asked of us,” Tarlochan Singh, a vice president of have guidelines and a structure so that what has ual Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Games, said Bindra said there has been good response to the banned IOA, told Reuters. happened doesn’t repeat itself. “If you have guide- the administrators have failed the country which the petition, which will be sent to IOC president “But we told the IOC that we should have lines set in your constitution, we should never get remains an Olympic laggard despite its 1.2 billion Jacques Rogge, pleading the world governing respect for the law of the land which does not bar a into a similar situation in the future.”— Reuters