Golfers gear up for Doha 2006
Date: 23-10-2006
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamQatar |
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country aiming to make an impact on the fairways over the next few weeks is Malaysia, which has never won a medal in golf at the Asian Games but hopes Doha 2006 will prove to be a watershed competition for its team. Malaysia was the top-ranked Asian country at the last Eisenhower Trophy, held in Puerto Rico two years ago, when it finished tied in eighth position with England.
And the same trio of players will once again join together for another assault on the trophy.
S. Sivachandran is ranked as Malaysia’s top amateur golfer, while Mohd Sukree Othman is the current holder of the Malaysian Amateur title and Ben Leong has put off the chance to turn professional in a bid for medal success at Doha 2006. Twenty-four year-old Florida-based Leong, who made a big impact in Puerto Rico, said: “I know [Malaysian] golf has not won any medals in the Asian Games but there is always a first time, and I hope my teammates and I will be able to deliver. I am confident the drought will end. We are good for medals in the team event and even individually.” After Cape Town, the squad will travel to Abu Dhabi before a 10-day acclimatisation visit to Doha Golf Club, and then on to Shenzhen. Speaking about the planned trip to Doha, team coach Andrew Argus said: “We have to go to Doha early because none of the golfers have played there before. The most difficult aspect is to handle the windy conditions expected.” (Courtsey DAGOC)
Vietnam raises bar for Asian Games Vietnamese sports authorities are aiming at a giant leap in performances at the next three Asian Games to narrow the gap with the regional heavyweights before the country hosts the games in 2018.
Nguyen Hong Minh, head of Vietnam’s sports delegation to Qatar for the 15th Asiad this year and chief of elite central sports department, said Friday that Vietnam was aiming for 14th spot in the medals tally this year so that it can reach the top 10 by 2018.
It would be no easy task but Vietnam would try hard to achieve it, he said.
The government decided this year to invest heavily to boost sports. It provided VND50 billion (US$3.1 million) to the sports committee to cover the cost of training and administration. Until 2005, less than VND35 billion ($2.2 million) had been provided annually for sports. Focus will be on events in which Vietnam stands a good chance of winning medals in regional competitions – like sepaktakraw, billiards snooker, taekwondo, wushu, karate, bodybuilding, and weightlifting.
As the Doha Asiad, scheduled for December 1-15, Vietnam will send 125 athletes to compete in 16 out of 39 sports and targets four to five gold medals.
At the previous Asian Games in the Republic of Korea, Vietnam won four golds, seven silvers, and seven bronzes and finished 14th among 44 countries.
Pak boxers training hard in RussiaTo gear up for the Asian Games, 14 Pakistani boxers would leave for Russia for training, local private Geo TV reported on Thursday.
Pakistan Boxing Federation Joint Secretary Akram Khan said that two boxers, Faisal Kareem and Mehrullah, who won gold medals at South Asian Games, would go to Sri Lanka on October 25 before their departure to Russia.
In Sri Lanka, they are believed to give B sample dope test. Having been cleared of dope test, both the boxers would leave for Russia, Akram said. Akram said that these 14 boxers would leave for Moscow with their coaches and would have training with Russian national team for one month. They will return to Pakistan by the last week of November, he said
Indian fencers’ camp on holdElite fencer Rupaya Langojam’s disappearance and the subsequent asylum request in the UK has had an immediate fallout, with the sports ministry putting the national camp for the Doha Asian Games on hold.
Rupaya disappeared during the Senior Commonwealth Fencing Championships last month at Belfast. It is learnt that the sports ministry has also questioned the officials of the Fencing Association of India (FAI) about Rupaya’s deserting the team.
FAI secretary Arun Vij had requested the government (read SAI) to let them conduct the camp at Patiala, but no clearance has been forthcoming.
Iran summons 11 weightlifters Iran yesterday summoned 11 weightlifters to prepare for the 15th Asian Games in the Qatari capital Doha.
Nine of the 11-strong Iran underwent doping tests by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) on September 24 and reported to test positive for blood-enhancing drugs.
The world body heavily fined the Iranian federation and banned the nine lifters.
Iran’s federation got fined $400,000 and the weightlifters were banned for two years each. National lifter Mohsen Davoudi, who tested positive in the past as well as last month, was banned from international games permanently. (Agencies)
