International Games News July 2002

In the first big Commonwealth Games stunner Kim Collins, a diminutive sprinter from St. Kitts, ran his race, and defeated a field including the two BritFaish sprint stars and rivals Mark Lewis-Francis and Dwain Chambers.

Reminiscent of the 200 meter race in 2000 at the US Olympic Trials in Sacramento where both Maurice Green and Michael Johnson pulled up with injuries, both of the two British stars pulled up and hobbled across the line, Lewis-Francis 7^th, Chambers 8^th.

Collins, the 200 meter World Championships bronze medallist, 7^th in the 100 meter final in the Sydney Olympic Games, a quarterfinalist in the 100m at the Atlanta Olympic Games and an NCAA champion while running for Texas Christian University, didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but you would have thought so given all of the pre-race hype.

1996 Olympic Champion Donovan Bailey was quoted praising the two Brits and stated before the games, “"there's no way I can see Dwain or Mark not winning.” He picked Chambers to win.

World Record holder and 2000 Olympic Champion Maurice Greene, whom Chambers had beaten twice this year, picked Lewis-Francis.

Chambers and Lewis-Francis also had sparred verbally earlier this season adding fuel to the rivalry when Lewis-Francis claimed Chambers was scared to race him.

The two sprinters came further to the fore in media predictions when world class sprinters Frankie Fredericks of Namibia, Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Obadele Thompson of Barbados, all medal threats, pulled out for either injury or lack of fitness.

Duncan Mackay, of the Manchester Guardian wrote, “It is expected to be a duel between two young Britons on the cusp of dominating the event,” and “tonight's 100m final may be the start of a glorious era in British sprinting.” Not yet.

Another Manchester Guardian scribe, Frank Keating, earlier this week called the Commonwealth Games sports events “'A bucketload of pointless contrivance.”

Canada vs. Gibraltar? New Zealand v the Niue Islands? “you cannot be serious?” he wrote.

HA!! How about St. Kitts vs. England!!!! The Gold Medal won by Collins is the first Gold medal in any major championships ever for St. Kitts. You can believe that the entire population of St. Kitts and Nevis, you could squeeze all 40,000 of them into Manchester City stadium if you had to, will be up celebrating late into the night on their tiny Caribbean Island.

Collins himself said after competing in the Olympic games, “It was an unbelievable experience," Collins said. "You have two hundred countries, and you are coming from a country that nobody has even heard about."

That is the point Mr. Keating. And no it isn’t pointless. A few millions Brits who didn’t know where St. Kitts was yesterday, know where it is today.

It also answers the question of “star athletes” and whether games can survive without them. Just let the athletes compete, and the deserving stars on that day will emerge of that competition.

Not one single person on the planet would have chosen, Kim Collins, Uchenna Emedolu of Nigeria and Pierre Browne of Canada as the Gold, Silver and Bronze medallists of the 100 meters before the games began. This is fantastic sport. This is why they run the races! You can boast and preen, (after all isn’t that what sprinting is mostly about these days?) but in the end, the one who crosses the line first gets the gold medal.

No disrespect at all to either Chambers or Lewis-Francis. Sprinting is hard dangerous work, as they are finding out. Wish them the best and better luck next time. This will only make their next triumphs that much sweeter.

Congratulations Kim Collins, St. Kitts and Nevis, Commonwealth 100 meters Champion, Manchester 2002. You earned it! You deserve it! Enjoy it.

Kim Collins (St. Kitts and Nevis) 9.98 (National Record)
Uchenna Emedolu (Nigeria) 10.11
Pierre Browne (Canada) 10.12
Deji Aliu (Nigeria) 10.15
Dwight Thomas (Jamaica) 10.15
Jason Gardener (England) 10.22
Mark Lewis-Francis (England) 10.54
Dwain Chambers (England) 11.19

A Pakistan swimmer is the first to test the pact between Pakistani athletes and their families, and the Pakistani Government. Pakistan had had so much trouble with defections of athletes in recent years that prior to the Commonwealth Games they had every athletes and family sign a pledge stating that the athletes would return or the family would pay 1 million rupees, or $16,500 US to the government.

Pakistan Sports Board director Saulat Abbas said "It is disgraceful that swimmer Abid Hussain has disappeared from the Pakistan camp and we will definitely take action if he doesn't return."

The Hebraica cultural center in Caracas will host the games. The center has an Olympic-size swimming pool, fields for football, baseball and softball, tennis courts, a bowling alley, and a large amphitheater for indoor sports.

The official web site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games was at http://www.slc2002.com with the 2002 Paralympic web site at http://www.paralympics2002.org. During the Paralympic games the former site, slc2002.com was converted over to cover the Paralympic Games. Now, five months after the Olympic Games, the two sites contain essentially the same Paralympic information, with no archival record of the Olympic information at all! Can't say the Olympic Games took precedence over the Paralympic Games on this one!

Forty-two of the eligible forty-three nations have sent in their entries for the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Korea. North Korea is the lone exception and has been given until August 30 to send in their entries. If all of the 7,883 entered athletes compete it will be the largest Asian Games on record.

The games of 1994 in Hiroshima had 6078 athletes participate. in Bangkok in 1998 43 nations participated in 36 sports, records for both categories.

Some very large delegations will be on hand in Busan. The South Koreans will have 1142 accredited members, athletes, officials and staff in their delegation. Japan and China follow with 1002 and 985 members respectively.

Brazil is preparing to pull off a miracle, having agreed to host the 2002 South American Games a mere three months after the games had been postponed and moved from Medellin, Colombia due to violence within the city.

Brazil has quickly prepared venues in four cities, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Belem.

Other nations are finalizing their entries. Paraguay will send 189 athletes, Uruguay 116. athletes to the 7th South American Games to be held in Brazil.

Organizers of the 2003 Pan American games have assured observers that all necessary venues would be completed by February, 2003. The games are scheduled to open august 1, 2003.

The Minister of Public Works Miguel Vargas Maldonado toured construction sites with reporters and said nearly 60 million dollars will be spent on 26 different venues.

The Commonwealth Games will not be shown on live television this year in Kenya, unlike the past two games.

No Kenyan television station was willing or able to buy the television rights for the games this year.

South Africa Broadcasting Corporation purchased the terrestrial rights for Africa.

Other broadcasters would be required to pay SABC $12,000 for subsidiary rights and spend another $10,00 for technical links.

SABC said it was willing to provide the links to any broadcaster "but it is up to them to come up with the money". Getting the rights was not cheap and SABC said it would have to offset its costs.

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation's Managing Director, Joe Khamis, said the costs were prohibitive - especially right after the World Cup. "We would be approaching almost the same advertisers and it is unlikely that they would oblige," he said.

Kenyans hoping to catch live Commonwealth action must resort to satellite dishes the South African pay TV station SuperSport.

FISU Secretary-General Roch Campana FISU President George Killian and other FISU staff visited Daegu, Korea for meetings of the FISU International Technical Commission and Executive Committee from July 9 - 13. Daegu is preparing to host the 2003 World University Games.

During the week the Committees inspected each venue to be used for the games. The organizing Committee is well ahead of schedule and plans to have venues ready by May 2003. The Games open, July 12, 2003.

In addition to meeting with the Daegu organizers, FISU also met to hear progress reports with delegations from Tarvisio, Italy, hosts of the 2003 Winter Games, Innsbruck/Seefeld, Austria, 2005 Winter Games hosts, and Izmir, Turkey the 2005 Summer Universiade hosts.

The committee then turned to future University Games bids. Bangkok, Thailand; Kaoshiung, Chinese Taipei; Monterrey, Mexico; Poznan, Poland; and Saskatoon, Canada; have all sent letters of interest for the 2007 Summer Games.

One city, Turin, Italy has expressed interest in the 2007 winter Universiade. If Turin is chosen for the 2007 games it would be the very first time that any city has hosted an Olympic Games one year and a Universiade the next.

FISU will be sending delegates to inspect and evaluate each of the cities interested in games for 2007.

Apia, Samoa, will host the 2007 South Pacific Games. This news was announced in 2001, but not widely disseminated.

The Commonwealth Games Federation, meeting in Manchester have changed a rule regarding eligibility that gave preference to British athletes.

Until now, British athletes only had to live in one of the seven "Home Nations" (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey) for six of the 12 months before a Games in order to represent them.

Great Britain usually competes as one unit at most major championships and games. At the commonwealth Games, the Home Nations compete as separate entities.

For the 2006 Games onward, a residency period of two of the three years prior to a Games will apply to all 72 Commonwealth countries. Athletes must also meet a citizenship requirement.

Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Mike Hooper, said "It was decided the Home Nations should be brought into line with everyone else and put on the same footing as the rest of the Commonwealth."

A pessimistic article this week in Kenya's national newspaper, the Daily Nation, answered the above question in the negative, stating "Africa Can't Host Games."

Citing cost as the main impediment, the article went on to mention the number of people that descend upon a city, the need for hotels and transport and other infrastructure and that no African city yet has the required set of facilities to handle a games that large (some would disagree).

And what to do with the facilities afterwards? First, go the route most organizers are using these days and establish adequate temporary facilities, then reuse in an organized fashion the permanent facilities. In Africa's case, African Games, African University Games, African Military Games or other regional games could be held before or after an Olympic Games to make certain the facilities were used again, not to mention various single sport championships.

Africa will host the 2003 African Games in Abuja, Nigeria, the 2003 Arab Games in Algiers, Algeria and the 2005 Francophone Games in Niamey, Niger. Depending on the organizational success of each of these games, an Olympic or other large games (Commonwealth, World University Games) bid might be considered.

Admittedly, there would be a number of difficulties to overcome, but it should not be categorically ruled out that Africa, or South America should be able to hold a games as large as the Olympic Games. Those two continents deserve to host a games before the games return to other nations that have already hosted the games several times.

Koji Ito, a three-time Olympian and the defending champion in the Asian Games 100 and 200 meters has announced he will not defend his titles at the 2002 Games.

At 32, Ito has said that his body can not take the strain of training at a world class level. "It is regrettable but I've lost my motivation to run because of the grueling practice sessions. I don't think I will be running anymore,"

With the announcement, Ito also lays to rest his dream of becoming the first Asian athlete to run the 100 meters in less than 10 seconds.

At the 1998 Asian Games Ito came as close as possible, without breaking ten seconds when he ran 10.00 to set an Asian record.

After winning the 100 and 200 meters and helping Japan to a 4x100 meter relay win, Ito was named outstanding male athlete for the 1998 Asian Games, an award which came along with a $100,000 dollar prize.

Qatar will send a team of women's shooters to this year's Asian Games hoping to gain experience for the 2006 games which will be held in Qatar.

The team of seven shooters is coached by former Olympic shooters from Russia and Bulgaria, and recently beat the United Arab Emirates, Brazil and France at the World Championships.

Qatar has begun training women and girls in gymnastics, handball, volleyball, table tennis, taekwondo and karate with the aim of participating in international events.

Qatar also intends to train women volunteers, referees, technicians and officials so that they can "attain international standards while still respecting Islamic values."

An eight member Presidential sub-committee to deal with transportation issues has been created for the 2003 All-African Games to be held in Abuja, Nigeria.

Nigeria's Minister of Transport, Chief Ojo Maduekwe will chair the committee which will be responsible for all aspects of transportation planning for the athletes, officials, guests, volunteers, organizing committee, medical staff, media and dignitaries at the games.

The committee will create a training program for the drivers who will be used during the games, and the plans for maintenance, fuel and security for the vehicles during the games.

The organizers of the 2003 Arab Games met in Algiers to give progress reports, plan for budgets, talk about refurbishing arenas and stadiums, and work on promoting the games.

Recommendations were made by study commissions that the organizing Committee open up a bank account soon so that plans could move forward with the renovation of facilities.

Algeria hosted the 1975 Mediterranean Games and 1978 African Games, but have not had a major multisport gathering since that time.

President Hipolito Mejia of the Dominican Republic has authorized a tax reduction for vehicles to be imported and used for the Santo Domingo Pan American Games in August 2003.

The tax incentive is to induce private individuals to pay for luxury vehicles to be imported into the country.

The vehicles would then be loaned from the owners to the Organizing Committee and used from between 5-15 days during the 2003 Pan-American Games to transport visiting heads of state and other dignitaries.

The official web site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games was at http://www.slc2002.com with the 2002 Paralympic web site at http://www.paralympics2002.org. During the Paralympic games the former site, slc2002.com was converted over to cover the Paralympic Games. Now, five months after the Olympic Games, the two sites contain what seems to be identical information, both on the Paralympic Games! http://www.msnbcolympics.com/ has also been taken off line. Where is the information on the Olympic Games being stored? I guess it can't be argued that the Olympic games take precedence over the Paralympics anymore.

The Central American and Caribbean University Games scheduled for August 2-11 in Medellin, Colombia have been suddenly canceled. Early indications are that security concerns had caused several of the teams to cancel their entries.

With the success of the World Cup, and hopefully the success of the Asian Games, Busan is looking to the future, planning to use its facilities for other large sport events.

The latest musing is a possible joint bid, with Taegu, the host of the 2003 World University Games, for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The next World Dwarf Games have been awarded to France. No details have been released.

India announced last month its desire to reschedule the oft-postponed Afro-Asian Games for October - November 2003. This week the Indian Union Cabinet approved that plan.

Indian Sports Minister Uma Bharti will provide details when she visits Manchester for the Commonwealth Games.

Li Jia Wei, (ranked 9th in the world), and Jing Jun Hong (16th In the world) are "our best chance (for gold) in 40 years," Singapore's team chef-de-mission Annabel Pennefather said.

If they win a gold medal would be worth $100,000 Singapore dollars. A silver would earn $50,000 with $25,000 for bronze. For team events the money doubles.

Singapore's last Commonwealth Games medal was a weightlifting bronze at Edinburgh in 1986.

In its Commonwealth Games history, Singapore has four gold medals, one silver and four bronze.

New Zealand rugby star Eric Rush, knows exactly where a second Commonwealth Games medal would be stored, if New Zealand is fortunate enough to win another at the 2002 Games. Right next to the first one, in his underwear drawer.

Rush's wife Raina thinks a medal display would be showing off. "The wife's dead against me putting up anything like that.......so I haven't even been able to hang any rugby photos around the house."

The outbreak of dengue fever among Malaysian athletes in Kuala Lumpur is now said to be under control and Malaysian athletes who have been declared healthy should have no problems entering Britain. Some 15 athletes have contracted the mosquito-borne fever over the past few weeks.

Measures were taken to eliminate breeding areas for mosquitoes around the Bukit Jalil training complex and local companies provided mosquito repellents to the athletes.

Four years ago when the Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, dengue was also a concern. Visiting teams took precautions, but three individuals from Australia and New Zealand associated with the teams were diagnosed with Dengue fever.

Barbados, will field a team in field hockey, leaving India's men's team out of the games, but ready to focus on other competitions. Commonwealth rules dictated that a team from each of eight regions be selected. Pakistan was ranked slightly higher than India and chosen as the representative from the Asian region. There had been speculation that Barbados might not be able to field a team. The International Hockey Federation had proposed that historical power India play if Barbados did not produce a team.

Ugandan President Yoweri Musevini gave his blessing to the athletes from Uganda upon their departure for Manchester.

Musevini used to occasion to make a statement that sports should be "a mass activity rather than leaving it to few individuals." "Sports is part of building of the three dimensions of a human body (physical, spiritual and intellectual). People who do not do sports are only two thirds of their life."

State sports minister, Henry Okello Oryem, assured the president that Uganda was sending a strong team. Museveni unconcerned with how many medals Uganda would win, asked whether the doctors had ensured that the athletes had no worms in their bodies.

A Commonwealth Games wrestler from Pakistan was left home after Britain rejected his visa application because he had tampered with his passport. The wrestler had reportedly tried to alter the passport with a pencil. The rest of Pakistan's 74 member contingent had no visa difficulties.

With one day remaining before the contingent leaves for the Games, Malaysia's Commonwealth Games team coaches, from China, table tennis’ Yao Linjing, diving’s Yang Zhuliang, gymnastics’ Zhang Zhifen and athletics’ Li Dazhi have yet to be granted visas.

“Except for Zhifen, the other coaches have been training their athletes for a long time and it will be a pity if they cannot be with them at the Games. It may affect the athletes’ performances. Zhifen arrived here last week to help the men’s artistic team for the Games,” said Shapawi.

“The names of the four coaches are not on the list in the British High Commission here in Kuala Lumpur. Our chef-de-mission W. Y. Chin left for Manchester on Wednesday. I have reported the matter to him and he is trying to sort out the problem with the immigration authorities in the UK. Hopefully, they will get the visas.”

Malaysia will be represented by 106 athletes in 14 of the 17 sports with an additional 16 disabled athletes.

Yes, will be the answer. Big Air Freestyle Moto X athletes have been pushing the limits in the past month, perfecting a backflip that was first attempted, but not landed, in competition in the 2000 X Games.

Carey Hart tried the flip in 2000, made the rotation but fell of the back of the bike. Travis Pastrana also made an attempt but landed on his feet. In 2001 Hart tried again, but separated from his bike at the apex of the jump and fell some 30 feet back to the ground.

A change in ramps, and approach, making the jumps much higher and longer has opened the door for several athletes to turn the trick.

ESPN reported "It was just a few weeks ago when the backflip was still considered the most insane and impossible trick in freestyle motocross. Attitudes and action have changed, and very quickly, as a handful of freestylers are pulling the trick, some with consistent ease.

"It's easy!" Pastrana said. "I think Travis can backflip better than he can walk," said his mother.

Pastrana may be gushing about how easy it is, but not for everyone. Another star rider, Nate Adams, fractured his collar bone in his first attempt, but has said he will be back in time for the X Games.

Jumper Mike Metzger reportedly successfully landed 21 backflips the first week of July. That same weekend Pastrana was said to have landed the backflip over 30 times, and since then well over 100 times.

Caleb Wyatt, the first rider to ever successfully execute a backflip, land it, and ride away was a spectator at Metzger's demonstration. Wyatt is waiting for a new bike, and then some practice on the big ramps, which are different than the smaller dirt ramps of his first attempts.

ESPN is predicting that a backflip combination will be necessary to take the gold medal at the games in Philadelphia next month. Metzger and Pastrana have both successfully pulled backflip one-handers and backflip no-footers.

GHD (Gutteridge Haskins & Davey Pty Ltd) of Australia has been selected to plan and implement the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.

GHD's company consisting of consulting engineers, environmental scientists, planners, project managers and surveyors were the project managers for the 2000 Olympic Games, with contracts worth US$1,690 million.

The planning will be divided into two parts. Phase One will be the preparation of the Master Plan, including sporting venues, security, transport, accommodation and opening and closing ceremonies, for presentation to the Olympic Council of Asia in January 2003.

Phase Two will consist of the detailed planning and implementation of the games.

GHD has assembled a team of specialists, including Rod McGeoch, who was Chief Executive of Sydney's Olympic bid. Sandy Hollway, formerly Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG); David Churches, formerly senior manager of SOCOG; Dr. Ian Reinecke, Chief Information Officer for the Sydney 2000 Olympics;

Paul McKinnon former SOCOG Chief of Security and Neil Fergus former SOCOG Director of Intelligence will provide consultation on security issues for the games.

With no explanation, organizers of the 2002 Arborough Games, which were to be held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, have announced on their web site that they have been cancelled. No dates had been scheduled for the games. The Arborough Games are usually held on an annual basis between the cities of Ann Arbor, Michigan and Peterborough, Ontario.

Defending Commonwealth Games 100 meters champion Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago has decided to forego the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Boldon has not been competing up to a standard that he is satisfied with this year and plans to end his season, take a short break and begin training for the 2003 season.

Australian Olympic 400-meter champion Cathy Freeman is back in the Games. Freeman will run on the Australian 1600-meter relay team.

Freeman's had announced in May that she would not run in the games due to off season injuries and that her husband, had been diagnosed with cancer. It was at the urging of her husband that Freeman was convinced to participate on the relay team, though she is still working her way back to fitness.

Steven Akiga, Nigeria's new Sports and Social Development Minister has responded to Nigeria's athletes who earlier this month claimed that they were not getting enough funding and support and that they "have been cheated by the Nigerian government."

Akiga said the Nigerian government "will explore all available opportunities, including scholarships and searching for foreign financial aid for our athletes."

On July 16, with just under 80 days until the opening of the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Korea, Korean President Kim Dae-jung gave a video address to 300 observers at Busan's City Hall exhorting them to make the Games as big a success as the World Cup.

"The Busan Asian Games will be an opportunity to make South Korea a leading business hub in East Asia," Kim said.

The 2002 games are the 14th edition of the modern Asian Games. Busan is only the second non-capital city to host the Games since they were first held in 1951.

Organizers are expecting perhaps as many as 11,000 athletes in 38 sports. In addition to Busan events will be held in Ulsan, Changwon, Masan and Yangsan.

All of the Asian nations, through the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) will pay for the Afghan Olympic Committee (AOC), to field a team for the upcoming Asian Games. The Afghan Olympic Committee has just been reestablished, and once again recognized by the IOC, after years of sport not being allowed in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan will send a team to participate in cycling, boxing, judo, shooting, taekwondo and wrestling.

The OCA will also provide financial assistance to the Afghan Olympic Committee so that the committee can build an office and equip the office with computers, fax and email so that they can communicate with the rest of the sports world.

Pakistan Sports Board director Brigadier Saulat Abbas, has announced that Pakistan the parents of all sixty-four athletes, and the 11 officials accompanying them, have all signed agreements in hopes of preventing defections.

A fine of one million rupees ($16,500 dollars) will be levied, payable by the parents, if any Pakistani athlete defects from the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. According o the latest statistics in 1999, per capita income in Pakistan was just 25,000 rupees, or roughly 412 US dollars per year. The fine would be approximately 40 years of income.

The Pakistan Amateur Boxing Federation president Anwar Chowdhry says no parent would be able to afford to pay the fine.

Pakistan has been given special permission to compete at the Manchester Games, because it has been suspended from the Commonwealth Council following President Musharraf's military coup in 1998.

Pakistan has had its share of sports defections in the last decade. Fourteen members of a club football team defected in Japan in 1994. Four boxers from the Pakistan Olympic teams have defected, two in 1996, two in 2000 and one member of the Olympic field hockey team defected from Sydney.

World field hockey powers and rivals India and Pakistan may still meet in the Commonwealth Games tournament.

Pakistan was given the only slot in the tournament as the representative from Asia. Only eight teams are competing in the men's event, Barbados, Canada, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Wales and defending champion Australia. Barbados might possibly not bee able to field a team. India has been put forth as a first alternate if Barbados is not able to make the games.

Historically India and Pakistan have dominated Olympic hockey, India winning 8 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals, Pakistan 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze. Field hockey has been included just once in Commonwealth competition, in 1998. Australia won the gold over Malaysia, with England taking the bronze.

India and Pakistan have not played each other in field hockey since the final of the Prime Minister's Gold Cup tournament in Bangladesh in January, 2001, which India won on penalty shots.

Pakistan this month announced a rewards plan for Pakistani medallists at the Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth, SAF Games and other international competitions.

A gold medal in a team event at the Olympic Games will earn one million Pakistani rupees (Rs), a silver medal Rs 500,000, bronze Rs 300,000. In the individual events the levels were set at Rs 100,000 for gold, Rs 50,000 for silver and Rs 30,000 for bronze.

At the Asian and the Commonwealth Games levels have been set at Rs 500,000 for gold, Rs 250,000 for silver and Rs 150,000 for bronze for team medals. Individual medallists will collect Rs 50,000 for Gold, Rs 25,000 for Silver and Rs 15,000 for bronze.

In the South Asian Federations (SAF) Games, gold medal winning teams will get Rs 200,000, silver medallist Rs 100,000 and bronze medallist Rs 50,000. Individual event winners; gold Rs 20,000, silver Rs 10,000 and bronze Rs 5,000.

In any other competition with five or more countries participating, teams will earn Rs 100,000 for winning, for silver medals Rs 50,000 and for bronze medals Rs 30,000. In the individual section, the gold medal winner will pocket Rs 10,000, silver medallist Rs 5,000 and bronze medallist Rs 3,000.

The levels have been set for the next four years and will apply for the next two Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth Games, and the SAF Games which are scheduled to be held every two years, but recent editions have been postponed.

So how much money is that? 1 Pakistan Rupee is .0166506 US dollars (on July 12th). which means an Olympic gold medal in a team event is worth $16,650, an individual event $1,665.

An Asian or Commonwealth gold for a team event $8325, for an individual event, $832.

A South Asian Federation Games for an individual gold medal would earn a whopping $333.12. For a bronze medal, $83.25.

All other international competitions, gold $166.51, silver $83.25, bronze $49.95.

How far will that money go in Pakistan? According to one source "the cost of living in Pakistan is low. A majority of teachers in Pakistan earn less than $100 dollars a month. A $500.00 per month salary can ensure a very comfortable lifestyle with plenty left for travel and leisure."

The 2002 North American Indigenous Games will be broadcast from Winnipeg. The opening ceremonies will be covered live, with a half hour of prime-time coverage every day from July 29th until August 3rd.

This will be the first ever live television coverage of the North American Indigenous Games

Cape Verde will host an international games for the first time when the nations of the CPLP, Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa or Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries will gather in Praia, Cape Verde, July 20-28.

The Games have been held three times previously, in Portugal, Mozambique and Sao Tomé e Príncipe.

The games are for athletes 16 and under and this year include football, basketball, volleyball and tennis.

The CPLP consists of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, and Sao Tome and Principe. and East Timor is included as an observer.

Malaysia, the host of the last Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, might be forced to leave some of its team members at home due to an outbreak of the mosquito-borne illness Dengue fever.

Seven cases of the fever have been reported among Malaysian athletes staying at the National Sports Council's hostel in Bukit Jalil.

Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, director of The Malaysian National Sports Institute, said " I can assure you that only disease-free athletes will board the plane. If an athlete is sick, he has to stay home."

In other Commonwealth Games preparations, the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA) this week flew to Europe to take samples from athletes who are overseas preparing for the Games. The ASDA tested for steroids and erythropoietin (EPO).

Most of Australia's Commonwealth Games team members have been tested in the past six months.

Nigerian athletes bound for the Commonwealth Games in England have expressed their displeasure to the Nigerian Sports Ministry over their per diem amount. The athletes are asking to the equivalent of $100 dollars per day, The sports ministry is paying $50.

The athletes threatened to boycott the Games if the government insisted on paying 50 dollars per day, and threatened to hold a press conference in Manchester to publicize that they "have been cheated by the Nigerian government."

The athletes also complained of lack of training equipment, no money for training grants, and that the two week the training tour to Germany was not enough to prepare them for the Games.

Newspapers in Nigeria have also reported that the number of state and federal officials and Sports Ministry staff may outnumber the Nigerian athletes in the delegation.

In addition, 15 members of the African Games Organizing Committee will travel to Manchester to both assist the Manchester Organizers during the Games and observe and examine the organization on order to better prepare for the African Games to be held in Abuja, Nigeria next year. Staff from Accreditation, Marketing, Games Services, Volunteer Services, Media/Communications, and Operations are on the trip, which was approved by COJA's Executive Director Dr. Amos Adamu.

Nigeria did not compete in the last Commonwealth Games in 1998 as the nation had been suspended from the Commonwealth Council.

North Korea has still not formally replied to an invitation from South Korea to participate in the Asian Games later this year. The deadline to accept invites is currently July 15, but South Korea has said, "If the North expresses a wish to attend the games by August 31, it would be possible for the North to take part. We have prepared everything including accommodation facilities for the North."

North Korea has been silent about the invitation and about several other proposed sports exchanges, including a football match between the two nations on Sept. 8.

In other Asian Games news, Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung will once again sponsor India's national team for the Asian Games. Samsung sponsored India in the 1998 Asian Games and 2000 Olympic Games.

South Korea, coming of its best-ever World Cup performance, will be favored to win the football gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games, especially with the advantage of hosting the games.

South Korea has won three Asian Games championships. Iran, the other three-time Asian Games champion, will be looking to knock off the home-field favorites.

Asian Games Football Champs

1951	India
1954	Taiwan
1958	Taiwan
1962	India
1966	Burma
1970	Burma / S. Korea
1974	Iran
1978	N. Korea / S. Korea
1982	Iraq
1986	S. Korea
1990	Iran
1994	Uzbekistan
1998	Iran

Two years ago it was Australian race-walker Simon Baker (Australia's representative on the Athletes' Commission of both the IAAF and Athletics Australia.) who accused Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene of deliberately pulling up lame in the US Olympic Trials 200m meter final in an attempt to avoid mandatory drug tests. Baker hypothesized that neither athlete wanted to finish first, second or third in the trials, (come on! And not make the Olympic team? It was the Olympic Trials!) Baker, conveniently, or ignorantly, forgot that both athletes had already finished first in other events and been drug tested at the trials, as well as at dozens of other competitions in their careers.

Now, it is long retired Aussie distance-runner Ron Clarke who spoke with newspaper reporters in Australia (perhaps over one too many Foster’s?) proposing that some athletes be allowed to use EPO, steroids or other performance enhancing drugs, as long as those drugs do not have negative health consequences. The drugs should be used to “even the playing field” so that athletes born at low-altitudes could have a chance at “fair international competition” with those born at high altitudes.

I certainly hope he wasn’t serious, or at the very least was seriously confused. If serious, the proposal has more holes in it than the Tora Bora caves.

Clarke said, “"Australian (distance runners) are always battling to be the best of the rest.” "But as soon as something comes along like EPO (erythropoietin) etc, they'll say it's a drug and you can't use it and it's the only thing that levels the playing field."

Clarke repeated, "If it's not dangerous, no (it should not be banned), because it just levels the playing field."

Clarke dug himself an even deeper logical hole when he aired the following circumlocution.

"Often these drugs are declared dangerous, like steroids were declared to be dangerous, and yet steroids were developed as a normal treatment for sick people," he said. "And it was only when sick people started to use them that they said they were dangerous and they were dangerous really because the policy tended to be, 'If I've got one and if I take such a dose, I do this well, so if I double my dose I'll do even better.”

So, they were developed as a normal treatment for sick people, but it was only when sick people started to use them that they said they were dangerous. (Perhaps this was a reporters mix-up. This would make perfect sense if it said, only when healthy people started to use them that they said they were dangerous.)

How would EPO level the playing field? Who would administer and monitor such a program? Who would determine who would be allowed to take the “playing-field leveling” drugs? What if someone born at high-altitude moved to low-altitude or vice versa? Would the dosage levels be different based on how high one lived? Would there still be drug testing for athletes who lived at higher altitudes to make sure they weren’t taking “field leveling drugs.”

How does this proposal determine when the playing field is level? Do we suspend competition until the field is level?

There is a difference between following the rules of a sport and having a level playing field, or life being fair. Everyone can follow the rules, train hard, eat right, sleep, choose to make sacrifices or not, and choose to enter competitions. But a level-playing field? The playing field has never been level and never will be. Life is not fair, and never will be. This puts gold medals, world records and Olympic championships in a certain perspective. We’re talking about games here, not life or death.

How far are we willing to take this “level-playing field” idea? The IOC has its Olympic Solidarity program to provide scholarship money for promising athletes. Do we take money away from athletes who have it? Do we distribute prize money so everyone gets an equal share, no matter what their performance?

What about Olympic athletes from “poor” countries, who are the most affluent people in their nation, or a person from a “rich” country who happens to come from a poor family? It happens more than one thinks.

What about other climatic conditions such as heat or humidity? Kids without food? Children left on doorsteps? Kids who didn’t exactly have the best genetic choice in parents?

Do we take away cars and busses from all the Australian and American kids so they have to run six miles a day each way to school? Ban donuts because kids can’t be disciplined enough to stay away from them and their harmful effects?

Do we import snow to those countries that don’t have it so that they can compete more fairly in the Olympic Winter Games?

Do we make sure that everyone lives within 3 kilometers of an all-weather track, has a nutritionist, masseur or masseuse, a well-trained coach, and all the travel money they need? These are individual choices, and yes, some people have it easier than others in this regard, but that doesn’t mean that these things should be changed so that everyone is “equal.”

The problem is this fixation on “fairness.” Life is not fair. Following the rules of a sport should certainly be expected, and fairness and a level-playing field understood in this regard.

But things such as environment, circumstances, living conditions and choices are up to the individual to change. Some people have to work harder than others. Other people squander the astounding resources handed them by fate.

Good athletes don’t worry about those things they can’t control. It surprises me that an Australian athlete, know for toughness and hard work, would imagine such a proposal.

Some of the most inspiring stories are athletes like Glenn Cunningham and Wilma Rudolph who overcame serious physical conditions as children to win Olympic medals.

Yes the distance running world has changed drastically since Ron Clarke’s days of domination in the 1960s. Far more nations and athletes now have the opportunity to compete, and this is thinning out the medals for traditional distance running nations of the previous century. Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Finland, Russia, the United States, France, Czechoslovakia have all had their great runners, (and some times simply great individuals) and there still are very good distance runners from those nations.

But for various circumstances the playing field was never level in the decades when those nations were at the top, (due to equipment, facilities, knowledge, funding, travel etc.) and the playing field is not “level” today.

Athletes from some nations may have some advantages due to geography, but not every Kenyan is faster than every Australian.

The focus in athletics should be on personal improvement. Doing the best that you, and your own physical resources, can do. Nothing else.

If that gets you a World Record or Olympic Championship, so be it. If not, so be it.

The Summer Games season is upon us, with twenty-six large and small international games to be held in July and August.

Manchester will welcome the Commonwealth Games, the first time the games will be held in England since 1934.

The North American Indigenous Games return after being postponed in 1999. Winnipeg will host the 2002 edition.

Pohnpei, Micronesia will host the fifth Micronesian games with Chuuk, Guam, Kiribati, Kosrae, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Northern Marianas, Palau, and Yap visiting the Island. The 1998 Games were competitive with Nauru topping the gold medals list with 38, Northern Marianas 36, Guam 35 and Palau 31 gold medals.

Hosts Pohnpei will be looking to climb back up the medals table. Pohnpei won 12 gold at the 1990 games, 6 gold in 1994 but slipped to 0 gold medals in 1998.

Five editions of JCC Maccabi Games will be held in August and friendly competition between Canadian and American cities continues with the Arborough, Can-Amera, Burlington International, CANUSA, Michitario, and Indianapolis Scarborough Peace Games.

Early July saw the conclusion of three days of meetings in Nigeria hosted by COJA, the Organizing Committee for the African Games.

The three-day meeting included discussions on the general rules and regulations of the games, the calendar for qualifying tournaments in team sports, the criteria for selection of teams as proposed by team sports federations, inspection of facilities at the stadium, a draft of a list of technical officials to be used during the games, and information and guides for participants, media, health and teams' delegations.

The meetings were a cooperative effort between the organizing committee for the games (COJA), Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, (SCSA), and ANOCA, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).

One agreement was that all national teams of the host country in all team sports should qualify automatically for the games, but ANOCA's request for the inclusion of rugby and netball in the Games was rejected.

France was commended for its assistance with the games through the French Cooperation Agency.

A four-man task force was established to oversee the organization of the games from now until the games begin. The task force will include Amos Adamu COJA Chief Executive; Awoture Eleyae, secretary-general of the (SCSA); Thomas Sithole secretary-general (ANOCA); and Mustapha Larafaoui, president of Association of African Sports Commissions, who was named to lead the task force.

Five new stamps will be issued to commemorate the Manchester Commonwealth Games. The stamps will show a sprinter, cyclist, swimmer, long jumper and wheelchair racer.

The Royal Mail is issuing a special presentation pack with the stamps and background information on the Games.

Hungarian and Soviet Union players meet in reunion of 1956 water polo teams

Last month, twelve of the players involved in the famous, violent water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union in the 1956 Olympic Games, held a reunion in Budapest. The gathering was organized by the makers of "Freedom's Fury," a documentary about the match and the Hungarian revolution. It was the first time the players had seen each other since the 1956 game.

The director of the documentary, Colin Gray said, "The West failed Hungary by not supporting a revolution which had a large impact on other freedom movements."

Gray, 34, played water polo at the University of Michigan under coach Ben Quittner, a Hungarian native who now is a technical consultant for the film.

The 1956 Hungarian Olympians received political asylum in the United States after the games.

Several Italian cities, as well as cities in Greece, Egypt, Croatia, Morocco and Yugoslavia have shown an interest so far in bidding for the 2009 Mediterranean Games.

The list of Italian cities includes Cagliari, Catania, Genoa, Grosseto, Latina, Naples, Palermo, Pescara, Rimini, Trieste and Venice.

Egypt was bitterly disappointed when Cairo was dropped from the final round for the 2008 Olympic Games. Egypt's Olympic Committee chief Mounir Sabet said at the time: "We feel sad and are studying the reasons behind the decision." Sabet said Egypt would continue with its plans to build sports facilities and that Egypt "We will apply to host the 2009 Mediterranean Games."

Of the Olympic bid, Egypt's Youth and sports minister Ali el din Hilal said: "This is Egypt's first experience and we have benefited from it. Perhaps the first Olympic bid experience in recent memory for Egypt. Egypt also bid for the Olympic Games in 1916, 1936 and 1940 and hosted the 1951 Mediterranean Games, 1953 and 1965 Arab Games, and 1991 African Games.

Greece would use facilities from the 2004 Olympic Games in a proposed 2009 Mediterranean Games.

Malaysia announced this month that it is interested in hosting the 2010 Asian Games, or Asiad in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia bid for the 2006 Asian Games which were awarded to Doha, Qatar.

Kuala Lumpur would join Hong Kong and Kaoshiung, Taiwan as hopefuls for the 2010 games. Kaoshiung mayor Frank Hsieh spoke with San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown Jr. last year and Brown said that he would give Mayor Hsieh a copy of the documents that San Francisco is using for a 2012 Olympic bid.

Hong Kong has had brief discussions in its Legislative Council, considering a 2010 Asian Games bid. Hong Kong hosted a very small (football only) Asia Pacific Games for the Deaf in 1984.

Taipei, Taiwan hosted the same competition in 1983 (football only) and in 2000 when the Asia Pacific Games for the Deaf had been expanded to include several sports.

Kuala Lumpur has hosted several different kinds of international games including five editions of the South East Asian Games (SEA Games), the World Corporate Games and Asia Pacific Games for the Deaf. Most recently Kuala Lumpur was host for the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 2001 Asian Paralympic Games and 2001 SEA Games.

A poll taken this past month by WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency, asked the question, "Different governments have become more involved with anti-doping work. Do you think this has improved national doping control in these countries?"

Respondents were not convinced, agreeing only 13 percent of the time. 87 percent of respondents said no, government involvement in anti-doping has not improved doping control in those countries.

For several weeks, news sources around the globe, in particular the United States and China, have been touting China's Yao Ming as the next big NBA star. Yao has been groomed for the NBA from a very young age; both parents were basketball stars in China, his mother a captain of the National team. The Houston Rockets chose Ming first in the NBA draft on June 26th, but will Ming be the next big thing?

A look at Yao's performance in international competitions, and a comparison of two other Chinese NBA players, Zhizhi Wang and Mengke Bateer might provide some clues.

Yao, still just 21 years of age (born Sept. 12, 1980), has had several chances to test his skills against international competition, including the 2001 World University Games, 2000 Olympic Games, and 2001 SEA Games. He was considered a great prospect, but too young and not yet mature enough to participate on the 1998 Asian Games team for China but was named an alternate for that team.

Yao was a hero in the 2001 Beijing University Games when, according to Chinese news sources, he "cracked down the United States one-handedly with a powerful block with 0.2 seconds left to give China a 83-82 victory" and break a 46 game US win streak. China settled for the silver after losing to Yugoslavia 101-61.

This was China's second World University Games medal in basketball after winning the bronze in 1993, losing to the US 129-91 in that tournament. The silver in 2001 was a huge improvement over their WUG performance in 1999, where they finished 21st. In 2001 the US settled for the bronze to bring their all-time WUG's record to 12 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze since 1965. (full account of the USA's 112-7 record at the World University Games available at the USA Basketball Site.)

(As an aside, if Bateer, Wang and Yao were playing in the Chinese pro league, and Bateer and Wang were in the NBA in 2001, when and where did they go to University and qualify as students to play in the University Games? Yao's education is listed as Shanghai Sports College.)

China, with Yao as center, claimed the gold medal in the 2001 East Asian Games, but the Australians, playing as guests and not counting in the medals tables, won the tournament, beating China 105-93 in the final.

Ming, Wang and Bateer were all members of China's Olympic team in Sydney in 2000 that finished tenth out of twelve teams. China beat Italy (85-76) and New Zealand (75-60) and lost to France (82-70), Lithuania (82-66) Spain (84-64) and the United States (119-72)

Statistically for the 2000 Olympic tournament China was second in blocked shots with 4.2 per game, but tied with New Zealand for most turnovers per games with 15.2. Even with the "Great Moving Wall" of Bateer, Wang and Ming, China ranked 11th of twelve teams in rebounds per game.

Individually, Yao had 2.2 blocks per game, second for the tourney behind Alonzo Mourning of the US with 2.6. Yao was seventh in turnovers, and eighth on the rebound leaders list with 6.0 per game, just ahead of Todd MacCulloch of Canada with 5.1 but behind leader Kevin Garnett who pulled down 10 rebounds per game.

Zhizhi Wang shows up seventh on the scoring leaders list with 13.5 points per game. Yao scored 63 points in six Olympic games for 10.5 points per game. Mink Bateer averaged 4.6 points per game.

Wang led his team to six straight Chinese Basketball Association Championships, competing against Ming, who was a member of the Shanghai Sharks most of that run.

In his final season in China's professional league Wang averaged 24.9 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.77 blocked shots per game for the season, in the short 24 games CBA season.

In two seasons in the NBA, Wang has a career average of 5.5 points 2.0 rebounds and .33 blocks per game.

Bateer as a member of the CBA's Shougang Beijing Ducks averaged 23.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

In the NBA Bateer has averaged 5.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and .19 blocks per game.

Yao Ming has a career average of 23.4 points and 15.4 rebounds per game in the CBA. For the 2001-02 season Yao averaged 32.4 points and 19.0 rebounds per game.

Comparison of CBA, Olympic and NBA stats for Wang, Bateer and Ming.
per game	Wang	Bateer	Ming
CBA Points	24.9	23.7	32.4 2001-02 23.4 career
Olympic Points	13.5	4.7	10.5
NBA Points	5.5	5.1	??
CBA Rebounds	11.4	13.5	19.0 2001-02 15.4 career
Olympic Rebounds	5		6.0
NBA Rebounds	2.0	3.6	??
CBA Blocks	1.77
Olympic Blocks			2.2
NBA Blocks	.33	.19	??

Yao will continue to be a part of the Chinese national team. The Houston Rockets and CBA officials exchanged letters that assured the Chinese that Yao would be available for national team duties and that the Rockets would have Yao's services for all regular season and playoff games.

Yao will play for China in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Championships in Indianapolis (Aug. 29 - Sept. 8) and the Asian Games, (Sept. 29 - Oct. 14) with the basketball final is scheduled for Oct. 14th. Yao will miss the early part of the Houston Rockets pre-season training and a few preseason games.

On July 1, in Yao's first game since the NBA draft, Italy defeated China 82-65 despite 28 points from Yao.

With less than four weeks to go several nations are choosing their Commonwealth games teams. As usual there are several noted absences.

Kenyan miler Bernard Lagat has said he will not be going to the Commonwealth Games even though he won Kenya's Commonwealth Trials 1500m in a fast 3:38.48. "I don't want to run in the Commonwealth Games because they don't provide the sort of competition I would want," Lagat will instead focus on the European circuit race, with an attempt at the world record in the mile in Paris, July 5, and the African championships in August in Tunisia and the World Cup in Spain in September.

Other Kenyan stars will be missing. Two former world record holders in the 3000 meter steeplechase- Boit Kipketer and Bernard Barmasai finished fifth (8:23.98) and seventh (8:24.27) in the trials and will not be at the games. The Kenyan 3000m steeplechase team will consist of world junior record holder Stephen Cherono who won in 8:18.02, Ezekiel Kemboi in 8:18.31 and Abraham Cherono, Stephen's older brother, third in 8:19.26.

The Kenyan running team will still have plenty of firepower with the following athletes scheduled to participate.

Joseph Mutua, Japhet Kimutai, William Chirchir, Sammy Kipketer, Benjamin Limo, Paul Kosgei, Wilberforce Talel, John Korir Cheruyiot, Eric Wainaina, David Kimutai, Naomi Mugo, Edith Masai, Esther Wanjiru, David Kiplack, Stephen Cherono, Abraham Cherono, Ezekiel Kemboi, Willy Kirui, Joshua Chelang'a, Jackline Maranga, Faith Macharia, Salina Kosgei, Iness Chemoss and Susan Chepkemei.

Zimbabwe has chosen twenty-one athletes but no women. One female athlete, Samuelisso Moyo, was left off the team for not giving the federation, Athletics Zimbabwe ten percent of her winnings from a meet in Angola.

1996 Olympic long jump gold medallist Chioma Ajunwa was unable to make the team due to an ankle injury, and despite numerous requests, has not been added to the team by the Nigerian Sports Federation.

Stirling, Scotland will host the 24th Edition of the World Medical and Health Games (formerly the World Medical Games) in June 2003. This will be the first time the games have been held in England. Events are planned at various location around Stirling including Stirling University, Forthbank and Gleneagles.

The North Sea Commission has briefly mentioned a proposal for a North Sea Games, including swimming, sailing, rowing and other water sports.

The North Sea Commission exists to "facilitate and enhance partnerships between regions which manage the challenges and opportunities presented by the North Sea," and to "promote the North Sea Basin as a major economic entity within Europe, by encouraging joint development initiatives and political lobbying at European Union level."

Willie Davenport, American Olympic champion died suddenly of a heart attack while traveling through O'Hare airport in Chicago last month. He was 59 years old.

Davenport, a 110 meter hurdles specialist, was an Olympic semifinalist in 1964, Pan-American games gold medallist in 1967 and Olympic champion in 1968. He finished 4th in the 1972 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1976. Davenport ended his Olympic career as a member of the 1980 US Olympic Winter Games team as a bobsledder.

Davenport was a Colonel for the Army National Guard, serving as a program director of the National Guard Bureau's Office of Sports Management. He was also the current First Vice President of the U.S. Olympians a US Olympic Alumni Association.

Davenport was named a member of the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1981 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1991.

Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi from Pakistan and Muslim has paired with Amir Hadad a Jew from Israel to competes in the doubles competition in Wimbledon. The two have just begun playing together as a team but have reached the third round of the Wimbledon doubles competition.

Pakistani sports officials however are threatening to ban Qureshi from participation since Israel and Pakistan do not have diplomatic relations. The Pakistan Sports Board, has condemned Qureshi and demanded an explanation.

Maj. (Retd) Rashid Khan, the Pakistan Tennis Federation secretary told the Pakistani newspaper Dawn that they would however be seeking the Sports Board's advice on their player partnering with an Israeli Jew. "If the ministry directs us to take action, we will have to do that." Khan also admitted that as a professional player Khans "did not have to have our permission to play in events abroad."

Qureshi says he is surprised at the fuss but says if he and Hadad can change people's minds about Muslims and Jews working together, that would be a good thing.

The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has told Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi to end his doubles partnership with Israeli Amir Hadad and not play in the US Open with him.

PTF senior vice-president Khawaja Saeed Hai had very strong words for Qureshi when addressing the situation.

Among them: "I think he can be forgiven for playing with the Israeli in the Wimbledon championships but he should not repeat the act in the US Open in August,"

"He has to realize that for Pakistani Muslims, Israel is a very contentious and sensitive issue. It is not just about playing tennis." "I would hate to see any strong action taken against Aisam and I think he should look at forming a new partnership for future tournaments."

Hai advised Qureshi to "stop talking too much on this issue." "He might end up saying something which could create a lot of problems for him in future."

After a stern letter from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has decided against any disciplinary action against Aisam ul Haq for playing in Wimbledon paired with an Israeli Amir Hadad.

The ITF wrote that any move to punish Aisam would result in sanctions and Pakistan would be barred from taking part in the Davis Cup matches.

The PTF responded "No action will be initiated against Aisam and we strongly dismiss any such rumors that he will be facing a possible ban for pairing with Amir. "Aisam is an asset to Pakistan tennis and has introduced the country globally through his encouraging performance in Wimbledon," he said and added "his contributions will further help in promoting tennis."

Aisam and Hadad reached the third round of Wimbledon, making Aisam the first ever Pakistani player to reach that round at Wimbledon.

PTF officials said Aisam said he was considering changing his partner in the US Open to boost his performance. Other high ranking doubles players have asked him to join them as a partner in future events.

"The Other Final"

Just before Brazil and Germany began the battle for the World Cup in International Stadium Yokohama, the two lowest ranked national teams in world football, Bhutan at 202 and Montserrat ranked 203 were competing in "The Other Final" in Bhutan's Changlimithang Stadium in the capital city of Bhutan, Thimpu.

Italian star Roberto Baggio wrote on the games official website "The Other Final shows the real spirit of football in a clear and passionate way. It's an example the football world should follow, a stimulus for the more famous final of the World Cup; the discovery of pure amusement and love for this sport,". "It will be able to show us that football is a language everyone can speak. In a time where it's all about commercialism, here is an almost naive project that puts love for the game first."

Tickets for the game were free and some 10,000 fans showed up to watch. After the game, fans and players watched the Brazil-Germany final together.

Bhutan's first played an international football match in 1999 losing to Kuwait 20-0 qualifier. A nine-team national league started in Bhutan in 2001.

Montserrat, a Caribbean island, found the travel difficult, five days through six countries and were struggling with altitude sickness in Thimpu which sits at 7,500 feet in the Himalayas.

Melbourne, Australia has been selected as the host city for the 2004 Track Cycling World Championships. Tentative dates are May 26-30 at the new multipurpose indoor arena at Melbourne Park, current home of the Australian Open tennis tourney.

The event will also give Commonwealth Games organizers a solid test event less than two years prior to the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Alphabetical List of Games	Games in July
Games in Africa	International School Children's Games, Plock. Poland July 1-2
Games in Asia	Stockholm Summer Games, Stockholm, Sweden, July 4-7
Games in Europe	Pan American Games for Patients with Asthma, Monterrey, Mexico, July 11-13
Games in North America	Great Outdoor Games, Lake Placid, USA, July 11-14
Games in South America	Gorge Games, Mt. Hood, USA, July 14-22
Games in Oceania	Can-Am Police Fire Games, Spokane, USA, July 15-21
Games for Disabled Athletes..	Michitario Games, Sarnia, Canada, July 19-21
Masters/Seniors Games	Micronesian Games Pohnpei, Micronesia, July 21-31
Games for Youth	FISEC Games, Valletta, Malta, July 22-29
Winter Games	Commonwealth Games, Manchester, England, July 25 - Aug. 4
	North American Indigenous Games, Winnipeg, Canada, July 25 - Aug. 4
	Indianapolis-Scarborough Peace Games, Indianapolis, USA, July 26-29
	Gravity Games, Cleveland, USA July 27 - Aug. 4

	Games in August

	Commonwealth Games, Manchester, England, July 25 - Aug. 4
	North American Indigenous Games, Winnipeg, Canada, July 25 - Aug. 4
	Gravity Games, Cleveland, USA July 27 - Aug. 4
	South American Games, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil August 1-10
	International Law Enforcement Games, Ottawa, Canada August 1-10
	European Union Scholar Athlete Games, Limerick, Ireland, August 11-16
	Central American and Caribbean University Games, Medellin, Colombia August 2-11 cancelled
	JCC Maccabi Games, Omaha, USA Aug. 4-9
	JCC Maccabi Games, Memphis, USA Aug. 4-9
	CANUSA Games, Flint, USA Aug. 9-11
	Burlington International Games, Burlington , Canada Aug. 9-11
	Can-Amera International Games, Saginaw, USA Aug. 9-11
	JCC Maccabi Games, Baltimore, USA Aug. 11-16
	X Games, Philadelphia, USA Aug. 15-19
	JCC Maccabi Games, Montreal, Canada Aug. 18-23
	JCC Maccabi Games, Springfield, MA, USA Aug. 18-23
	Arborough Games, Ann Arbor, USA