The GMR way

In Delhi Daredevils, the GMR group found an ideal vehicle to promote its business interests that ranged from infrastructure to sports.

Just days before the DLF-Indian Premier League began, the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium appeared to be in a mess with construction material strewn around everywhere. But on D-day, it was transformed into a swanky sports arena and the IPL teams found it a pleasure to play here.

The almost magical turnaround came thanks to the GMR group, the franchisee of Delhi Daredevils. For the construction company, involved in mega infrastructural projects across the country such as the state-of-the-art Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, revamping the Kotla must have been a routine exercise.

Since cricket is like a religion in India, the GMR group saw in the Indian Premier League (IPL) an opportunity to connect with people through the sport. Besides being attractive, cricket’s entertainment potential appealed immensely to both the young and the old. Huge attendance at almost every venue was supplemented by large TV audiences, not just in India, but in the sub-continent, the Gulf, many of the Commonwealth nations and among the large Indian communities around the globe.

In Delhi Daredevils, with its daring and dashing openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambir, the GMR group found an ideal vehicle to promote its business interests that ranged from infrastructure to sports.

Speaking of the group’s objective, Vijay Vancheswar, Group Head and Vice-President, Corporate Communications, said, “As an entity, the GMR group believes in promoting talent and engaging youngsters by providing opportunity for growth in their areas of excellence in cricket.

“Through Delhi Daredevils team, we believe that the GMR Group has succeeded in encouraging talent not only in the capital but in and around Delhi and the nearby catchment areas. The GMR Group is committed to building a strong network with the Delhi community and learning from its experiences by playing the game in right earnest and in the best form of sportsmanship.”

* * *'Didi' all the way

The name ‘Didi’ kept reverberating at the CBR Sports Academy’s gymnasium hall at Kethanakonda, near Vijayawada. For the young weightlifters from various parts of the country, training at the academy, the interaction with Olympian Kunjarani Devi was a godsend opportunity. They clarified many of their doubts with the illustrious weightlifter, who has more than 50 international medals in her kitty. “Respect your parents and coaches. If you work hard an d believe in yourself, you can achieve your goals. Mind you, there is no short cut to success,” exhorted the diminutive weightlifter from Manipur.

The 40-year-old deputy commander from the Central Reserve Police Force was in Vijayawada along with international weightlifters Bharati Singh, Monika Devi, Pujari Sailaja, Geeta Devi, Chaya Devi and Anita Kumari to attend a felicitation function organised by the CBR Sports Academy. Kunjarani narrated how she missed the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. She also spoke of her agony following the delay in getting the visa for participating in the World Championship in Melbourne in 1993. “Due to the delay, I was under pressure. I was able to win only a bronze in the 48kg category,” she said.

“We lacked facilities during our formative years. It took years for me to practise on quality bar bells. You are fortunate, as the academy has provided you with world class equipment in an air-conditioned room. With commitment you can realise your dreams,” she advised the youngsters. Kunjarani exhorted the youngsters to take up weightlifting in a big way and said there were good job opportunities for them.

* * *Tadesse proves his class

The Sunfeast World 10K run recently took Bangalore by storm. Procam International, with a wealth of experience in conducting top level running events like the Standard Chartered Bank Mumbai Marathon and the Vodafone Delhi half marathon, brought in a world class field for the event.

Zersenay Tadesse (in pic) of Eritrea (situated in Northeast Africa) showed his class against the likes of Moses Kipsiro of Uganda and a host of others to win the men’s title and US $20,000. The women’s event saw a photo-finish, but in the absence of a photo-finish camera, Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey and Grace Momanyi of Kenya were declared joint winners. The Indians, led by Kashinath Aswale of Karnataka, returned creditable timings. While Kashinath finished 15th in the main event, Santosh Kumar and Soji Mathew (both Railways) finished 17th and 18th respectively.

The organisers introduced a new format, the Nations Challenge, which was run alongside the main race. The event was meant for the affiliates of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) who could enter a team of two men and one woman athlete. The aggregate time of the three athletes would be taken to decide the winning team. Railways (Preeti L. Rao, Santosh Kumar and Soji Mathew — 1:36:10) won the Nations Challenge and a purse of Rs. 4 lakhs. Karnataka (Kiran Tiwari, Kashinath, Manoj Singh — 1:40:18) came in second, followed by Kerala (C. A. Manjusha, Ranjan Kariappa, Naresh Kumar — 1:45:07).

* * *Problems galore

The National Youth Games has been a pet project of the sports administrators of Karnataka. This, however, had been in limbo for the past five to six years. But with the formation of a new government in the State, the Games are set to take off on July 22. The eight-day extravaganza would feature 24 disciplines and the Department of Youth Services and Sports, Karnataka, and the Karnataka Olympic Association have decided to pull out all the stops and make it a memorable event .

While their missionary zeal needs to be applauded, one can’t dispute the fact that they have an uphill task. The meet was originally scheduled to be held in Bangalore over two years ago, but was postponed due to several factors. Later, it was to be conducted in May 2008, but polls in Karnataka forced the organisers to reschedule the Games. The new dates in July pose a major challenge to the organisers as it comes in the midst of the monsoon.

Though Mr. Amar Kumar Pandey, the Commissioner of DYSS and the organising secretary of the Games, assured that all contingency plans would be in place, given the poor state of infrastructure, it would be an onerous task for the organisers. They have to virtually race against time to repair and re-lay the athletic track at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium and the astro-turf at the hockey stadium.

The DYSS had called for tenders in February for the purpose, but cancelled them as costs quoted were prohibitive. There is hardly any time to call for fresh tenders and finalise the deal. And more importantly, the work cannot be completed in such a short time. Meanwhile, senior officials in the State Government have expressed reservations about holding the meet in July. But the IOA is keen on going ahead as the Games would serve as the selection trials for the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune. “We are facing a situation similar to the one we had during the National Games in 1997, when nothing seemed to be ready, but all turned out well in the end and we hosted the Games. I am sure everything would fall in place by July,” said a senior DYSS official. The sports fraternity of Karnataka also shares this hope.

By A. Joseph Antony, J. R. Shridharan, Avinash Nair & Kalyan Ashok