| Eye-opener: Will elimination be the best thing for Woods? For Tiger Woods it ends with whimper and not a bang. There were no roars yesterday at Cog Hill that the world's greatest golfer was on the prowl. ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Games to go ahead despite gun attack Officials in Indian city say that event will not be cancelled following incident in which shots were fired at touristsMinisters and officials in Delhi are trying to reassure the world today that next month's Commonwealth Games in the city will go ahead safely despite an incident in which gunmen shot two foreign tourists seemingly at random.Yesterday's attack, in which gunmen on a motorbike fired at a pair of Taiwanese visitors near the Jama Masjid mosque, one of the city's biggest tourist attractions, marked yet another setback for Delhi's beleaguered games organisers, already struggling with hugely delayed or cancelled infrastructure projects, allegations of wholesale corruption and apparent public indifference to the event.The victims were not seriously injured and are expected to leave hospital this week. "All that I can appeal to everybody is, please do not panic. An incident like this is something worrying but nothing to panic about," said Sheila Dikshit, Delhi's chief minister.Police said there was no apparent link between the attack and the games, which begin on 3 October. "There has been a lot of media speculation, but there is yet no evidence to suggest that the attack had anything to do with the games," said Mike Hooper, head of the Commonwealth Games Federation.When the city was awarded the event seven years ago, it was billed as a coming out party for the modern India - an economic and political showcase of the sort enjoyed by Beijing in 2008. Instead, critics say the runup to the games has showcased many of the country's failings, including a tendency for largescale public infrastructure projects to become mired in corruption, delay and political infighting.Some sports venues are still having the finishing touches completed after work began years later than planned, while a number of wider municipal projects were either hugely delayed or, in some cases, hurriedly cancelled. City authorities have also faced criticism over the removal of migrant shanty towns to make way for the games village.Fellow Commonwealth governments were keen to play down the potential impact of the shootings. A Foreign Office spokesman in London said travel advice for those going to the games from 3-14 October would be updated to mention the incident, but an overall general warning about the risk of terrorism in the country would not be updated."The UK is working closely with the Indian authorities in the runup to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and in preparation for the London Olympics," he said. "We look forward to an enjoyable and successful games this October."Australia's Commonwealth Games association said it believed there was "an acceptable level of security" for the event while New Zealand's prime minister, John Key, said his country's athletes would still attend. "One always takes these things seriously but we are also very hopeful that the Commonwealth Games will proceed, that New Zealand will go and do very well," he said.The roster of competing athletes will, however, be missing several star names, who have given a variety of reasons for staying away - many seemingly connected to the relatively low status the competition has within some sports. These include 100 metres world recordholder Usain Bolt, British cycling stars Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton and the heptathlon world champion Jessica Ennis.Such withdrawals have hit ticket sales and Delhi's wider tourist business, with many hotels complaining they are likely to be less full than in a normal October. All this will leave Indian taxpayers with a hefty bill - the official public cost of organising the event is approaching £4bn.IndiaCommonwealth Games 2010Peter Walkerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Phila. getting most signatures on World Cup petition Philadelphia has climbed past Houston into first place atop the FIFA World Cup U.S. bid city leaderboard contest, with more than 84,000 signatures — an 8,000 signature lead, city officials said Thursday. feeds.bizjournals.com |
Randy Moss' return to Vikings might ignite NFL's already hot ratings NFL TV ratings, already TV sports' sumo wrestlers, fattened up this season weighing in with highest average game ratings in 21 years. rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Drug smuggler lands six-month ban • Criminal made £151 when Rascal In The Mix was beaten• Ruling body may tighten process by which owners are vettedThe process by which syndicate members are vetted may be changed after Stephane Hassiakos, described as "a non-nominated partner" in the filly Rascal In The Mix, was banned for six months for laying that horse on Betfair before a race at Southwell in November 2008.At the time Hassiakos had only recently been released from prison, having served four years of a nine-year sentence for masterminding a major drugs ring, which imported cannabis with a street value of £10m into north-west England.Only two members of a syndicate are required to register in full as owners with the British Horseracing Authority. Other members are simply listed as "non- nominated partners" on a horse's registration form. As such they are not subject to the BHA's "fit and proper person" test for owners.Paul Struthers, the BHA's spokesman, said that consideration may be given to a change in the rules that would require nominated partners to vouch for the "fit and proper" status of non- nominated partners."It would be very onerous for all concerned to require every partner in a horse to be fully registered," Struthers said. "It would mean a great deal more work for Weatherby's [racing's administrative service] and also a great deal more expense for owners."But a change to the responsibilities of the nominated owners is something we will look at, though it is not straightforward."Struthers also confirmed that Hassiakos's conviction for a serious criminal offence meant that it was "unlikely" he would pass the BHA's fit-and-proper test.At the hearing into the Southwell race today the BHA's disciplinary panel heard that Hassiakos placed two lay bets, risking a total of £513.79, before Rascal In The Mix made her debut in a maiden race at a starting price of 14-1. Hassiakos, having laid her at a substantially shorter price, stood to make £151.52 if she was beaten.In the race the filly was slowly away, but made progress under little pressure from her jockey, Dean McKeown, before finishing fifth, without ever being put into serious contention.McKeown had been given leave to continue riding by the BHA pending an appeal against a four-year ban for corruption offences. That leave was immediately revoked after his ride on Rascal In The Mix and McKeown, whose riding career is almost certainly over, is currently serving his suspension.Hassiakos admitted a breach of the rules of racing but said that he had not been aware that it was against the rules to lay a horse in which he had a share.The panel accepted that he had been "co-operative and straight throughout the investigation and inquiry", but "wished to make it clear that ignorance ... is not a valid argument" for a breach of the rules. It banned Hassiakos from the sport for six months from tomorrow.Horse racingDean McKeownGreg Woodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |