India file — Aparna falls at the first hurdle

Aparna falls at the first roundBANGALORE: World Junior No 2 Aparna Popat of India had a disastrous start to her campaign in the Indonesian ...

Aparna falls at the first round

BANGALORE: World Junior No 2 Aparna Popat of India had a disastrous start to her campaign in the Indonesian Open Badminton Championship at Solo, Central Java losing to Japan’s Yasuko Misui in a first round match on Thursday.According to a faxed message from Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, where Aparna trains, the 19-year-old, lost in straight games 8-11, 4-11 in 50 minutes to her opponent, who is ranked 24th amongst seniors in the world.

World title for A-I

NEW DELHI: Air-india, boasting of former junior national champion Sidharth Jain, drubbed Malyasian Airlines 5-0 in the final encounter to claim the World Airlines Badminton title in Mauritius last week.Others members of the Air-India squad were Abhin Shyam, Sameer Mahesh, Vispy Modi, Neelima Chaudhary, Larissa Sadarangani, Nirmala Kotnis and S Sampada. The championship saw 13 airlines teams fight for supremacy, a press release said here today.

India may host

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CALCUTTA: Chances of India hosting the Asian Zone World Cup qualifying matches are quite bright, All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Priya Ranjan Das munshi said here today.Briefing newsmen Das Munshi said the final decision, however, would be taken by the Fifa football sub-committee meeting to be held at Zurich on July 21. Altogether three teams from Asian zone would earn the right from this qualifying round matches to be held in November next to play in the World Cup finals to be held in France in 1998.Besides India, Malaysia, Bahrain and Singapore had also staked their claim to organise these matches, he added.Das Munshi said if allotted the AIFF would host these matches either in Calcutta or Bangalore both of which have the proper infrastructure.

Fed Cup on DD

CALCUTTA: Doordarshan is likely to cover live the KBL Federation Cup final at the Salt Lake Stadium on July 20. Although the matter is yet to be finalised, the All India Football Federation president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi said that the AIFF had received word that Doordarshan has agreed to pay the satellite channel STAR Sports Rs 5 lakh.

Jr hockey trials

CHANDIGARH: The selection committee was present in full strength on Thursday as the two-day trials to select the national junior hockey team for participation in the MCC tournament to be held in Chennai later this month got underway at the Sector 42 hockey stadium here.Only the chairman of the committee and president of the Indian Hockey Federation, K P S Gill, was not at hand to have a glimpse of the 30 probables give a display of their wares.