2010 Olympic games eyes vaccinations against H1N1

By Allan Dowd

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Organizers of next year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver are hoping to get thousands of volunteers and staff vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus, a medical official said on Wednesday.

Organizers were already stockpiling antivirals and vaccine for next year's expected seasonal flu in Canada and are now talking with Canadian and international health authorities about how to respond to the global swine flu pandemic.

"We'll be doing a campaign trying to encourage all of our volunteers as well as our staff ... to get as many as possible vaccinated," said Dr. Jack Taunton, chief medical officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC).

The 2010 Games to be held in the west coast city in February will draw athletes, officials and visitors from around the world.

They will also involve 25,000 volunteers and 5,000 VANOC staff. Vaccinations cannot be mandated in Canada, so Taunton said that, based on past medical experience, it is unlikely all of the volunteers and staff would agree to do it.

Vaccination of athletes is the responsibility of each country's national Olympic committees but Taunton said VANOC will be advising those committees about which flu viruses they should be protecting against.

VANOC highlighted the concern about the potential impact of the H1N1 flu on the Games with the announcement on Wednesday that its latest sponsor was ALDA Pharmaceuticals Corp, which produces hand sanitizers.

Medical officials say hand washing is a critical component in efforts to stop the flu's spread.

"This is a product for the times we are in," VANOC chief executive John Furlong told reporters.

The World Health Organization this week recommended healthcare workers should get priority access to H1N1 vaccinations to ensure health systems keep functioning as the swine flu pandemic spreads.

WHO also recommended priority for pregnant women, children and people with underlying diseases.

"We know there are other priorities and that we have to fit within that," Taunton said. "We're not going to be stepping up to the front of the line."

Taunton said VANOC also recognized that development of a potential vaccine for the H1N1 flu has gone slower than some health officials had hoped.

"If it was produced at the same rate as seasonal flu (vaccine), we would be fine," he said.

Tiger targets Turnberry turnaround

Turnberry, Scotland, July 17: Tiger Woods, a heavy favourite to win this week's British Open, has plenty of ground to make up in Friday's second round after opening with a one-over-par 71.

The American world number one, in pursuit of his 15th major title, failed to take advantage of ideal scoring conditions on Thursday, ending the first round seven strokes behind leader Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain.

"I made a few mistakes," three-times champion Woods told reporters after carding four bogeys and three birdies on a calm, sun-splashed day on the Ayrshire coast.

"Hopefully I can play a little better, clean it up and put myself headed in the right direction." Woods, who fought a fade during the opening round, started out with an over-par score for the 27th time in majors.

On three of those occasions, however, he has gone on to win, at the 2005 U.S. Masters, the 2007 U.S. PGA Championship and last year's U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

Source: Malayalamanorama

2 Indians in semifinals of Russian boxing event

New Delhi, July 9: Indian boxers Amandeep Singh and Manpreet Singh outpunched their Russian rivals to move into the semi-finals of the Magomed Salam Umakhanov Memorial boxing Championships at Makhachkala, Russia.

In the 48 kg category, Amandeep defeated Russian V. Ginnachmaev 11-2 in the quarter finals and entered the medal round Wednesday.

Manpreet (91 kg) knocked out Abdullaev Rustam to make it to the last four.

In other events, Jasveer Singh (81 kg) defeated Iskanderov Khatiz of Azerbaijan 8-2 to advance to the second round.

Jai Singh Patil (69 kg) and Kuldeep Singh (75 kg), however, lost their first round bouts.

Patil lost to Ambartzumyn Edurd of Armenia 2-8 while Kuldeep went down to Russian Yron Nikolia 9-12 in a close fight.

Source: Malayalamanorama

Eighth stage of Tour de France gets under way

Andorra la Vella (Andorra), July 11: The eighth stage of the 2009 Tour de France got underway Saturday in the city of Andorra la Vella, in Andorra, with Italian Tour novice Rinaldo Nocentini wearing the race leader's yellow jersey.

The 176.5km course to Saint-Girons in France takes the 176 riders left in the race over three mountains, two of them rated category 1 in difficulty, and is ideal for a long breakaway by riders with little hope of winning the Tour but eager to grab a stage victory.

The 31-year-old Nocentini became the first Italian since 2000 to lead the Tour when he joined a successful breakaway in Friday's seventh stage, the first in the mountains, and former leader Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland faded badly on the 10.4km climb to the finish line.

He also benefitted from the strategy of the Astana team of seven-time Tour champ Lance Armstrong and 2007 winner Alberto Contador, which was based on not taking the yellow jersey so early in the three-week race.

"We were hoping that there would be a breakaway that could succeed with a rider who could take the yellow jersey," Astana team manager Johan Bruyneel said after Friday's stage.

After beating Armstrong and the other Tour title contenders, such as Australian Cadel Evans and 2008 winner Carlos Sastre, by 21 seconds to the finish line on Friday, Contador has confirmed his status as odds-on favourite to win this year's Tour.

He now stands second, 6 seconds behind Nocentini, with Armstrong in third place, another 2 seconds adrift.

Contador was also happy that he failed to take the race lead.

"It's very good that I didn't take the yellow jersey," he said Friday. "We will all be more relaxed in the next few days. Because in the Tour de France, if you are the leader, it is always difficult to control (the race) and it is still a long way to Paris."

The Tour ends July 26 in the French capital.

Yuki sails into ITF tournament second round

New Delhi: Fourth seed Yuki Bhmabri began his bid for the back-to-back Central Bank $15,000 International Tennis Federation (ITF) titles with a 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Nihal Kapoor in the first round at the DLTA complex here Tuesday.
Yuki, who won the first of the two successive ITF tournaments last week, battled for just little over an over to set up a second round meeting with Israeli qualifier Tal Eros. Eros advanced to the second round when his opponent, N. Prashanth conceded the match at 1-6, 7-6(5), 2-1 .

Kapoor, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after the withdrawal of American Nicholas Edlefsen, showed promise but lacked consistency to pose any threat to the junior Australian open champion, with whom he practices often.

His errors only made it easy for Yuki, who broke him in the fifth and the seventh game of the match to go up a set. Yuki then ran through the second set.

Last week's finalist and sixth seed Rohan Gajjar too advanced to the second round when qualifier Nikunj Siwach retired due to giddiness, trailing 3-6, 1-2.

Top seed Kento Takeuchi of Japan staved off a second set fightback from Navdeep Singh to win 6-3, 7-6 (0). In the second round, he plays Vivek Shokeen who dispatched Vijayant Malik 6-2, 6-3.

Takeuchi had beaten Shokeen in straight sets in the first round last week.

In the other first round singles matches, second seed Vishu Vardhan had it easy against Rohan Gide, winning 6-3, 6 2. He next meets Ashutosh Singh, who sent qualifier Ankit Sachdeva packing 6-1, 6-1.

Seventh-seeded Ranjeeth Virali Murugesan rallied to beat P.C. Vignesh 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 while fifth seed Divij Sharan defeated Briton Maniel Bains 6-4, 6-1 for a second round face-off with Mithun Murli, who beat wildcard Kaza Vinayak Sharma 6-4, 6-2.

IANS

Source:Mathrubhumi

Galle knock propells Yousuf to top spot in cricket rankings

Dubai: Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf could not have asked for a more successful return to international cricket. Despite a year-long absence, the right-hander needed just a century to break through to the top of the Test rankings.
Yousuf has toppled his captain Younus Khan to achieve the No.1 ranking in the Reliance Mobile International Cricket Council's rankings for the first time in his career.

Yousuf was second when he was removed from the rankings table early in 2009 as Pakistan had not played a Test match since before the qualification date for the rankings.

Pakistan have a 1-2 in the latest batting table for the first time since the rankings were introduced in June 1987.

Yousuf, who is the only Pakistan batsman to have reached the 900-point mark, scored 112 and 12 as Pakistan squandered a winning position to lose the first Test against Sri Lanka by 50 runs while chasing 168 runs.

Younus's opposite-number Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 9 and 14, has dropped two places to fifth position.

Sangakkara's fall has benefitted India opener Gautam Gambhir and Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies. Both the left-handers have moved up one place each to occupy third and fourth places respectively.

In the rankings for bowlers, Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who took

4-15 in the second innings, has jumped eight places to 48th position.

Sri Lanka's iconic spinner Muttiah Muralitharan heads the bowlers list, followed by second-placed Dale Steyn of South Africa.

Jacques Kallis continues to lead the Test all-rounder's list with Mitchell Johnson of Australia second and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori third.IANS

Source: Mathrubhumi

Another suitor turns up at Sania's doorstep; lands in jail

Hyderabad: A day after a youth from Bangalore wanting to marry ace tennis player Sania Mirza landed in jail, another youngster made a vain bid to force his way into her house today and was taken into custody, police said. The youth whose identification was being ascertained is from Uttar Pradesh and went to Sania's house in the posh Banjara Hills saying he has got a 'love letter' from the Tennis sensation and he be allowed to meet her, a senior police officer told PTI.

'As he tried to force his way into the house, the police personnel posted on duty in front of Sania's house immediately took him into custody,' the police officer said. 'We are interrogating him. More details would be known once investigations are complete,' he said. Sania's engagement is scheduled for tomorrow here with city-based Mohammed Sohrab Mirza, whose family runs a chain of bakery in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. PTI

Source : Mathrubhumi

BCCI contracted players to play for states when free

Mumbai: The BCCI technical committee today said it wants all the contracted players to make themselves available for their respective states when they are not playing international cricket. This was one of the recommendations made by the echnical committee, headed by former captain Sunil Gavaskar, at its meeting at the Cricket Centre here. 'The committee was of the view that the board should talk to its contracted players and ensure that they represent their respective state sides when not playing for India,' BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement.

The technical committee also recommended the BCCI to revert back to playing all Ranji Trophy matches on a home and away basis as was the case three seasons ago. Over the last two seasons the knock out rounds were held at neutral venues, a practice the Gavaskar-led panel wants to do away with. The committee also recommended that the wickets in the stadia should be under the supervision of BCCI's Pitch and Ground Committee member from the zone concerned. It also approved the format for assessment of pitches for domestic tournaments and recommended a special committee comprising Sunil Gavaskar, Chetan Chauhan, Sourav Ganguly and K Srikkanth to go through the pitch reports of the match referees.

The committee is against the participation of foreign players in domestic tournaments from 2009-10 season onwards. Instead it want only three 'guest' players to be permitted in a state side. It also feels changing of the ball should be made mandatory after 35 overs in one-day games, and the Power Play rules that are in place for international cricket, should be applied to the domestic circuit as well. The committee also expressed concern over the quality of the SG Test balls being used in domestic tournaments.

During the meeting, a Mumbai-based enthusiast made a resentation on a new formula to decide rain-affected limited
overs matches, who was asked to submit a hard copy of the same to the BCCI, one of the members of the committee said. PTI