Athletics

Call it an aberration or what you please, while kabaddi cries for attention in its country of birth, the players have little to complain about, barring the lack of publicity in this cricket-driven nation.

Piercing the stillness, a war-like cry rang out, "Gher, gher, (surround him)". No sooner had skipper Naveen Kumar barked the command, the men in red jerseys, owing allegiance to the Delhi Dashers, steadily worked their way around the Lanco Lions' player.

The disciplinary panel of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) on day adjourned the hearing into the doping cases of quarter-milers Mandeep Kaur and Juana Murmu till July 20.

South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, the famed ‘Blade Runner’, has said he has two more races in which to try and register the qualifying time for next month’s World Championships in Daegu, South Sorea.

No sooner did the doping scandal come to light, sports minister, Ajay Maken, swung into action and suspended athletics coaches, RS Sidhu and N Ramesh.

It's all very well to draw up a blueprint to prepare athletes for the 2016 Olympics, but the Sports Authority of India (SAI) needs to be questioned on the half-hearted build-up to the 2012 Olympics. Saurabh Duggal reports. Just on paper

It could be curtains for Commonwealth and Asian Games gold-medallist, Ashwini Akkunji, and Priyanka Panwar as they face a possible two-year ban for doping after their 'B' samples tested positive for steroids on Monday.

Justin Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100m champion who served a four-year doping ban, said he feels like a rookie again as he tries to rebuild his career at the age of 29.

Yuri Ogorodnik, the sacked foreign coach, has submitted his report on the doping fiasco to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). He hopes SAI will now allow him to return to his country.

India grabbed a silver and bronze through Sudha Singh and Tintu Luka respectively on the final day to end their Asian Athletics Championships campaign with just one gold, two silver and seven bronze medals in Kobe on Sunday.

The sports ministry's recent decision to hike the daily allowance for elite athletes to Rs. 650 is an eyewash as sportspersons continue to get little or no food supplements during national camps, leading them to seek out dubious shops or fall prey to unscrupulous characters. Saurabh Duggal reports.

Yuri Ogrodnik, the sacked Ukrainian athletics coach, has brushed aside the insinuations that food supplements - Ginseng - brought from China during the Guangzhou Asian Games contained banned substances. Yuri’s line of defence

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the hub of athletics activities, has been declared out of bounds for institution and departmental coaches. The move comes close on the heels of the doping scandal that has rocked Indian athletics. HT reports.

Doping is prevalent across the world but unlike other countries, India has been slow to rise to the challenge. Ashok Ahuja writes.

India won two bronze medals on Saturday through Mayookha Johny in triple jump and Om Prakash Singh Karhana in shot put on the third day of the Asian Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan.