In Brief

Teams: Boys: Vikas Pandey, Mayank Srivastava, Abhishek Dixit and Abhinav Dixit (all from UP). Coach Khussanzhan Kurbanov. Girls: Tumpa Debnath and Subhra Sarkar (both WB), Anuradha Bhide (Mah) and Amandeep Kaur (Pun). Coach Sephali Moulik.

Dr UK Mishra will accompany the teams as manager, according to a gymnastics Federation of India release.

MEG excel

BANGALORE: Madras Engineering Group (MEG) and Centre pugilists came out with flying colours storming into the finals in four of the six categories in the Army boxing championship here today.

Azaz Alam of MEG was the most impressive winner when he outsmarted AS Sawarkar of Signals in the second round to book his berth in the finals. He meets R Prajuli of Gorkha Brigade Centre in the finals tomorrow.

Kabaddi juniors

ELURU: The 25th Junior National kabaddi championship for boys and girlswill be held here from August 27 to 30. Chairman Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) Nara Ramamurthy Naidu told newsmen here today that for the first time, the AKFI would be introducing cash prizes to the winners and runner-up, instead of medals.

Kasparov on net

ATHENS: World chess champion Garry Kasparov has said he will launch an internet site for chess lovers eager to watch real-time matches and a chance to take on Grandmasters.

The Club Kasparov site, at Clubkasparov.Org, will go live by October with chess news, coverage of events, answers to questions by chess champions and instructions for newcomers to the game, Kasparov told a news conference in Athens.

Doctor testifies

BERLIN: An East German sports doctor has testified that he had given tablets containing anabolic steroids to young female swimmers, but only on the orders of his medical superiors.

Dieter Binus, 59, one of the six defendants accused of causing bodily harm to female East German swimmers by giving thembanned performance-enhancing substances, said yesterday he had distributed anabolic steroids to them.He added that at the time, he had considered the dosages he had given to the swimmers not to be dangerous to their health.