Sports corner

PONDICHERRY: Top teams will compete in the Pondicherry Millennium football tournament beginning here from Sunday.

Eight teams including Mohun Began, Churchil Brothers, Mahindra and Mahindra and SBT have been given a bye into the quarter-finals. The preliminary matches and the semi-finals would be played on a knock-out basis while the quarter-finals on a league basis. The junior India XI which would play in the South Asian junior football tournament in Sri Lanka, probably next month, will also play in this Rs 11 lakh prize money tournament.

Cash for shooters
PATNA: The All-India Rifle Association has announced cash awards to its players winning any medal in the Sydney Olympics. Association8217;s president and Union Minister of State for Railways Digvijay Singh said the gold medalists would be awarded Rs 25 lakh, silver medalists Rs 15 lakh and bronze winners Rs 10 lakh.

He hoped the 17-member shooting contingent, the biggest of any discipline from the country, would win a few medals.

Squash recognised
MUMBAI: Maharashtra became the first state to recognise squash and the players and coaches will be eligible for the Shiv Chhatrapati and Dadojee Konddeo awards.

Squash Rackets Association of Maharashtra SRAM president Khalid Ansari told newsmen on Friday though Indian squash players were felicitated with Arjuna awards, no state had approached their respective governments for the recognition.

Sasha supreme
BANGALORE: Wild card entrant Sasha Abraham of Andhra Pradesh claimed the girls8217; under-16 title with a 6-3 6-2 win over seventh seed Sandra Sashidharan of Kerala in the KIMS-AITA ranking mini and sub-junior tennis championship on Friday.

Other results finals: Boys under-14: Divij Sharan Del bt Somdeep Appineni AP 5-7 6-3 7-5; Girls8217; U-14: Tara Iyer Del bt Sharanya Pattabi 7-5 6-4.

Akram gives up TV job
NOTTINGHAM: Cricket8217;s match-fixing scandal has forced Wasim Akram to give up a lucrative job as a TV commentator. The Pakistan all-rounder was due to be a member of UK station Channel Four8217;s commentary team covering this summer8217;s series between England and the West Indies.

In a statement issued here on Friday, Channel Four said with match-fixing the central issue in world cricket, the company did not want its ability to cover the controversial topic to be compromised in any way. The statement concluded by saying: 8220;In consultation with Channel Four, Wasim Akram has asked to be released from his contract in order to concentrate on his cricket career.8221;

Tyson allowed
LONDON: Campaigners lost a court battle to overturn British home secretary Jack Straw8217;s decision to allow former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson into Britain for a boxing match. The Glasgow-based Rape Crisis Centre was seeking a judicial review of Straw8217;s granting of entry clearance to the convicted rapist for the bout in Scotland at Hampden Park against fellow American Lou Savarese on June 24.

At the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Lord Clarke refused the centre8217;s request that Straw8217;s decision be overturned.

FIFA warns
SYDNEY: FIFA secretary-general Michel Zen-Rufinen warned European clubs to release their players in time for the Olympic football tournament when he made the draw here on Saturday for the Sydney Games. European clubs have lobbied to have the release period cut to 10 days as the tournament clashes with their domestic and European Cup seasons.

Zen-Rufinen said players who failed to turn up when fit would be suspended. 8220;If he does not turn up, he will be suspended immediately and should he play for his club during the suspension, then the match in which he played would be declared null and void,8221; he said.

8212; ENS and Agencies