'Ownership module in state-run T20 leagues need to be examined': ACU chief Ajit Singh

News Network
November 9, 2019

New Delhi: BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) chief Ajit Singh feels there is "a need to examine ownership module" of franchises in state-run T20 leagues to safeguard them from corrupt elements.

The latest is the arrest of two first-class players in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) match-fixing scandal, which, he says, will act as a "deterrent" for mischievous elements.

Former India A and Karnataka wicketkeeper C M Gautam and a small-time first- class player Abrar Qazi, both of whom have been part of IPL teams in the past, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru Police for their role in fixing the KPL final between Bellary Tuskers and Hubli Tigers.

The KPL fixing came to limelight with the arrest of Ali Ashfaq Thara, who owned the Belagavi Panthers team.

"These teams have been bought through open auction and they have not been auctioned by the BCCI but by the state association. I presume whoever was the highest bidder owned the franchises. So now whatever has been the module of owning these franchises need to be examined," ACU chief Ajit Singh told PTI in an exclusive interview.

Asked if police verification of potential owners can be a way out, the former DGP of Rajasthan Police said it is easier said than done.

"There are suggestions about police verifications. Now, police verifications don't always work. Police will only give you a report based on only if there is something criminal on record. If there is nothing on record, police will simply give its report saying there is nothing on record about the concerned person. So that will be the end of it.

"I am sure nobody amongst them (potential state league franchises) would be having a criminal record. Even if somebody has a criminal record, he may have a front-person bidding for a team. That sort of a thing doesn't work," he explained.

For him, a strong personal level interactions, a thorough check of financial records of owners from time to time would be a much better idea.

"You have to have a very strong personal interaction with them and it has to be drilled regularly that there will be zero tolerance for corruption. Also you can examine their financial records before allowing them to bid and even afterwards.

"I am not a finance expert, so somebody belonging to this field will be able to decide doables and non-doables. But some sort of a monitoring is also required there," said the retired IPS officer, who took charge after the 2018 IPL.

However, Singh doesn't endorse the idea of banning the state-run leagues. That's not an ideal solution for him.

"Some people asked me whether these leagues should be banned. My opinion is it's a call that the board has to take. When a person falls ill, you don't kill the person, you try to cure him. We have already been investigating the KPL fixing case and we have been exchanging information with the police. We have been passing on whatever information we have," he informed.

Singh believed that working in co-ordination with the police also helps to nab people with a corrupt mindset like Gautam.

"From this year (2019), we did take all the anti-corruption measures and thus information kept coming out. We worked on the leads and started working on them. Whatever information we get, if we think that the police could develop it better, we pass it on to the police. Because the police has far more authority."

Singh also informed that the strength of ACU has increased with new recruitment last year and they are in the process of hiring more people.

He firmly believed that a law with regards to sports fraud, criminalising any such dishonest acts, could make things easier for everyone.

"There is a law in Indian Penal Code (IPC) and it depends on the circumstances of the case. They can register it as a case of cheating. Now it's for them (Police) to collect evidence of cheating. Obviously there is a party that has been cheated in this case.

"How they go about it and how they collect it, its for them to decide. But as I said there is no specific law regarding sports corruption. Many other countries have that. If that happens, then that's going to make things easier."

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News Network
June 3,2020

Colorado, Jun 3: Formula One boss Chase Carey has said that races will go ahead even if a driver tests positive for coronavirus.

His remarks come as organisers revealed a revised 2020 calendar and the schedule for the first eight races was put in the public domain.

"An individual having been found with a positive infection will not lead to a cancellation of a race. We encourage teams to have procedures in place so if an individual has to be put in quarantine, we have the ability to quarantine them at a hotel and to replace that individual," the official website of Formula One quoted Carey as saying.

"Some things we'd have to talk through and work through. The array of 'what ifs' are too wide to play out every one of them, but a team not being able to race would not cancel the race. I do not think I could sit here and lay out the consequences," he said.

Carey added the organisers will be having the necessary procedures in place so that the race does not get cancelled if a driver ends up testing positive for coronavirus.

"But we will have a procedure in place that finding infection will not lead to a cancellation. If a driver has an infection, teams have reserve drivers available," Carey said.

"We would not be going forward if we were not highly confident we have necessary procedures and expertise and capabilities to provide a safe environment and manage whatever issues arrive," he added.

The Formula One 2020 season will be beginning with the Austrian Grand Prix in July.

F1 currently expects the opening races to be closed events but hopes that fans will be able to attend again when it is safe to do so.

The season will kick off with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on July 5, followed a week later by a second race on the same track.

The Hungarian Grand Prix will follow a week after that, before a break. There will be then two back to back races at Silverstone, followed by the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

The Belgian Grand Prix will follow that, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza a week later on September 6.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

New Delhi, Aug 4: Former India women's team captain Anjum Chopra firmly believes that the BCCI has a plan for women's cricket but she wants the Board to communicate its ideas more specifically.

Speaking to news agency, Chopra, who is now a successful broadcaster, said the BCCI is thinking in earnest about the progress of women's cricket.

"It's not that the BCCI is not thinking about women's cricket. I only think they need to be more specific in communication about women's cricket," Chopra said.

"I firmly believe that they must be thinking about women's cricket but the communication all this while has been very specific to men's cricket."

The latest trigger for criticism of BCCI was India's withdrawal from a tour of England in September owing to logistical issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chopra concedes it was "not nice" but Indian players' participation in the women's IPL, in November, will still be useful preparation for next year's ODI World Cup.

"It is heartening to see women's cricket making headlines. They should have been a part of that England tour and it did not feel nice initially but the women's IPL, irrespective of the format, will be helpful for World Cup preparations. Any form of cricket is good preparation," Chopra said.

"Missing out on a tournament is not nice, but logistically there may have been issues. And you can't send an under-prepared team."

"If you see in isolation we may have missed out on an opportunity to play in England. The more the girls play the better it is, before playing a tournament of the stature of World Cup. The assurance from the president is a very good thing."

Chopra welcomed the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI's decision to hold the women's event in the UAE alongside the IPL, which will run from September 19 to November 10. The women's IPL will coincide with the business end of the men's league.

"I am definitely happy, it's always nice to be part of any cricket anywhere across the world.

"They should have been nearing the final stages of the preparation for the World Cup by now, but because of the pandemic things did not go as planned," she added.

Chopra had a successful international career spanning over 17 years, during which she represented India in a record six World Cups and became the first woman cricketer to appear in 100 One-day Internationals.

She also felt that the pandemic would not have much impact on the women's game that has gained momentum in recent times.

"...Cricket was on pause button...Once cricket resumes and players are back on the park, everything is going to get picked up. It might take some time to get started as everything starts from zero...

"The awareness the women's game has created, I hope it stays. They will just restart, not start after the pandemic."

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News Network
May 13,2020

May 13: With the Olympics postponed due to the coronavirus, top Japanese fencer Ryo Miyake has swapped his metal mask and foil for a bike and backpack as a Tokyo UberEats deliveryman.

The 29-year-old, who won silver in the team foil at the 2012 London Olympics and was itching to compete in a home Games, says the job keeps him in shape physically and mentally -- and brings in much-needed cash.

"I started this for two reasons -- to save money for travelling (to future competitions) and to keep myself in physical shape," he told AFP.

"I see how much I am earning on the phone, but the number is not just money for me. It's a score to keep me going."

Japanese media have depicted Miyake as a poor amateur struggling to make ends meet but he himself asked for his three corporate sponsorships to be put on hold -- even if that means living off savings.

Like most of the world's top athletes, he is in limbo as the virus forces competitions to be cancelled and plays havoc with training schedules.

"I don't know when I can resume training or when the next tournament will take place. I don't even know if I can keep up my mental condition or motivation for another year," he said.

"No one knows how the qualification process will go. Pretending everything is OK for the competition is simply irresponsible."

In the meantime, he is happy criss-crossing the vast Japanese capital with bike and smartphone, joining a growing legion of Uber delivery staff in demand during the pandemic.

"When I get orders in the hilly Akasaka, Roppongi (downtown) district, it becomes good training," he smiles.

The unprecedented postponement of the Olympics hit Miyake hard, as he was enjoying a purple patch in his career.

After missing out on the Rio 2016 Olympics, Miyake came 13th in last year's World Fencing Championships -- the highest-ranked Japanese fencer at the competition.

The International Olympics Committee has set the new date for the Olympics on July 23, 2021.

But with no vaccine available for the coronavirus that has killed nearly 300,000 worldwide, even that hangs in the balance.

Miyake said the Japanese fencing team heard about the postponement the day after arriving in the United States for one of the final Olympic qualifying events.

With his diary suddenly free of training and competition, he said he spent the month of April agonising over what to do before hitting on the Uber idea.

"Sports and culture inevitably come second when people have to survive a crisis," he said.

"Is the Olympics really needed in the first place? Then what do I live for if not for the sport? That is what I kept thinking."

However, the new and temporary career delivering food in Tokyo has given the fencer a new drive to succeed.

"The most immediate objective for me is to be able to start training smoothly" once the emergency is lifted, he said.

"I need to be ready physically and financially for the moment. That is my biggest mission now."

But not all athletes may cope mentally with surviving another "nerve-wracking" pre-Olympic year, he said.

"It's like finally getting to the end of a 42-kilometre marathon and then being told you have to keep going."

As a child, Miyake practised his attacks on every wall of his house -- and he said his passion for the sport was what was driving him now.

"I love fencing. I want to be able to travel for matches and compete in the Olympics. That is the only reason I am doing this."

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