No move to lift ban on IOA: IOC

Not completely happy with the Indian Olympic Association leaving room for interpretations in its recent constitutional amendments, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday indicated that it may not proceed to lift the ban on the country until IOA ensures clarity regarding barring of charge-framed persons from contesting elections.

The IOA amended its constitution on December 8 by barring charge-framed persons like Abhey Singh Chautala and Lalit Bhanot from elections set for February 9, but the sticking point has been the provision to refer the matter to its internal Ethics Commission.

The IOC had on Friday issued guidelines to avoid “unnecessary speculation or doubtful interpretation”, making it clear that charge-framed persons will have to resign automatically or else be suspended provisionally.

The world body had also made a veiled threat that it reserves the right to impose necessary sanctions if the IOA does not ratify the interpretations suggested by the IOC.

In another letter on Saturday, the IOC made it clear that it will not lift India’s suspension until the IOA ensures absolute clarity in the charge-framed clause by ratifying the interpretations suggested by the world body.

“Upon receipt of confirmation of the IOC’s interpretation and of the minutes of the next General Meeting, which will ratify the above interpretation of these clauses, the IOC will be in a position to confirm its formal approval of this Constitution,” the IOC said in a letter written by its NOC Relations Director Pere Miro to IOA officials.

The IOC’s latest communication could mean that the IOA will have to ratify the world body’s interpretations of the charge-framed clause before the proposed February 9 elections if India’s suspension has to be lifted.

The IOA may now have to ratify the interpretations of the IOC before the elections if it wants India’s ban to be lifted.

More: http://www.thehindu.com/sport/no-move-to-lift-ban-on-ioa-ioc/article5459660.ece?homepage=true

Kumar Sangakkara named ODI Cricketer of the Year: Did he deserve the award?

Bestowed with the honour of the International Cricket Council (ICC) One-Day International (ODI) Cricketer of the Year 2013, Sri Lanka’s perfectionist, Kumar Sangakkara has now stretched his love affair with the 10-year-old annual awards to three years. It all started in 2011, when he won the ODI cricketer of the Year prize for the first time. Since then, Sangakkara has bagged four more ICC awards, namely Cricketer of the Year 2012, Test Cricketer of the Year 2012, People’s Choice Award 2012, and the latest accolade.

Sangakkara’s class and performances, over the years, can never be a subject of speculation or debate. One of the most elegant batsmen of the last decade or so, the former Sri Lanka captain has broken several records in the book, and more importantly has played the role of a vital cog in his nation’s success, on the field. But if one were to evaluate his performances in ODIs from August 2012 to August 2013 (when performances are judged for the relevant ICC awards), and compare them to the performances of the other nominees in the same category over the same time period, should Sangakkara have won the ODI cricketer of the year prize then?

Sangakkara had to ward off competition from Saeed Ajmal and Misbah-ul-Haq of Pakistan, and Shikhar Dhawan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja of India to win the coveted award for the second time in his career. The fact that all the nominees in this category were from the subcontinent just goes to show which part of the cricketing world witnesses most number of ODIs in a year. But that’s a different discourse altogether. For the moment, let’s evaluate the performances of these six gentlemen during the applicable time frame, and try to come to a conclusion on whether the jury appointed by the ICC raised the right chit from the bowl or not.

  

Saeed Ajmal

The Pakistan spinner played 21 ODIs during this time period. He registered 41 scalps at an impressive average of 19.75, and struck once almost every 28 balls. He picked up 27 of the 41 wickets during the 15 matches played on foreign soil. Moreover, he accounted for 18 wickets in the subcontinent, compared to 23 outside. As a spinner, that statistic makes his success even sweeter. One of his two career five-wicket hauls in ODIs came during this period. During these 21 matches, he registered his best bowling averages (11.66 cumulatively) in a winning cause, when Pakistan were defending a total.

M	W	Ave	5WI	BBM	SR
21	41	19.75	1	5/24	28.6

Misbah-ul-Haq

 Captaining a side forever in turmoil in no easy job. But Misbah has taken all the rotten tomatoes in his stride, and turned out to be a real champion cricketer. He played one more ODI than his teammate, Ajmal. Misbah scored 910 runs in the calendar year, registering nine 50s at an average of 53.52. The fact that he fell 90 short of 1000 runs in the calendar year meant that his name wasn’t taken in the same vein as a Shikhar Dhawan or a Virat Kohli. In the swinging and seamy conditions of England, he scored 173 runs from three matches, at an average of 86.50. Against the pace and bounce of the South Africans, he scored 227 in five matches, at 56.75. The fact that his average in away conditions never fell below 55 is proof of Misbah’s character as a batsman, and as a captain. And whenever he scored a fifty in a winning cause, his average rose to a mammoth 77.50.

M	R	Ave	50s	100s	BBI	SR
22	910	53.52	9	0	96*	70.76

Shikhar Dhawan

 Shikhar Dhawan had been on India’s domestic scene for quite some time now. Finally, when he got his deserved international break, the moustache-twirling southpaw from Delhi just let it rip. He went donuts. In the period between August 1, 2012 and July 31, 2013, Dhawan scored a satanic 666 runs from 13 ODIs, at a mouth-watering average for an opener, 55.5, and not to forget, at a strike rate of 92.75. During this period, he notched up two fifties, and converted three more to a ton. Every time he crossed the fifty mark, India won the match. Like Misbah, all his runs came away from home. And if one were to add his Test form, Dhawan had a dream year as an international cricketer.

M	R	Ave	50s	100s	BBI	SR
13	666	55.50	2	3	116	92.75

 Ravindra Jadeja

 Ravindra Jadeja’s career turned on its head, ever since bestowed with the moniker ‘sir’. Once the subject of all remodeled Rajnikanth jokes, Jadeja’s career took a complete U-turn during the last year. From being bullied by a few batsmen, he has now become India’s strike bowler in limited overs’ cricket. During the judging period, the all-rounder has played a vital role in India’s success.  He played 20 matches during this period, scored 334 runs at 41.75, but more importantly it was his bowling that took the cricketing world by surprise. He picked up 35 wickets at 18.48, including a five-wicket haul. He troubled batsmen around the world. They had no clue about which one would turn, and which wouldn’t. Out of his 35 scalps, 31 came in winning causes. The highlight of his career so far has to be the performance during the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

M	R	Bat Ave	50s	100s	BBI	Bat SR	W	Bow Ave	5WI	BBM	Bow SR
20	334	41.75	1	0	61*	88.59	35	18.48	1	5/36	29.2

 Mahendra Singh Dhoni

 Over the last couple of years, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has established himself as the best one-day batsman in the world, and why not. He has scored the most important runs for his country when they needed him the most. Be it 15 required off four balls, or his team derailed halfway through an innings, Dhoni rises to the occasion when there is a crisis. One of the most composed cricketers in recent times, the Indian captain played 16 matches in the relevant period, amassing 508 runs at an average of 56.44, four points above his career average. As a wicketkeeper, he played a part in 23 wickets. But Dhoni’s contribution to his team cannot be completely evaluated through numbers alone. His average in a winning cause when India chased down a target shoots up to 128. Whenever the prolific Indian top order collapsed while batting first, captain cool kept the innings together more often than not, at an average of 77.50. During this period, Dhoni led his team to the ICC Champions Trophy for the first time.

M	R	Ave	50s	100s	BBI	SR
16	508	56.44	3	1	113*	88.96

 Coming back to Sangakkara…

 Compared to the above five contenders, Sangakkara has played about the same number of matches — 21. He scored 40 odd, runs more than Misbah, standing at 956. Dhawan scored a ton more than him, and had a better conversion rate. He scored two centuries and six 50s at 63.73. Sangakkara played a majority of his matches at home, 12. Away from home, he scored 400 runs compared to 556 at home. In matches when Sri Lanka found it difficult and lost Sangakkara could manage only 221 runs from 7 matches at a meager average of 31.57.

M	R	Ave	50s	100s	BBI	SR
21	956	63.73	6	2	169	89.34

 When you compare the above statistics and numbers, ICC’s decision of choosing Sangakkara can be definitely questioned and challenged. Since these annual awards are based on a player’s individual performances and how they impact their team’s performance as a whole, Sangakkara is not a clear winner, by any margin of thought. Misbah has been captaining a sinking ship, and has been doing it marvelously. Dhoni, apart from scoring runs, has strengthened his team’s position at the top of ODI rankings as a skipper. Jadeja has donned the uncomfortable hat of being India’s all-rounder quite brilliantly. Dhawan has been a batting phenomenon, to say the least. So, choosing Kumar Sangakkara as the ODI Cricketer of the Year is a decision that demands debate as these awards, even if not as prestigious FIFA awards, go a long way in effecting a player’s reputation and confidence.

Why young Mumbaikars are rushing to ortho clinics

Why are Mumbaikars as young as 30 queueing up at ortho clinics with joint pain?

Make hay while the sun shines carries a literal meaning for Bandra entrepreneur Preet Motwani. She gets out every morning at 8.15 am to soak in an hour of bright sunlight. It wasn't like this nine months ago. The 35-year-old was fighting time to get her eight-year-old ready for school before heading to her interiors store in Andheri.

But a sever stomach infection she contracted in January, that she overcame with a light, nutritious diet and medication, left her weak, irritable and lethargic. "I was experiencing excruciating pain and spasms in my neck, which travelled down my shoulders and spine," says Motwani. This lasted a month before she decided to visit a doctor who suggested she get her Vitamin D3 and B12 levels tested. While her B12 reserves were sufficient, Motwani's Vitamin D level stood at 12.20 ng/ml, way below the normal range of 30 to 100 ng/ml). "The deficiency was responsible for the pain that was a result of weakened bones," she says. Other than the mandatory hour of sunshine, Vitamin D supplements and physiotherapy have seen her through the year.

Age dropping
Mumbai's orthopaedics and physiotherapists have reported a rise in the cases of poor bone healthcompounded by muscle weakness, as in Motwani's case. Orthopaedic surgeon and head of orthopaedics at Seth G S Medical College and KEM Hospital, Dr Pradeep Bhosale, says the situation has worsened in the last five years. "Most female patients also complain of pain in the heels, irritability and short temper," says the doctor, who sees four such cases a week. Across the city in Bandra, physiotherapist Dr Poonam Bajaj treats 30 odd patients a day, teaching them exercises that will rid them of joint and muscle pain. Medically, they use the term osteopenia or the lack of bone density mineral to describe such cases. It's a step before osteoporosis, a condition that refers to the degeneration of bones. The thinning of bones due to ageing is a natural process. Most adults reach their peak bone mass density (BMD) at 30, after which there is a gradual bone mass loss that kicks in. In fact, by middle age, the body reabsorbs existing bone cells faster than new bone cells are made, resulting in minerals, mass, and structure loss, leaving bones weaker. Brittle bones are more susceptible to fractures.

Doctors say, owing to a poor lifestyle most people don't end up reaching their peak BMD at 30. This is why they are noticing more cases of weak bones in patients in their 20s because they haven't built their reserves.

Lack of Vitamin D is the biggest culprit, with orthopaedics calling it India's 'urban epidemic'. Dr Ameet Pispati, consulting orthopaedic surgeon at Jaslok and Bhatia Hospitals, explains, "The bone has a trabecular network. Think of it as a honeycomb. Its main source of constitution are Vitamin D and calcium. They are the lime and cement of the bone's building structure." If a person is deficient in either of these, the network's foundations are affected, leaving him more prone to pain and fracture.

What's wrong?
Doctors are not ruling out poor posture, sedentary lifestyle, and high impact workouts without warming up as factors, too. Likewise, lack of exercise, high stress, excessive smoking and drinking, a poor diet, an overdose of caffeine and colas (they increase calcium excretion and reduce absorption) and hormonal imbalances are contributors, too.

Women are especially vulnerable since they have a lower peak BMD to begin with. Besides, loss of bone mass tends to speed up as hormonal changes kick in with menopause.

Dr Fixit
The easiest and cheapest remedy, experts will tell you, is to expose yourself to morning sunlight for 40 minutes every day. Playing tennis, jogging, dancing and climbing stairs together with the right diet (see box) helps slow down bone loss. "It easier to prevent bone weakness than treat it. Once bones are weakened, it is a longterm uphill battle," says Dr Pispati.

Feed your bones
Where to get your calcium from
Dietician and fitness expert Sheela Tanna suggests dairy products (milk, ghee, yoghurt and cheese). Go for eggs, dark green leafy vegetables and soyabean.

Replace the junk food
High sugar and fat intake leads to bone weakening. Since fast foods are deficient in calcium, Vitamin C and zinc, all necessary for bone maintenance. Instead of snacking on chips and farsan, eat fruits like orange, guava and sweet lime, rich Vitamin C. Have khakra and bread or rotis made from whole grains.

More: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health/Why-young-Mumbaikars-are-rushing-to-ortho-clinics/articleshow/27348564.cms