2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games drops archery and tennis in favour of judo and triathlon

India’s medals hopes at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games were dealt a severe blow on Tuesday with the organizers dropping archery and tennis, says a report in The Times Of India. “As per the medal event list released on Tuesday, judo and triathlon will replace archery and tennis in the sports programme of 256 medals events. At the Delhi Games, India had eight medals in archery, including four gold, and four in tennis, including one gold from Somdev Devvarman,” says the report.

After accommodating the 10 core sports, the host nation could choose up to seven optional sports (including shooting) and Glasgow opted for judo and triathlon. According to the organizers the next CWG will award the biggest-ever number of parasports medals in the Games history – 22 medals. Also on the schedule are new events like triathlon mixed relay event and parasport cycling (track). They have also added medal events for women in shooting in pistol and clay target,” adds the report.

Meanwhile a report in DNA says that on a high after the Olympic qualifiers, the Indian hockey team will face a stern examination against the best on the newly-laid blue turf in London. Michael Nobbs’s side will open their campaign against Australia on Wednesday in the four-nation Olympics test event at the Riverbank Arena on the Olympic Park. They couldn’t have asked for a more challenging assignment.

“Hosts Great Britain (whom India play on Thursday) and Beijing Olympic gold medallists Germany (Friday) are the other two countries in this high-profile tournament. No wonder then that Nobbs believes this tournament will be a ‘reality check’, more so because the Indians do not boast of a strong record against these teams, their showing against Great Britain being an exception,” writes DNA.

“We are playing the world champions, Olympic champions and one of the top European sides in a span of three days. That’s something rare for an Indian team,” Nobbs said.

According to a report in TOI, the odds may present a rosy picture for world champion Viswanathan Anand when he meets Boris Gelfand of Israel at Moscow’s Tretyakov State Gallery for the world chess title, but neither player would view the odds seriously when the battle begins.

“Anand has had two very tough opponents in his last two matches for the world crown but he overcame them without much difficulty. If Vladimir Kramnik succumbed to the Indian tamely, Veselin Topalov could not last the course after starting well. Kramnik had the reputation of beating Gary Kasparov in a long match and Topalov a very good record against Anand in classical chess,” says the report.   

“He is a tough opponent for me. He defeated me in the first four encounters. In 1996, I was able to defeat him in Wijk aan Zee and Biel,” Anand told TOI before leaving for Moscow. Apparently, the world champion still reckons Gelfand as a strong challenger, though the stats he reeled out have been taken from the distant past.