Delhi wushu team protests against referee

Delhi’s wushu team cried foul at the ongoing 35th National Games Wednesday, claiming that one of its players was robbed of a win due to partial refereeing. Delhi coach Rajvir Singh lodged a protest, insisting that his ward Lalit Yadav was denied a win in the men’s Sanshou 75kg quarterfinals against Manipur’s Joy Singh Oinam owing to pressure from chief referee Dhiramani Singh, who also belongs to Manipur. “Rules clearly state that only neutral referees can officiate but he being the chief referee interfered and ensured that our boy lost the bout. The proceedings were halted for nearly 40 minutes because we protested but to no avail. I know the decision cannot be changed even if the verdict is in our favour after a review but we needed to make a point. At least if we are proved right, the referee would be penalised,” Rajvir said. The Manipur contingent did not respond to the charge when contacted. The north-eastern state has dominated the wushu competition so far at the Games with a haul of four gold and one silver medal.

National Games mascot Ammu, the great hornbill, has immortalised itself by finding a mention in the Limca Book of Records. The mascot found a place in the record books owing to a play, ‘Kalikkunna Kuttikalkkayi Bharatham Kathirikkunnu’ (India Awaits Children Who Play) in which Ammu is featured. According to the Limca Book’s 2015 Special Literature Edition, it is a play about a mascot which had been staged in most number of schools. “By April 9, 2014 the drama starring Ammu, the Great Indian Hornbill, had been staged in 147 schools across seven districts of Kerala. It encourages students to participate in sports,” it says. The play was envisaged to promote sports among children and persuade them to take up sports along with academics, National Games secretariat sources said. Scripted and directed by theatre artist Anil Karetee and enacted by a team of police officers led by Chandrakumar, the play was first enacted at a school in the city last September, they added.