The New Nation - Internet Edition

Four teams confirm participation in Federation Cup

UNB, Dhaka

Four teams -- BKSP, Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy and Victoria SC -- confirmed their participation in the Federation Cup Football that will begin on July 31 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedi said this to the reporters at the BFF Bhavan this (Sunday) afternoon.

Eleven clubs of the B. League will take part in the Federation Cup, he said. Besides, the BFF also invited six senior division clubs and four Services teams to take part in the meet.

Akram receives Asian Cricket Legend Award-Bangladesh

UNB, Dhaka

Former national skipper Akram Khan received the Asian Cricket Legend Award-Bangladesh on the ACC award night held at Mahata Palace in Karachi on Saturday evening.

Syed Ashraful Huq, CEO of Asian Cricket Council and also the former general secretary of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), was awarded for lifetime achievement in cricket administration.

The national cricket team attended the ACC award night before returning home on Sunday.

Dilu, Bishunath win Premier Div matches in straight sets

UNB, Dhaka

Dilu and Bishunath of Gulshan Club won their respective Premier Division matches of the Delta Life Open Squash Tournament by straight 3-0 sets at the Dhaka Club on Sunday.

In the Premier Division, Dilu crushed Zein Omar of Dhaka Club, Bishunath thrashed Ram Jagdish of Cadet College Club, while Swapan Parvez of Bashundhara Group beat Raju Ram of Navy Club by 2-1 sets.

In the A Division, Omar (Gulshan Club), Mohit Chouhan (Dhaka Club), Touhid Firoz and Jagdish Chouhan (BUET Club) advanced to the semifinals after eliminating their respective opponents in the quarterfinals.

In the Division B, Jonny Ram (Chittagong Club), Shaheed (Gulshan Club), Sumon Lal and Faisal (Dhaka Club) also won their respective matches.

In the Above-40 Division, Gani (Navy Club) beat Bablu by 2-0 sets, while Lt. Col. Huda defeated Jalal by 2-1 sets.

Bangladesh issues commemorative stamps on Beijing Olympics

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh Postal Department on Sunday issued a set of four commemorative stamps and the first day cover marking the 29th Olympic Games to be held in Beijing on August 8-24 this year.

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Posts and Telecommunication Ministry Brig Gen (retd) MA Malek formally released the commemorative stamps at a simple function at the conference room of Postal Bhaban.

Chaired by Director General of Postal Department Mobasherur Rahman, the function was addressed by Posts and Telecommunication Iqbal Mahmud, CEO of Bangladesh Olympic Association Col (retd) M Wali Ullah and philatelist AKM Anwarul Qadir.

Speaking on the occasion, CA's special assistant Malek announced that from this year, the Postal Department would observe the "National Stamp Day" marking the historic occasion when the first postage stamp of independent Bangladesh was released on July 29, 1971.

The four commemorative stamps of Tk 10, Tk 15, Tk 20 and Tk 25 denominations along with the first day cover (Tk 8) went on sale from today (Sunday) at the four General Post Offices (GPOs) in the country. Later, these stamps will go on sale in all the post offices.

Beijing skyline rises faster, higher, stronger

AFP, Beijing

As the waves of tourists converge on Beijing over the next month for the Olympics, they will look up to see a stunning new skyline that China's leaders hope will showcase the nation as a modern world power.

Thirty years ago the city was a poverty-stricken backwater studded by a few dull Stalinist monuments grafted onto an ancient and decaying imperial capital.

The transformation has taken place at dizzying speed in the years leading up the Olympics with around 10,000 sites under construction, many of which will still be unfinished when the Games start on August 8. "The Olympics is a world event and world-class architecture has been delivered for that event," said Rory McGowan, the director of the Beijing office of international design engineers Arup.

Arup has been involved in several of these world class structures, including the new CCTV Tower and China's National Stadium, centrepiece of the Games.

The CCTV tower, headquarters of China's state television station, is in fact two towers leaning inward and locked together in a high-altitude embrace.

It is a symbol of cutting-edge work under way here and all over China.

"Beijing is pointing architecture in a new direction," said Ole Scheeren, the German partner in Rem Koolhaas's Office of Metropolitan Architecture.

He co-designed the tower, a structure of a complexity he believes has never been attempted before.

Further north stands the new National Stadium at the centre of the Olympic Green, where many of the Beijing Olympic venues are grouped close together.

The stadium was dubbed the Bird's Nest because its threads of interlocking steel beams resemble a nest of twigs, but the Chinese also see in it the cracked glazed pattern of ancient Chinese pottery.

Next to it stands the National Aquatic Centre, the coolest of Beijing's new projects designed by Australian firm PTW with the help of Arup to look like bubbles of water moving over a blue box.

Just to the east of Tiananmen Square looms the free-standing titanium-tinted dome of China's new centre for the performing arts by French architect Paul Andreu, rising from its own moat with the entrance hidden below ground.

Norman Foster's Beijing airport terminal three-the biggest building site in the world until its recent completion-is another structure of astonishing scope.

"No city in the world in recent times has had so much world-class work done," said Scheeren in a recent interview.

Beijing is now welcoming a new kind of traveller as a result.

"Architecture tourism to Beijing is starting," said Arup's McGowan. "People are coming here purely to see the new stuff."

He said that apart from the several jewels in Beijing's crown, the run-of-the-mill work is a match for any city.

Beijing's planners have broken with the style of commercial development, dominant in Asia for decades, that has produced a rash of tower-block clones across the continent.

"Beijing has taken a different position, showing an interest in the matter of culture and architecture that exceeds the boundaries of commercial and speculative development," Scheeren said.

But the cost of creating the new Beijing has been high and its construction has not always been popular.

"What's happening inside the second ring road (the old city) is pretty disgraceful," said McGowan. "They are just paying lip-service to conservation."

Tan Xuxiang, deputy director of Beijing municipal planning commission, agreed there were problems.

"We have demolished too much, too fast and we regret that so much has been torn down," Tan said.

Nevertheless, Tan highlighted that 30 percent of the old city had been saved, and rejected criticism from some locals that the foreign-inspired new buildings did not fit in with the local culture.

"It is always like that. Think of the Eiffel Tower when it was built in Paris. It caused a lot of controversy," he said.

"As long as these buildings stand on Chinese soil they are part of China and people will learn to love them in time."

Venus has Navratilova record in her sights

AFP, London

Venus Williams admitted she would love to go on and match Martina Navratilova's record of nine Wimbledon titles after overcoming sister Serena to notch up title number five at the All England Club.

At 28 and with a history of recurring injuries, the American does not have time on her side on that score.

But the tennis she produced to overcome Serena 7-5, 6-4 in a high-quality final on Saturday suggests she can at least hope to match Steffi Graf, the most recent of three women to have claimed seven titles here.

"To match Martina - that would be the ultimate," she said. "It is not easy - her career spanned three decades and I'm not sure if I have that much time. But if I did I would definitely dream of that."

Saturday's win was only the second time Venus has emerged victorious over her younger sister in the seven Grand Slam finals they have contested, and she acknowledged that particular head-to-head statistic was something that had fired her up for this encounter.

"The times I lost to her here (in the 2002 and 2003 finals), I tried my best but she put a ton of pressure on me. I remember her hitting my best serves back for winners and she just played better than me.

"There was not much I could do and I did not want that same trend to continue so that it become six and one. I've carved a little tiny notch. Now it is two and five and I am working on it."

Venus, who has won two US Open crowns as well as her five Wimbledon titles, struggled to live with the ferocious hitting of her younger sister in the opening stages of the match.

But after overturning an early break to level things up at 4-4 in the first set, she always looked the more likely to clinch a victory that she wrapped up in one hour and 51 minutes when Serena pushed a backhand wide.

"On the first match point I had, she hit a serve that was untouchable, that was classic Serena Williams," she recalled. "She was going for it to the end, so when I saw her shot go wide, I just though 'oh my God, it's five."

The competitive edge to the match, which confounded those who suggested the sisters rarely produce their best tennis against each other, was underlined when Serena drilled a forehand straight at her big sister's midriff in the third game of the match.

At that stage, the younger sibling was dominating and Venus admitted she was just hanging on, waiting for her chance.

"It was a Wimbledon final, I expected her to be all over everything I put out there. I did not really think a lot, I just kept playing," she said.

"It was not looking that great at 3-1 and 4-2 (for Serena) but when it got even it got a little bit closer.

"When the match is that close it is more exciting to win but I'm definitely in tune with my sister's feelings. You can never detract from winning Wimbledon but I was definitely thinking about how my sister is feeling.

"At no point am I able to forget that it is Serena on the other side of the net. I have the ultimate respect for her game. If I was playing anyone else I would not have had to face what I had to face today."

Muktijoddha begins practice tomorrow

UNB, Dhaka

Muktijoddha Sangsad KC begins practice on Tuesday ahead of the 2nd B. League under coach Ajgar Ali Nafees at the BG Printing press ground at 4 pm.

The freedom fighters, placed in 3rd in the inaugural B. League, scheduled to begin their practice camp today (Sunday), but it was deferred due to venue renovation, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC manager Abdus Sattar told UNB this afternoon.

Another participating club in the league, Brothers Union Club, which finished 5th position in the 1st B League, also begins practice on the same day (Tuesday) at their own club ground at Gopibagh.

B. League runners-up Mohammedan SC already began conditioning camp today in Comilla, while Rahamatganj Muslim Friends Society will commence practice on Thursday (July 10). The booters have been asked to report to coach Golam Zilani at 5 pm on Monday.

BSJA accords reception to Usha KC

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) accorded a reception to the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League champions Usha KC at a function at the NSC conference room on Sunday.

The hockey giant from old Dhaka, Usha KC earned the rare honour clinching the metropolis premier division hockey league crown for the third time in a row beating Abahani Limited twice -- in the first phase and in the super league.

Secretary General of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Kutubuddin Ahmed was the chief guest at the function and later handed over the trophy to Usha KC captain Shamsuddin Tuhin, manager Mohammad Faruk and general secretary Abdur Rashid Sikder.

The BSJA also awarded Zahidul Islam Rajon of Usha KC as the best player, penalty corner specialist Mamunur Rahman Chayan of Abahani Limited as the highest scorer, and Mehrab Hossain Kiran and Syed Al Masum of Mohammedan SC and Krishna Kumar of Sonali Bank as promising players of the league.

All the players of the league champions Usha KC were given the BSJA crests.

General Secretary of Bangladesh Hockey Federation Sajed AA Adel, general secretary of Usha KC Abdur Rashid Sikder, BSJA general secretary Syed M Mamun, recently retired national forward Rafiqul Islam Kamal and Usha KC captain Shamsuddin Tuhin also addressed the function, chaired by BSJA president Monjurul Haq.

CEO of Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) Col (retd) Wali Ullah and Vice President of Bangladesh Hockey Federation Khandaker Jamiluddin were present at the function, conducted by BSJA member Raihan Al Mughni and Monija Rahman.

Results of Open Squash Tournament

Sports Reporter

Shawpan Parvez of the Bashundhara Group, Delu of Gulshan Club, Bishu Nath of Gulshan Club won their respective matches of the Premier Division of the Delta Life Open Squash Tournament at the Squash Court of Dhaka Club on Sunday.

Omar of Gulshan Club, Mohit Chowhan of Dhaka Club, Towhid Feroze, Jagadish Chowhan of BUET Club reached the semifinals of the A-Division at the same venue on the same day.

In the B-Division matches, Faisal of Dhaka Club, Johny Ram of Chittagong Club, Shahid of Gulshan Club and Sumon Lal of Dhaka Club registered wins at the same venue on the same day.

In the Above-40 Division match, Commander Goni of Navy Club got win at the same venue on the same day.