Sports on Pitara Kids Network

Who or What is a Gladiator?

Wed, 08 May 2002 07:09:37 +0000

It all started in ancient Rome. The most brutal sport that has ever existed in the history of the world was the fights between gladiators. The ‘sport’ traces its roots to the custom among the Etruscan people, a civilisation in Italy that existed before the Roman civilisation. At the death of the master of the house, servants would duel to the death for the right to follow their owners in death and provide help and company.

Why do We Cup Our Hands When We Shout?

Wed, 21 Aug 2002 23:23:05 +0000

“Go on Sanjay, go on,” we shouted. It was the annual sports meet in our school and the 100 metres sprint was on. The White House runner Deepak was giving our Blue House sprinter, Sanjay, tough competition.

As the sprinters neared the finishing line, and the shouts turned into screams, I noticed something remarkable. Everyone had cupped their hands around their mouths while shouting.

The gesture caught my attention. I had seen that kind of a hand movement in plays and folk dances. What is the reason behind this theatrical gesture?

Bruce Lee

Sat, 25 Jan 1997 19:04:12 +0000

The Chinese American actor Bruce Lee, was born in San Francisco on November 27, 1940. Born a sickly child, he was named Li Jun Fan a female name by his mother to ward off evil spirits. His dad an Hong Kong opera singer returned back to Hong Kong along with his family in 1941.

As a kid martial arts and bodybuilding were his only preoccupation, studies didn’t interest him. In 1946 he appeared in first of many films as a child actor. He appeared in 20 movies and rarely in school. He soon became involved with a gang and his mother shipped him back to America before his 18th birthday so he could claim his dual-citizenship and avoid winding up in jail.

Pele

Wed, 07 Aug 1996 07:34:24 +0000

Born Edson Arantes Do Nascimento in Tres Coracoes, Brazil on October 3, 1940, Pele was perhaps the greatest of all soccer players. Nicknamed Dico by his family, he was called Pele by his soccer friends. A supremely gifted athlete, he started playing soccer as a teenager, and soon he was playing as well as seasoned veterans. He was discovered at the age of eleven by one of Brazil’s premier players Waldemar De Brito. Four years later De Brito brought Pele to Sao Paulo and inducted him in the Santos club. He made his debut with the Major League Santos club in 1956 at the age of 15 and soon gained a reputation as an electrifying goal scorer.

Muhammad Ali

Sat, 04 Aug 2001 06:20:14 +0000

American boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Better known as Muhammad Ali, he was perhaps the most celebrated sports figure in the world during most of the 1960s and ’70s. His rise to prominence may be attributed to a combination of circumstances his role as a spokesman for and idol of blacks; his vivacious personality; his dramatic conversion to the Black Muslim religion; and most important, his staying power as an athlete. Ali first came to world attention in 1960, when he won the Olympic light-heavyweight championship. He then won a controversial championship bout from Sonny Liston in 1964 to gain the heavyweight title. He produced a steady stream of headlines. The fight was questioned because Ali seemed to be quitting before the bout was over. After that he produced a steady stream of headlines. He then changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was the first boxer to benefit from satellite television, making him all the more visible.

Boomerang: From Weapon to Fun

Fri, 31 Aug 2001 01:20:24 +0000

This goes back a long time. The aborigines, or the original inhabitants of Australia, needed an effective weapon to hunt animals and birds for food. When they looked around, their eyes rested on wood, which was so easily available. They made banana-shaped weapons of hard wood, with a curve on top and a flat bottom. That made each leg act like an aircraft wing.

They held it from one end over their shoulders and threw it hard and straight with such force that even animals could be killed. Thus was the boomerang born.

How do Human Cannonballs Fly?

Thu, 10 May 2001 01:03:49 +0000

Even been to a circus where they featured a human cannonball? A person enters a huge cannon and when the fuse is lit, he comes shooting out with a bang, flying in the air before landing on a net!

My god! I thought that was the most horrifying thing I had ever seen. What a crazy thing to do. How does he do it without being blown to pieces, I would wonder.

How do Human Cannonballs Fly? [Illustration by Anup Singh]

Though scary, it was one of the most captivating items for me, and the hundreds of children and adults who would watch the circus item with their mouths open.

Why does a Cricket Ball Swing?

Sun, 11 Mar 2001 20:21:37 +0000

How many times have all of us heard that the former captain of the Indian cricket team, Kapil Dev, was one of the greatest out-swing bowlers of all times. Indeed! He took more than 430 wickets in Test cricket. But, do you know how a cricket ball swings?

The term ‘swing’ refers to the movement of the cricket ball in the air after it leaves the bowler’s hand, which takes the ball away from or towards the batsman. If the ball moves away from the batsman it is called an out-swinger; if the ball moves towards the batsman it is called the in-swinger.

Gear Up for Sports

Mon, 21 Oct 2002 05:29:09 +0000

Some are traditional sports and others are not so traditional. But they are all popular and have their distinct equipment. So get set, ready, go – identify them.

Window to World Cup Soccer

Sat, 27 Jul 2002 11:36:24 +0000

World Cup soccer is the event that football lovers across the globe eagerly wait for. Why don’t you play ball and see how much you know!

Nadia Comaneci

Sat, 29 Jun 1996 04:09:42 +0000

Born on November 12, 1961, Nadia is a Romanian gymnast who was the heroine of the 1976 Olympic games at Montreal. She won gold medals for performances in the balance beam, uneven parallel bars and the all-round event, plus a silver medal in the team event and a bronze medal in the floor exercises.

Comaneci was awarded a score of 10 for her initial exercise on the uneven parallel bars at the Montreal Olympics, marking the first perfect score recorded in Olympic competition. Although she was only 14 years of age and a mere 39 kg, her popularity was such that she was elected Female Athlete of the Year by Associated Press.

Magic Johnson

Wed, 02 Apr 1997 08:25:06 +0000

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson was born in Lansing, Michigan on August 14, 1959 and is one of professional basketball’s premier guard. Magic Johnson is famous for his brilliant passing skills, all-round sublime talent and engaging personality. At 6ft 9 inches he was the tallest point guard in League history and his illuminating smile made him the most admired as well.

He became an instant legend and left people in awe of his skills even as a 15-yr-old high school player. After an Everett High School game in which he had 36 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists, a sports writer nicknamed the young, enthusiastic ball player ‘Magic’.

The Highs and Lows of World Cup Cricket

Sat, 27 Jan 2001 06:07:42 +0000

Here are some teasers about exciting records of Cricket World Cups. Enjoy!

Punch and Spar: Way to go, Mary!

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 10:24:30 +0000

Where: north-eastern state of Manipur, India

September 12, 2007 : Mary who? Twenty-five-year-old M.C Mary Kom from Manipur has won the world women’s boxing championship not once, not twice but thrice in the 46 kilogram category. (Boxers of similar body weight compete in a category.)

Mary won the three titles consecutively or in three straight years. She won her titles in Turkey in 2004, in Russia in 2005 and in Delhi in 2007. How many of us know of the achievements of this powerhouse of punches who comes from a remote village in the northeastern state of Manipur?

Keep Hope Alive

Sun, 24 May 1998 14:28:16 +0000

First prize winner of Spin-A-Tale contest

It was destiny that bound us. Jamie, the black kid whose mum worked for us and me, Kevin the kid, whose mother employed Jamie’s mum. When I saw him first he was just this skinny kid walking around with his head drooping down to his feet. I asked him if he went to school but I got no answer.

Keep Hope Alive [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

I assumed that he was just shy, so I went about my own work while he just sort of kept staring at anything. Later that night my parents started discussing Jamie over dinner and that’s when I came to know that Jamie was deaf… I was really shocked and not because he was deaf because I have seen lots of disabled people but the horrifying manner in which he had lost the power to hear.

Bungee

Wed, 08 Aug 2001 22:01:21 +0000

Standing on the edge of a platform looking 150 feet straight down at the river below I thought to myself, how did I get roped into this mess? Do I really want to go ahead with this foolishness? Shouldn’t I be back with my feet firmly planted on the ground?

I was standing on the platform of a 100-ft high bridge. My fingers tightly holding the rails in a death grip. I was about to do a bungee jump because I had boasted to Himakar, my cousin, I could do anything he could. At that time didn’t take into account such craziness. Then I was full of false courage and so I let my cousin arrange for this jump on a lazy Sunday morning. He had fixed it with a local sports operator.

Badminton champs in the spotlight

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 04:41:11 +0000

Hyderabad Hurricane – Saina Nehwal

No, this is not a spelling mistake. We are not writing about Sania Mirza and her achievements in tennis. In this piece we are writing about the latest sensation on the badminton courts, Saina Nehwal. In 2006, Saina became the first Indian woman to win a badminton tournament with a four-star rating. Ranked 86 in the world, she defeated Julia Xian Pei Wong of Malaysia who was ranked number 4 in the tournament. The event was the Philippines Open. Saina was 16 years old. On the way to the title Saina had beaten world number 4, Xu Huaiwen.

Sydney 2000

Tue, 30 Jan 2001 01:38:48 +0000

The Olympic medal is a source of pride not only to the individual athletes but also to the countries that they come from. Guess the nationality of some of the Olympic 2000 winners from their country flags.

Get Sporty

Tue, 19 Sep 2000 21:57:46 +0000

Little tit-bits of information about the games people play. Let’s see how much you know.

Indian women squash all opposition!

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:53:42 +0000

Squash all opposition, Joshna

At 19, Joshna Chinappa of Chennai became the first Indian girl to win the prestigious junior title of the British Open Squash Championship. She won the indoor racquet game title in August 2005. She also became the first sportsperson to be adopted by the Mittal Champions Trust – a trust started by steel tycoon L.N. Mittal to sponsor and encourage champions at the right time so that their talent can flower.

Olympic Swim Against the Tide

Sat, 23 Nov 2002 14:38:21 +0000

September 23: Twelve-year-old Fatima Abdeljamid is creating waves at the Sydney Olympics and for all the right reasons. She is one of two Bahraini nationals and among the very few from the Middle East nations to compete in the Olympics.

Fatima, a swimmer, and Myriam al-Hili, an athlete, have been invited to the Sydney Olympics by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is a gesture that is meant to encourage Muslim women from Islamic nations to take part in the Games.

Testing Times for Indian Sports

Thu, 13 May 2004 20:35:03 +0000

August 6: It was the sort of news that makes everyone sit up and take notice. No wonder the Indian newspapers have been full of it. Some time ago, sportswoman Sunita Godhera submitted an explosive petition to the Delhi High Court. In it were the names of 144 sportspersons who, she says, have been found to be taking banned drugs to boost their performances. These tests were carried out at the laboratory of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in New Delhi.

An Olympics with a Difference

Fri, 09 Mar 2001 13:31:56 +0000

August 19: For all those who are physically challenged, Abilympics offers a wonderful opportunity to do something special.

An Olympic competition featuring ‘sports’ like painting, tailoring, jewellery-making, book-binding, embroidery and computer programming? Welcome to the fifth Abilympics, the three-day International Skill Competition that celebrates the abilities of the physically challenged to stand on their own in a harsh and competitive world.

Held in Czechoslavakia starting August 15th, the day India celebrates her independence, the Ablilympics are quite different from the Olympics.

Swimming in Trouble

Tue, 03 Oct 2000 23:53:56 +0000

July 1: All governments and leaders talk about children as the “future” of the nation – a “strong” nation. They specially talk about the need to encourage sports among children from an early age. But if you ask the young swimmers who participated in the National Swimming Championship for the 11 and 13-year-old category recently, they will tell you how nonsensical these statements are. For they have a horror story to tell.

Two weeks ago, all the star swimmers of India in the 11 and 13-year-old category travelled to Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. They went there to participate in the National Swimming Championship and were prepared for a tough competition. How tough the competition would be, they had no idea. For, they ended up competing with the swimming pool, not with each other. Bruised heads and feet and frogs as swimming companions – this was the experience the young swimmers went home with after the championship.

Finns Favour Freezing Swim

Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:39:48 +0000

November 4: It’s winter in Finland and temperatures are touching single digits. Across the Arctic, from Burbank to Murmansk, the land is completely frozen. Suddenly a group of Finns appear with a pickaxe and drill a hole in the thick ice pack. Are they going to fish? So where are the rods?

Before you can blink a frozen eye, they have stripped down and stand shivering at the hole’s edge eyeing the chilly winter waters. Then, the bravest (or is it the most foolhardy?) splashes in!

Athlete's Death Casts Gloom Over Games

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:51:00 +0000

Where: Vancouver, Canada

February 15, 2010 : The 21st Winter Olympics began in Vancouver, Canada, on February 12, 2010. Just hours before the opening ceremony, Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a practice session. He lost control of his sled, which was going at a speed of 90 miles per hour. The sled flew off the track at a sharp curve and crashed into a metal pillar. His event was luge: an ice sport in which the participant lies face up on a sled and propels himself forward using his calf and shoulder muscles.

A Penalty Kick into Disaster

Fri, 06 Apr 2001 20:38:26 +0000

Where: Kandahar, Afghanistan

July 22, 2000: It was the strangest football match that the Pakistani team had ever played. There they were in the city of Kandahar, in Afghanistan, for a match with a local team. Every sportsperson knows that home teams always get a lot more support than the visiting team, and is even prepared for it. But none of the Pakistani players were quite prepared for what happened to them on the football ground.

Federer Wins French Open Crown

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:05:50 +0000

Where: Paris, France

June 8, 2009 : Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis player who is ranked world Number Two* and believed by many to be the best player of all time, won the prize that had been eluding him for years. He won the French Open men’s singles title in Paris, defeating Swedish player Robin Soderling in straight sets. This was 27-year-old Federer’s 11th attempt at the title, and his fourth consecutive final at the championship. For the last three years, he was defeated by the Spanish player Rafael Nadal. This year, Nadal was knocked out of the tournament in the fourth round by Soderling.

A Show of Endurance

Sun, 14 Jul 2002 10:05:13 +0000

A Show of Endurance [Illustration by Shiju George]

October 22: The newspaper photograph showed Japanese swimmer Kei Miyamoto’s body finely arched at the starting point as he prepared to slice into the Olympic pool at the Sydney Aquatic Centre. And then I noticed it. He had no arms.

Kei was practicing for the Paralympic Games, just as wheelchair-bound track athletes and sportspersons bearing the loss of an arm or limb with practiced ease, went through their paces for the 11-day event for the physically challenged that is going on in Sydney at present.

World of Sport-1

Tue, 17 Nov 1998 06:41:03 +0000

In which game would you encounter a birdie, eagle or bishop? Make your move, go on!