Adios!
The
Games end. And the party begins. The full report....
Time to
let boogongs be boogongs
From the fat-bottomed wombat who
dropped golden excreta on prime athletic moments on, the Sydney Games will
go down as a celebration of all that was irreverent.
India's
campaign lacks lustre
Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes mourn
the lack of sports infrastructure. And warn that it is going to take quite
a while before India can even dream of producing champions.
The
almost-but-not-quite Games
Much derring-do, but the 27th Games
failed to produce the one mind-blowing athlete.
US leads,
but only just
The Sydney Games saw the US maintain its pole
position in the athletics world -- but the real story is the way the rest
of the world has been catching up.
Asia
makes its presence felt
China reiterated its standing as Asia's
sporting superpower. Some of its neighbours made its presence felt, as
well.
Asian
women leave their mark
The likes of Naoko Takahashi and Fu
Mingxia led a parade of Asian women triumphing in Sydney.
Best ever
Games bows out in style
Chaos was expected as the world's
athletes, and their fans, prepared to leave Sydney. What the airport
witnessed, though, was surprising calm.
'Super
Games' ensures soccer success
Favourites Italy and Brazil
lost. But soccer won, in outstanding fashion.
Altitude
training the key to Ethiopia's success
A very simple
philosophy -- train high, compete low -- fuelled Ethiopia's eight-medal
drive.
Brief
respite for IOC from bribe scandal
A brilliant Games gives the
global body a little bit of breathing space, from the controversies
swirling in the wake of Salt Lake.
Drugs
mar the face of sport
One way of looking at it is that Sydney
will be remembered for the cheats. Another way is to say that in Sydney,
the cheaters did not prosper.
Africans
sweep marathon
Ethiopia-Kenya-Ethiopia was the finish in the
men's marathon -- an interesting, tactical, close fought race that saw the
two Ethiopians run in tandem to ensure that at least one of them got the
gold.
Probe likely
into India's Olympics fiasco
Union Sports Minister Sukhdev
Singh Dhindsa Saturday said he was awaiting the return of his deputy, Shah
Nawaz Hussain, who is leading the Indian contingent.
Armenian
lifter in drug bust
This makes the fifth competitor in Sydney
to lose a medal after a positive test.
Cuba
'robbed' of boxing golds
Cuban president Fidel Castro
denounces the "international conspiracy" against boxers from his country.
Fatso
the Wombat waddles into the money
The official mascot had
organisational backing. The rebel mascot had the people on its side. Only
in Australia, folks.
33 US
athletes flunked doping tests last year
Five of the cases
involved anabolic (steroid) agents, 26 were for stimulants and two were
for other substances.
US men,
women take golds in relays
Traditionally, the 4x400 relays for
women, then men, end the Olympics track and field programme. True to
tradition, the US won both without raising a sweat. And oh yes, Marion
Jones ended with three golds, two bronzes. And a legend named Michael
Johnson ran his last Olympic race.
Marathon caps last
day of Games
Standby for the
greatest party
US men take 4x100
gold
Gold for Bahamas,
bronze for Marion & company
Australia win
men's hockey bronze
Cameroon take
soccer gold
Super Savon does
the 'trick'
Roll of
dishonour
Charlie's Angels
sign off on a high
Romania may sue
over Raducan case
Koreans claim
second gold in taekwondo
The sport that
uncovered a famed cheat
Malleshwari has
reasons for wanting to quit
An out-standing
Olympics for India
When the going
gets tough...
Yesterday's
issue
.gif)
