Samir Suhag was only 17 when he first played professional polo. At that time he never imagined he would become the captain of the national polo team. But things were different back then. Polo has always had an elite tag, with celebrity spectators, high tea in fashionable tents and more people watching the players and each other than perhaps the game itself. Now 38, Suhag sees a sport which has been embraced by the rich and famous, but one that he continues to play with the same enthusiasm he had when he started. &ldquo;Historically, it&rsquo;s been a niche sport played and patronized by royalty and even now money and glamour are its defining factors,&rdquo; he says .

Views from the top

Business Standard

The ban on vuvuzela for the next FIFA World Cup (2014) may not take away the shine from the sport, but the ban levied on the high-tech body suits by FINA, swimming&rsquo;s governing body, has made the sport of swimming retrograde by two decades. In what has been termed as a landmark decision, one which will &ldquo;slow down&rdquo; even Michael Phelps, came into effect in January 1 this year. Body/racing suits including the famous wear &mdash; the Speedo LZR Racer, BlueSeventy Nero, Aqua Zone Renegade, Jaked, and the new TYR A7 have thus been rendered useless.

Against the tide?

Suraj Randiv, 25 years 203 days and two Tests old, has already served a one-match ban. He also lost his match fees.

Collateral damage

Dmitry Andreikin and Anna Muzychuk won the World Junior Championships in Chotova, Poland. The top-seeded Russian Andreikin, who is rated 2650 didn&rsquo;t have everything his own way. His younger (1993-born) compatriot Sanan Sjugirov (2610) scored the same points (10 from 13 rounds) but Andreikin had the better tie-break. Bronze went to Darius Swiercz (Poland). India&rsquo;s best placed performer, Parimarjan Negi, tied for 7th-16th.

Chess #640

Lifts the $918,000 Wyndham Championship trophy.

Atwal becomes first Indian to clinch US PGA Tour title

Press Trust of India

His win on the PGA Tour has taken him into a different league.

Our man Atwal

The unpredictable nature of sport makes for a richer experience, even if you end up losing your bet.

Glorious, uncertain, voyeuristic

The NH Experience Vs Rising Stars match ended with a tiebreak between two Rising Stars. Part of the booty &mdash; the most important part &mdash; is an invite to the Amber blindfold-rapid for the best performer on the youth team.

CHESS #641

...and the fans hope that Diego Maradona&rsquo;s magic leads them to the promised land.

At last, the game Argentina has been waiting for...

Saina Nehwal is redefining the mould of the Indian sportsperson.

The smashing of a myth

A shock exit at Wimbledon, and this question is already being asked.

Is this the end of Roger Federer?

The Medias Tournament of Kings in Rumania ended in a spectacular triumph for Carlsen. He outdistanced a strong field, winning with 7.5 points from 10 games.

CHESS #635

Sahara India Group, the owners of the Pune franchise of cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), has announced the coach for its team, Sahara Pune Warriors.

Sahara India announces IPL Pune franchise coach

Win or lose, it&rsquo;s fit to print: The story of the World Cup, as told through newspaper headlines from around the world.

The winning header

For the uninitiated, this World Cup is more about an eight-legged creature.

The show goes on

Vicente del Bosque woke up with a start. The corpulent coach of the Spanish team had been sleeping fitfully the night before the biggest match in his country&rsquo;s history. He had not been dreaming about love. He had not been dreaming about the golden cathedral in Salamanca, nor about his wife Trinidad spilling flan on her lap.

Tales on the eve of the final

In 1999, world number one Garry Kasparov played the game with the most page views, versus the &ldquo;Rest of the World&rdquo; on MSN Zone, Microsoft&rsquo;s game site. Anybody could log on and vote for the RoW's next move, which was chosen by majority vote. GK won a complicated endgame. Over 50,000 people participated (and millions watched).

CHESS #636

FIFA&rsquo;s refusal to allow technology is not helping the sport.

Crossing the line

The unpredictability in women&rsquo;s tennis is not good for the sport.

Easy come, easy go

The Fide elections are headed for a courtroom. Anatoly Karpov&rsquo;s lawyers, White &amp; Case of New York, have filed suit against Fide and incumbent president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov in Lausanne. Technicalities in the Fide constitution may disqualify the Kirsan re-election campaign.

Football is fast replacing cricket as Mumbai&rsquo;s favourite sport.

Time for kick-off?

Other Sports: Get the latest news headlines of other sports category such as Badminton, Chess, Volleyball, basketball and other Olympic Games with live coverage on Business Standard.

Other Sports News: Latest News from Olympics Games, Volleyball, Badminton | Business Standard

Get the latest news headlines of other sports category such as Badminton, Chess, Volleyball, basketball and other Olympic Games with live coverage on Business Standard.

Page 810 - Other Sports News