Bangladeshi swimmer Mahfizur Rahman Shagor will be participating in the Men’s 50 metres freestyle event in swimming today. Mahfizur will take part in the fourth heat of the morning, which gets underway at 10 am London time. Shagor’s personal best time of 24.82 is the poorest among the eight competitors in his heat group and he ... Read more
olympic 2012
Djoker in full flow
Novak Djokovic’s eyes go wide. He raises his hands outwards, his eyebrows raised. “What, you guys are leaving already?” he says to the room full of journalists that were heading to the door. For a second, everyone is quiet — the journalists unsure of what to do, and the Serbian savouring the moment. Then everyone ... Read more
The fast life of Oscar Pistorius
Oscar Pistorius has no legs; yet he is an Olympic sprinter. He should be an angry young man, instead he possesses a lovely sense of humour. He should wear a frown, but a bright smile lights up his face whenever he answers a question; even difficult ones. In a competition where game changers are lauded, ... Read more
From princess to paupers – Games in true spirit
Most of the British newspapers carried two stories side by side on Tuesday. The first story carried the smiling pictures of Camilla Parker, Kate Middleton Prince William, Prince Harry -the members of royal family- who were all watching their relative Zara Phillip competing in the individual equestrian cross country
Emdadul blown away
Blustery conditions have often spelt the death-knell for batsmen over the many years of Lord’s storied history. The story was the same on Monday in London. On another Bangladesh versus England encounter, the home side triumphed emphatically as the tourists struggled to cope with the conditions at the home of cricket. The only difference was ... Read more
Medals to appease Murray’s hunger
Like your typical Brit, Andy Murray does not give much away. He is impressively impassive, speaking in measured tones of a man much older than his young years. But Murray was surprisingly candid, after his victory over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen in Wimbledon yesterday. The 25-year-old Scottish superstar is immensely popular and his presence alone
Lord’s of the game
The scene was familiar, as were the conditions. There was the gusting wind, the cool, green grass, the stands steeped in antiquity and also the iconic spaceship press box. For a second you had to pinch yourself. This was Lord’s, the spiritual home of cricket and the custodians of the spirit of the game. The ... Read more
Basketball awaits end of an era
Since the beginning of the Olympics, the main problem that the organisers are grappling with is empty seats at stadiums that have taken some glosses off from an otherwise glitzy event. The scene of vacant rows at football stadiums, Wimbledon, the aquatic centre and beyond has angered Britons, who tried but failed to buy tickets ... Read more
Dancing into people’s hearts
London Olympics 2012 Dancing into people’s hearts Akram Khan looks sheepish. The question that he has been asked is one to which he feels he must say yes, but he is not sure yet how best to express himself. He thinks for a moment, and then does an excellent job. So, is performing in the ... Read more
Golden-boy Phelps turns silvery
For a few seconds Michael Phelps seemed completely bemused. He just had completed a great race at the pool and yet had to settle with only a silver medal, his first in three Olympics. There was a time when everything he touched turned gold. But London is turning out to be the end chapter of ... Read more
London Diary
Neymar ran to the sideline and struck the famous Usain Bolt lightning pose. It was football’s biggest Olympic star honouring one of the London Games’ most acclaimed athletes. Neymar celebrated by imitating his idol after scoring from a free-kick and leading Brazil to a 3-1 win over Belarus on Sunday, securing the gold medal favourites ... Read more
Quirkiness the charm of Olympic football
“He is a lizard,” spits the beefy gentleman sitting a few rows over from the press tribunes. It’s a cold, wet summer afternoon at an almost full Wembley, and the atmosphere is surprisingly raucous at the home of football. Mexican waves do the business and boos ring out every time a wiry player in a ... Read more
Syque nearly made it
After two disappointing displays in archery and shooting, Bangladesh finally have got something to tell in Olympics 2012 when gymnast Syque Caesar nearly made it to the final round on Saturday. Syque missed pommel horse and rings events because of a torn bicep and yet finished 17th in all-round category which earned huge plaudits in ... Read more
Bindra in for big battle
When Abhinav Bindra takes the range at the Royal Artillery Barracks today, he will be keenly followed by a 71-member strong Indian media contingent and millions of fans back at home. Never a country expected so much from one single athlete who shot India to glory four years ago in Beijing, winning their first ever ... Read more
Ryan wins medley gold as Phelps finishes fourth
Ryan Lochte thrashed American compatriot and double Olympic champion Michael Phelps to take 400m individual medley gold. Phelps, the greatest all-round swimmer his sport has seen and gold medallist in both Athens and Beijing, was left without even a bronze as Brazil’s Thiago Pereira took second and
Michigan gymnast to fight in London Olympic for Bangladeshi parents
He’d toyed with the idea for months. “I’d say something,” Syque Caesar recalls, “and then I’d never really do anything about it.” But now that he has — and who’s to say what provided the final push? — the Michigan gymnast is happy to say something else: This Olympic journey is proving to be equal ... Read more
London Diary
Two days have gone past since the opening ceremony and the battle for gold medals has just intensified. China seized the early momentum winning gold medals from shooting, weightlifting and swimming while Italy, Kazakhstan and United States are also among the gold winners. The biggest star
The show is on
At 8:12 am on Friday morning, all the bells in England rang. Martin Creed’s signature “Work Number 1197” rang in the 30th Olympiad to the only city that has so far played host to it thrice. In the evening, another bell rang. This, the largest harmonically tuned bell in the world, part of Danny Boyle’s ... Read more
Ashes at Lord’s
London Olympic 2012 Ashes at Lord’s Even at the best of times, archery is a low-key, quiet affair that requires intense concentration. As such there is often little hubbub surrounding the sport and none of the passion that sets apart sports like football. But yesterday at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, it was archery that kicked-off ... Read more
London Diary
It was a quiet morning for Steve Waugh until he met a group of Bangladeshi journalists during the opening archery event at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Friday. The event was dominated by Koreans who hardly knows anything about cricket. Completely unnoticed, Waugh was having a good time with old foe Michael Atherton, who was ... Read more