The power of   the condom!
Could hockey sticks coated with condoms be the reason for India pumping in 20 goals against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup at Chennai?

The hockey sticks of Tirkey, Prabhjot or Raghunath could have been manufactured using a condom at its tip which makes it stronger.

A Jalandhar sports goods manufacturing firm, R K Sports, which makes the popular 'Rakshak' brand of hockey sticks, has evolved the new technique of using condoms to make the sticks smoother and stronger.

Sanjay Kohli, the managing director of RK Sports claimed that the idea of using condoms to make the lower part, the hook, came to him a few years back after a large number of hockey sticks got damaged.

"The hook of a stick has to be tough as it strikes the ball," he added.

Earlier, the manufacturer used a plastic net which was pasted to the front surface of the hook to prevent it from splitting after a few games. But once the net came out, the stick could not be repaired.

"One fine day, I tried a condom and found that it gripped the wood better than the conventional net," he added.

AFC seeks to  heal wounds
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) welcomed leading Malaysian government officials to their headquarters on Tuesday, hoping to work towards healing a rift caused by a Manchester United friendly, reports Reuters from Kuala Lumpur.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Abdul Razak and Azalina Othman Said, the minister for youth and sports, met with AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam to discuss the body's Vision Asia project in the Malaysian capital.
On Tuesday, Hammam encouraged Malaysia to join the Vision Asia project.