Hindustan Times - Special Series - Part 2
It's yet to get the finishing touches. But the façade of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, is intimidating. The stadium, when complete, will be one of the best stadiums in the country. Experts say, it will be one of a kind and will symbolise India's power as a rising developing nation. See Graphics
Sports-wise, though, one has to really see how sportspersons will benefit from the Nehru stadium and the other venues that will host the 17 disciplines in the city. "The future generations will reap its benefits," are the oft-spoken words from those associated with holding the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Suresh Kalmadi, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman, thinks the infrastructure will help Olympic sports to grow in the city. "It will help sow the seeds of sporting culture in the city as well as the country," he said. "We will use these world-class facilities to promote sports in the country. It will be for our sportspersons."
Even Olympic bronze-medallist Vijender Singh believes that if properly utilised, the infrastructure will help the next generation. "Training in world-class facilities will help sportspersons. There's a huge difference in training in a tin-roofed boxing hall and in an air-conditioned hall. To improve your game, you have to train in the best places."
To maintain the stadiums after the Games, the government has chalked out a private and public partnership plan. "Maintaining such infrastructure is a problem," said Kalmadi. "Beijing is still to evolve a strategy to utilise its sports infrastructure. We'll have to plan it once the Games are over. Hopefully, we will have a good model."
Though, initially there were trials and tribulations, but, according to Kalmadi, everything is on course. "We will host the best Games ever," he said.
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