Spectacular, Magnificent and Incredible India

Magnificent ceremony brings curtains down on 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi

If India's rich and diverse culture was at a grand display at the opening ceremony, a magnificent, energetic and youthful ceremony awaited the audience at the closing show of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi on Thursday.
The closing ceremony stressed on con-temporariness and celebration, an indication to the rising India.
Almost 7,000 artistes, domestic and international, mesmerised all eyes with their talent, as the world beyond the stadium watched with joy and disbelief.
"Unity and solidarity" were the theme for the nineteenth Commonwealth Closing Ceremony. The organization committee had promised nothing but the best.
The entertainment segment of the ceremony was designed to highlight India's rich cultural heritage and the depth it enjoys in fields such as dances and martial arts.
The opening event was an Indian martial arts ceremony titled "Agni" in which 800 performers from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra and Nagaland displayed their skills in an eight-minute act.
The artistes performed their dare-devil skills as they showcased various martial arts forms of India with the Sanskrit verses reverberating the air.
Vande Mataram added patriotic fervor to the ceremony.
Paying tribute to the country, over 2,000 schoolchildren performed to the tunes of Oscar winner A.R. Rahman's composition Vande Mataram. Rahman was not present at the ceremony.
This segment was followed by a 10-minute performance by the Armed forces' band, which annually performs at the Beating Retreat ceremony during the Republic Day celebrations.
The Army Forces' band received loud applause as it performed 'Saare Jahaan Se Acha' , Kadam Kadam Badhaye ja....and other melodious tunes.
Then it was the turn of the athletes' march past. The contingents came in alphabetical order, carrying their national flags with joy and waiving to the applauding crowd in the stadium.
The Indian contingent received a huge applaud, as all the players, having done India proud in the Games winning 38 Gold, 27 Silver, and 36 Bronze in the overall medal tally of 101 medals.
Shooter Gagan Narang, who won four Gold medals for India, was the flag-bearer, as the rest of the contingent followed him and it was greeted by all sitting in the audience.
Rahman's composed Jiyo Utho Badho comprised different shots reminding everyone of the various moments of joy and despair as lived be athletes in these games.
Singer Shaan escorted Delhi Commonwealth Games' muscot Shera in a decorated three-wheeler and took a round of the track. The audience joined Shaan in bidding Shera a musical farewell.
At the ceremony, Organising Committee's Chief Suresh Kalmadi was once again hooted, as he began to read out his speech. He said, "it's been a life changing experience."
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur was present at the ceremony to grace the occasion.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was Guest of the honour at the closing ceremony, was sitting next to the Prime Minister Dr. Singh.
Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Union Sport Minister K.P.S.Gill, Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni, and senior BJP leader L.K.Advani were among other distinguish personalities present on this occasion.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi was sitting beside Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Jitin Prasad at the stadium among the audience instead of the VVIP block. Delhi's Lt. Governor Tejender Khanna was also present on this occasion.
The mention of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was again greeted with a great roar in her admiration.
Michael Fennell, the Commonwealth Games Federation President, was also present on this occasion. During his speech, he thanked Delhi and all here for organising an "outstanding" Games.
"Delhi you have truly exceptional games, and given us a wonder experience to us all," Fennell said in his speech.
He said the spectators and people of Delhi have been simply "great" and appreciated them for attending all events.
After the speeches and other protocol-related events, the Commonwealth Games flag was handed over by Delhi's Lt. Governor Tejender Khanna to Scotland, the hosts of the 2014 Games in Glasgow.
The flag will now be taken off to begin a new journey towards Glasgow city where the 2014 CWG events will take place.
Over 400 Scottish performers, on this occasion, formed various designs and also created their national flag in their 10- minute besides giving a splendid dance performance.
The final word for the closure of XIX Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 came from Prince Edward, said, "On behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, head of the Commonwealth,and in the name of Commonwealth Games federation, I proclaim the XIX Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 closed."
Meanwhile, the aerostat that beamed numerous colourful images at the opening ceremony, donned a new festive look, ahead of Diwali, with elaborate decorations at the closing ceremony of the Games.
Earlier, a high-tech laser show by the Germany-based firm Tarm Laser Technologies was a feast for the eyes of everyone present inside the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
It showcased a splendid array of lights and special effects such as sea waves and graphics with beams to light up the sky.
Bollywood won hearts at the stadium. During the 30-minute segment 'Music of Universal Love' popular songs from four genres-Folk, Sufi, Indi-pop and world music-featured in the closing ceremony.
Noted film director Shyam Benegal and lyricist Prasoon Joshi were involved in the conception of the programme for the opening and closing ceremony of the Delhi Commonwealth Games. (ANI)

So much for gratitude!

WG: Army told it can't attend Closing Ceremony

Sidharth Pandey, NDTV

New Delhi:  For more than a month, 1500 people from the Army have worked overtime for the Commonwealth Games. Their to-do list has included managing venues used for the games, handling protocol requirements with the international contingents in town, and stepping in to rebuild a crucial bridge in record time after it collapsed days before the Games began.
For all this, the Army is not being compensated. The organisers of the Games reneged on a promise to cover basic expenses like transport and cellphones for the jawans and officers enlisted for the event. The bill of 11 crores, the Defence Minister was told recently, would have to be covered by the  defence budget because the organisers had run out of money.
During the Games so far, the Army has contributed 23 medals, including eight golds, for India.
Earlier this month, it booked 300 tickets for Thursday's closing ceremony; last week, it deposited four lakhs for the same tickets.
But now, they've been told the closing ceremony is off-limits. The Organising Committee, headed by Suresh Kalmadi, has said it has run out of tickets.
"The armed forces have played a major role in the CWG. If they face any problems, I will look into it," said Kalmadi.
One of the lowlights of the Games has been the skimpy audiences - sportspersons performed in near-empty stadia, a fact brought up repeatedly by the international officials of the Commonwealth Games Federation. Yet, tickets are not available for most events - complimentary passes seem to be the only entry point to venues.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/commonwealth%20games/cwg-army-told-it-cant-attend-closing-ceremony-59235?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/commonwealth%20games/cwg-army-told-it-cant-attend-closing-ceremony-59235?cp

 

Sponsor takes Malaysian CWG athletes and officials to task!

Malaysian athletes and officials professionalism when representing the nation has been questioned this time around by a sponsor - Bata.
Bata sponsors to a tune of RM 1 million for national athletes and officials at the Sea, Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
They provide leather shoes for the march-past of the opening ceremony and specially designed sports shoes to be used when they are out of competition eg Games Village or travelling.
Datuk James Selvaraj, the Senior Manager of Bata Marketing Sdn Bhd said that the contract of the sponsorship clearly stipulates that athletes and officials must use the leather shoes for the march past and training shoes at times when they are out of competition.
"But this arrangement has not been met most of the time and it was clearly evident in ongoing New Delhi Commonwealth Games," James told this scribe.
James said that the officials themselves have not adhered to the requirements.
It is little wonder that sponsors these days shun away from getting involved in sports sponsorship because more often than not, their obligations through the sponsorship are not fullfilled.
Sponsors spend millions of ringgit on sponsorship basically to get mileage through their branding besides tax exemptions.
This is where our officials and athletes have to act professionally and not just collect sponsorship goods and then not use it.
Bata's sponsorship is through the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the latter certainly needs to enforce stricter monitoring of sponsored goods being utilised as stipulated by the contract.
Of course athletes and associations have their own sponsors and obligations to meet. But when going for a Games, it is the OCM who takes charges and they too have their obligations to meet.
Like Bata, most of the sponsors are flexible as long as their products are used during stipulated times.
But if their sponsored goods are not used at all, the sponsors certainly have a case and reason to be upset.
It all boils down to professionalism. Just like in the case of weightlifter Aricco Jumitih's attire bore the Sabah flag instead of the Malaysian flag and had the words Sabah written behind his attire instead of MALAYSIA!

Wear what is comfortable!

Some have been missing the point. Just to underline the points, see below:

It is official, athletes representing the nation can wear whatever is comfortable to them.

The Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, himself, has come in defence on issues of attire at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Maybe in time to come we will see an athlete competing in "birthday suit" because it is comfortable to him or her!

And the dear Minister, has actually missed the point. It is not about comfortable attire which was raised by observers and critics , but the Sabah flag that was on weightlifter Aricco Jumitih's attire when he competed instead of the Malaysian flag!

I had already raised about athletes' using their own attire because it is comfortable in my posting earlier and even had predicted that this will be excuse given.

But is it so difficult to sew on a Malaysian flag on that "comfortable attire" when representing MALAYSIA!

Did the officials and athletes not have all the time in the world before the Games to look into all these matters?

Will the the Sports Minister throw in his support if each athlete representing the nation displays their respective State flags?

And no one is taking the athlete to task (although he too has a responsibility too), but the many officials who are present in New Delhi, who are administrators and suppose to look into matters like these.

So much for patriotism to the nation!

Officials have goofed and they are answerable. Period.

Read the Bernama report below and see what the Honourable Sports Minister's stand is on the issue! 

CWG: Don't Create Issues Out Of Athletes' Attire - Shabery

KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek Monday chided those who raised baseless criticism on issues like attire of athletes at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
He said the ministry had received negative comments and complaints related to attire of athletes in New Delhi, including the attire worn by the Malaysian contingent during the opening ceremony of the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Ahmad Shabery said the latest criticism was the attire worn by weightlifter Aricco Jumitih when competing and winning the gold medal in the 62kg category, since the Sabah athlete was wearing the Sabah state attire which did not reflect the country's image at an international event.
He said such criticism was negative and athletes should not be blamed or crucified based on their attire.
"I was made to understand that weightlifting is a very sensitive sport which involves various sensitive elements like food, attire and environment. Sometimes if an athlete is not comfortable with another attire, he may not be able to perform well.
"Maybe what he was wearing was the most comfortable attire for Arrico during the competition and he proved it right by winning the gold medal. What is the point of wearing the 'right' attire and losing compared with winning with an alternative attire," he told reporters here Monday.
However, the ministry would work towards rectifying any flaws during the games, if such events are deemed detrimental.
Speaking of Malaysia's 10-gold target, Ahmad Shabery said he was confident that the target would be achieved.
"It is not impossible to achieve the target and I am confident the athletes will work towards that goal," he said.

-- BERNAMA

Kok Chi takes Hooper to task

 

Exclusive: Malaysian chief joins growing band blaming Hooper

04 October 2010

 By Tom Degun in New Delhi

October 4 – Another leading figure has joined the growing band of people pointing the finger at Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief executive Mike Hooper over the disastrous build-up to Delhi 2010.

Sieh Kok Chi, secretary general of the Commonwealth Games Association of Malaysia/Olympic Council of Malaysia, told insidethegames that recent criticism of the CGF is completely warranted.
He said: "The General Assembly decided not to find fault but to allow the Games to end before carrying out a detailed post mortem on what went wrong.
"This was a correct decision as it is important for the athletes that the Games be concluded successfully.
"On the other hand, many of the delegates and I strongly believe Mike Hooper should not be permitted to get away with such poor coordination.
"Having spent almost three years in Delhi receiving generous expenses, he has nothing to show for it except to blame the Organising Committee.
"Frankly, he is only a sports administrator and has no knowledge or experience in project management and coordination.
"The most inappropriate thing he said was that he was not an engineer and hence could not do anything.
"If he was not an engineer and could not do anything, then he should have stepped down and let someone else who is better take over.
"The New Zealand Sports Minister is absolutely correct and fair to apportion some of the blame to Mike Hooper.”



New Zealander Hooper has been vocally attacked by his fellow countrymen in recent weeks with Sports Minister Murray McCully stating he cannot simply distance himself from the problems in the build-up to Delhi, having lived in the city for almost three years.
He added: "There’s going to be a sharing of responsibility."
Barry Maister, secretary general of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, and Mike Stanley, President, have also blamed Hooper for the catastrophic events leading up to Delhi, which included photos of a “filthy" Athletes’ Village being broadcast just days before the Games.
Meanwhile Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi pointedly omitted Hooper in his speech at the Opening Ceremony.
Hooper has continued to lay the blame at the feet of the Organising Committee stating that he gave continual warnings to Kalmadi that progress in organising the Games was well behind schedule.
Contact the writer of this story tom.degun@insidethegames.biz This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Someone goofed up!

Kudos to international debutant Aricco Jumith for his gold medal winning effort in the Commonwealth Games weightlifting event in New Delhi on Tuesday, but was he representing Malaysia or Sabah.
Aricco's attire during the competition bore a Sabah flag!
I had a call from New Delhi in the wee hours this morning from an Indian sports journalist asking me when Sabah gained its independence from Malaysia!
The picture of Aricco wearing the attire with the Sabah flag appeared in at least one newspaper this morning in Malaysia. This is the picture below taken by AFP.

 Double joy........Aricco and silver medalist Naharuddin Mahayudin in the official Malaysian attire after the prize-giving ceremony. (NST pix)

Athletes' attire are supplied by either their national sports association or the National Sports Council (NSC).
For multi-sports Games, it is usually NSC who supply the attire.
Someone has to give an explanation here why Aricco was wearing an attire bearing the Sabah flag.
It has happened before and the usual the explanation would be that the athlete is not comfortable with the official attire or did not have the sizes with the entire supplied by NSC or their national association and prefer to use their own entire.
But would sewing on a Malaysian flag on the personal attire be very difficult!
I am not against Sabah or the athlete being patriotic towards his State, but when representing the nation, the patriotism should be to the nation.
With so many official present in Delhi, especially from NSC, one wonders how they overlooked Arrico's State flag on his attire.
Is there an explanation forthcoming?
And it is not making mountain out of a mole hill.
Agreed Aricco is a Sabahan and is proud to be one, and Sabah is part of Malaysia.
But it is the national team competing in an international Games and participants are represented by the nation and not by the state or county of a nation.
It all about be professional!
Aricco can by all means carry a Sabah and Malaysian flag! But the Malaysian flag has to be displayed...period!

This in Incredible India for you!

 As I sat last night glued to the television for three hours to watch the live opening ceremony of the 19th Delhi Commonwealth Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi, I told myself that I had not expected anything less.
Yes, on Aug 26, I had posted,  Incredible India will make CWG happen (read here).
I had no doubts about it after my experience of how the Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3 became a reality despite so many apprehensions.
And as I watched the opening ceremony, I only wished I was there after having been there for three and-half months working with the Organising Committee.
Congratulations was indeed in order for a spectacular show which was saw the diversified rich cultural background of India portrayed India in the best possible way.

President Pratibha Patil, her husband Devi Singh Shekhawat, Britain's Prince Charles, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur at the opening ceremony of Commonwealth Games at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.
 There was so much criticism over the spending on the aerostat - the biggest helium ballon in the world to be used for the first time for an entertainment event -, but in end, it stole the show.

From the time child prodigy, even-year-old Keshav stole the limelight as he mesmerised the spectators, including President Pratibha Patil and Prince Charles, synchronising his tabla with the beat of a variety of drummers numbering over 800, it indicated that the worst was behind India.

From Auroville in Puducherry, the child prodigy's performance was part of 'Rythms of India' segment of the ceremony which was tipped as an Indian invocation of the ceremony bringing together folk drums of the country.
Beats of a variety of 800 drums -- from Pung Cholom of Manipur to Chenda of Kerala to Gudum Baja -- reverberated the stadium as spectators were left spell-bound.

The 1,000 children from various schools in the national capital performing a choreography, creating a formation of 'Namaste' (folded hands)  - the sign of welcome and respect to the honoured guests from all over the world - was a true picture how down to earth the Indians are.
The students' painting images of hands with 'mehandi' on a giant cloth was simply amazing.
As the students attired in tricolour choreographed the Namaste sign, the  aerostat welcomed the guests from abroad and various parts of the country in 23 different languages.
Then on, there were no looking back.

Never mind that a staggering  US$6 million (RM18 billion) was spent for the Games to happen.
The stage has been set for the Games to begin and they now have to live up to the spectacular opening ceremony for the next 10 days of competition.
A record 6,800 athletes from 71 countries will be competing and now that the opening ceremony is out of the way passing with flying colours, they now have to ensure mechanics of the Games will go on as smoothly too.
It must be mentioned here too, that for once the athletes at a Games were actually seated after their marched into the Stadium and were part of the celebration and enjoyed the show, unless in most Games where the athletes are not there to enjoy the show put up or have to stand through long hours to watch the opening ceremony. Kudos India for taking the interest of the athletes and official to heart! After all, the Games is all about the athletes.
As the competitions get underway, there are bound to be hiccups with a Games of such magnitude, but to silence the critics once and for all, the organisers have to minimise hitches and put their best foot forward before we wait for an even more breathtaking closing ceremony come Oct 14.

Mubaarak India!

It's now or never

Games all set for a gala opening

Press Trust of India

 

New Delhi: About 7,000 men, women and children will dish out a show of India's cultural heritage in a gala Commonwealth Games opening ceremony with the icing on the cake being Maestro A R Rahman's performance at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.

With most of the tickets already sold out, the two-hour ceremony, scheduled from 7 p m, will start with President Pratibha Patil and Britain's Prince Charles expected to declare the Games open in front of a packed stadium of 65,000 capacity tomorrow.

 The 619-member strong Indian contingent will be led by Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra who will carry the Indian flag during the ceremony.

Even as tennis sensation Sania Mirza will not be part of the Indian march-past as the Hyederabadi ace has preferred to rest, badminton star Saina Nehwal, Beijing Olympic Games bronze medalist boxer Vijender Kumar and wrestler Sushil Kumar will be among the six who will carry the baton during the formal part of the pageant.

There will be seven segments -- including Rhythm of India, Swagatam, Tree of Knowledge, Yoga, Great Indian Journey and Oscar winner composer A.R. Rahman's rendition of the CWG anthem 'Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto' -- in the nearly three-hour ceremony.

The guest panel will include International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennel, New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, Monaco's Prince Albert II and Presidents Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives and Marcus Stephen of Nauru.

Hosts India are aiming to break into the traditional rivalry of champions Australia and England who have been fighting it out for top two slots in the past.
 The Aussies, who have topped the gold and total medal tallies at the past five Games and are expected to once again be confirmed as the number one nation, have sent their largest ever team to an off-shore multi-discipline sports event in a bid to continue their reign in Delhi.

Although the country's high-water mark of 221 medals (84 gold, 69 silver and 68 bronze) at the 2006 Melbourne Games is unlikely to be surpassed in India, team officials expect another gold rush.

Australia's record gold medal haul came at the 1994 Victoria Games in Canada with 87.

Delhi is ready for the Games starting today

We are ready for the Games: Sheila Dikshit to NDTV

 LET THE GAMES BEGINNING

 New Delhi: With just a day to go for the Commonwealth Games, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit says she is no longer nervous and that Delhi is ready for the Games.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV's Barkha Dutt, Group Editor, English News, the Chief Minister said she was horrified by the condition of the Games Village when it was handed over, as over 60 per cent of the rooms were in an unlivable condition.
Sheila turned the Games around in just four days. 
Listen to her in a frank exclusive interview here. 

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/we-are-ready-for-the-games-sheila-dikshit-to-ndtv/167102?cp

                                                  Sheila Dikshit                   Barkha Dutt

Blaming the Delhi Development Authority, The Organising Committee of the Games and builders EMMAR-MGF, Sheila said it was her office that turned the Games Village around in just four days. "Sixty per cent of the Village was unlivable when it was handed over to us...we made the Village first rate all in one week," she said.

Sheila also said as the Delhi Chief Minister, all the blame comes to her, but she did not have authority in many areas of the Games. 

"I have been telling everyone that the Delhi Chief Minister should be given more powers, and control," she added.

Also speaking on the all the controversies that have surrounded the Games, she promised that everything will be scrutinised after the Games end.
 Sheila Dikshit also said she felt pained when people like former Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar decide to skip the event by going out of the city.

"I feel pained, I feel bad. How are the games disturbing anybody?" she said.

Aiyar, who criticised holding of the Games and had said that only "evil" will patronise them, left for London a few days ago.

Also speaking on the comments on different standards of hygiene for west and India by Lalit Bhanot, the secretary general of the CWG, the Chief Minister called them "thoughtless".

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/we-are-ready-for-the-games-sheila-dikshit-to-ndtv/167102?cp

Pride of the Delhi CWG

A Brief History of the Commonwealth Games

 The very first Commonwealth Games were held in Hamilton, Canada in the year 1930. Canadian Athlete, Bobby Robinson was the key force behind the start of the games as he finally put talks that were taking place for decades into practice. A total of 11 nations accumulating 400 athletes participated in CWG 1930.Since 1930 the games have been taking place once in every four years except 1942 and 1946 due to the intervention of World War II. Out of the 16 games that have been played so far, four of them have been hosted by Australian cities (Sydney 1938, Perth 1962, Brisbane 1982 and Melbourne 2006).The name of the Games has been shuffled quite a few times. Between the years 1930 and 1950, the Commonwealth Games were renamed as the British Empire Games and then the British Empire. From 1966 to 1974, the games were called the British Commonwealth Games and 1978 onwards they were titled to what is now the Commonwealth Games.Commonwealth Games were founded on the basis of history and not on the nations geographical position or climatic conditions. One of the main characteristics of the Games is that the participating countries share one common language. From athletes to coaches and other officials, everyone can converse with each other in English, creating a friendly atmosphere leading to the games often being called as the "Friendly Games".

In order to keep the Games always competitive and exciting, the Commonwealth Games Federation agreed to include team sports in Kuala Lumpur 1998 for the first time in the history of the Games. Unlike other sporting events, Commonwealth Games bring together nations from different continents under one roof sharing the family spirit of the same historical moments, experiences and links that go beyond cultural barriers.

Source: Hindustan Times

 Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex

Stadium Facts  |  Stadium Location Map  |  Stadium Events

Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex is a modern and a fully equipped sports complex with world class facilities.

Stadium Facts

Athletics
Capacity	60,000
Competition Arena	400 m 9 lane Conica Synthetic surface Athletic track with 10 lanes in Home Straight, 60 m 4 lane Conica Synthetic surface strip at Indoor hold up area and two warm up areas - 8 lane Conica synthetic surface track and for Long Throws
Distance from Games Village	12 Km

Lawn Bowls
Capacity	2,111
Competition Arena	Four competition synthetic greens with flood lights
Distance from Games Village	12 Km

Weightlifting
Capacity	2,500
Competition Arena	One competition platform; 12 warm-up platforms
Distance from Games Village	12 Km

Stadium Events

Event		Event Dates
Opening Ceremony		03 Oct. 2010
Athletics	Track & Field	06-12 Oct. 2010
	Marathon	14 Oct. 2010
	Walk	09 Oct. 2010
Lawn Bowls		04-13 Oct. 2010
Weightlifting		04-12 Oct. 2010
Closing Ceremony		14 Oct. 2010

Check out all the venues for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and the sports competed at the respective venue here or below

Thyagaraj Sports Complex

 Stadium Facts

 Stadium Location

Indira Gandhi Sports Complex

 Stadium Facts

 Stadium Location

Dr. S.P. Mukherjee Swimming Stadium

 Stadium Facts

 Stadium Location

Talkatora Indoor Stadium

 Stadium Facts

 Stadium Location

Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium

 Stadium Facts

 Stadium Location

Siri Fort Sports Complex


Competition Schedule for CWG 2010

Event		Venue	Event Dates
Opening Ceremony		JN Stadium	03 Oct. 2010
Aquatics	Diving	Dr SPM Swimming Complex	10-13 Oct. 2010
	Swimming		04-09 Oct. 2010
	Synchronised Swimming		06-07 Oct. 2010
Archery		Yamuna Sports Complex	04-10 Oct. 2010
Athletics	Track & Field	JN Stadium	06-12 Oct. 2010
	Marathon	JN Stadium/Marathon Course	14 Oct. 2010
	Walk		09 Oct. 2010
Badminton		Siri Fort Sports Complex	04-14 Oct. 2010
Boxing		Talkatora Indoor Stadium	05-11, 13 Oct. 2010
Cycling	Track	IG Sports Complex	05-08 Oct. 2010
	Road Mass Start		10 Oct. 2010
	Road Time Trials	Noida Highway Express Rd	13 Oct. 2010
Gymnastics	Artistic	IG Sports Complex	04-08 Oct. 2010
	Rhythmic		12-14 Oct. 2010
Hockey		Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium	04-14 Oct. 2010
Lawn Bowls		JN Sports Complex	04-13 Oct. 2010
Netball		Thyagaraj Sports Complex	04-12, 14 Oct. 2010
Rugby Sevens		Delhi University	11-12 Oct. 2010
Shooting	Clay Target	Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range	06-13 Oct. 2010
	Full Bore	CRPF Campus, Kadarpur	09-13 Oct. 2010
	Pistol and Small Bore	Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range	05-13 Oct. 2010
Squash		Siri Fort Sports Complex	04-13 Oct. 2010
Table Tennis		Yamuna Sports Complex	04-14 Oct. 2010
Tennis		RK Khanna Tennis Stadium	04-10 Oct. 2010
Weightlifting		JN Sports Complex	04-12 Oct. 2010
Wrestling		IG Sports Complex	05-10 Oct. 2010
Closing Ceremony		JN Stadium	14 Oct. 2010

Source: Hindustan Times

Air Force protection for CWG

MiGs, UAVs will keep Games safe

Aurangzeb Naqshbandi , Hindustan Times
New Delhi, September 29, 2010

Frontline fighters Sukhois and MiG-21 Bisons of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will guard Delhi’s skies during the Commonwealth Games (October 3 to 14). Giving them company will be Heron and Searcher — unmanned aerial vehicles hovering at a height of 6,000 to 10,000 feet, supplying monitoring centers in different parts of the city with real time pictures, a senior defence ministry official said.

The fighter planes will be stationed at nearby air bases to deal with all kinds of threats, including plane hijacks.
Anti-aircraft surface-to-air weapons along with armed helicopters will also be in ready mode at Bareilly, Sirsa, Adampur and Srinagar, the official said.
Mobile observation posts  manned by different security agencies, including the police, have been set up across the city.
The IAF has, in the last three months, trained several batches of policemen in aerial observation and interception activities besides targeting sub-conventional threats in urban areas, the official said.

Army Power to save the Delhi CWG

Army called in to complete Games work

Ruchika Chitravanshi & Gyan Varma / New Delhi September 29, 2010, 0:31 IST

With barely five days to go for the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010, the country has turned to the Indian Army to help salvage the situation.
About 80 army personnel from the Military Engineering Services (MES) have been deployed at the Games Village and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to complete the electrical and plumbing work.
The Army has also been entrusted with the opening and closing ceremony of the Games that will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
The work at the Village and the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium is being done in three shifts. The Army is in charge of one of the shifts. This is not the first time that the army has come to the rescue of an event of this scale. The Army was present in the 1982 Asian Games and the 1999 Afro-Asian Games as well.
A senior official in the Organising Committee said, “The resources we had were not adequate and we did not estimate that there would be so much delay. The army is helping in meeting the requirements.”
Besides, the army is also handling the security. According to government sources, the army has been alerted for a possible terror threat during the Games.
Jawans were recently called in to rebuild the foot over-bridge near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium that had collapsed. The bridge which was supposed to be used by spectators to reach the stadium was re-built by them in 48 hours. A Bailey bridge, which is a temporary structure used for relief operations like flood or collapsed bridges, was built by the Army on the request of the Organising Committee.
It is not just the Indian Army that has been pressed to complete the work and meet security requirements. Sources in the security establishments said choppers of the Air Force are on standby to provide aerial security cover to the Games Village and Jawaharlal Nehru stadium during the opening and closing ceremonies.
The Organising Committee had asked for 200 army officials and 400 Junior Commissioned Officers to be present at the venues and police headquarters. Overall, 1,600 army personnel were sought by the Organising Committee.

All is well for CWG: Kalmadi

Focus on Games, not village: Kalmadi

CWG Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi says most athletes are happy with the Games Village and all problems have been sorted out. He also says the village, which he claims is 80% complete, is better than any other in the world.

View NDTV's interview here.

Finally nailed!

Chief of CWG Press removed

25 Sep 2010, 2109 hrs IST (Times of India)

After weeks of controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games, the heads have stated to roll. Now, the CWG Press Operations head Manish Kumar has been transferred for allegedly 'sabotaging the game'. Revolt breaks out in the media team.    According to sources, Manish Kumar had an altercation with the Cabinet Secretary who has now issued marching orders to the CWG Press Operations head. In his place Manjushree Roy has taken over as DDG Press Operations.  View Times Now coverage here The sequence of event that lead to the CWG Press Operations head's transfer:  Immediately after Mike Fennell's press conference earlier today, Cabinet Secretary appointed a committee headed by Ajay Seth met. In the meet it was found that Manish Kumar sabotaged the games. In turn the underfire allegedly hurled abuses at the Cabinet Secretary. Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar then issued the marching orders and directed OC CEO Jarnail Singh to replace Manish Kumar as the Press head in the Commonwealth Games.  Revolt in Press team?  There seems to be a revolt in the Press team.  - New DDG has called for meeting of Press team - Orders issued for entire press team to be present - Failing which they will be liable for action - Press team threatens to resign if DDG shunted out in this manner

Final Admission

Kalmadi, Fennell accept responsibility for shoddy CWG preparation

ITGD Bureau

Suresh Kalmadi and Mike Fennell today shared the blame for the shoddy preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2010.
"I am the chairman of Organising Committee and I will take all the responsibility. There is no issue. But I wish the venues were handed to us a little earlier," Kalmadi told a press conference in New Delhi.   He also admitted that Organising Committee Secretary General Lalit Bhanot's comments about hygienic standards between Indians and others were avoidable.

'I wish the venues were handed to us a little earlier,' says CWG OC chief Suresh Kalmadi.

Fennell today said considerable work has been done but it has to be sustained over the next eight days to make the troubled event a success. Rounding up an emergency stock-taking trip, during which he inspected the much-criticised Games Village, Fennell said it was not the time to indulge in a blame-game but so much of work should not have been left for the last lap.
"The massive work that is being done now ought to have been done earlier," said Fennell.
Fennell expects full participation
Ending days of uncertainty over international participants, Fennell also brought some much-needed good news for the beleaguered organisers by announcing that "there would be full participation in the Games."
The spate of individual pullouts also slowed down a bit with just a British diver -- Peter Waterfield -- announcing his withdrawal.
Suresh Kalmadi and Mike Fennell today shared the blame for the shoddy preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2010.

President of CWG Federation Michael Fenell and Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi during a press conference in Delhi.

"I am the chairman of Organising Committee and I will take all the responsibility. There is no issue. But I wish the venues were handed to us a little earlier," Kalmadi told a press conference in New Delhi.

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  Everyone has to share the blame for CWG mess: Fennell

ITGD Bureau New Delhi, September 25, 2010

CGF President Mike Fennell on Saturday said that everyone in the Commonwealth Games management has to share the blame for the lack of preparations ahead of the Delhi edition but hoped that they would overcome the problems in the next eight days for the successful conduct of the event.
Addressing a press conference a day after visiting the Games Village, Fennell said, "Considerable work has been done but still some more remains to be done."
But despite the controversy-marred build-up, Fennell asserted that calling off the Games "was never" on Commonwealth Games Federation's (CGF) agenda.
However, Fennell conceded that a lot of damage has been done to India's image. Flanked by embattled Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, Fennell said both India and the Commonwealth can learn a lesson from the shortcomings in organising the 19th edition of the Games scheduled October 3 to 14.
"The massive work that is being done now ought to have been done earlier," said Fennell.
"We all have to share the blame and responsibility. In any Games, there are a number of stakeholders, overall we have to ensure that we do everything to conduct the Games.
"Other Games have had problems and I believe that here also the problems would be sorted. A number of issues should have been and could have been avoided and that necessary corrective steps should be taken in good time," he added.