An up, close and personal view of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games
When Delhi was given the rights to host the 19th Commonwealth Games event in 2005, India became the third developing country to host the games after Malaysia and Jamaica brought a joy of its own kind for the Indians, who are considered as the second largest population of the world.
The Commonwealth Games, the biggest multi-sport event to be staged in India since the Asian Games in 1982, will feature 71 nations. The 12-day Games, which open on October 3, are already the costliest in history, with an infrastructure and organizing budget of two billion dollars. The Commonwealth Games are the third largest multi-sporting event after the Olympics and Asian games.
The sports which are included in the tournament are Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastic, Hockey, lawn bowls, Netball, Rugby sevens, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
The official mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is Shera. The mascot rightly represents the modern Indian, proud of his nation’s ancient heritage and a fierce competitor but with honesty. On the contrary, the official song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games "Jiyo utho badho jeeto" is composed and performed by the Indian musician A.R.Rahman. The song's title is based on the slogan of the games, "Come out and play.”
The opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, lawn bowls, and weightlifting will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Delhi, which will have a capacity of 75,000 spectators after renovation for the games. Archery, cycling, gymnastics, and wrestling will take place at the Indira Gandhi Arena, the largest indoor sports arena in India and the second-largest in Asia, which has a capacity of 25,000 people.
All eyes are on India now, after China successfully hosted the 2008 Olympics with the world anticipating a spectacular and flawless event. But India’s dream to host the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi, which was viewed by the Indians as a perfect platform to display their rising power both as sporting and economic nation, could be in jeopardy after the concerns on preparedness of the showcase event. With only a month left in the beginning of the tournament, many sports facilities are yet to be completed. Meanwhile the roads and flyovers are also in the process of construction, which is hampering the expectations of staging the games on time with national pride hanging in the balance. The slow progress in the completion of stadiums and facilities has forced Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to step in to save the blushes of his country.
Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell has also slammed the athlete’s village for Delhi 2010 for not having hygiene and sanitation up to the mark. Security and health concerns have frightened some of the 7,000 competitors expected in New Delhi, while the absences of big name attractions such as sprinter Usain Bolt have resulted in sluggish ticket sales.
Meanwhile an anti-corruption unit has found a host of problems with construction projects, including the use of poor-quality materials, allegations of fake building safety certificates and financial kickbacks. Several sponsors have also pulled back their investments fearing that their spending would go in vain, sensing the failure of the games which could harm their brand name as well. The games are also facing internal security concerns because of the presence of Hindu extremists.
The government has also been blamed for distancing itself from the Games, as hopes that the event would be a symbol of modern India's recent economic development have turned into fears of a national embarrassment.
The heavy monsoon downpours in Delhi have not helped either in the last minute preparations of the games and with the weather office predicting more rain in September, things could go worst for India. The recent rainfalls have unveiled several weaknesses of the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and other venues.
The recent rise of India has made the world to reckon them as potential super power in future, but their poor management and handling of the games have raised serious questions over their credibility.
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