Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010: Chaos among the Pakistan contingent at the Opening Ceremony.
The Opening Ceremony of the 19th Commonwealth Games proved to be a spectacular start for the upcoming sports event. After so much negative publicity of the Delhi Games, the acknowledgement and appreciation that was given to the vibrant ceremony
was the perfect balm to heal the wounds of the organizers. However, there was some chaos and hassle observed in the Pakistani contingent.
It is important for the most prominent athlete of any squad to carry the flag of the country at the opening ceremony. The Pakistani flag was to be carried by the gold medallist weightlifter of the country, Shujaudin Malik. The Chef de Mission of Team Pakistan
Dr. Shah, also the Sports Minister of Sindh requested the athletes to let him carry the flag. This made the athletes angry. They were bothered by the unnecessary intervention of the chef de Mission and so misbehaved with him. After the row that followed the
misbehaviour of the athletes, the chef became adamant that he will carry the flag. This led to an unpleasant hassle and chaos which resulted in the chef stomping his authority on the athletes and carrying the flag to the podium.
The whole situation did not sound very good when the host of the event was announcing Malik’s name again and again and the flag was being carried by Dr. Shah. What was more shocking was that he was waving at the crowd with so much confidence and there was
not even a remote sign of embarrassment on his face because of the disgrace that he was causing to the country and the contingent. The athletes were very unhappy at the scenario, and it was evident from their body language.
All the domestic news channels in Pakistan subjected the sports minister to intense criticism. It is the unquestionable right of the most fancied athlete to carry the flag but Dr. Shah snubbed Shujaudin at the Nehru Stadium. The Pakistani public and fans
are very frantic over the incident. No civilized nation would do what the politician did.
After what happened at the opening ceremony, it was inevitable that a controversy in the contingent would be borne. The coach of the Pakistan Weightlifting Team, Sheikh Rashid expressed that the team is felling extremely insulted at the behaviour of the
chef de Mission. The coach said that the athletes of the weightlifting team will not play at the Games unless Dr. Shah apologizes to the contingent for the disgrace that he caused to the country as well as the team. Rashid also went on to say that the delegation
was sent to India to elevate the dignity of the country and not to downgrade it. He also said that the weightlifters of Pakistan are the most strong contenders of gold medals in the tournaments and the Pakistani contingent does not stand anywhere without the
weightlifting team.
It is very disappointing for the country and Team Pakistan that its contingent is lacking the team spirit. Mohammad Ali Shah is constantly being threatened that the weightlifting team will quit if he does not apologizes to Shujaudin Malik. It is also reported
that Dr. Shah also exchanged harsh words with the Rashid Mehmood, the manager of the team when he later confronted him for not letting the athlete carry the flag on the stage.
Disagreements and difference of opinions are natural to occur and cannot be avoided, but such controversies and that too on the most important event of the Games should be avoided and taken care of under any circumstances.
The local and international media has its eyes set on the Games especially because the preparation process has been making the headlines for quite some time now. Thus, it is very important for all the countries to play and live harmoniously to conserve the
true essence of conducting events like the Commonwealth Games.
Tags: