Commonwealth Games shame for India
India’s nightmare continues as another action packed day went by after the ceiling of the weightlifting facility collapsed causing more embarrassment to the beleaguered hosts.
The incident occurred less than 24 hours after 27 workers were injured after a footbridge came tumbling down near the same sports complex.
The often unforgiving local TV stations had another field day as they took a dig at the organisers for their appalling show which has brought all unwarranted focus before the commencement of the event.
A journalist reported that the collapse took place around the area where judges are expected to sit during the event.
Subsequently, police cordoned off the area and access was restricted to the venue, surrounded by heavy security.
In the meantime, fire crews and emergency staff examined the damage that has further diminished the chances of the Games starting on time.
"This will affect the image of the country and will affect the image of the Games. Many tourists and athletes might back out after these incidents. The authorities should have checked and taken precautionary measures beforehand and should have fixed things
that are still not in place," said a resident of the city.
Because of the chaos, some of the leading athletes in the world have pulled out of the event while on the other hand some have delayed their departure to India.
Many believe that the lack of interest from the organisers in combing through the intricacies of the challenge at hand have added to the woes.
It has come as a big disappointment for the fans as this was an event meant to highlight India's ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with an emerging super power like China on the world stage.
Some participating countries have given a few days ultimatum to clean up the mess or face the prospects of a no show.
Their concerns stems from reports of stray dogs, stagnant water and deplorable sanitary conditions, coupled with this freak incident. There have also been incidents where either the workers urinated in public or left bathrooms colluded at the Games village.
Despite the conditions, the organizers are putting a brave front under the current circumstances and claim that all is going to be well when the Games start and when tourists and athletes start arriving.
Nonetheless, for the locals, the reputation of their city has taken a huge dent and that is something that has upset them a great deal.
"I was thinking that India will get opportunity to prove that India matches China when they organise the Commonwealth Games but I am thoroughly disappointed. It is very frustrating to see these kinds of media reports giving a very negative image about India,"
claimed one resident of New Delhi.
There are also doubts in the business circles that the Games would not be a viable venture economically, which is another major headache for the locals.
"The Sensex (Bombay Stock Exchange) has risen very high and broken all the records, but now if the Commonwealth (games) fails, especially in India, the economy will definitely break down," was the opinion of another resident of the Indian capital.
Besides, the construction and other frailties, security issues have become another talking point after two Taiwanese nationals were injured by gunfire in an attack on a tourist bus in Delhi on the weekend.
On the other hand, an Australian TV channel carried out a sting operation at the venue and claimed that they succeeded in carrying explosives through the security cover present at the stadium. The games are due to kick off on October 3 and will end on 14th October
but are the games already over?
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