Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games finally start with a colourful Inaugural Ceremony
At last, India appears to have succeeded in pulling itself out of the controversies regarding Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. It wasn’t until the inauguration ceremony on Sunday that the world finally believed that this country had the potential to hold such
a prestigious event.
Earlier, the Games’ Organizing Committee as well as the Indian Government were severely criticized for their inadequate arrangements, poor hygiene conditions at the Athlete’s Village and mismanagement of Games’ funds. The situation got to the extent that
Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh himself had to intervene and assure the world that the event remains on schedule.
“It was totally a mess to deal with”, said an Indian official involved in the preparations for the event. “We had hired several world class event management companies including not only some renowned Indian names but also from UK, America, Japan and Australia.
But, despite the sheer commitment at all levels; we couldn’t keep the traditional red-tape-ism from posing hindrances into our way. Had the Prime Minister himself not intervened in the process, we could not have succeeded in holding the event even in next
two years” He concluded.
The talk of India’s inability to host an event as big as Commonwealth Games even echoed on the day when the organizers had plans to inaugurate them in the presence of Britain’s Prince Charles, his wife Camilla Parker, President of India, Prathiba Patil and
Prime Minister Singh. New Delhi’s renowned Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was jam-packed with more than 60,000 strong domestic as well as international audiences as the contingents of athletes from almost 71 Commonwealth countries marched in front of them. Despite
all odds, the inaugural ceremony was a marvellous show of India’s rich cultural diversity.
Meanwhile, a few hours before the inaugural ceremony when the athletes, after somehow overcoming their initial concerns, seemed rather excited to represent their countries at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the news of Ruuptu Gogoi, an official on duty at
Athletes Village contracting dengue fever proved to be a real setback. Some European countries have officially expressed concern over the incident. It is worth mentioning here that about 3,450 dengue fever cases have so far been reported in the premises of
Indian Capital alone which have also culminated in seven causalities during this monsoon season.
The Village’s management at first tried to push the matter under the rug by claiming that Gogoi had already been suffering from dengue fever even before his appointment there. After this latest incident, Mark Renshaw from Australia along with some other
international athletes have decided to withdraw from the event. Apart from all the controversies, at Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, more than 7000 athletes would try to outdo each other for 837 medals in 17 disciplines, comprising of 31 different sports altogether.
Besides hosting the event, India also has one of the largest teams participating in it as its contingent comprises of 619 members. Moreover, the opening ceremony’s theme was “The Wheel of Life”.
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