Commonwealth Games 2010 - A Review
The most awaited Commonwealth games finally took place in New Dehli, India, leaving behind a series of questions, the first and foremost of which being, "can the Commonwealth games be regarded as a success story?” The answer to this question is very thought provoking and can not be given in a simple yes or a no.
The Commonwealth Games had created a lot of media hype due to the poor management and the panicky attempts to complete the preparation in time. The collapse of a footbridge, filthy rooms for the athletes, the emergence of a snake from an athlete room, the collapse of a ceiling and also the injury of the three Ugandans caused by the malfunctioning of the security system, all raised doubts about the capacity of the organizers to manage this mega event.
It seemed that India was struggling hard to put everything right and it seems as if they were somewhat successful in their efforts. Despite the above mentioned problems in the build up to the games, India finally pulled through this mega event with a lot of difficulty and the credit mainly goes to India's private sector. One of the biggest achievements was the construction of the world-class Terminal 3 at Delhi Airport, which was operational by July, well in time for the Games. It is the eighth largest in the world, and is recognized as a global hub. It is India's first airport with automatic parking spread over seven levels, designed for 4,300 cars.
Coming back to the games, the opening ceremony was a huge success and won appreciation from many around the globe. Despite the early controversies, people at large were delighted to see such a colorful extravaganza. Once the series of games started everyone got engrossed in the events. The Indian fans had considerable reasons to cheer at the last day of the Commonwealth Games as they finished second on the medal list. Australia topped the list of medals with India at number two and England settled for the third spot. It was India's best finish of the games since the inaugural edition.
India won two medals in badminton, a silver medal in men's hockey and two bronze medals in table-tennis.
In spite of all the controversies during the build up of the tournament, all the member countries participated in the Commonwealth Games. With economic recession still hitting economies around the globe, the Commonwealth Games opened up new horizons for India. Business executives all over the world have viewed the Games with keen interest and India has become the latest favorite as an investment destination for global economies. As the Games drew to a close, the hosts were triumphant for having organized a successful tournament projecting India as an emerging power on the world stage.
Pakistan's quest for medals in the Commonwealth Games commenced in a bizarre fashion. As the Pakistani contingent entered the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Games, the Chef-de-Mission, Muhammad Ali Shah, snatched the national flag from weightlifter Shujauddin Malik. Mr. Malik was the solitary Pakistani gold medalist in the previous edition of the Commonwealth Games and it was planned that he would be the Chef-de-Mission during the opening ceremony. His nomination for holding the national flag was proved by the fact that his name appeared on the television screens as the Pakistani Contingent marched inside the stadium. An inquiry was initiated by the Pakistan Government immediately after the incident but Muhammad Ali Shah, a provincial minister for sports, denied that he willfully snatched the flag from Shujauddin Malik. He claimed that he was rather unaware of Shujauddin’s nomination. Millions of viewers around the world watched this drama live as it was yet another shameful act by our sports official adding another “milestone” to our tally of “achievements”.
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