Scotland squad arrives in India for Commonwealth Games
Despite speculations that some of the countries taking part in the Commonwealth Games were set to pull out of the event, some of the leading squads have reached the Indian capital to participate in the sporting extravaganza.
The Scotland team that had delayed departure for the venue of the Games last week arrived amid tight security as organisers struggled to pull their weight through before the commencement of the event in the first week of October.
The organisers feel that the arrival of the contingent was a major boost for them amid a plethora of controversies and apprehensions over accommodation, shoddy construction besides security measures of the mega event.
Security concerns were heightened in the Indian capital when two Taiwanese tourists were shot and injured outside the famous Jamia Mosque earlier in the month of September.
Meanwhile, some of the other teams also arrived in the country including the Australian and Kenyan contingents.
The arrival of various contingents gathered pace which put speculations to rest that the Games might not go ahead.
At one stage, speculations were rife that some countries were thinking of a pull out and doubts in this regard were raised further when the Scottish squad delayed its departure to New Delhi.
Upon their arrival, a heavy security contingent and volunteers of the Commonwealth Games gathered at the airport to receive them.
The Scottish team that had gathered media attention due to their delayed departure was escorted by armed policemen as they moved towards the Games Village.
Besides the Scottish squad, a team from South Africa was also spotted boarding the bus that was destined for a local hotel.
The athletes are set to be lodged at hotels across Delhi until the CW Games Village is ready to host them.
There was a further boost for the tainted organisers when the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation Michael Fennell claimed that he was confident that all leading countries would take part in the event.
India had made big claims when the Games were handed over to them they had the requisite infrastructure to host the event successfully. All that failed to come through amid reports of corruption and mismanagement.
India which is considered a growing global economic and political power had dreamt of rivalling neighbours’ China.
The Asian tigers had put a spectacular show in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics that were rated as one of the best Games in Olympic history.
The Indian government has vowed to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the Games were staged on time and gather attention for all the right reasons, rather than all off field action that had dogged the event.
For the time being, the government is recovering from the hit to its image as many sections of the international media have dubbed the event a “major embarrassment” for the world's largest democracy.
Traditionally, infrastructure projects have remained slow paces and a drag on economic growth which is considered as one of the major reasons for the lack of development in the country that gained independence from British Raj some 60 years ago.
The shoddy arrangements have also made an impact on the ratings from Moody’s agency who claims that investment in the host nation could be affected.
Another controversy that is set to raise eyebrows around the world is children being employed at the Games construction sites.
It is illegal to employ minors in India, but it seems that the pre-occupied organisers don’t really care about anything unless the preparations are completed.
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