Commonwealth Games 2010

In the run-up to the 3 Oct -14 Oct Games, the event which should have
highlighted India as an emerging global power threatened to turn into a
national embarrassment.

In the light of India’s past record in the Games, we optimistically looked

forward to a spirited performance from our sportspersons on their home turf
and without doubt, they have made ALL OF US proud.

Though the games ran only from 3 oct to 14 oct –.

My report runs all the way from 18 july 2007 to 22nd sept 2010

18 July 2007 |  expected -a shortage of affordable rooms in the city during

the 2010 

08 March 2008 | State-owned India Tourism Development Corp. Ltd

(ITDC) has requested a makeover amount worth Rs170 crore – out which
32 crores were actually used for tourism development and all the rest for
property development of the officials.A senior official even managed to buy
properties at as many as 15 locations in delhi and NCR.

24 March 2008 | The Union government approves construction of CWG

village on yamura riverbed despite orders of SC for demolition of anykind of
property on Yamuna riverbed.

06 January 2009 |Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi

said- the budget for the mega-event would be increased to meet financial
crisis-and people were unaware to the fact that Mr. Kalmadi actually was
able to look his pockets heavier than a COW.But as he says- “prove what
you say. Innocent until guilty”

08 March 2009 |Emaar MGF Ltd. Says a delay in completion of village site
due to delay in payment to the developers

15 March 2009 | Leading Australian officials issue reports – CWG may be

cancelled if Security Assessment failed. Mr. Kalmadi is successful in bringing
shame to the country.
05 November 2009 | India has more than doubled the funds allotted for
the 2010 Commonwealth Games.Significant critism follows.

09 November 2009 |PRIME MINISTER QUOTES: Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh quotes  that the money that’s being spent on the
Commonwealth Games should not go down the drain. EXCUSE ME SIR -
HAS’NT IT ALREADY??

16 November 2009 | With less than a year left, work is being accelerated
on Games venues and city infrastructure, but for construction workers it
hasn’t meant boom times. National Newspaper of 22nd oct. 2010 reports
more than 150 worker deaths ot Organizing Committees’ sites .

05 January 2010 | Delhi’s chief minister is nervous about the hosting of

Commonwealth Games in the capital but the event’s Organising Committee
head Suresh Kalmadi assures that all is well with the preparations despite
umpteen delays

13 February 2010 | State decides it wants English speaking policeman.

SUDDENLY. In five police stations across Delhi, batches of 50 policemen--
constables through inspectors--go through their classes in a day-and-a-half;
with 16 such batches per police station, which translates into 4,000
policemen per month.

15 February 2010 | A delay of nearly four months in reaching a decision

appears to have almost jeopardized the international broadcasting, security
and data networks of 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG).

18 February 2010 | With less than 230 days left for the Commonwealth
Games (CWG), an internal audit by the organizing committee in the first
week of February revealed that none of the key logistics such as security,
accommodation and transport to move officials as well as athletes have been
completed by the 16 February deadline

23 march 2010 | Delhi’s Congress government has, citing a law that bans
the sale of beef in the city-state, said it wouldn’t be on offer to athletes and
support staff during the Games, according to Raj Kumar Chauhan, minister
for revenue and the public works department. Hindus consider the cow to be
a holy animal.WASTING TIME IN PASSING LAWS WHICH HAVE ALREADY
BEEN PASSED ABOUT 52 YEARS AGO
20 July 2010 | India aims the Commonwealth Games will be a showcase of
its economic clout, but with less than three months to go, the world’s third
largest sporting event is instead laying bare its perennial infrastructure
problems

28 July 2010 | The spiralling expenditure on the Commonwealth Games

implies a heavy opportunity cost, while the benefit will only be a few
moments in the limelight (MAYBE)

02 August 2010 | The government’s plans to create a backup against

power shortage that could arise during the Commonwealth Games (CWG)
failed. A delay in two proposed units of 500MW each.

03 August 2010 | The allegations about the mismanagement of funds by

the organizers of the Commonwealth Games grow. And with it grew unrest
among the citizens.

03 August 2010 | The Commonwealth Games seem to be sinking deeper

into the quagmire as reports of corruption, faked certificates and unending
construction delays come to the SURFACE.

06 August 2010 | From leaking venue roofs to inflated orders of taxis and
mobile toilets, rows over New Delhi’s Commonwealth Games have prompted
Indian soul-searching and piled pressure on the embattled ruling Congress
party.

06 August 2010 | Suresh Kalmadi, the man at the centre of the

controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games (CWG) survived to
fight another day, but three of his aides were suspended by the Games’
organizing committee (OC)

19 August 2010 Two state-run firms have withdrawn their sponsorship of

the Delhi Commonwealth Games due to “negative publicity” of the even

20 August 2010 | All allegations of corruption against Delhi Commonwealth

Games organizers should be probed, CGF chief Mike Fennell said.

08 September 2010 | Just a week left for an international team to fly in

for a final inspection and the Commonwealth Games Village still looks like an
island in the Yamuna. Unable to drain the rainwater that has collected, which
is breeding mosquitoes, a desperate Delhi government has decided to call in
the army.

20 September 2010 | The Commonwealth Games will be safe, organizers

insisted Monday after a weekend gun attack sparked new security fears as
the city gears up to host thousands of athletes

21 September 2010 | Piling on the embarrassment for the organizers,

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper on Tuesday
termed the Athletes Village as “filthy and uninhabitable”

21 September 2010 | A footbridge under construction at the main stadium

for the Delhi Commonwealth Games collapsed on Tuesday, injuring up to six
labourers

21 Septenber 2010 | The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has

given the organizing committee two days to fix the facilities at the village
even as the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) intervened to demand an
explanation from all concerned agencies

22 September 2010 | Several big name athletes have pulled out of the
Commonwealth Games citing security and health worries, adding to woes of
an event meant to showcase India’s ability to stand up with the likes of
China on the world stage

ALL those who say or claim that CWG are?were a success should take a
moment of silence, not to mourn the death of a person but death of respect
and international image and prestige of our COUNTRY.

WILL ALL THESE PEOPLE STILL BE ABLE TO SAY THAT CWG WERE A
SUCCESS EVEN IF OUR SPORTSPERSON HAD NOT BROUGHT ANY MEDALS?

It ia not a question but arguably the fact that in ‘ CWG ‘ only the games part
were a success. Anything and everything around it and about it were a
complete failure.

The medals that our sportsperson have brought to our country has
undoubtedly honored us all but this not not due to the preparations but
DESPITE THE PREPARATIONS.