COMMONWEALTH GAMES

The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Common

Wealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A
total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Common wealth nations and dependencies
competed in 21 sports and 272 events. It was the largest international multi-
sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in
1951 and 1982.

The opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium, the main stadium of the event. It was the first time that the
Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time it was held in
Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. The official mascot of the
Games was Shera and the official song of the Games, Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto,
was composed by celebrated Indian musician A.R. Rahman.

Initially, several concerns and controversies surfaced before the start of the
Games. Despite these concerns, all member nations of the Commonwealth
of Nations participated in the event, except Fiji, which is suspended from the
Commonwealth, and Tokelau, which didn't send a team. A widely-praised
opening ceremony helped improve the image of the Games. The concerns
raised during the buildup to the Games proved largely unfounded as most
events progressed smoothly. The final medal tally was led by Australia. The
host nation India gave its strongest performance yet to emerge second, while
England placed third. The games closed on 14th October in a colorful and
appreciated closing ceremony featuring both Indian and Scottish performers.
The Commonwealth Games flag was handed over to representatives of
Glasgow, Scotland, which will host the XX Commonwealth Games in 2014.
At the closing ceremony, the president of the Commonwealth Games
Federation declared that Delhi had hosted a "truly exceptional Games" The
day after the conclusion of the Games; the Indian Government announced
the formation of a special investigation committee to probe the allegations of
corruption and mismanagement that had marred the buildup to the Games.
 Organizing committee

The organization was beset by delays: in January 2010, the Indian Olympic
Association vice-chairman Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi
was not up to speed in forming and organizing its games committee and,
following a 2009 Indian Government report showing two thirds of venues
were behind schedule, Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike
Fennell stated that the slow progress of preparations represented a serious
risk to the event. Singh called for a revamp of the games' organizing
committees: Jarnail Singh, a former Secretary of the Government of India,
was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Indian Olympic
Association president Suresh Kalmadi was appointed as head of the
committee. In spite of delays and the corruption cases levied on the
organizers, commentators stated that they were confident that India will
successfully host the games and do so on time.

At the launch of the Queen’s Baton Relay in October 2009, the Business
Club of India (BCI) was formed through the partnership of the organizing
committee, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The BCI was formed
to both market the Games and promote Indian business interests
internationally.
 Costs

Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport

The initial total budget estimated by Indian Olympic Association in 2003 for
hosting the Games was 16.2 billion (US$364.5 million) but escalated
official total budget estimation in 2010 became 115 bn ($2.6 B), which
excludes non-sports-related infrastructure development in the city such as
airports, city beautification and roads. Business Today magazine estimated
that the Games cost 300 bn ($6.8 bn). The 2010 Commonwealth Games are
the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever
 Transport

Road Transport, Delhi

Delhi a four-lane flyway, 2.2 km stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna,

linking the Games Village to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadiumwas constructed
which reduced the travelling time between the village and the Stadium to six minutes.

Delhi Metro
Delhi–Gurgaon Expressway, Delhi

In response to concerns over the large number of trains that pass by the
Delhi metropolitan region daily, construction of road under-bridges and
over-bridges along railway lines have been completed. To expand road
infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges were built to
improve links for the Games and city in general. Road-widening projects
have begun with an emphasis being placed on expanding national highways.
To improve traffic flow on existing roads, plans are underway to make both
the inner and outer Ring roads signal free.

To support its commitment to mass transport, nine corridors have been

identified and are being constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for
example, one from Ambedkar Nagar to Red Fort). Six of these corridors are
expected to be operational in 2010. Additionally, The Delhi Metro had been
expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transport
during the 2010 games. The metro has extended to Gurgaon and the Noida
area. For this large increase in the size of the network, Delhi Metro had
deployed 14 tunnel boring machines.

Indira Gandhi International Airport is being modernised, expanded, and

upgraded. Costing nearly $1.95 billion, Terminal 3 has improved airport
passenger capacity to more than 37 million passengers a year by 2010. A
new runway has been constructed, allowing for more than 75 flights an hour.
At more than 4400 metres long, it will be one of Asia's longest.

The airport has been connected to the city via a six-lane expressway (Delhi–
Gurgaon Expressway) and the $580 million Delhi Airport Metro Express
line.
Logo for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games being recognised as the
first ever "Green Commonwealth Games"

The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the

United Nations Environment Programme to show the intention to host a
"sustainable games" and to take the environment into consideration when
constructing and renovating venues. Thyagaraj Stadium is intended to be a
key example of environmentally considered construction.

In opposition to this intention, a number of environmental controversies

arose and the adverse ecological impact of various aspects of the games have
been protested by city residents. City residents filed a public interest petition
to the Supreme Court of India against the felling of 'heritage' trees in the Siri
Fort area to make way for Games facilities. The court appointed architect
Charles Correa to assess the impact and he severely criticised the designs on
ecological grounds.[25] In spite of this, in April 2009 the Supreme Court
allowed the construction on the grounds that "much time had been lost" and
"the damage already caused to the environment could not be undone".

The Commonwealth Games village, located on the flood plains of the

Yamuna, has also been the subject of controversies about the flouting of
ecological norms. After a prolonged legal battle between city residents and
the state, construction was permitted to continue on the basis of an order of
the Supreme Court of India in July 2009, which held that the government
had satisfied the requirements of "due process of the law" by issuing public
notice of its intention to begin construction work in September 1999 (a date
four years prior to the acceptance of Delhi's bid for the games).
Other preparation

In preparation for an influx of English-speaking tourists for the Games, the

Delhi government is implementing a program to teach English, and the
necessary skills for serving tourists, to key workers—such as cab drivers,
security workers, waiters, porters, and service staff. In the two years prior to
the Games 2,000 drivers were taught English. The program aims to teach
1,000 people English per month in the hope of reaching all key workers by
March 2010. In addition to Delhi, the Indian Government plans to expand
the program to teach people in local tourist destinations in other parts of
India.

To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the Games and to end chronic
power cuts in Delhi, the government is undertaking a large power-
production initiative to increase power production to 7,000 MW (from the
current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to
streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi,
and construct new power plants. In fact, the government has promised that
by the end of 2010, Delhi will have a surplus of power.

In addition to physical preparation, India will offer free accommodation for

all athletes at the Games Village, as well as free transport and other benefits,
such as a free trip to the famed Taj Mahal and a reserved lane for
participants on selected highways The Games Village will house over 8,000
athletes and officials for the Games. Indian states will train state police
forces to handle tourist-related issues and deploy them prior to the Games. A
large-scale construction and "beautification" project has resulted in the
demolition of hundreds of homes and the displacement of city dwellers—at
least 100,000 of New Delhi’s 160,000 homeless people have removed from
shelters, some of which have been demolished. Bamboo screens have been
erected around city slums to separate visitors from the sights of the slums,]a
practice which human rights campaigners have deemed dishonest and
immoral.
 Commonwealth Games Medal Table

Rank Country Gold Medal Silver Medal Bronze Medal Total

1 Australia 74 55 48 177
2 India 38 27 36 101
3 England 37 59 46 142
4 Canada 26 17 32 75
5 South Africa 12 11 10 33
6 Kenya 12 11 9 32
7 Malaysia 12 10 13 35
8 Singapore 11 11 9 31
9 Nigeria 11 10 14 35
10 Scotland 9 10 7 26
11 New Zealand 6 22 8 36
12 Cyprus 4 3 5 12
13 Northern Ireland 3 3 4 10
14 Samoa 3 0 1 4
15 Wales 2 7 10 19
16 Jamaica 2 4 1 7
17 Pakistan 2 1 2 5
18 Uganda 2 0 0 2
19 Bahamas 1 1 3 5
20 Sri Lanka 1 1 1 3
21 Nauru 1 1 0 2
22 Botswana 1 0 3 4
23= Cayman Islands 1 0 0 1
23= Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 0 0 1
25 Trinidad and Tobago 0 4 2 6
26 Cameroon 0 2 4 6
27 Ghana 0 1 3 4
28 Namibia 0 1 2 3
29= Papua New Guinea 0 1 0 1
29= Seychelles 0 1 0 1
31= Isle of Man 0 0 2 2
31= Mauritius 0 0 2 2
31= Tonga 0 0 2 2
34= Bangladesh 0 0 1 1
34= Guyana 0 0 1 1
34= Saint Lucia 0 0 1 1
- Anguilla 0 0 0 0
- Antigua and Barbuda 0 0 0 0
- Barbados 0 0 0 0
- Belize 0 0 0 0
- Bermuda 0 0 0 0
- British Virgin Islands 0 0 0 0
- Brunei 0 0 0 0
- Cook Islands 0 0 0 0
- Dominica 0 0 0 0
- Falkland Islands 0 0 0 0
- Gambia 0 0 0 0
- Gibraltar 0 0 0 0
- Grenada 0 0 0 0
- Guernsey 0 0 0 0
- Jersey 0 0 0 0
- Kiribati 0 0 0 0
- Lesotho 0 0 0 0
- Malawi 0 0 0 0
- Maldives 0 0 0 0
- Malta 0 0 0 0
- Montserrat 0 0 0 0
- Mozambique 0 0 0 0
- Niue 0 0 0 0
- Norfolk Island 0 0 0 0
- Rwanda 0 0 0 0
- Saint Helena 0 0 0 0
- Sierra Leone 0 0 0 0
- Solomon Islands 0 0 0 0
- Swaziland 0 0 0 0
- Tanzania 0 0 0 0
- Turks and Caicos Islands 0 0 0 0
- Tuvalu 0 0 0 0
- Vanuatu 0 0 0 0
- Zambia 0 0 0 0
Total 272 274 282 828

Games played in common wealth games

There are a total of 31 sports (with two multi-disciplinary sports) and a
further 7 Para-sports which are approved by the Commonwealth Games
Federation. They are categorized into three types. Core sports must be
included on each programmed. A number of optional sports may be picked
by the host nation, which may include some team sports such as basketball.
Recognized sports are sports which have been approved by the CGF but
which are deemed to need expansion; host nations may not pick these sports
for their programmed until the CGF's requirements are fulfilled.

Sport Type Years Sport Type Years

Archery Optional 1982, 2010 1998–
Netball Core
Athletics Core 1930–present present
Badminton Core 1966–present 1930, 1938–
Rowing Optional
Basketball Optional 2006 62, 1986
Billiards Recognised Never 1998–
Rugby sevens Core
Boxing Core 1930–present present
Canoeing Recognised Never[7] Sailing Recognised Never
Cricket Recognised 1998 1966, 1974–
Shooting Optional
present
Cycling Optional 1934–present
Softball Recognised Never
Diving Optional 1930–present
1998–
Fencing Recognised 1950–1970 Squash Core
present
Golf Recognised Never
1930–
Gymnastics Swimming Core
1978, 1990– present
(Artistic and Optional
present Synchronized
Rhythmic) Optional 1986, 2006
swimming
Handball Recognised 1930
2002–
Hockey Core 1998–present Table tennis Optional
present
1990, 2002,
Judo Optional Tennis Optional 2010
2014
Tenpin bowling Recognised 1998
1930–present
Lawn bowls Core 2002, 2006,
(except 1966) Triathlon Optional
2014
Life saving Recognised Never
Volleyball Recognised Never
Water polo Recognised 1950
1950–
Weightlifting Core
present
Wrestling O
OPENING CEREMONY
The nineteenth Commonwealth Games got off to an inspiring and
magnificent start on 3rd of October, 2010 at the Indian Capital with the
opening ceremony, which unfolded without any glitch. The Commonwealth
Games, 2010, opening ceremony which started on 7 P.M, put up a brilliant
show of more than two hours at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi. The
ceremony beautifully portrayed and upholded the great journey of India with
all its unique features.

The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010, which kick

started the twelve days sport extravaganza will continue till 14th of October
in New Delhi. Both the Indians as well as the foreigners were simply moved
by the richness and prosperity of the Indian culture that was all put together
to perfection on 3rd October, 2010. Almost 65,000 people gathered to watch
out the mesmerizing show put up by India at the CWG 2010 opening
ceremony. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi roared with the rapturous
applauds of the numerous visitors.

The Prince of Wales i.e. Prince Charles and his wife and Duchess of
Cornwall, Camilla were present at the opening ceremony of CWG, 2010,
who were acquainted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. They were
accompanied by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the
President of India, Prathiba Patil.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 opening ceremony commenced with the

national anthem of India. The Nagada drummers along with the Shankha
trumpeters beat the countdown of the opening ceremony as the "Aerostat"
moved high up into glory.
Traditional classical dancers from India showcased the guru-shishya
tradition which was popular in ancient India. Many traditional and
prestigious dance forms like Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Mohiniattam,
Manipuri and Kuchipudi were performed by talented and popular artists
along with the great musicians playing the sitars. Young athletes put up their
stunning performances in the form of 'Surya Namaskar' and yoga asanas.
The participants from all the countries at the Commonwealth Games 2010
were welcomed. Many popular and important personalities graced the
opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 with their presence.
The Commonwealth Games Theme Song performed by A.R Rahman and
the dazzling fireworks were also there to add to the excitement and joy of
the 19th Commonwealth Games being held in Delhi.

With the successful happening of the Commonwealth Games 2010 opening

ceremony, Delhi along with the entire country is smiling and proud to have
been able to put up such a show of grandeur and worth. The opening
ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 has truly surpassed all our
expectations.

CLOSING CEREMONY
The games closed on 14 October in a colorful and appreciated
closing ceremony featuring both Indian and Scottish performers.
The Commonwealth Games flag was handed over to
representatives of Glasgow, Scotland, which will host the XX
Commonwealth Games in 2014. At the closing ceremony, the
president of the Commonwealth Games Federation declared that
Delhi had hosted a "truly exceptional Games"
COMMON
WEALTH
GAMES

SUBMITTED BY:

NISHA AGGARWAL
CLASS-6TH B