Commonwealth Games Delegation Arrives in New Delhi

A Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) security delegation arrived here on Monday to inspect all the facilities and the stadiums before the games to be held in 2010.

A meeting took place at the Delhi Secretariat where Delhi gave its presentation to the delegation members.

Suresh Kalmadi, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was also present. He later said that the Commonwealth Games work is not getting delayed at all.

“A delegation of Commonwealth Games has arrived in Delhi, which was here six months back also. They are inspecting all the facilities here and are having discussions with all the stakeholders. Today was the presentation by the Delhi Government. Tomorrow and day after tomorrow, they will see the presentation of the stadiums. Till now, all the presentation work regarding the Commonwealth has proceeded on time,” said Kalmadi.

Preparations for Commonwealth Games are on here for hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games at an estimated cost of 70 billion rupees.

Delhi had bagged the contract after beating the Canadian city Hamilton in the bid for the games.

The Games will be staged in India for the first time and in Asia for the second time. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, held the Commonwealth Games in 1998. With a population of more than 1.2 billion, India is the largest country in the Commonwealth.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games will be India’s first big International sports event since the 1982 Asian Games. New Delhi hosted the inaugural Asian Games in 1951 and again in 1982.

Guides to get training, licences in time for 2010

While the state government plans to train cab drivers to double up as guides to meet the high demand during the Commonwealth Games, the Central government has all these years refused to train and issue licences to qualified guides who have cleared an entrance examination — thereby contributing to this shortage.

This stand of the government, that has led to lack of expert guides in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games has now been rejected by Delhi High Court. Acting on a petition filed by such qualified guides who have not been granted licenses, justice Ravindra S Bhat recently cleared the decks for their training, asking the department of tourism to induct the selected candidates and impart training, followed by licences.

HC disagreed with the government’s decision to abdicate its duty of selection and training of qualified guides. The central government had cited a Rajasthan HC ruling saying recruitment was job of the state government but justice Bhat differed, holding "government is bound to proceed and forward names of those candidates who qualified according to the criteria spelt out" under the examination scheme. Challenging the government’s recruitment process for intake of guides, a tourist guides organization had, through its lawyer Anjana Gosain, moved HC against the tourism department and ASI, alleging gross mismanagement in the recruitment process.

Complaining that they were being denied licenses and barred from working at a time when there was a demand for guides, the petitioners said an examination process initiated in 2007 for guides has suddenly been scrapped even though it was set in motion under HC orders. Moreover, even those who were selected under the half-baked scheme have not begun getting training yet, leaving them in the lurch because they can’t work till they finish training under official auspices.

"More than 3000 applicants appeared for the examination and only 300 have been selected for training who have then been left in the lurch. There cannot be any limit on the number of guides as tourism has grown by leaps and bounds. The scheme is not for recruitment but for self employment hence restriction on number ought to be lifted especially because government doesn’t have to spend any money on these candidates who have to generate work after clearing the examination," Gosain had earlier argued before HC.

40% Commonwealth Games projects to be Completed by August

Coordination Committee ‘Impressed’ With The Pace Of Work

During its ongoing review of Commonwealth Games related projects, the Delhi government on Monday told the Games coordination committee that 40% of all the projects - stadia, Games village, roads etc will be completed by August. Moreover, the government will spend approximately Rs 250 crore for the beautification of about 70 to 80 km of roads leading to nine venues.

The committee, according to chief secretary Rakesh Mehta, was ‘‘mightily impressed’’ by the pace of work. The Games are exactly 16 months away.

There are two more meetings scheduled for the next two days and the final picture of the status of Games projects will emerge only after that. Officiating PWD engineer-inchief A K Sinha said at Thyagaraj Stadium, 68% work had been completed. ‘‘Approximately 40%work on the elevated corridors (flyovers) have been completed,’’ he claimed.

However, the Games coordination committee is believed to have expressed its concern about communication, security and also coordination of transport to the Games venue. ‘‘It has asked Delhi government to involve Delhi Transport Corporation as they have experience in running of buses,’’ Mehta said.

In the meeting, a presentation was also made on beautification of roads. According to Public Works Department officials present, four consultants have already been appointed and Delhi government would spend nearly Rs 3 crore per km for this. Sources said approximately 8-9 km would be beautified at each venue.

Among the suggestions for beautification made at the presentation were changes in street furniture, reserving space for public art, plantations, kiosks, landscaping, street-scaping, toilets, walking plazas and also geometric improvement of roads which would add to their aesthetic value apart from easing traffic.

Travel Tips For Tourists Coming to Delhi For the 2010 CWG

Travel Tips For Tourists Coming to Delhi For the 2010 Common Wealth Games

Commonwealth Games 2010 experience is a once in a life time opportunity. Be sure to make the most of it and consider the following tips as you plan your Commonwealth Games 2010 experience.

Get Your Visa Ready : It is advisable to get your visa ready in advance

Give yourself Time : We recommend you to arrive at the venue two or three days before so as to have the proper insight of the city. Get yourself acquainted with the transportation system in Delhi. Learn more which are the other place you can actually visit in and around the city.


Money Exchange facility in Delhi : You will find numerous money exchange outlets in the city. It is advisable to look out the outlets that are run by the government. The exchange rates may differ from one outlet to the other, so its is advisable to go for bargaining. The facility for money exchange is also offered by several renowned hotels in Delhi. However, you may find lot of such outlets near the airports and railway stations.

Ticket Booking for Commonwealth Games 2010 : You are advised to get the ticket booking done in advance for the upcoming commonwealth games. You can either purchase your tickets online Or you can book them at Ticket master retail outlet

Tourists Attractions in Delhi :

Commonwealth Games 2010 gives you the opportunity to explore the historical attractions of Delhi including the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Qutb Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Lotus Temple, India Gate, Purana Qila (Old Fort), Delhi, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhawan (President's House), Birla Mandir (Laxmi Narayan Temple), Akshardham Temple etc.

Tour to Taj Mahal : 2010 is the year of surprises for the tourists coming on the tour to India. On one hand they have opportunity to be a part of the popular Commonwealth Games and on the other hand they have the opportunity to explore Taj Mahal one of the 'Seven Wonders of the World'.

Transport Facility : Most of the people in Delhi use the local transport to commute from one place to another. The city has got the nice public transport ranging from buses, taxis, RTVs or Rural Transport Vehicles, Auto Rickshaws, Metro Train and Local Trains.

How to Reach Delhi for the Upcoming Commonwealth Games

Games Village of Commonwealth Games

we all are anxiously waiting for the upcoming 2010 Commonwealth Games that are going to be held in the capital city of India – Delhi, from 3rd October 2010 to 14th October 2010. Here is the information on how to reach the Games Village of the Commonwealth Games.


By Air: Its easy to reach Delhi by air. Delhi has got an International airport known as 'Indira Gandhi International Airport', conducting regular domestic and International flight service. Air India, Kingfisher, British Airways, Gulf Air, Singapore Airlines, Jet Airways, Deccan, IndiGo, SpeceJet are some of the airlines operating tours from Delhi and other cities of the world.


By Railways : Delhi is well connected to all the other major cities of the country through a good railway network. There are three main railway stations in the country : -

• New Delhi Railway Station
• Old Delhi Railway Station
• Hazarat Nizamuddin Railway Station

Several trains such as Shatabdi, Rajdhani and Super fast are running between Delhi and other cities of India.


By Road : Delhi is equally well connected to all the major destinations of north India through the excellent road network. You may find regular bus service from Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) like Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar Bus Terminals. If you want to travel in Delhi itself, there is a good service of DTC buses.

Local Transport : Local transport in the city includes – Delhi Metro, Auto's, Cycle Rickshaw's, Buses, RTV'S, Private buses and taxis.

Alas! Work Started at Siri Fort Sports Complex

For The Sake of India’s Prestige in the World Community SC Okays complex at Siri Fort

The Supreme Court on Monday removed all hurdles for the construction of the basketball and squash facilities at Siri Fort area in South Delhi for the 2010 Commonwealth Games saying it did not want India to be viewed by the world community as unfit for the prestigious sporting event.

Keeping open for adjudication in future the alleged environmental transgression by the DDA, which cut down as many as 891 trees to clear the area for the construction of the sports facilities, the SC said if any more trees were to be cut, it has to be done in consultation with the central empowered committee (CEC).

What appeared to weigh additionally with the special forest bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and justices Arijit Pasayat and S H Kapadia were the recent shifting of IPL T20 tournament from India to South Africa followed by Australian pullout from Davis Cup in Chennai.

‘‘We do not want people to say India is unsafe for Commonwealth Games. We will deal with the environmental concerns after the Games are over,’’ the bench said much to the relief of additional solicitor general Amarendra Saran, who appeared for DDA. Amicus curiae ADN Rao and counsel M L Lahoty pointed out to SC that both the CEC report and an independent assessment of the facilities by town planner Charles Correa had termed the cutting down of a large number of fullgrown trees as mindless and that DDA could have selected an alternative site.

2010 Commonwealth Games Map

2010 Commonwealth Games Map

No doctors for athletes training for 2010 Commonwealth Games

Guess how many doctors are available for 250 elite athletes training for the 2010 Commonwealth Games at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala? None. The last physician, Dr Ashok Ahuja, retired on Thursday and at Rs 25,000 that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) is reportedly offering, chances of a replacement being found quickly appear slim.

Despite repeated efforts, NIS executive director LS Ranawat couldn’t be reached. He didn't return HT's calls and didn't reply to text messages.

Olympic bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh and Asian Games silver medallist wrestler Geetika Jakhar are among the campers. Apart from camps for elite boxers, wrestlers, weightlifters, athletes and gymnasts, the NIS also has a large batch of young cadets at the Centre of Excellence and students pursuing diploma courses.

Lack of qualified medical personnel forces athletes to seek treatment outside, putting them at serious risk of being given medicines banned by the World Anti Doping Agency. That’s not all. Lack of medicine supplies often mean that they may have the prescription but not the panacea.

Three weeks ago, a boxer in the Games’ core group of athletes suffering from acute stomach pain was shifted to a hospital outside the NIS because medicines weren’t available in the campus. It was the same with Ram Singh, another India pugilist. “The SAI keeps saying they are spending crores on our training but they don’t even have proper medical facilities,” said an international boxer.

“Earlier, medicines at the health centre was a problem and now there will be no doctor. In combat sports, chances of injuries are greater and full-time medical support is needed,” said a coach. “Now, players will have to go out to get treated. That’s dangerous because other doctors have no idea about the banned drugs.”

Sources at SAI said replacements were interviewed earlier in the week but none fit the bill. “At Rs 25,000 which is what the SAI will pay, you can’t even get a normal physician, forget getting a sports medicine doctor,” a source said.

Interestingly, there are only two physiotherapists here, both hardpressed for time from their teaching responsibilities.

Top Women Weight Lifters dropped from 2010 CWG elite list

Shailaja, Renubala to be dropped from 2010 CWG elite list

Four top women lifters of the country, including Shailaja Pujari, will be dropped from the core group for the 2010 Commonwealth Games preparations after they failed to report for the national camp in time, Indian Weightlifting Federation said on Sunday.

Pujari, Renubala Chanu, S Yamini and Shristi Singh were among 60 elite lifters selected for 2010 Commonwealth Games training which started in February but the quartet did not turn up for the camp at Patiala despite given an extended time to join.

IWF President Harbhajan Singh said that the four lifters would not be allowed to join the camp as the extended dateline for doing so has expired on April 10.

"First they did not join the camp in February and they did not furnish us the reasons in writing. Secondly, they failed to report by April 10, the last date for joining the camp. We are going to drop them," Harbhajan said from Lucknow.

Pujari won three gold in 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games in 75 kg while Renu Bala won the yellow metal in the 2006 Melbourne Games in 58 kg. Yamini won a bronze in 58 kg in the National Championships in Pune early this year while Shristi Singh earned a silver in 69 kg in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune last year.

Their hopes of taking part in 2010 Commonwealth Games are as good as over with Harbhajan saying that any lifter outside the elite list would not be considered unless he or she came up with some extraordinary performance in national championships later this year.

"We are not going to add anybody to the elite list unless he or she performs extraordinarily well, such as breaking some records -- national or Commonwealth or Asian -- in the National Championships.

"If we have to add any lifter we would not know his or her status of dope testing whereas those in the national camp will be constantly monitored from the very beginning. That is why we are not likely to add any lifter later on," Harbhajan explained.

While announcing the elite list for training camp, the IWF had said that the number of lifters would be pruned down from 60 to 45 by the end of December and to 30 by June next year.

India is expected to compete in each of the 15 categories (eight men and seven women) in weightlifting in 2010 Commonwealth Games and the IWF would select a lifter out of the two who will remain after June 2010.

Namibia National Olympic Committee Announced Tough Standards for 2010 CWG

The Namibia National Olympic Committee announced strict new qualifying criteria for Namibian athletes who want to qualify for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India. At a press conference in Windhoek, NNOC president Agnes Tjongarero said they had decided to raise the standards to improve Namibia’s competitiveness at the highest level.

“If you look at the countries that won gold medals at the last All Africa Games, most of them could not even win bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games, which means that we will have to try harder. If we as a country cannot even make it at the All Africa Games, why do we even bother to go to the Olympic Games? That is why we have adjusted the criteria, if you cannot reach these levels, and then just try harder for next time,” she said.

According to the criteria Namibian athletes will have to be ranked amongst the top two in Africa in all the codes. Besides that, the qualifying criteria for certain individual codes like athletics and swimming have been set at a high level.

Swimmers, for instance, will have to reach 850 FINA points per event, while they will have to qualify twice at internationally recognized events. The 850-standard is much higher than even the qualifying standard for the 2009 World Championships of 650 points. A record eight Namibian swimmers qualified for this year’s World Championships which will take place in Rome in August, but national swimming coach Ryan Skinner said he doubted whether anyone would qualify according to the new criteria.

“It’s a huge increase and there’s definitely a concern that that will be too exclusive with the time frame involved. We’ve only got 18 months to prepare and that sort of improvement in standard may lead to nobody being able to make the standard. I think it’s a good idea that the FINA points are lifted over time to gradually improve the standards and to let everyone be aware that more is expected of them, but that sort of improvement in standard might end up leading to despondency amongst our swimmers,” he said.

Tjongarero stuck to her guns, saying the standards would remain.

“It would be regrettable if none of the swimmers qualified, but we have to try and reach it. What’s the use if we come last – we don’t want to embarrass anyone? Let’s try and get there, and if not, it’s not the end of the world. There will be more events coming up like the 2011 All Africa Games in Mozambique,” she said.

Meanwhile, athletics in Namibia faces a quandary since Namibian athletes will not be able to qualify for events since the world governing body, the IAAF, does not approve anyone in charge of Namibian athletics.

Since Athletics Namibia’s aborted presidential elections in November last year, athletics has been run by an Interim Committee, but the IAAF said that it didn’t recognize the Interim Committee. It said it would send a delegate to Namibia to sort out the impasse, who was supposed to arrive in April. According to Tjongarero the delegate will now only arrive in May.

“We received a letter from the IAAF saying that they did not recognize anyone running athletics here in Namibia. Our athletes can only qualify by competing at IAAF-recognized events, but someone who is recognized by the IAAF has to enter our athletes. We asked them if the Interim Committee can enter our athletes, but it seems that their delegate will now only arrive in May and in the meantime our athletes are suffering because they cannot compete,” she said.

At the same event Tjongarero handed over a sponsorship of N$10 000 to the Namibian Bowling Association so that it can compete in an international competition, the Atlantic Rim Tournament in South Africa in May. Namibia will compete against some of the top bowling nations from the Atlantic rim like England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the United States, Brazil and Canada at the event.