Commonwealth Game 2010 a Historical Event

Commonwealth is an organization of independent sovereign states with different faiths, cultures, races, languages and traditions in the world. The Commonwealth Games is a sports event which is held once every four years. It is managed by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). The Commonwealth India 2010 or Commonwealth Games 2010 will be held in New Delhi.

About 14 million people will be hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010. India will host Commonwealth Game for the first time. And Asia will host this event for the second time after the Commonwealth Game 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. Delhi became the host for the Commonwealth 2010 Games by defeating the Canadian city of Hamilton by 46 votes. This voting was done at CGF General Assembly in Montego Bay in November 2003.

Delhi, the capital city of India, is rich in history and culture. Located on the western end of the Gangetic Plain, this state is bordered by Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The old district of the state popularly known as Old Delhi was the capital of Muslim India during the 18th century.

Many mosques and historic sites were built in this part of Delhi during the reign of the Muslim rulers. Later on, museums to commemorate their victories were built here. New Delhi was created by the British Raj. The majestic government buildings and tree lined avenues are worth visiting.

In order to attend the Commonwealth India 2010, you will have to be at Delhi from 3 - 14 October 2010 and witness the special event, right from the Opening to the Closing Ceremonies. October is a favorable time to visit Delhi as the temperature ranges from minimum 17.2 degrees centigrade to maximum 31.3 degrees centigrade. Humidity during this time of the year ranges from 31 to 78% for the October and November months.

The Commonwealth Game 2010 will be held in the Delhi Games Village, located at the city center. It will be constructed as a low rise medium development on a 40 acre site and can accommodate 8,500 athletes and officials. Both the existing and new stadium will serve as the venue for a range of sports like:

• Archery
• Aquatics
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Boxing
• Cycling
• Gymnastics
• Hockey
• Lawn Bowls
• Netball
• Rugby 7s
• Shooting
• Squash
• Table Tennis
• Tennis
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Apart from this, there will be 15 special events for the elite disabled athletes which will be contested across 4 Para-Sports like Athletics, Swimming, Power lifting and Table Tennis.

Govt clears infra projects worth Rs 34,000 crore

In a major push to the infrastructure sector, the Cabinet on Wednesday cleared projects worth around Rs 34,000 crore, including the Chennai Metro project.

Apart from that, foreign direct investment (FDI) worth Rs 957 crore in Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd, which is currently developing the Krishnapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh, was also approved.

The Union Cabinet yesterday gave its approval to Phase Iof the Chennai Metro project, covering a length of around 45 km. The total cost of the first phase has been estimated at Rs 14,600 crore. On the lines of Delhi Metro, this project will be entirely funded by the Centre and Tamil Nadu government on 50:50 basis.

The Cabinet also approved the Delhi Metro Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2009, to amend the Delhi Metro (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002, and the Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act, 1978. “The requirement to move this Bill arose because without a proper legal framework the construction work of the extension to Gurgaon and Noida can be stalled any time or legally challenged.

Since these extensions are to be completed before the Commonwealth Games, 2010, there is an urgency to provide an appropriate legal cover for these extensions,” said an official statement.

Feeney to conduct two-week national camp for archers

The Indian compound archers will begin training for 2010 Commowealth Games with a two-week national camp under Australian coach Peter Feeney who has been roped in by the Archery Association of India (AAI) ahead of the Delhi meet.

Feeney will land here tomorrow evening and the camp will start from Sunday.

The Aussie had approached the AAI after the Indian Federation invited applications for the coach's position on the FITA (International Archery Federation) website.

The camp, which will be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Eastern India Centre at Salt Lake, will begin with 15 men and 15 women in the compound section.

The SAI Eastern India nodal centre has been officially declared as the venue of the national camps for archery, lawn bowling and rugby.

The camp for the recurve archers will also be held at the same venue with newly-appointed chief coach Limba Ram scheduled to arrive on Monday.

Confirming the development, AAI secretary general Paresh Nath Mukherjee told PTI, "Feeney will look after the compound section in preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. I am sure his experience will help the Indian compound archers.

"Limba Ram, being the chief coach, will join the camp on the second day when the recurve camp will also begin." The recurve section will have 16 men and 16 women.

A panel of 12 coaches appointed for the Delhi Commonwealth Games will also attend the camp.

The probables :

Men's compound: K Ratan Singh, Birsa Bandiya, S Sridhar, L.Haridas Singh, Arun Sharma, Sonam Pintso, M Chinglen Sana, Bijoy Rai, G Titomash Sharma (all SSCB); KSH Nikon Mangang (Manipur); Abhishek Verma (Delhi); Jayantilal Ninoma (Rajasthan); Palton Hansdah (Jharkhand); Isaiah Sanam (AP); Amrender Singh (Punjab).

Recurve: Tarundeep Rai, W Ranjan Singh Junior, Harish Chand Kerai, MR Tirkey, Bulbul Marandi, N Ravinder, Viswash, K Shiv Shankar and Gurucharan Besra (all SSCB); Jayanta Talukdar, Rajiv Basumatary and Rahul Banerjee (all SPSB), Mangal Singh Champia (Railways), Kapil and Priyank (both UP); Pawan Khalkho (Jharkhand).

Women's compound: Namita Yadav, Jhanu Hansda, Bheigyabati Chanu, Sweety Kumari, Manjudha Soy, Ashrita Kerketta, Niva Kerketta, Sumantala Murmu and Harsha Bharadwaj (all Jharkhand); Saksro Besra (Railways); Anjali Kumari (MP); Mandava Rishitha (AP); Pratibha Rani (CRPF); Gaganjot Kaur (Punjab); Jailaxmi Sarikonda (Maharashtra).

Recurve: Dola Banerjee, L Bombayla Devi, Reena Kumari and Sushma (Railways); Rimil Buiruli, Pratima Boro, Vardhineni Pranitha and Laxmi Rani Majhi (SPSB); Chekrovolu Swuro (Nagaland); Punyaprabha (UP); Belsir Narzary (Assam); Deepka Kumari (Jharkhand); Nisha Tomar (Chandigarh); Bimala Hasda (WB); Mamta Nagi (Punjab); B Lucy Devi (Manipur).

Panel of coaches:

Limba Ram (chief coach), Dharmendra Tiwari, Purnima Mahato, Harinder Singh, D Saiswari Rao, Ravi Shankar, Richpal Singh, RB Tamang, Ch. Lenin, Jiwanjot Singh, Lokesh Chand and B Gunicha Devi.

India Kazakhstan racing against time for sporting glory

Security concerns notwithstanding, India and Kazakhstan are both racing against time to achieve international sporting glory and recognition over the next two years. While India is gearing for the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi between October 3 and 14, 2010, Kazakhstan is going full steam ahead with preparations for the Seventh Asian Winter Games to be held in Almaty in 2011.

For the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, around 500,000 additional tourists from over 70 nations are expected. This is the first time the Games will be held in India. India will be the third developing country to host the event (after Jamaica in 1966 and Malaysia in 1998). It is also the second time the event will be held in Asia (after 1998). The Games will see the participation of over 8,500 athletes and officials.

On the other hand, the Asian Winter Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan, will see 800 athletes from 30 countries competing for gold medals in eleven events to be held between January 30 and February 6, 2011. According to sources, the Kazakh Government has set aside an initial budget of 726 million dollars for the event, which speaks volumes for the prestige that is being attached to event by the Kazakh Government, and particularly by its President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The inaugural ceremony is expected to be held at the Indoor Stadium in Astana, which has space for 30,000 spectators. Astana is also building an indoor ice rink with 15,000 seats Events are proposed to be held in both Astana and Almaty. While all indoor events, including ice hockey, speed skating and figure skating, will be held in Astana, Almaty, popularly known as the Apple City, will feature events like ski mountaineering, ski flying, biathlon, sport orienteering contests and others.

Almaty will reconstruct the Medeu ice-skating rink and the Shimbula ski area. It will also build ski jumps and clear a new ski track for the biathlon.

Kazakhstan’’s Tourism and Sports Ministry is now training referees for the winter sports events with the support of international sports federations.

As far as the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi is concerned, the State Government is spearheading a host of activities, ranging from sending the city’’s auto drivers to finishing school to using the help of the Quality Council of India (QCI) to certify 1,000 eateries in the city after they give assurances about providing cuisine measuring to international standards.

The project, headed by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), is set to be implemented over the next few months. Sources claim the certification criteria, which are in the process of being drawn up, would be implemented in the beginning as a voluntary scheme.

The Phase-II construction of the Delhi Metro, which is progressing at a fast pace, will provide easy Metro connectivity to 10 out of 11 venues of the Commonwealth Games 2010.

The venues include: Games Village, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi University, Thyagaraj Complex, Siri Fort Sports Complex, National Stadium, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Talkatora Indoor Stadium, Yamuna Sports Complex and R K Khanna Tennis Complex.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has already completed 25 percent to 57 percent of the work on all the Metro lines passing by Games venues, and it is expected that all routes will be functional by September 2010, a month before the Commonwealth Games are scheduled.

In fact, five lines are set to be opened in 2009 itself. The DMRC is also planning to start feeder bus services to all Games venues which are not adjacent to Metro stations.

As far as the auto drivers are concerned, 200 of them have so far been selected and are being put through health checkups and finishing schools.

“Visitors across the world would come for Commonwealth Games. Our auto drivers should be groomed in a manner that none complains. We have to make them presentable,” says S N Srivastava, Joint Commissioner of Police, Delhi Traffic. He adds that they will receive specialized training on soft skill and traffic rules, making them more reachable and commuters happy.

There are many stakeholders involved in the Commonwealth Games, and therefore, the task before the authorities is both monumental and problematic. Senior officials from all ministries associated with the Games, led by the home secretary, will jointly chalking out plans to make the event tourist-friendly, and the current recession notwithstanding.

For example, the travel and tourism industry has estimated a huge shortfall of about 30,000 rooms required for around 150000 additional visitors to the national capital for the Commonwealth Games. The additional rooms required to accommodate them would need an investment of about Rs.150 million.

India’’s foreign exchange earnings from the tourism sector is likely to grow by 20 per cent to 16.91 billion dollars by 2010, primarily due to huge tourists inflow expected during the Commonwealth Games.

The Delhi cabinet has started an ambitious project in association with a prominent US institution for public health.

The Delhi cabinet has cleared a Rs.100 million project to be enforced by the government in association with the Bloomberg Global Initiative (BGI) to cut down the use of tobacco during the Games, and to make the National Capital Region (NCR), which includes Delhi and satellite townships smoke-free before the event.

The Delhi Government is all set to sign a memorandum of understanding with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA for exchange of technical know-how and facility building to set up Air Nicotine monitoring devices in some planned locations of the capital.

According to the available statistics, tobacco continues to be the second major cause of death. Nearly 45 per cent men and seven per cent of women in Delhi have the habit of smoking.

Facing a dip in revenue generation in the wake of global economic meltdown, the Delhi Government has approached the Centre for additional funding to complete various projects related to the Games. In a meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia last week, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit sought Rs.5000 million as assistance to complete various projects related to the Games.

According to initial government figure, around Rs.7.9 billion (1.6 billion dollars) would be the total expenditure on the Commonwealth Games.

Union Sports Minister, M.S. Gill has informed a meeting of the Co-ordination Committee for the 2010 Commonwealth Games that a proposal on the increased cost of stadia would soon be taken to the Cabinet. The Minister told the meeting which he chaired that the expenditure finance committee was making a detailed assessment of the estimates before finalizing the revised costs.

Burgeoning costs won”t be a constraint for hosting the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the government is prepared to loosen the purse strings to ensure that the mega event is a success, Gill said.

Gill, however, warned it didn”t mean reckless spending and the money would only be released after closely examining the proposals. He was speaking after reviewing the progress of work at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi last week.

Contractual recruitment for CWG in AIR and DD

Reeling under severe staff crunch, official broadcasters of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, All India Radio and Doordarshan, are considering recruitment of personnel on contract basis to meet the shortage.

Describing the problem of shortage of manpower as "severe", Prasar Bharati CEO B S Lalli said the total shortage of manpower in both the public service broadcasters was more than 17,000 personnel.

"The shortage of manpower exists as a large number of projects, 488 to be exact were installed during the IXth and Xth plan periods. In few cases, manpower has been partially sanctioned but recruitment has not been conducted for over a period of 17 years now," Lalli said.

He pointed out that the shortage was aggravated as several Prasar Bharati personnel had also retired during this period.

Lalli said though sanctioned manpower was not provided both the organisations have plans in place to make effective use of the available staff.

"We are already engaged in right-sizing our manpower and multi-tasking is being promoted," he said.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and External Affairs, Anand Sharma said the government was "continuing its efforts to make the public broadcasters more effective."

"They will be getting whatever resources and support required from the government. A detailed presentation in this regard has already been submitted by senior officials. Issues will be addressed on an urgent basis," Sharma said.

Archery coach Feeney out to impress in two-week stint

Australian compound coach Peter Feeney, who will join the national camp in Kolkata, is keen to get right down to business and forge a good relationship with India’s archers as soon as possible. Feeney has been invited by the Archery Association of India for the two-week camp and, if all works well, will get to train India’s compound team through to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The two-week stint, in effect, is a trial of sorts where he needs to impress both his future wards (archers) and employers (the AAI).

In an email chat with The Indian Express, Feeney said the Kolkata camp will be an opportunity for both him and the archers to ascertain whether they can work towards making a good team. “The national camp in Kolkata will give both the archers and me an opportunity to see whether we make a good team. The relationship between athletes and their coaches can make a significant difference to the athletes’ performance,” he said.

The other thing that the Australian is keen on is to review the archers in practice and competition to find out how they perform under tournament conditions. “Part of this process is to review the equipment the archers are using and ensure that it is tuned. A review of the archer’s technique and form is very important.”

Feeney, who is scheduled to arrive in India on January 31, had approached the AAI after the federation invited applications for the vacant post on the international archery federation’s website. “The opportunities in Australia are limited under the current structure of Archery

Australia, and the Archery Association of India’s advertisement came at an opportune time. I have been considering coaching on a full-time basis and this will provide me with that opportunity,” he said. His interest grew further after watching the Indians at the Youth World Championships last year in Turkey.

And the Australian doesn’t foresee any communication problems. “Teaching is what I have been doing for quite a number of years. There are lots of ways to get the message across, like video recordings and photo analysis. The best way is to show the archers what is required.”

Economic Meltdown Hits Common Wealth Games Preparation

Facing a dip in revenue generation in the wake of global economic meltdown, the Delhi Government has approached the Centre for additional funding to complete various projects related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Senior officials in the Delhi Government said there has been a sharp dip in revenue collection caused mainly by decline in consumption of goods due to the economic crisis. “The collection of VAT has been affected due to the slump in consumer market,” a senior official said.

The official said it would be impossible for the government to complete the projects if the Centre does not provide additional funding.

In a meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia last week, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had sought Rs 500 crore assistance to complete various projects related to the Games.

The official said the revenue collection has been hit also because of the slump in the real estate sector as the Government collects revenue through registration of properties.

“We had requested the Central Government to give us Rs 3,500 crore as additional financial assistance,” he said.

According to initial government figure, around Rs 7,900 crore would be the total expenditure on the Commonwealth Games.

The official said the cost of the projects is going up as the prices of raw materials like steel and cement have increased.

Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, who is also chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee, a couple of days back had said the budget for the mega-event will be increased in view of the financial crisis.

Smoke Free Delhi Before Commonwealth Games

Chief Minister Sheila Dixit is all set to add another feather to her cap. With the view to make the NCR smoke-free before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Delhi cabinet has started an ambitious project in association with a prominent US institution for public health.

On Wednesday, the Delhi cabinet had cleared a Rs 10 crore project to be enforced by the government in association with the Bloomberg Global Initiative (BGI). It is learnt that out of these Rs 10 crores, Rs 4 crores will be contributed by BGI while the rest would be contributed by the Delhi government. Established in 2006, the Bloomberg Initiative aims to cut down the use of tobacco worldwide. The ambitious project would be implemented in two years with effect from October 2008 to September 2010.

Confirming the development, Sheila Dixit said, “The government is committed to making Delhi smoke-free before the Commonwealth Games and this project will protect the citizens from the ill effects of exposure to tobacco smoke.”

Apart from this, the Delhi government is all set to sign a MoU with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA for exchange of technical know-how and facility building to set up Air Nicotine monitoring devices in some planned locations of the capital.

According to the available statistics, tobacco continues to be the second major cause of death. Nearly 45 per cent men and 7 per cent of women in Delhi have the habit of smoking.

As per the Central Tobacco Control Act (2003) and the Delhi Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers' Health Protection Act (1996), smoking is prohibited in places of public work or use and public service vehicles.

Many hoteliers withdrew from Games projects

Fearing poor visitor turnout for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the wake of recession, six hoteliers, who allotted plots for construction of hotels for the mega sporting event, have developed cold feet

These six hoteliers after getting land did not come forward to obtain necessary clearances for beginning the construction of hotels. So, we are recommending for cancellation of their plots,” said a senior Delhi government official.

The allotted hotel sites facing cancellation are at Anand Vihar, Mandavali, Vivek Vihar, Mayur Vihar and Alipur Road.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had auctioned 33 sites in the capital for construction of hotels keeping the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in mind.

“Now with six already out of the project we have to expedite the construction work of other proposed hotels to meet the deadline before the Games,” the official said and added, “We have offered incentives to these hoteliers for completing the construction before June 2010.”

The tourism ministry is hopeful of making available about 6,000 rooms during the Games out of these new hotels.

The Games Village is being developed by the DDA to provide accommodation as well as training facilities to 8,000 athletes and officials during the Games. Besides the Game Village, DDA is also constructing flats in Vasant Kunj which would be utilised for the sporting event.

“We expect about 5,000 rooms to be made available for visitors during the Games in Vasant Kunj. ITDC will provide necessary arrangement for the staying of visitors in these flats,” the official said.

Meanwhile, global recession has adversely affected the foreign tourist arrivals (FTA) in the country.

While 596,000 foreign tourists had come to India in December 2007, their number reduced to 522,000 in December 2008, which is a negative growth of minus 12.5 percent.

Minister reviews Commonwealth Games preparations

Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs (Independent charge), Minister M.S. Gill visited the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Tuesday to review the preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held here.

Appreciating the hands on involvement in the project, Gill said he was overwhelmed by the architecture of the majestic stadium.

"I had earlier seen the stadium before its reconstruction in 1982. After seeing the roof of this stadium, I really feel like saluting those architects and builders who were involved because it is no less than the present stadiums of China. Standing here since 28 years, this stadium is now being renovated and I am totally content with the work and efforts of these people who are doing the repairing and renewal work," said Gill.

He assured full cooperation from the government in creating required infrastructure for the games.

"I assure on behalf of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister that they are always there whenever there would be the need because even they believe that if this project has been undertaken, then it should be completed at any cost so that the whole world appreciates it," said Gill.

An estimated amount of 70 billion rupees has been earmarked for the Games.

New Delhi bagged the right to hold the Commonwealth Games 2010 beating the Canadian city of Hamilton.

India is hosting the Commonwealth Games for the first time whereas the games will be staged in Asia for the second time. In 1998, KualaLumpur, Malaysia, had hosted the Commonwealth Games.

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