Shera visits his favourite Fast Trax outlet en-route CWG Games

THE OFFICIAL mascot of the CWG 2010, Shera, stopped by his favourite Fast Trax outlet on 27 September and enjoyed a delicious burger meal!

Shera jogged into the Fast Trax outlet at V3S Mall, Laxminagar, on 27 September and was immediately greeted by a roaring applause. Large number of children, enthusiastic CWG supporters and eager spectators looked on in joy, as Shera greeted excited customers, posed for pictures with lucky fans and handed out trendy T shirts, cool puzzles and funky Fast Trax - CWG 2010 toys.

The official mascot of the CWG 2010, then proceeded to the Fast Trax counter where a visibly excited Fast Trax staff assisted with his order - a California Burger meal combo! After his meal, a real sport, Shera even went behind the counter and helped the Fast Trax staff parcel an order.

Next Shera headed over to the official CWG 2010 ticket booth, located at every Fast Trax outlet and proceed to give away tickets to eager customers. Customers also received copies of the only book to be published around the CWG 2010.

As the official licensee for the CWG 2010, Fast Trax will be serving over 2 million meals, across 97 outlets in all 12 stadiums. They will also be in charge of the catering for the entire Media Village at ITPO.

Read more...

Madhya Pradesh CM justified in boycotting CWG baton

THE SCHEDULED opening of Commonwealth Games 2010 in New Delhi by Prince Charles of United Kingdom and not by President of host country, India justifies Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s boycotting the function to ‘welcome’ CWG baton at Bhopal as a legacy of bitter slavery of India by British.
How is it that in present era of democracy with most global countries having said good-bye to monarchy, Britain’s crown remains permanent head of Commonwealth nations? It is time that sensible countries should disassociate themselves from monarchy-run Commonwealth Games when it is a direct insult of the painstaking host country that country’s head is given a side-role in opening ceremonies with Queen’s representative opening CWG games.

It is also time that the governments all across the Commonwealth realise that the time has come to democratise the institution of CWG games. As such representatives and heads from all countries organising the games and even those, which are participating in the event should get a chance to head the organisation.

By allowing the British Queen to continue as titular head of the games forever is akin to nurturing the spirit of imperialism, which caused immense pain and suffering to the people living as subject of the British empire.

Latest News On >> Commonwealth Games Delhi

Read more...

Ho-Ho bus service launched for Commonwealth Games visitors

Ho-Ho name sounds somewhat interesting when it is connected with a bus service. What is Ho-Ho? It stands for ‘hop on, hop off’ (Ho-Ho) bus service, modeled on popular concept of transport facilities in European countries and this is first time in India that such services will be provided to visitors during Commonwealth Games in capital. After getting low floor green colour buses and red colour air conditioned buses, it is time for Delhiites to see new purple colour buses on the roads.

Recently launched by Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit, the service will offer visitors to the mega sporting event a hassle free and smooth ride to tourists to monuments, museums and markets. In this service, buses would ply on the designated route every half an hour so that tourists do not have any obligation on time spent at a spot. They can board the buses anywhere they want to and go to the next destination. Tourists can hop on and hop off at any of the stops along the way as per their expediency. The buses will ply from 8 am. to 8 pm through the year.

The bus service will ferry the visitors to not only to the historical monuments, museums and other popular tourist destinations but also to authentic Indian restaurants and popular markets. Tourists using this bus service do not have to need to stand in the queue to buy their entry tickets for historical monument as entry tickets will be available for sale inside the ‘Ho-Ho’ bus.

The buses will start from Coffee Home, Baba Karag Singh Marg in Connuaght Place and will have stoppages at Delhi Gate, Red Fort, Raj Ghat, National Gallery of Modern Art India Gate, Purana Quila, Humayuns Tomb, Defence Colony Metro Station, Lotus Temple, Metropolitan Mall Saket/Select City Walk, Qutab Minar, Hauz Khas Village, Dilli Haat (INA), Safdarjung Tomb, Santushti near Hotel Samrat, Teen Murti Marg-Nehru Museum, National Museum Janpath and Jantar Mantar.

The visitors will be able to visit Khooni Darwaza, Feroz Shah Kotla, Gandhi Museum, Ambedkar Stadium, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Salimgarh Fort, various Samadhis around Raj Ghat, National Stadium, Children's Park, India Gate, Pragati Maidan, Crafts Museum, National Zoological Park, Isa Khan Tomb, Nizamuddin Dargah, Gole Gumbaj, Sunderwala Burj, Defence Colony Market, Lajpat Nagar Central Market, Kalkaji District Park, ISKCON Temple, Hotel Intercontinental Eros, Hilton Garden Inn, Garden of Five Senses, Quila Rai Pithora, Ahimsa Sthal, Butterfly Park, Indian Handicraft Emporium, Deer Park, Hauz Rani monument, Hauz Khas Market, Dilli Haat, INA Market, Lodi Garden, Jaipur Polo Ground, Nehru Planetarium, Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, Janpath Market, Crafts Emporium, etc.

The bus which is equipped with state of art technologies like digital video screens and GPS system also has trained guides and guest relations executives who will be responsible for giving information about the sites. After Games, government will start an open-roof service for tourists in the winter season only so that the tourists can enjoy winter of Delhi too.

Tourists can download city maps, information brochures and informative videos to plan their trip better. Information such as type of hotel, booking services, bed and breakfast establishments, guest houses, transport and flight services, currency converter and weather updates besides detailed information on city’s heritage, must-see attractions and eateries are being made available at the click of a mouse even before they set out for Delhi.

The purple-coloured air-conditioned buses will hit the roads from Oct 1, 2010. From September 28th to 30th, 2010 the buses will offer free rides to under-privileged children and senior citizens. The bus will charge Rs.300 from adult and Rs.150 from every child less than three feet in height.

The service is provided by joint venture between Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Private Ltd, Pune and Urban Mass Transit Company Ltd (UMTC) and contract is for next ten years.

Read more...

CWG saga takes new twist, Hooper spews venom

ALTHOUGH NEGATIVE counting has begun for the grand event, the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010,  bizarre events are still unfolding, adding new twist and drama to the event. In the latest twist, one of the senior most officials linked with the hosting of the games, Mike Hooper, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the games fired salvo on the Organising Committee, the Government of India, the government of Delhi for the widespread mess up and lacunae in the run of to the games.

Following the footprints of Suresh Kalmadi, the head of the Organising Committee, Mike Hooper is also not willing to admit mistake for the fiasco on various fronts. Hooper has categorically blamed other stake holders for all the mess up engulfing the preparation of the Commonwealth Games. In an interview given to a New Zealand based television channel, Hooper squarely blamed the government of the host city, New Delhi, the Government of India, Organising Committee and other stake holders for missing deadlines time and again, shoddy pace of work and infrastructure.

In a one to one interview Hooper told the channel, “We are in the hands and the mercy of, effectively, the government of India, the Delhi government, the agencies responsible for delivery of the venues. They consistently failed to meet deadlines. Now, we were very active, very strong in pushing for this to be done. The actual venues were not handed over effectively and I say handed over from the point of view of getting venue- completion certificates and occupancy certificates. ”

Hooper’s outburst didn’t end here; he took Indian population to task during the interview televised on Sunday (September 26). Hooper held the massive population responsible for traffic chaos on the roads; and asked for a 24x7 exclusive lane for Commonwealth Games.

Whatever venom Hooper spewed though has not gone down well with many politicians and bureaucrats, it is the harsh reality, we must accept. The stake holders have collectively failed in their endeavours to deliver. Somewhere buck has to stop.

Now enough has been written and criticised, its time for all stake holders involved in the hosting of the game to work as a cohesive unit and facilitate in organising majestic Commonwealth Games. Enough venom and mudslinging has taken place, country’s image is at stake, lets support the Commonwealth Games and play our role anyhow after all it is our event.

Latest News On >> Commonwealth Games Delhi

Read more...

It is time to stop the skepticism on the Commonwealth Games

I AM sorry readers; I was among the first, who started writing about negativism around the Commonwealth Games. Now I feel it is time to stop the skepticism on the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. Actually, the global media has a habit of anticipating and blowing the lid out of proportion before almost major sporting events.

There have been enough instances, when Beijing was blamed too polluted for players and visiting delegations, preparations in Athens were described as nil, South Africa had numerous negativities et al. However, all the countries successfully hosted their respective events.

The entire world is tarnishing our country's image and criticising by taking clues from our own mainstream media, politicians and the common man nullifying comments through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Orkut etc. Looking at the high scale of corruption and other charges involved with the Commonwealth Games, we Indians are constantly criticising Delhi's efforts. The process has, with thanks to Indian mainstream media, made the country a laughing stock in the eyes of the international community. Is it justified?

Media could have played a more patriotic role than an ambitious one all this while and done constructive criticism than flaring up the already deafening chorus of the detractors. Instead of proudly displaying our abilities to the world, we as a nation were reduced to hiding our inabilities. We should not have given anyone a chance to point a finger at us. Remember, we Indians stood united during Kargil war, now we will have to stand again for the sake of our nation pride.

It is high time to alter criticism into concrete positive actions. After all, it is a matter of national pride to hold the Games in our national capital. The need of the hour is to come together as a city and as a nation for mega event. Delhiites should show their solidarity in a bid to make these Games triumphant and be ready for being a good host so that visitors can treasure their reminiscences and trip to our country. It is our collective failure and now participant countries have got an opportunity of making more fuss about living conditions at the Games Village.

"I think India is giving in to the demands of our guests a little too much and getting dominated by our guests. I have also been to number of countries and there have been times when the arrangements were not very good but we never made such a fuss out of it," said 81 years old legendary ‘flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh.

I believe India will conduct Commonwealth Games successfully as the Indian government has the potential to do things differently. We will bounce back into action after much criticisms and delays.

Latest News On >> Commonwealth Games Delhi

Read more...

Is Delhi ready to welcome Queen's Baton?

AFTER SO many controversies, embarrassments and numerous delays, Commonwealth Games Village is now finally complete and perhaps ready for the players to settle in. Although things have turned around quite a bit, a lot of work still remains to be done. It is time for Delhi and Delhiites to brace themselves for welcoming Queen’s Baton which arrived in India on June 25, 2010 through Wagah Border.

Queen’s Baton will enter Delhi from Gurgaon on September 30, 2010. Now, the question that arises is: Is Delhi ready to welcome the Queen's Baton?

Our Commonwealth Games organisers are busy only with Commonwealth Games Village. An average Delhiite expected that there would be significant changes in their lives from hosting this mega sports event. However, the situation has hardly changed and cosmetic development is taking place around the Games Village. As the host city to CWG 2010, it is perhaps natural that the capital should get a well-deserved face lift. There is still heaps of garbage on the main streets and roads which has not been removed for months.

The bumpy roads and potholes, mud, bricks and all sorts of trash including human waste is what decorates the footpaths of 80 per cent of Delhi roads. But, who cares. The garbage all over the city still needs a sustainable solution. It is highly surprising that number of buildings, uncompleted structures and slum clusters etc. are being hidden under wraps and poor labourers are forced to leave the city for clean up drive. Organisers are hell bent on ensuring that the visitors get a feel that is akin to world-class cities such as Paris and Sydney.

People are yet to hear CWG anthem and authorities clueless about it. Hardly anyone in India has heard Rahman’s CWG anthem. During FIFA World Cup, Indians were busy crooning Waka Waka, which was the football anthem. But shame, this is our own event and we still have not heard the anthem. The country is already too embarrassed but who cares?

Delhi, indeed needs a magic wand to welcome Queen’s Baton.

Latest News On >> Commonwealth Games Delhi

Read more...

The TRP atyachaar: Media should refrain from denigrating CWG

THE REPORTING on the Commonwealth Games 2010 has shocked serious viewers. The naked display of brute power by sections of the media has been most wantonly on show during the last few weeks and some from both the print and the electronic media are equally culpable.

It must be said to the credit of many that they have not sacrificed objectivity, and have maintained the tenure of constructive and objective criticism. These sober papers and channels have not allowed themselves to be swayed by the vitriolic attacks and acerbic denigration of the paparazzi variety.

Unfortunately and understandably, in their quest for target rating points (TRP) those with larger circulation have been more complicit and ironically have adopted a holier than thou position. All this is being done most hypocritically in the name of freedom of expression and showing how independent they are.

If the country gets damned in the process, so be it. They have become a power unto themselves with no accountability or concern for miscarriage of justice – that is what they seem to be dispensing albeit without the support or collaboration of any other agency unlike the judicial or administrative procedure where processes move through inquiry, defense, prosecution, witnesses etc – as every thing is decided by one or two individuals representing a newspaper/media house.

Now, we only have what can be called Tughlaki firman, which can be challenged at the peril of your life. This is nothing but yellow journalism, sullying the image of the country before the world and surely corrupting the young minds by spreading misinformation. Enter the real bullies; unfortunately both the political and bureaucratic classes have shown sheer helplessness to deal with this onslaught because of their weak grounds. The unhindered and easy access always provided to these knowledge and information elite by the power elite is instructive as it should be clear that riding the tiger has its own hazards.

It will be emphasising the obvious to say that our preparation for the games has faltered very badly and plagued by time-overruns, cost escalation, shoddiness of work and allegations of corruption. It is very unfortunate that the situation has come to this pass.

But the system should take care of the allegations in due course – and if it does not take, heavens would not fall – after all how many corruption cases have been decided in our country ending in conviction, perhaps none. But that is beside the point. There are two issues to ponder.

Firstly, why didn’t the media start highlighting these failures in 2009, a year before the games or at least a couple of months earlier, which could have constituted some advance warning to the organisers and the public?

Even the arrogant Mani Shankar Aiyar started making noises, irrespective of the merit of their arguments much before the games and not on the eve of it when the foreign guests have started arriving. Washing the dirty linen now is like criticising your members of the family for their acts of omission and commission to the world at large.

This is against Indian ethos and against normally acceptable social behaviour. Our ‘enlightened’ media wants to impress the international audience that while India may not have arrived, they have arrived and can now vie for status with BBC, CNN, Reuters etc. How seriously they are being or will be taken time will tell but as of now their scornful snarls smack of spite and malice/ So this is a motivated campaign to claim a pound of the flesh; TRP must rise notwithstanding cost to the nation in terms of loss of prestige and repute.

There is just no concern for the esteem of the countrymen – the Indians abroad are facing barrage of questions from their co-workers and friends wondering whether Indians are so hopelessly bad. Never before the country has faced such loss of face, thanks to the crescendo raised by these self-styled protagonists of good governance! Our aspiration to be counted among the developed nations of the world that can fulfill international commitments has received a severe drubbing.

The philosophy behind the moves of such self-appointed guardians of social audit stands exposed. Actually some smart guys in the media after evaluating the preparedness of the games could assess the weaknesses; finding it to be their opportunity, they jumped on in full strength and there was no threat either. They had tasted blood earlier on several occasions like that of Arushi murder case. They have been able to put the experience so gained to good use this time around for extracting maximum mileage. Having been assured that the state doesn’t have the will to resist or retaliate, they started masquerading as crusaders for truth while actually trampling all truth under duress.

Secondly, why could not they wait to start the media trial after the games? There comes to play the greed for TRP! The gain is immediate and money today has more value than money tomorrow. Those who swear by morality have been very vain and unethical. It is the power of blackmail pure and simple.

How succinctly this was expressed by a poet!

'‘dushmani jum kar karo, per itni gunjaish rahe
dost bun jayen hum to phir sharminda na hon!’

Many of these will return in search of state patronage and positions. It will be enlightening to keep a roll call of some of these crusaders and spot where they are located three to five years from now vis-à-vis government benefaction. As of now there is no qualm.

The country has become a laughing stalk in the world. Every Tom Dick and Harry is taking a pot shot at the country’s capacity to organise international events. Not even emergency had done such harm to her image what our animated champions have done in couple of weeks and it will be very difficult to retrieve the position for staking a claim, if at all tomorrow for Olympics etc.

The other day a responsible English writer speaking live on a national channel compared Sheila Dikshit to Madhubala, alluding perhaps to dramatics or whatever. That was in bad taste to say the least. The point is Dikshit is a highly respected figure in national politics. Is it proper for somebody to throw ridicules like this, made possible only because an atmosphere of no-holds barred has been created? In fact increasingly the language of much of the media is becoming singularly strident and threatening. The self-righteous and all-knowing stance in itself is bad enough but more deplorable are the utterances that are couched in impolite and disrespectful idiom.

The probable solutions are good sense, self-imposed discipline and public censure, the last one being very remote, we can only pray for the first two and continue to do so till the foreigners have left the much maligned Games Village.

Find Out Updates on >> Commonwealth Games Delhi

Read more...

Better declare Delhi off for CWG 2010

UNION AND Delhi government in the interest of every section of society should declare a very special  Commonwealth Games holiday of 20 days for all offices, shops, schools, colleges, factories, courts and other establishments rather than putting all Delhiites in a mess. This step will also help the denizens of the city to enjoy the games in an unfettered manner and with no tension to attend the schools, colleges and offices.

This would also increase the sale of tickets and fill up the coffers of the CWG as these would have been emptied by now. It will also help the foreign sportspersons and officials to enjoy the city of Delhi in all its glory with lesser people on the roads and more in stadia appreciating there feats.

Such a curfew-like experiment of a long city-off will be useful for study of feasibility of such possible annual long-breaks for citizens of Delhi in the festive season like is there for Christmas holidays in many nations. Present over-tensed life-style does need such long breaks for human beings if at all it is practically possible as an annual feature.

Find Out Venues on >> Commonwealth Games 2010 Venues

Read more...

Delhi Commonwealth Games or Shames!

THE NAME was ‘British Empire Games’, when it was held for the first time in 1930. This multi-sport international event has been held once in four years. The event was renamed in 1954 as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games. It was renamed again more appropriately in 1970 as the British Commonwealth Games. And nowadays it is simply referred to as Commonwealth Games.

There are 54 member-nations in Commonwealth now. The opportunity to play host for the 19th Commonwealth Games, 2010 has been given to India. The Commonwealth Games, 2010 will be held from October 3, to October 14, 2010.

The budget for the last event held in Australia was $1.1 billion while the budget for the Indian event is  more than double! That is, $2.5 billion (Rs. 11494 crores). This does not include expenditure on non-sports-related infrastructure development in the city like airports, roads and other structures.

Having started with such a huge budget provision, one would have expected that the arrangements would be great and simply surprise the world. The tremendous appreciation obtained by China for having hosted the recent Olympics was fresh in the memory of all and expectations were understandably high.

But in China, the punishment for swindling public money is quick; in India, the chances of getting caught are little for the corrupt politicians; and even if for some unexpected reason he is caught, the chances of getting punished are very remote, it would take decades, even if punished, it would be at the best (or worst) spending a few years in prison, with five star facilities. This makes a world of difference in public administration.

This is the first time that India secured the chance of hosting the Commonwealth Games. What is happening, and what is not happening make one wonder if this would be the last chance also.

To begin with there were delays and further delays causing concerns in the minds of others if everything would go on well in time. The Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee was giving excuses, and promises to keep everything ready in time.

The matter worsened, when the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) found out serious discrepancies like award of works at higher rates to bidders, poor quality of construction and grant of work to ineligible agencies in different Games-related construction works being carried out by various departments in the capital.

The assessment report prepared by the CVC's Chief Technical Examination Wing, highlighted large-scale procedural violations, including corruption in 16 projects. Following the revelations of corruption, came reports of glaring security lapses, thanks to a sting operation by an Australian channel.

Dave Currie, the New Zealand Chef de Mission for the Delhi Commonwealth Games visited the residential zone of the Games village and raised serious objections. He said, “There are some realities, I guess, that if the village is not ready and athletes can’t come then obviously the implications of that are it is not going to happen.

On October 20, 2010 (Monday) a canopy erected at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium fell, injuring an additional deputy commissioner of police and another policeman.

At around 3.10 pm, on October 21, 2010 (Tuesday), when some welding work was going on, the 95 meter long over-bridge connecting a car park with the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, injuring 27 persons. Jaipal Reddy, the Union Urban Development Minister, hurriedly conducted a press conference and announced that it was all due to rains. But his smart announcement did not hold water, as Rakesh Mishra, the PWD Chief Engineer said, “It did not happen because of rains. Something has gone leading to the incident. We are looking into all aspects.”

The Delhi government led by Sheila Dikshit has blacklisted the Chandigarh based PNR Infra, which was building the foot-bridge. Sheila Dikshit, a typical Indian politician, has said, “The over-bridge was for spectators, not for athletes. We will make alternative arrangements.” How human lives could be differentiated like this, is known only to her.

Worse still is the reaction to the complaint about the residential flats. The complaint was that the flats in the Games village were filthy, littered with excrement and urine left there by construction workers! There were a number of stray dogs. A photograph showing a stray dog jumping on a bed in the village has been given to the CWG organizers.

The Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Michael Fennell visited the Commonwealth Games Village on September 23 (Thursday) and expressed hope that the pending works would be completed in time and Games would go on. Meanwhile, the New Zealand dissatisfied with the upkeep of the village, has engaged the services of a specialized outfit to clean up the residential tower (No.31) where their team would have to stay.

A number of sports persons have already withdrawn from the event, bringing down the standard of competition.

Realizing the seriousness of the matter, though belatedly, the Prime Minister has intervened and the whole project has been taken up on literally a war footing. The army has been called in to re-construct the footbridge that collapsed on 21st. An all-out effort is being made to redeem the Commonwealth Games as much as possible. For the first time, a somewhat positive note has come from Michael Fennell. He has said, “It is good to be in Delhi, and the briefing I received from my CEO, Mike Hooper, last night, was that considerable improvements have been made within the village, with further significant resources deployed by Ms. Dikshit, to make good what was a concerning situation.”

What was hoped to enhance India’s reputation and boost its image in the world has turned out to be a source of exasperation and shame. As it is, the Games may go on rather with a reduced participation but the damage to the reputation of India has been done, thanks to Kalmadi team, nay, gang. A rhyme doing rounds in SMS reads:

Baba Kalmadi, Have you any shame?
No Sir, no sir, we’re playing Common Loot Games,
Crores for my partners, crores for the Dame,
Crores for me too, for putting India to shame!

The corrupt people have already damaged the Delhi Commonwealth Games, 2010 even before its beginning! We know, not many heads would roll; at best we may hope for some leisurely enquiry that would peter out to nothing after spending a lot of public money.

It is a special kind of democracy and for now, we may have to satisfy only with such rhymes; and be thankful, even this may not last for long, if Indian citizens continue to be ensconcing themselves in the shells of caste, religion, region, and language provided to them by scheming politicians of the country.

Read more...

Shera - Commonwealth Games Mascot

 More Pictures On >> Commonwealth Games 2010, Commonwealth Games Village

Read more...

CWG saga: Embarrassment continues, PM to hold meeting

WITH LESS than 11 days left for the much hyped mega event, the XIX Common Wealth Games to begin, there are things galore that require an immediate solution.

As the date approaches, more filth is coming out in the open. The event that was touted to establish India’s image as a rising super power and a country to look upon in the international scenario is bringing more embarrassment. First there were revelations of staggering corruption, then irregularities in awarding contracts. And now quality of the work has come under the scanner.

In the last two days too many incidents have occurred, nation’s image has received beating across the world. Doubts have been raised on the nation’s capability to organize a sporting extravaganza of the magnitude of Commonwealth Games. On September 21, a bridge collapsed right opposite the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, injuring about 28 labourers. The next day a false ceiling broke down in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium raising doubts on the quality of work.

Many countries have expressed their apprehension about the Commonwealth Games and have delayed their arrival. Some of the prominent athletes have rolled back their participation citing poor hygienic condition and unlivable accommodation at Commonwealth Games Village.

Mike Hooper, CEO of the Games termed the Village “filthy” and expressed disappointment over the ambience in and around the Commonwealth Games Village. New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland have raised questions on the quality of accommodation available for their athletes. They have told media persons that stray dogs were roaming running amok, filthy toilets, locks out of order and many more. The videos and images concerning filthy and unlivable Village have reached across nook and corners of the world like wild fire.

Many leading international newspapers and channels are flaking the preparation and quality of services at the Commonwealth Games. Some have expressed serious doubts whether the XIX Commonwealth Games will actually take place.

With nation’s image getting hammered, Prime Minister has decided to convene a meeting today evening to take stock of the situation and salvage nation’s pride. M S Gill, Sports Minister, Jaipal Reddy Urban Development Minister, and other senior bureaucrats are expected to attend the important meeting.

Nobody is taking the responsibility for the mess, whoever is involved is passing the buck to the other. Corruption has taken the toll on the mega event and nation’s prestige. When will the heads start rolling, nobody knows? Can there ever be accountability in our system. Games which were suppose to be better than Beijing Olympics 2008 are struggling to see the light of the day. For a common man, it’s a dicey situation, should support be given to corruption rigged games or nation's pride?

Read more...

With CWG Games in doldrums, PM steps in to steady the ship

AS THE run up to the preparation for the Commonwealth Games take an ugly turn with every other structure falling apart, the Games fiasco has got the authorities running for cover. To make sure that the situation does not deteriorate further, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has called a meeting with Sports Minister M S Gill and Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy today in New Delhi. The meeting is slated to take place in the evening.

Sources from the Prime Ministers Office said that Dr Singh will meet the ministers as he heads the Group of Ministers that keeps a track of the event's preparations amidst mounting international criticism on the country's lack of preparations to host the games.

The preparations were lambasted two days back as a team of delegates termed the Games Village “filthy and uninhabitable”. Teams from Canada, Scotland and New Zealand have postponed their arrival to New Delhi following the accusations.

The authorities and the government got a rude shock when a foot over bridge, that was meant for the athletes collapsed. Although the mishap was termed a minor one, the noise it has created over the past two days compelled the PM to call this meeting.

Congress MP and former Union Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has also lambasted the CWG Federation's head honchos Mike Fennell and Mike Hooper by saying that they have no right to criticise the games.

He further added that Fennel and Hooper, the two 'Mikes' that I refer to them as were associated with Suresh Kalmadi and till recent they were claiming that everything would be spectacular.

So, now what right do they have that at the last moment, to save their own faces they put the blame on someone else. I am not ready to believe that Mike Fennel or Mike Hooper has any right to criticise us this way.

Read more...

Delhi ready for 'Athithi Devo Bhavah' during Commonwealth Games

THE BIGGEST sports event ever to be held in India, the Commonwealth Games are all set to start from October 3 in New Delhi. It will continue till October 14. After the Asian Games, which was held in 1982, this is the first mega sports event, which is being organised by India.

Indian capital Delhi, which is hosting the games is all set to welcome about 7000 athletes, officials and thousands of tourists on this occasion.
The citizens of Delhi, tourism department, Government of Delhi, NGOs and everyone, who is related to Delhi are ready to treat their foreign guests with the dictum "Athithi Devo Bhavah" that means 'The guest is God'.

Delhi, which is commonly known as "Dilwalon ki Dilli" is famous for its tourist destinations and finger licking food. Athletes, officials and tourists, who will come in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games can explore the city and visit India Gate, Red Fort, Qutab Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Purana Quila, Raj Ghat, Lotus Temple, Akshardham Temple, Jama Masjid, Gurudwara Bangla Saheb, Birla Temple and many such places.
For those, who want to go for shopping there are a lot of shopping malls and a number of local shopping markets in Delhi. Connaught Place, Ansal Plaza, Sarojini Nagar market, Lajpat Nagar market, Chandini Chowk are great places for shopping.

Foreign guests can also enjoy lip smacking chaat, golgappe, tikki, dahi bhalle in old Delhi's famous streets. Besides these they can also enjoy paneer tikka, mughlai dishes, punjabi dishes, spicy non-veg items, chole bhature etc.

Tourist can't miss the delicious sweets of Delhi. There are a lot of places in Delhi, where tourists can enjoy these local foods items like Bengali Market, Sunder Nagar, Greater Kailash, old Delhi, many food joints, local restaurants, etc.

Read more...

Are Commonwealth Games heading towards national shame?

AS THE days are drawing nearer for the mega event, India's lack of preparation for Commonwealth Games is being exposed on a regular basis. What has been more embarrassing is that, the Chief Executive of Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) Mike Hooper termed athletes’ village as filthy and neglected.

To support its view, CGF had presented photo evidence of a stray dog jumping on a bed in the Games Village to the organizers. It is national shame that despite our culture based on cleanliness, where the poorest of Indians sweep the floors daily and keep their house clean, our organizers failed to act for an international event.

The shock does not end here. A new foot over-bridge near the main venue of the games, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed injuring 23 labourers, five of them critically. However, is it not a matter for worry for our Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy? When and at what point are our ministers going to start worrying? What about poor labourers who got injured in the mishap?

It is clear that from the day one when it was announced with national pride that India would host the Commonwealth Games, we probably were not ready for it. The way our preparation began, it demonstrated that our organizers are not focusing on it. In my view when we have not been able to host a single national game without any controversies and drawbacks, than how will we host an international affairs amidst all the hullabaloo? Now I am sure it will be diplomatic disaster.

Are Commonwealth Games heading from national pride towards national shame? It provides evidence of our inability to put this big show together as a nation. Inspite of competence and potential, the high level of corruption has bought us into this situation. Now a days, blowing a whistle against corruption has no meaning in India. Everyone seems to have accepted corruption as a part of life in India.

It is the insensitive and ‘chalta hai attitude’ of our government that is to be blamed. We are losing a golden opportunity to showcase India as a successful nation. When are we going to learn our lessons? No issues can insult us enough to change our ‘chalta hai attitude’. Our government must understand this is mega event, not a stage show. We should not be surprised if something goes wrong during the Games, if something like this happens - it will be like slap on the face of every Indian.

I feel cheerless that a Commonwealth Games organizers have let down our country and people.

Read more...

Fennel disapproves Commonwealth Games Village

WITH JUST twelve days to go for the mega event, the Commonwealth Games village, which was being praised by the Indian media has come under serious flak for shoddy quality. The president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CWF) Michael Fennell has in a message to the Cabinet Secretary expressed great uncertainty about the preparedness of the games village, where the sportsperson will be staying during the games.

Fennel has condemned the Games village and reports quoted him as saying that the athletes' village is seriously compromised.

Team members from several countries, who arrived in advance and some, who have sent advance parties have expressed dissatisfaction with the facilities. 

In fact, New Zealand is still undecided on sending its athletes and there are chances that it can withdraw the team. The recent shootout near Jama Masjid has left many visitors in panic. 

Everything at the games village is complicated as deadlines are being pushed daily.The situation outside the games village is worse as a number of projects are still far from completion and there is general panic all around.

Fennel's statement has come as a shocker because few days back, he had appreciated the venue and said that the state of affairs was satisfactory. Now it remains to be seen what the Commonwealth Games organisers can do in the few days ahead to ensure the games can go on without any hitch.

More Updates On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Commonwealth Games gift: World's biggest bus depot in Delhi

ONE OF best gifts Delhi got from the Commonwealth Games is Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC’s) Millennium Park Bus Depot which may find its name in the Guinness Book of Records. The facility is located next to the Games Village, spread over a sprawling 60-acre-plot, along the western banks of Yamuna has the capacity to house 1,000 buses, which will provide buses to athletes, delegates and media persons during the 10-day sporting extravaganza. The capacity of this depot is 10 times more than normal DTC depot.

The Millennium Park Depot has overtaken the record of the Central Bus Station, which is located in Tel Aviv (Israel) that spread over 57 acres, housed 800 buses at one time.

This DTC depot has unique facilities to repair 65 buses at a time and 10 compressed natural gas (CNG) filling pumps fitted in two CNG stations which can fuel buses twice as fast as the normal ones. There are three gates opening into three sides of Delhi – East, South and North Delhi. This depot built by Public Works Department (PWD) in less than one year at the cost of Rs 61 crore, has a logistics centre to track movement of buses.

The bus depot has five bus parking-cum-scanning centres, eight washing pits, four huge water tanks for washing buses, two separate tanks for fire reserve and drinking water, seven dormitories, where 500 persons can stay.

In this depot Delhi police have also set up a cargo scanner and command centre especially for the Commonwealth Games and it is equipped with 37 close circuit TVs. After the Games it will be used as a normal DTC bus depot. Thanks to the Commonwealth Games!

Read More On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Indian Weightlifting Players in Commonwealth Games 2010

Men

Athlete	Event
Sukhen Dey	56kg
V.S Rao	56kg
Rustam Sarang	62kg
Omkar Otari	62kg
K.Ravi Kumar	69kg
C.P.R Sudhir Kumar	77kg
Chandrakant Mali	85kg
Sarabjit Singh	+105kg

Women

 

Athlete	Event
Ng.Soniya Chanu	48kg
A.Sandhya Rani	48kg
Swati Singh	53kg
Yumnam Renubala Chanu	58kg
Monika Devi	75kg
Srishti Singh	75kg
Geeta Rani	75kg

More Updates On >> Commonwealth Games Updates

Read more...

Diksha Ohri

 

Diksha Ohri

Read More >> http://www.merinews.com/cj/diksha_ohri30

Read more...

Diksha Ohri

Diksha Ohri

 

Read More >> http://www.merinews.com/cj/diksha_ohri

Read more...

Indian Table Tennis Players in Commonwealth Games 2010

Men

• Achanta Sharath Kamal
• Subajit Saha
• Soumyadeep Roy
• Saurav Chakraborty
• A.Amalraj
• R.Abhishek *Reserved
• Sanil Shetty *Reserved

Women

• Poulomi Ghatak
• Mouma Das
• Madhurika Phatkar
• Shamini Kumaresan
• Mamata Prabhu
• Pooja Sahasrabudhe *Reserved
• Neha Aggarwal *Reserved

EAD Women

• Sonal Patel
• Bhavina Patel
• Usha Rathore

More Updates On >> Commonwealth Games Updates

Read more...

Indian Tennis Players at Commonwealth Games 2010

Men’s Tennis Players 

• Leander Paes
• Mahesh Bhupathi
• Somdev Devvarman
• Rohan Boppanna
• Yuki Bhambri *Reserve

Women Tennis Players

• Sania Mirza
• Poojashree Venkatesh
• Rushmi Chakravarthi
• Nirupama Vaidyanathan

More Updates On >> Commonwealth Games News

Read more...

Are Delhiites ready to be good hosts during Commonwealth Games?

THE DAYS are drawing nearer for one of biggest sporting events, Commonwealth games 2010. It is time for Delhiites to prove themselves as a good host for visitors during Games. But question is, are Delhiites ready for being good hosts? And look at the irony the Commonwealth Games has itself lost the sheen despite spending millions on it preparation.

The average Delhiites expected that there would be significant changes in their lives from hosting this mega sports event. Situation has hardly changed and cosmetic development has taken place around Games Village.

From ornamental street lights, decorative signages, bill boards, street art, right of information kiosks, luxury toilet complexes etc. to ensure the visitors get a feel that is akin to world-class cities such as Hong Kong and Sydney.

Rest of the situation in Delhi is still bad. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Streetscaping and beautifying is a good idea but garbage all over city still needs a sustainable solution. It is highly surprising that number of buildings, uncompleted structures and slum clusters etc. are being hidden under wraps.

Is it enough to show visitors that Delhiites are leading a world class life? Will all this alter tourists’ perception of Delhi? What will be their reaction about this city, when some visitors take a short trip to see the other parts of the Delhi?

One thing that easily gets noticed is, Delhiites have a faulty sense of national pride and no sense of ownership of civic amenities like roads et al. They pay for them but don’t care if they are clean or not.

They do not respect our laws or public property. When educated people do not think twice before tossing their McDonald’s’ bags, styrofoam containers, wrappers, cigarettes and plastic cups out of the car/bus windows, we can hardly expect illiterate people to know better.

Mostly citizens wear an attitude that is needlessly aggressive, disdainful towards law and order. The richer people do not forget to flaunt their connections to power when they are caught. The pride that the hosts should be wearing like a smile is barely visible.

The situation is more or less the same in public transportation system like metro and bus where people push each other and jump queues. . Fighting for seats, not offering them to the old and physically challenged is a mark of a Delhiite. Majority of them turn a blind eye to the etiquette and mostly adopt the infamous ‘chalta hai’ attitude.

It is a pity that Delhi government has hardly taken any interest in changing manners of their citizens. Countries like Germany and China had made enormous efforts to change their citizens' habits before hosting mega sporting events. Now it is no time for Government to change the way people behave and make them more caring and sharing. In India, democracy is taken to mean liberty to do as you please.

Read more...

Curtains lifted, Games Village all set to usher in athletes

THE COUNTDOWN has begun...the air is filled with excitement...Delhi is all set to don the looks and feel of the carnival that Brazil engulfs into every year. But, 2010 is special for Delhi and thousands of sports persons, who are going to come here and participate in the games. With 15 days to go for the mega event to kick start, every civilian, every sports person is having his spirits and morale high.

The latest breather that came was the unveiling of the Commonwealth Games Residential Village 2010. The complex which is spread over an area of 21.17 acres is a landmark integrated project with infrastructure major, Emaar MGF along with DDA. A press release issued by the company proudly announced that it is now ready to hold the Commonwealth Games.

Some salient as well as jaw dropping features that may put seven star hotels and establishments to shame includes, 4000 bedrooms spread across 34 towers in an area of four million square feet. The village will be abode for 8,000 athletes coming from various parts of the world, and the apartments which have been segregated from two to five bedroom units will play the role of home away from home for these athletes.

Highlighting the success of the project, Shravan Gupta EVC and MD of Emaar MGF said that it is a momentous occasion for for everyone at Emaar MGF to create from scratch, one of the finest Games Villages ever built, be it in design, quality or scale. The Village, as it stands today, is a shining example of blending sustainable building techniques with modern amenities.

Some features of this village includes exquisite cuisine that covers each and every corner of the world and complementing the players' tastes. The superior designs and finish teamed with Italian marble, wooden flooring, VRF technology for central cooling and use of solar energy primarily gives a face lift to the establishment. With superior security systems, wi-fi/DTH enabled, 100% power back up and treated water supply this is 'something' that everyone will be looking forward for. 

Read more...

Travelers announces Commonwealth Games tour programme

JOY-TRAVELS dot com, India’s leading online travel portal has announced the launch of Commonwealth Games 2010 Tour Programme across indian Travelers. 

The Commonwealth Games is a multinational, multi-sport event held once every four years. The main objective of organizing the Commonwealth Games is to improve the society and general well-being of the people of the Commonwealth of Nations.

This can be achieved through encouragement and assistance of education via sports development and physical recreation. Commonwealth Games is often referred to as the ‘Friendly Games'. As you might have guessed by now, the various sports activities like Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Bowls, Boxing, Cycling, EAD Events, Gymnastics, Hockey, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis and Weightlifting are all meant to bring the countries together to strengthen the relationships.

Athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations (the former colonies of British Empire) participate in this Game. On an average around 5000 athletes and officials, attend the Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) with it’s headquarter in London is the organization that is responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games.
Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi are scheduled from 3 October to 14 October, 2010. This is the best time to travel to Delhi, which has average daytime temperatures of 22°C (71.5°F) in October. You can visit many of Delhi’s numerous heritage sites and monuments, sample world class cuisine and entertainment at the city’s numerous hotels and restaurants, shop till you drop at the various malls and shopping outlets the city provides, and experience all that this vibrant, exciting city has to offer.
Commonwealth Games 2010 Schedule.
The Indian capital will have five new stadiums and a Games Village for the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in October.One indoor stadium each will be constructed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for weightlifting, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex for wrestling, Siri Fort for badminton and squash and Yamuna Complex for table tennis.
Opening Ceremony -J.N.Stadium(JNS) - Closing Ceremony
1. Aquatics - Delhi University
2. Athletics - J.N Stadium(JNS)
3.Badminton - Siri Fort Sports Complex
4. Boxing - Talkatora Indoor Stadium
5. Cycling - I. G. Indoor Stadium complex
6.Gymnastics - I. G. Indoor Stadium complex
7. Hockey - Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium
8. Lawn Bowls - J.N Stadium(JNS)
9. Netball - Tyagaraj Sports Complex
10. Rugby 7s - Delhi University
11.Shooting - Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range
12. Squash - Siri Fort Sports Complex
13. Table Tennis - Yamuna Sports Complex
14. Weightlifting - J.N Stadium(JNS)
15. Wrestling- I. G. Indoor Stadium complex

Read more...

India Squash Squad for Commonwealth Games 2010

Men Squad

Sourav Ghoshal

Sandeep Jangra

Siddharth Suchde

Harinder Pal Sandhu

Gaurav Nandrajog

Women Squad

Joshna Chinnappa

Dipika Pallikal

Anaka Alamkamony

Surbi Mishra

Anwesha Reddy

Read more...

Vuvuzela (Bhopu) to make a mark during Commonwealth Games

MOST OF the Indians may have failed to understand what is a Vuvuzela but they will soon realise that it is called a 'bhopu' in our mother tongue. It is all set to blast in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi.

This horn was popularly used at the soccer matches during FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In India, the bhopu, the noisy plastic horn is the most sought–after product among Commonwealth Games merchandise in all stores followed by T-shirts and mugs, where other products are selling for mega event.
The Vuvuzela is available at the flagship stores at Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee (OC) headquarter and shortly it will be available in shopping malls, retail outlets etc in Delhi and NCR. Special vans have been hired by OC to transport all merchandises of Commonwealth Games and for selling those products in schools and residential societies from September 15 onwards. The school children will get special discounts on all products.
Good news for Vuvuzela buyers is that it will be allowed in stadiums only after security checking but audiences can’t take mobile phones, eatables, poster and banners in stadium. The vuvuzela is only product left for audiences to have a blast during games.
The vuvuzela was a big hit among the fans during FIFA World Cup though some of the players had objected to it. Is it fit to be used in India?

“Yes, it is. In India this is a different case,” said World Wrestling Championship winner Sushil Kumar and he supported its entry in the stadiums.
There are some demerits of Vuvuzela too. It will disturb players and will be counter-productive. Earlier, the noisy horns were banned from all European sports events. Even during Wimbledon Tennis Tournament in London organisers didn’t allow the entry of Vuvuzelas in stadium.

Read more...

CWG Organising Committee on a high after first venue is given green signal

THE TRANSITORY period from common'wrath' games to Commonwealth Games saw some ray of hope amidst the tensions and speculations when one of its myriad venues was given the green signal by the officials. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which is slated to host the opening and closing ceremony of the Games, was given a special treat by the media personnel when they hopped aboard for a special tour of the venue.

This move was welcomed as a sign of preparedness by the organising committee. As the agents of change revealed the newly built stadia, Suresh Kalmadi, Organising Committee Chairman on a confident note said “As you can see, world-class infrastructure is ready, despite the apprehension. We are working day and night to make the Games successful”. In such mega events, the support of the media in setting the mood right is equally important and Kalmadi too asserted on the same point.

Competition manager, Carmel Wright from Australia said that the competitions are slated to begin from 13^th September and the facilities are world class. He being an Australian said that the stadium is much better than what we had in Melbourne where there were not many change rooms. It will leave a rich legacy for the sport in India.

Leaving no stone unturned the Organising Committee assured that everything was ready in the stadium and as per the proposed plan, that is, athletes lounge, anti doping centre, warm up area, change room, medical facilities.

Apart from the organising committee, a lot of interest was also generated amongst the locals, who embarked on a journey to make the event more memorable as they realised that its the image of the country that is at stake.

Read more...

Indian Shooting Squad for Commonwealth Games 2010

Clay Target - Men Event

Competitor(s)	Event
Manavjit Singh Sandhu	Trap Singles
Mansher Singh	Trap Singles
Manavjit Singh Sandhu Mansher Singh	Trap Pairs
Asher Noria	Double Trap Singles
Ronjan Singh Sodhi	Double Trap Singles
Asher Noria Ronjan Singh Sodhi	Double Trap Pairs
A.D Peoples	Skeet Singles
Mairaj Ahmed Khan	Skeet Singles
A.D Peoples Mairaj Ahmed Khan	Skeet Pairs

Clay Target - Women Event

Competitor(s)	Event
Shreyasi Singh	Trap Singles
Seema Tomar	Trap Singles
Seema Tomar Shreyasi Singh	Trap Pairs

Pistol - Men Event

Competitor(s)	Event
Omkar Singh	10m Air Pistol Singles
Gurupreet Singh	10m Air Pistol Singles
Omkar Singh Gurupreet Singh	10m Air Pistol Pairs
Vijay Kumar	25m Rapid Fire Singles
Gurupreet Singh	25m Rapid Fire Singles
Vijay Kumar Gurupreet Singh	25m Rapid Fire Pairs
Vijay Kumar	25m Centre Fire Singles
Harpreet Singh	25m Centre Fire Singles
Vijay Kumar Harpreet Singh	25m Centre Fire Pairs
Samaresh Jung	25m Standard Singles
C.K Choudry	25m Standard Singles
Samaresh Jung C.K Choudry	25m Standard Pairs
Omkar Singh	50m Pistol Singles
Deepak Sharma	50m Pistol Singles
Omkar Singh Deepak Sharma	50m Pistol Pairs

Pistol - Women Event

Competitor(s)	Event
Heena Sidhu	10m Air Pistol Singles
Annuraj Singh	10m Air Pistol Singles
Heena Sidhu Annuraj Singh	10m Air Pistol Pairs
Anissa Sayyed	25m Pistol Singles
Rahi Sarnobot	25m Pistol Singles
Anissa Sayyed Rahi Sarnobot	25m Pistol Pairs

Small Bore & Air Rifle - Men Event

Competitor(s)	Event
Abhinav Bindra	10m Air Rifle Singles
Gagan Narang	10m Air Rifle Singles
Abhinav Bindra Gagan Narang	10m Air Rifle Pairs
Gagan Narang	50m Rifle 3 Pos Singles
Imran Hasan Khan	50m Rifle 3 Pos Singles
Gagan Narang Imran Hasan Khan	50m Rifle 3 Pos Pairs
Gagan Narang	50m Rifle Prone Singles
Hariom Singh	50m Rifle Prone Singles
Hariom Singh Gagan Narang	50m Rifle Prone Pairs

Small Bore & Air Rifle - Women Event

Competitor(s)	Event
Suma Shirur	10m Air Rifle Singles
Kavitha Yadav	10m Air Rifle Singles
Suma Shirur Kavitha Yadav	10m Air Rifle Pairs
Tejaswini Sawant	50m Rifle 3 Pos Singles
Lajja Gausami	50m Rifle 3 Pos Singles
Tejaswini Sawant Lajja Gauswami	50m Rifle 3 Pos Pairs
Tejawni Sawant	50m Rifle Prone Singles
Meena Kumari	50m Rifle Prone Singles
Tejaswini Sawnat Meena Kumari	50m Rifle Prone Pairs

More Updates on >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Indian Women’s Hockey Team for Commonwealth Games 2010

Defenders

• Binita Toppo
• Subhadra Pradhan
• Joydeep Kaur

Midfielders

• Asunta Lakra
• Kirandeep Kaur
• Mukta Prava Barla
• Deepika Thakur
• Ritu Rani

Forwards

• Surinder Kaur (captain)
• Saba Anjum
• Rani Rampal
• Jasjeet Kaur Handa
• Thokcham Chanchan Devi
• Poonam Rani

Goal Tenders

• Dipika Murty
• Etimarpu Rajani

More Updates on >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Indian Lawn Bowls Players at Commonwealth Games 2010

Men

Competitor(s)	Event
Mohammed Raja	Men's Singles
Mahip Tirkey	Men's Pairs
Dinesh Kumar Krishna Xalxo Prince Kumar Mahato	Men's Triples

Women

Competitor(s)	Event
Farzana Khan	Women's Singles
Arzoo Rani Manu Pal	Women's Pairs
Tania Choudhry Pinki Kaushik Rupa Rani Tirkey	Women's Triples

 

Related News On >> Commonwealth Games

Read more...

Indian Rugby Sevens players in Commonwealth Games

Mens team India will play in Pool B

Nasser Hussain

Hrishikesh Pendse

Rohaan Sethna

Kayrus Unwala

Pritom Roy

Gautam Dagar

Deepak Dagar

Kamaldeep Dagar

Amit Lochab

Jagga Singh

Sailen Tudu

Thimmaiah Mandanda

Dinesh Kumar Ravi Kumar

Bikash Jena

Surinder Singh

Sukhdeep Singh

Rohit Sivach

Dalwinder Singh

Sujai Lama

Puneet Krishnamoorthy

Roshan Lobo

Related News On >> Commonwealth Games

Read more...

Indian Gymnastics Squad for Commonwealth Games 2010

Artistic Men

Ashish Kumar

Partho Mandal

Mayank Srivastava

Rakesh Patra

Rohit Jaiswal

Alok Ranjan *Reserved

Vivek Mishra *Reserved

Artistic Women

Deepa Karmakar

Preeti Das

Debjani Samanta

Meenakshi

Roma Dilip Jogalekar

Diwja Asher *Reserved

Paromita Das *Reserved

Rhythmic

Kshipra Joshi

Akshata Shete

Pooja Surve

Mitali *Reserved

Related News On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Indian Boxing players in Commonwealth Games 2010

Athlete	Event
Amandeep Singh	Light Flyweight 49kg
Suranjoy Singh	Flyweight 52kg
Akhil Kumar	Bantamweight 56kg
Jai Bhagawan	Lightweight 60kg
Manoj Kumar	Light Welterweight 64kg
Dilbagh Singh	Welterweight 69kg
Vijender Singh	Middleweight 75kg
Dinesh Kumar	Light Heavyweight 81kg
Manpreet Singh	Heavyweight 91kg
Paramjit Samota	Super Heavyweight +91kg

Related News On >> Commonwealth Games

Read more...

Badminton players of India in Commonwealth Games 2010

Chetan Anand

Parupalli S Kashyap

Saina Nehwal

Aditi Mutatkar

Rupesh Kumar

Sanave Thomas

Ashwini Ponnappa

Jwala Gutta

V.Diju

Chetan Anand

Aparna Balan

Related News On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Aerostat: The Commonwealth Games star attraction

WHAT IS the star attraction of Commonwealth Games 2010? It is not our Indian athletes or any other player or Prince Charles or other foreign dignitaries but a multi-crore showpiece,  an aerostat (helium balloon), which is going to steal the show during the Commonwealth Games opening and closing ceremonies at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

It is for the first time that such a massive balloon will be used for any entertainment/sporting event in India. The white gigantic helium filled balloon has been made at a cost of 70 crore rupees and  floated 10 metres above the ground inside the stadium. However, during the opening and closing ceremonies it will float 30 metres above the ground. It is filled with 20,000 cubic metres of helium gas.

The 80m by 40m and 12m high, Aerostat is not an ordinary balloon; it is unique piece of technology which will definitely attract the spectators and visitors at home and overseas. It is mounted with cameras that provide a 360-degree viewing experience so every person in the stadium can view the entire effect of the aerostat and laser projections. There will be light fixtures with mirrors, which will be fixed on the belly of the balloon, and this will emit a warm glow.
The video projection will have animation graphics, parts of the Queen's Baton Relay and many more things. It will be coordinated with the events that will take place during the ceremonies. The projection will be of high-resolution and aerostat will lift scenic elements and create dramatic effects.

Related News On >> Commonwealth Games

Read more...

Indian Athletics at Commonwealth Games 2010

Men
100 M, 4x100M
1 Abdul Najib Qureshi
2 B.G. Nagaraj
3 Krishna Kumar Rane
4 Hemant Kirulkar
5 Rahamattulla Molla
6 Shameer mon
7 Ritesh Anand
8 Manikandaraj
9 S. Sathya

200 M
1 Dharambir
2 Abdul Najib Qureshi

400 M, 4x400m
1 Kunhi Mohammad
2 Vinay Chaudhry
3 J. Premanand
4 Harpreet Singh
5 V.B. Bineesh
6 Jithin Paul
7 Bibin Mathew
8 S K Mortaja

800 M
1 Pankaj Dimri
2 P.Francis Sagayaraj
3 Manjit Singh

1500 M
1 Sandeep Karan Singh
2 C. Hamza

5000 M
1 Sunil Singh
2 Sandeep Batham

10000 M
1 Sunil Singh

110 MH
1 Siddhanth Thingalaya

400 MH
1 Joseph Abraham

3000 M SC
1 Elam Singh
2 Ramachandran

MARATHON
1 Bining L.

SHOTPUT
1 Om Prakash

DISCUS
1 Vikas Gowda

JAVELIN
1 Kashi Nath
2 Samareet Singh

HAMMER
1 Chandrodaya Narayan
LONG JUMP
1 Maha Singh
2 Ankit Sharma
3 Hari Krishnan M.

TRIPLE JUMP
1 Renjith Maheshwari
2 Amarjit Singh

HIGH JUMP
1 Nikhil Chitrasau
2 Hari Shanker Roy

POLE VAULT
1 Gajanan Upadhyay
DECATHLON
1 Bhartinder Singh
2 P J Vinod

Updates On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Commonwealth Games: Who is responsible for the mess?

COMMONWEALTH GAMES were allotted to Delhi in 2003. In 2004, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee under Suresh Kalmadi was set up. Six years were available to the Government of India (Ministry of Sports/Sports Authority of India), Delhi government, Organising Committee and other agencies for the preparations of Commonwealth Games 2010. Now, every institution is playing the blame game and passing on the buck to others.
Who was responsible for the coordination with various agencies? Clearly, it was Ministry of Sports, Government of India and the Organising Committee under Kalmadi. The Organising Committee had coordination sub-committees for both civic and sports infrastructure. What these sub-committees had been doing for the last six years? We have to remember that all these six years prior to the Games, Congress was in power both at the Centre and in Delhi. Kalmadi is also a Congress MP.
Mani Shankar Aiyar has been crying hoarse now over the Games’ mess. What was he doing when he was sports minister? Why didn’t he resign then when he could not prevail upon Kalmadi? What is the point of shrieking now?
A group of ministers (GoM) under Union Minister of Urban Development (Jaipal Reddy) has been operational during the last five years. The Minister of Urban Development was made chairman of this GoM because CPWD, which is executing most of the infrastructure projects, is under this ministry. This GoM was also supposed to monitor the preparations for the Games. What this GoM has been doing during the last five years in the light of corruption complaints, gross delays, shoddy execution, etc. To top it all, why the Prime Minister and his overarching Cabinet Secretary and PMO could not sense the mess well in advance and take remedial actions?
Kalmadi’s Organising Committee has an executive board (governing body). Four directors on this board are from the government namely, secretary (Sports) and financial advisor from Sports Ministry, one officer each from Union Ministry of Urban Development and Delhi government. It was the first and foremost duty of this executive board to monitor the Games’ preparations and take all policy decisions for the Organising Committee’s activities. What this executive board and especially these four government directors were doing all these six years?
A number of civil and sports infrastructure projects fall under the domain of Delhi government. What Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, her ministers and her senior officers were doing all these six years?
Nation demands answer to the above questions. These questions involve national pride and huge public money. Accountability of each functionary/institution has to be fixed.

Read more...

Commonwealth Games expose embedded corruption in the system

WHAT the Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in Delhi have made clear is the fact that India as a nation is immersed deep in corruption and we have not changed much.

If you are a foreign delegate then don’t be surprised by the preparations, thanks to Suresh Kalmadi and his men. You will have few second rung officials welcoming you at the Indira Gandhi International airport rather sports fans, who by now have become detached from the entire event. The special Commonwealth Games taxi you will board will be your first kiss with corruption, wherein the prices quoted for thing were inflated beyond ones imagination.

Don’t forget to wear the seat belts provided in the vehicle as you have a bumpy ride ahead thanks to the roads that have been left unrepaired. While in Delhi, please be vigilant about the stagnant water and mosquitoes as you have every chance of falling sick with dengue or malaria!

It’s difficult to predict the status of stadiums as we are rushing for their completion in the eleventh hour. The patriotic people of India are being asked to put up a phenomenal show in Delhi just as Beijing hosted the Olympics in 2008.

The strong reason behind this system failure might be the appetite for wads of cash amongst the netas. Until the recent time, there was hardly a debate on the CWG 2010 in the upper house or lower houses of the Parliament.

What made them to debate this issue was exposure of corruption in some newspapers, which is a political bullet, without doubt. Secondly the complete charge of conducting these games has been assigned to a bunch of bureaucrats and semi-politicians.

I am certain that Public Private Partnership (PPP) would have been a better idea. We need a well planned systematic approach to co-ordinate the event which we have been lacking badly.

As a last take on this subject I feel we don’t have our hearts in place to host this event.
Better luck next time!

Related Articles On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Himachal government to promote tourism during CWG 2010

IN AN innovative way to attract tourists from across the world, particularly from the United Kingdom, Himachal Pradesh has chronicled all the existing churches and cemeteries of the state in a book. This has been done by the Department of Tourism, and they wish to market and publicise the book at a large scale during the Commonwealth Games and attract tourists.

Arun Kumar, Director, Tourism said: “To attract the international visitors, a book — The Churches and Christian Cemeteries of Himachal Pradesh — is coming up listing various graves and cemeteries of the State where thousands of Europeans have been laid to rest.”

He said the Department of Tourism expects that with this document, it would invoke a desire amongst the visitors to visit the graveyards, churches and cemeteries in Himachal Pradesh as they were influenced by colonial architecture.

He said the book would be made available during the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, besides, in British and other embassies. “This document will also be available in all the tourist information centres within and outside the State,” he added.

The document has the details about the oldest cemetery in Shimla, near Oak Over, where the burial ground was opened around the year 1828 and the first grave is dated 1829. Then there is Cart Road Cemetery where Major Samuel Boileau Goad was also buried.

He was one of Shimla’s most prominent residents and owned at least 33 of Shimla’s most valuable properties including Barne’s Court, Kennedy House, the Park and Holly Lodge, besides, the details of cemeteries at Sanjauli, below St Bedes, Kanlog, Jutogh, Kotgarh and Subathu.

He said the book also had details of churches and cemeteries, memorials at Nahan, Kasauli, Kangra, Palampur, McLeodganj, Dalhousie and Chamba. Then there is a memorial to Penelope Chetwode at Khanag, near Ani in Outer Seraj of Kullu district. Penelope was the daughter of Field Marshal Baron Chedwode, who had served as Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army.

“She remained in love with Himachali hills till her death in 1986 on a trek between Shimla and Kullu over the Jalori Pass,” informed Kumar.

Related Articles On >> Commonwealth Games 2010 , Commonwealth Games News

Read more...

Indian Archery Team for Commonwealth Games 2010

India will send 12  Men’s archers to the 2010 commonwealth games.

Athlete	Event
Jayanta Tlukdar	Recurve individual
Rahul Bannerjee	Recurve individual
Tarundeep Rai	Recurve individual
P Srither	Compound individual
C H Jignesh	Compound individual
Ritul Chatterjee	Compound individual
Jayanta Talukdar	Team recurve
Rahul Bannerjee	Team recurve
Tarundeep Rai	Team recurve
P Srither	Team compound
C H Jignesh	Team compound
Ritul Chatterjee	Team compound

India will send 12  Women’s archers to the 2010 commonwealth games.

Athlete	Event
Dola Bannerjee	Recurve individual
Deepika Kumari	Recurve individual
L.Bombyla Devi	Recurve individual
Gagandeep Kaur	Compound individual
Jhanu Hansda	Compound individual
Bhegibati Chanu	Compound individual
Dola Bannerjee	Team recurve
Deepika Kumari	Team recurve
L Bombyla Devi	Team recurve
Gagandeep Kaur	Team comp
Jhanu Hansda	Team comp
Bhegiyabati Chanu	Team comp

 

Read Latest News On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Delhi Traffic Plan for Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Delaying of NoC harms preparations for Commonwealth Games

THERE IS growing concern in Boxing circles in Pakistan as it is being seen that the Interior Ministry is delaying the issuance of No-Objection Certificate (NoC) to the Sports Ministry regarding the visit of pugilists from abroad in the run up to the Commonwealth Games. The foreign teams are being invited to help the country's boxers prepare in a better way for the ensuing Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

To ensure that the boxers are in top shape, the Pakistan Boxing Federation is organising an international training camp at Pakistan Sports Complex. The camp began on August 15 but due to lack of clearance only boxers from Sri Lanka have reached Pakistan till now.

Sports ministrty spokesman, Faik Ali said that although that have written to the Ministry of Interior but they have received no response yet.

“We have Invited 8 teams for the ongoing joint training camp but only one team from siri-lanka has arrived in Pakistan for the preparation of Commonwealth games while rest of the teams will come after the issuance of NOC from Ministry of Interior”, he said.

Pakistan Boxing Federation has invited teams from Uganda, Central African Republic, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria and Rwanda in the ongoing training camp.

Ali also mentioned that once no-objection certificate is received from Ministry of Interior, it will become the responsibility of the government to provide security to the visiting teams and the sports ministry will alseo be able to arrange for the logistics.

“We are waiting for their reply, so that we may start legal documentation for the foreign teams", the spokesman said
Meanwhile, sources in Pakistan Boxing Federation said that delay in NoC was due to negligence of certain officials and this was going to hit preparations for the Commonwealth Games.

“The main goal of conducting the joint boxing camp is to provide effectively competitive training in line with international standards to the promising pugilists of the country. This camp will continue till 24 September”, sources added.

Related Articles On >> Common Wealth Games

Read more...

Commonwealth Games 2010 and Delhi transport system

THE CONTROVERSIES surrounding the Commonwealth Games have hurt the nation with shame and disappointment. But if latest reports are to be believed then Commonwealth Games are going to give a harrowing time to commuters using both private and public transport as major portions of the road would be reserved for games.

From Saturday, September 4, 2010, trial run for the transport system which will handle commuting by players and officials during Commonwealth Games would be carried out.

As a consequence the people of Delhi will have to face the brunt as some of the roads will be exclusively reserved for Commonwealth Games sportspersons and delegates. This year the condition of the roads is already bad due to rains and this trial run would further add to the woes of common citizens, feel people.

To ensure that the trial run goes without hitch, there is a strong presence of Tata Motors, Delhi  Transport Corporation (DTC) and Delhi Traffic Police on these road stretches. These three organisations are going to set up, organise and manage the transport for athletes, officials, technical staff and media persons.

From September 20, 2010 onwards, when the foreign visitors start landing in Delhi, things are likely to get more difficult. Commuters can expect massive jams, especially near the airport as the visitors are ferried to the games village in East Delhi via these dedicated lanes.
Trespassers will be fined Rs 2000 and their vehicle can also be impounded if the law is violated. The period of restriction and the number of reserved roads will only increase as the dates for the games comes near. The roads will bear blue patches called reserve lanes situated at the extreme right or extreme left depending on a particular road. Out of 450 kilometers of arterial road space in Delhi, 105 kilometers will be dedicated to the games. 
Already the Delhi government has asked schools and colleges to remain closed during the games and requests are being made to citizens of Delhi to use the roads sparingly during the games.

Delhi special commissioner for traffic has appealed to the people to use metro during the games to ease traffic congestions till the end of games.

Related Articles On >> Commonwealth Games 2010

Read more...

Better banish Delhiites to some other place during CWG Games

DELHI AND its citizens are paying a heavy cost for hosting the forthcoming Commonwealth Games which have come as boon only for netas and babus to earn more Black money from corruption and to get free passes for the game, while the common man is put to all types of difficulties.

Unplanned construction-work, overlooking areas where development was needed more has caused water-logging and traffic jams and also lead to the failure of the sanitary system thus causing spread of dengue-like diseases.
Closing of roads for trial-run for the games and the decision to close the games-lanes calls for imposition of curfew in Delhi during Commonwealth Games rather than putting citizens to further hardships through probable traffic-jams.

It seems only God can save people from hardships during Commonwealth Games although time constraint and rains have forced the organisers to drop some of their grand plans. It would have been lot better if the games were organised in a city, which is less congested and has more space to offer as compared to the national capital.

If the games were held in some other place, then top quality infrastructure would have been created for players as well as common citizens.

Related Articles On >> Commonwealth Games Delhi

Read more...