Seven seas were traversed in an equal
number of years -- yet the waters remained troubled and the road
to final destination strewn with impendiments aplenty.
Welcome to the 19th Commonwealth Games -- the biggest multi-sport
event to be staged in India since the Asian Games 28 years ago.
On the road to being scripted, history set off at the CGF General
Assembly in Montego Bay, Jamaica, seven years ago when New Delhi
ensnared the rights to play host to the Games in the year 2010.
Two principal bids for the CWG were - Delhi and Hamilton. And
when Delhi bid won by a margin of 46 votes to 22, India became the
third developing country to host the games after Malaysia and
Jamaica which caused whoops of delight for the Indians, the
second largest population of the world.
That was then. Cut to Circa 2010.
A waiting New Delhi, having grappled with obstacles galore
in the build-up to the mega event, has the red carpet in ready
to roll out when foreign delegates and players come calling in
a week or so.
The Games will feature 71 nations.
The 12-day games, to open on October 3, are already the
obscenely expensive in sports history, with an infrastructure and
organising budget of two billion dollars. The Commonwealth Games
are the third largest multi-sporting event after the Olympics and
Asian games.
The sports included in the tournament are aquatics,
archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastic, hockey,
lawn bowls, netball, rugby sevens, shooting, squash, table tennis,
tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.
The official mascot for the October mega sports spectacle is
Shera, the name derived from a Hindi word-sher which means tiger.
The mascot rightly represents the modern Indian, proud of his
nation's ancient heritage and a fierce competitor but with honesty.
On the contrary, the official song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games
''Jiyo utho badho jeeto'' is composed and performed by Indian
musician A R Rahman. The song's title is based on the slogan of the
games, ''Come out and play''.
The opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, lawn bowls, and
weightlifting will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which
will have a seating capacity of 75,000 spectators after renovation
for the games. Archery, cycling, gymnastics, and wrestling will take
place at the Indira Gandhi Arena, the largest indoor sports arena
in India and the second-largest in Asia, which has a seating
capacity of 25,000 people.
All eyes are riveted on India now, after China successfully
hosted the 2008 Olympics with the world anticipating a spectacular
and flawless event.
However, India's dream to host the Commonwealth Games, which was
viewed by the Indians as a perfect platform to display their rising
power both as sporting and economic nation, faces the risk of being
shattered after dark clouds of uncertainty hovered on it following
the concerns on preparedness of the showcase event were aired.
With only 15 days left before the start of the tournament,
many sports facilities are far from being complete. Meanwhile, the
roads and flyovers are also in the process of construction, which is
hampering the expectations of staging the games on time with
national pride running the risk of being shattered to smithereens.
Slow progress in the completion of stadia and facilities has forced
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to step in to save the country
blushes.
Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell has also
slammed the Games village for Delhi 2010 for not having
up-to-the-mark hygiene and sanitation. Security and health concerns
have frightened some of the 7,000 competitors expected in the
national capital, while the absence of big name attractions such as
sprinter Usain Bolt has resulted in sluggish ticket sales.
Meanwhile, an anti-corruption unit has found a host of problems
with construction projects, including the use of poor-quality
materials, allegations of fake building safety certificates and
financial kickbacks. Several sponsors have also pulled back their
investments fearing that their spending would go in vain, sensing
the failure of the games which could harm their brand name as well.
The heavy monsoon downpours here have not helped either in the
last minute preparations of the games and with the weather office
predicting more rains in September, things could go worse for India.
The recent rainfalls have brought to the fore several chinks in
the armour of the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and other venues.
The panacea for all ills plaguing the games was as elusive as a
chimera.
The recent rise of India has made the world reckon them as
potential superpower in future, but their poor management and
handling of the games have raised serious questions over their
credibility.
The organisers of this year's Commonwealth Games invited
criticism from every nook and cranny. Some dismissed the October
Games as nothing but the ''colossal waste'' of money for a country
like India.
Organising Committee (OC) chief Suresh Kalmadi came in for sharp
criticism from his own party leaders. They lobbed corruption
charges against him and his coterie.
His key aides got the sack by the OC following the Sports
Ministry intervention.
Media went hammer and tongs over the incompletion of work which
forced Delhi Chief Minister to go off news channels and stop
flipping through newspapers.
The lengthening shadow of security concern made the organisers
knit their eyebrows.
Only time will tell whether the media was justified in spewing
fire against Kalmadi, Mrs Dikshit and agencies involved in the
games-related projects or whether the OC chieftain made all the
right moves by splurging over them.
Now, not much time is left for the Games to commence as it is a
matter of just a fortnight when the entire world be witnessing the
sporting spectacle.
Who will have the last laugh? The month of October is still
pregnant with the inquisition -- after all it is a frantic race
against time.
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