Northern Ireland delegation on reconnaissance trip to Delhi

A 10-member delegation of the Commonwealth Games Council for Northern Ireland, led by Chairman Mr. Robert McVeigh and Secretary-General Ms, Terry Crothers, is in the Capital on a two-day familiarisation visit in the run up to the Commonwealth Games, beginning here on 3 October.

Mr. McVeigh, who is a shooter himself and has been to Delhi a number of times, expressed confidence that the Games will be a big success. “I see the commitment from the Governments of India and Delhi and the Organising Committee for Delhi to produce infrastructure and a Games that will make the city a major player in the world of sport in the future,” he said.

The delegation, which arrived here on Tuesday, visited the Games Village, the headquarters of the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi and a number of Games venues. Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Chairman Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, MP, and other members of the top management met the group.

The delegation includes coaches Maggie Squires (archery), 1990 Commonwealth Games discus throw silver medallist and Northern Ireland Athletics High Performance Manager Jackie McKernan, Stephen Friel (boxing), Tom Causer (badminton), three-time Commonwealth Games cyclist Cormac Macann (Cycling) and Nelson Lindsay (swimming).

On Thursday, the CGCNA delegation will have meetings with some Functional Areas of the Organising Committee 2010 Delhi.

Northern Ireland, which won two silver medals in the Commonwealth Games in 2006, is targeting a number of disciplines for medals. “We will have around 80 athletes in a team of 120 and will look to return better off than we did from Melbourne. And one the reasons is that the timing of the Games suits us, coming as it does towards the end of our summer,” McVeigh said.

Mr McVeigh said the visit of the Queen’s Baton was a memorable event for Northern Ireland. “We were able to take the Queen’s Baton 2010 Delhi to all areas of Northern Ireland. It came as a messenger of peace and it united the community. It was also an opportunity for us to promote sport at large and Commonwealth Games in particular,” he said.