Delhi gave $10m kickbacks

AUSTRALIA received a $125,000 kickback after India won the Commonwealth Games rights from a $10 million palm-greasing exercise that may yet backfire.
As Commonweaalth Games officials last night held an emergency meeting to save the event from a mass international pullout, it has been revealed Delhi sealed the right to host the Games when its delegates offered all 72 nations at the final presentation in Jamaica $US100,000 (then worth about $140,000) each for training schemes if the Indian city was successful.

The money, subsequently paid to all nations, was not significant to Australia because it had already decided to vote for India and the payment was not an exceptionally large one.

But for small nations, who have only minimal interest in the Games, it clinched their support and India went on to beat Canadian city Hamilton 46-22 in the final vote in November, 2003.

Hamilton had earlier offered the nations about $70,000 each.

"I think you can safely say the kinds of issues they (Delhi) are experiencing wouldn't have happened if it were here," Hamilton bid chairman Jagoda Pike said yesterday.

The Commonwealth Games Association has banned eleventh-hour inducements following the outrage over India's tactics.

"We agree with that (no more inducements) decision because you have to be transparent," Australian Commonwealth Games Association president Sam Coffa told The Advertiser from Turkey last night.

He has mixed emotions about Delhi's plight but has no regrets about supporting their Games bid.

"I still think they can pull it off  ... if I have any regrets it is that the Commonwealth Games Federation did not act sooner to get things in hand," he said.

The Gold Coast consortium, who are hoping to host the 2018 Games, have been told they must include all details of their bid in a proposal by May next year. Indian officials were yesterday confronted by a joint letter signed by eight countries demanding security and hygiene concerns be met or they will refuse to compete.

Emergency crisis talks were under way last night between the head of the Commonwealth Games Federation Michael Fennell and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and ministers Jaipal Reddy and M.S. Gill.

"We agree with that (no more inducements) decision because you have to be transparent," Australian Commonwealth Games Association president Sam Coffa told The Advertiser from Turkey last night.

 He has mixed emotions about Delhi's plight but has no regrets about supporting their Games bid.

 "I still think they can pull it off. If I have any regrets it is that the Commonwealth Games Federation did not act sooner to get things in hand.