10,000 school guides for Commonwealth Games

The Delhi Government will provide 10,000 school guides for the inaugural ceremony of the Commonwealth Games come October, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit announced on Friday at the inauguration of the wrestling training venue for the Games at Ludlow Castle Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya near Kashmere Gate here.

She also announced that the demand for another 50,000 volunteers made by the Indian Olympic Association would be met in a phased manner.

The Chief Minister said all projects related to the sporting event would be completed well in time and funds would not be a problem as an additional Rs.1,300 crore has already been made available under the Plan outlay for the current year.

Ms. Dikshit said construction of both Thyagraj and Chhatrasal stadiums was also going on in full swing and they are expected to be completed in March.

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi appreciated the pace of construction of the Games-related project and expressed confidence that they would all be completed within the stipulated time.

He said by organising the Commonwealth Games successfully, India would get an opportunity to lay its claim on hosting the Olympics.
Training venue

Public Works Department Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan informed the gathering that construction of the Ludlow Castle training venue has been completed in a record time at a cost of Rs.13 crore.

Make city garbage-free before CWG: Mayor to Municipal Commissioner

Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain today directed the Delhi Municipal Commissioner to make the national capital garbage-free before Commonwealth Games.

Asking to prepare a Master Plan for achieving the goals, Mr Sain said, ''MCD should launch a double-prong strategy to deal with the situation.'' He advised that besides educating people through its sanitation awareness campaign, MCD should set deterrents and intensify actions to discourage those who spread unsanitary conditions in the capital.

Mr Sain also urged Municipal Magistrates to pay special attention in this regard.

Impressing upon Delhi Government to clear Delhi Cleanliness and Sanitation Byelaws, 2009, pending with it for the last six months, he said MCD had approved it in May 2009 and subsequently sent it for approval of and notification by the Delhi Government.

The proposed byelaws seek a fine of Rs 200 for littering, spitting, urinating, washing utensils in public places and for not keeping a house lane clean.

The SAG Opening Ceremony impresses Gill

Impressed with the way Bangladesh conducted the opening ceremony of the South Asian Games today, Sports Minister M S Gill today said India could learn a few things from it for the ensuing Commonwealth Games back home.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today declared open the Games, which Gill termed as South Asia's "Olympics".

Thousands of school students and Army men participated in the gala ceremony which glimpsed the culture and heritage of the national

"It's not easy task to bring more than 10,000 school children, youth to put up such a show. There is something we can learn from this ahead of the opening of the Commonwealth Games on October 3," Gill, who was part of the dignitaries, said after the ceremony.

Bangladesh proved its ability to organise such a big sporting event
in such a massive way. It also gave me an idea how the opening ceremony is held," he added.

Gill also called for expansion of sporting relations between India and Bangladesh.

"I am very happy to be here. It's South Asia's Olympics. The competition is held among eight neighbouring countries in a very friendly manner.

"In terms of bilateral relationship in sport, there is much we can do together. We have an extensive coaching system in place with SAI centres in Kolkata, Patiala and other places.

"We have sport college and academies and can expand sporting relations," he said.

38-room boutique hotel 'Shervani' opens in Nehru Place

Setting an example that small hotels too can be great and luxurious ahead of the Commonwealth Games, Shervani Hospitalities today launched a 38-room contemporary boutique hotel at Nehru Place in South Delhi.

Announcing the opening of Shervani, Nehru Place, which is the second boutique hotel in Delhi, Shervani Hospitalities Managing Director Saeed Shervani told mediapersons, ''Small and smart hotels can come up in the mid segement too. We do not have one or two acres. We have 17,000 square feet of area developed into this hotel. Through this endeavour, we have shown that small hotels can be great too so that the government and the lawmakers realise that these things can come up.'' Built at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore, this four star hotel is located in the heart of South Delhi and within walking distance from the commercial hub of Nehru Place. It is also just a short drive from prominent and up market shopping centres like GK-I, South Extension, and luxury malls like Select Citywalk, DLF Place and MGF.

A standard double room of the rack rate of Rs 8000 is available at an inaugural rate of Rs 6000, a club room of the rack rate of Rs 10,000 is available at Rs 7000 and a the Club premium room of the rack rate of Rs 11,000 is available at Rs 8000. The quality of the rooms deserves special mention as it is on par with any five star room available in the capital with its stunning decor and equipped with LCD TVs, electronic safe, a well stocked mini bar and wi-fi internet.

Not only this, Mr Shervani disclosed that from March 15 to 31 August, the hotel will provide rooms under the ''No Worry'' offer with a single room at Rs 5000 plus taxes and double at Rs 6000 plus taxes. The guests will get a free, breakfast, dinner and chauffer driven car under the scheme.

However, unlike many other hotels, the hotel does not have a restaurant for outsides but only for in-house guests. ''Restaurant being a commercial activity, I was not allowed to open one here for outsiders as this is a residential plot converted into a hotel. I was not allowed even though I think I should have been. We could certainly have done more by way of a restaurant,'' said Mr Shervani.

CM, Kalmadi throw open CWG wrestling venue

Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and IOA president Suresh Kalmadi today unveiled the first wrestling venue for this year's Commonwealth Games at the Ludlow Castle school here, and assured that the other work for the October 3-14 mega event would ''come up well before the time''.

''We have completed the work for this stadium before time, the last venue decided for the games became the one to be fully prepared,'' Ms Dikshit said at the inauguration of the Ludlow Castle wrestling training venue. ''I congratulate Arora constructions for their superb work and made it possible on a short span.'' ''I am sure everything will be in place in time and I can ensure that the other venues will come up well before the games start,'' she told mediapersons. ''Our Assembly is very nearby to this venue so whenever we feel like doing wrestling, we will come here,'' she joked.

India came under severe criticism after construction of several venues, including the athletes' village, fell behind schedule, forcing the postponement or shifting of many international meets planned as test events.

The Chief Minister admitted that completing the rest of the work in such a short period of time would be a tough job. ''Now only eight months are left and we need to complete so much work, it would be tough.'' As India is much interested in watching cricket, Kalmadi said people should now focus on Commonwealth Games to make it a grand success.

''Cricket is played within 10 nations and in CWG as many as 200 countries take part. It is a big event people should now focus on these games not only cricket,'' Kalmadi said.

The CWG Organising Committee chief further claimed that Delhi will host the Games more successfully than Manchester and Melbourne. ''The Delhi Games would be better than Melbourne (2006) and Manchester (2002).'' The under-fire Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, who has faced all-round criticism for delays in construction work at the Games' venues, said the success of the event would also reflect in India's performance. ''The success will help Delhi become a tourist attraction.'' He futher urged Delhiites to follow traffic rules so that the participants coming from abroad should not have bad impression about the capital city.

''Delhi needs to follow traffic rules then only can we make this event a grand success,'' Kalmadi said.

There is an athlete lounge, change rooms, sports equipments room, medical and physiotherapy, fitness and gym, cafeteria, conference room at ground floor of the Ludlow Castle wrestling venue.

In the first floor, there is a maple wood sports flooring to accomodate six wrestling mats (12X12m each). The building is centrally air conditioned. Elevated at a cost of Rs 13 crore is an amalgamation of granite and fabricated steel, the venue conforms to international standard.

PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Education and Transport Minister Arvinder Singh and MLA Prahlad Singh Sahni were among others present in the occasion.

Let's all kick in for the Games

THE news this week that soccer's international governing body, FIFA, was considering only European bidders for the 2018 Soccer World Cup should have been good news for the Gold Coast's bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

For instance, it should have meant that the $45 million the Federal Government had reportedly earmarked to fund the World Cup bid should have become available for the Coast's hope to host the Commonwealth Games.

But by some sleight of hand, once-strong government support for the Coast bid seems to have evaporated. If we did not know better we might think both the Queensland and Federal governments have decided that the Coast bid for the Commonwealth Games will cost too much. Perhaps Ms Bligh needs to tell us now -- is Queensland too broke to help fund a Gold Coast bid?

The fact is that the forlorn Australian bid for the World Cup was at best naive, at worst totally unrealistic.

But the Gold Coast bid for the Commonwealth Games is well grounded and has a real chance of success -- provided it gets the kind of support it has been promised. It was way back in June 2008 that Premier Bligh told Parliament that the Gold Coast would have the exclusive right to be Australia's nominee for the 2018 Games.

She said she had agreed to commission a 'full and comprehensive feasibility study' into the Coast bid. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd also gave his support for the Coast's Commonwealth Games bid, though to be fair he refused to contribute funding because of the $45 million he said the World Cup attempt would entail.

Despite this week's revelation from FIFA, the Government says Australia's bid is going ahead.

Even a successful World Cup bid would hold little benefit for the Gold Coast, or even Queensland for that matter, with the big games going to southern cities.

But if the World Cup bid should fall at the first hurdle, we expect the Prime Minister to fulfil his implicit promise to provide federal funds for the Coast bid -- just as we expect the Premier to keep her explicit promise to help fund the Coast's Games bid.

Both federal and state funding will be crucial if the Gold Coast is to mount a realistic bid for the Games but it seems that since the World Cup failure both have taken their eye off the real ball.

One of the first hurdles to be passed for the Gold Coast to throw its hat into the ring is for the Australian Commonwealth Games Association to meet to formally decide whether an Australian bid for the 2018 games will proceed; but the ACGA seems preoccupied with other matters.

Its website proclaims that the organisation 'is now fully focused' on the 2010 Games in Delhi, India. We suggest that Ms Bligh, Mr Rudd, and especially the ACGA should be much more focused on the Gold Coast bid.

A successful Commonwealth Games bid for the Gold Coast would provide a major fillip to sports infrastructure for the greater Gold Coast, infrastructure that would form a lasting base for the future growth of sports tourism to the area -- an area of tourism that is at present under-used but which is expected to expand dramatically in the future.

The provision of that infrastructure would fit in neatly with State Government economic plans for the area. The Games would create an increase in tourism, an increase of awareness of the Gold Coast on an unprecedented scale.

That in turn would boost the economy of the entire area. Securing the Games for the Coast would be a feather in the caps of both Ms Bligh and Mr Rudd that would boost their stature here immeasurably. Last, but far from least, hosting an event of the stature of the Commonwealth Games would represent the coming of age for the Gold Coast as a city to be reckoned with.

But time is running short. The deadline for Commonwealth Games associations and candidate cities to notify of their intention to bid for the 2018 Games is March 31 -- just two months away.

Now is the time for Ms Bligh and Mr Rudd to put their money where their mouths have been -- we need your support.

Delhi Govt on lookout for 50,000 students volunteers during CWG

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said the Delhi Government was on the lookout for 50,000 students to act as volunteers during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. ''We will need at least 50,000 student volunteers during the Games. The Education department should start identifying students of 11th and 12th standards for it,'' Ms Dikshit stated at the inauguration function of first CWG Wrestling venue here.

Out of 50,000 students, 10,000 will be needed for the opening and closing ceremonies of the CWG, she explained.

''These ceremonies are a reflection of country's culture and are crucial in creating a good image,'' the Chief Minister observed.

''Participation in such a huge event is in itself a big thing for every student,'' she added.

No excuse for non-completion of CWG venues to be tolerated: Sheila

Warning administrators and all other parties involved in organisation of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG) that no excuse would be tolerated for non-completion of Games venues, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said ''now, there is no time to make excuses.'' ''We have very less time to complete the construction work for CWG, so rain, heat, draught or anything cannot be taken as excuse for non-completion of work. We have to finish all the work well before time,''Ms Dikshit said today at the inauguration function of first Wrestling venue of CWG.

The Ludlow Castle Wrestling training venue for the participants of CWG was inaugurated at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidayalaya at Shyamnath Marg near Civil Lines in the presence of Chairman Of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi, PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, Delhi Education and Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely and other dignitaries of Delhi government.

Calling it the first step of a long journey, the CM asserted, ''We need to work hard not just for completing the games but also creating a good image of the city and the country.'' Congratulating the people responsible for completion of this venue in a very short period, Mr Chauhan said, ''Its an achievement to complete the venue in such a short period of 11 months and that too at the cost of just Rs 13 crore as against the estimated expenditure of around Rs 20 crore.'' He said two more such stadiums, Chhatrasal and Tyagraj, would be ready by March.

As these three sites come under the Education Department, these will be given back after the CWG and students will be able to use these stadiums to hone their skills.

The fully air-conditioned multi-purpose Wrestling training venue can accommodate six wrestling mats and is equipped with all the latest and essential technology the athletes require.

Commonwealth Games will boost other sports in India: Kalmadi

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi Friday said the Commonwealth Games in the city will definitely help in developing other sports in the country.

"Cricket is a very popular sport in India. But I think Commonwealth Games will provide a boost to development of Olympic sports infrastructure in the country," said Kalmadi at the inauguration function of Ludlow Castle Wrestling training venue here.

"Cricket is played in only 10-12 countries while Olympic sports are played in nearly 200 countries. I hope because of Commonwealth Games people look towards Olympic sports also," he added.

Govt relaxes arms import provisions for Commonwealth Games shooters

In what would come as a major boost for the country's top shooters preparing for this year's Commonwealth Games, the Sports Ministry has "liberalised" provisions for the import of weapons and cartridges for their training.

"The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) has liberalised and rationalised procedures for import of weapons and ammunition and resale of used weapons by renowned shooters," the ministry said in a statement.

"A Committee under Joint Secretary (Sports) examined the existing procedures and decided to liberalise them. The orders to this effect has been issued by the Ministry, yesterday."

Under the new guidelines, the No Objection Certificates required for an import license and the Custom Duty Exemption Certificates will no longer have to routed through the ministry.

"A renowned shooters may be allowed to approach the Regional Authority of Director General Foreign Trade (DGFT) directly after obtaining the recommendations of National Rifles Association of India.

"The present practice of MYAS issuing 'Custom Duty Exemption Certificate' may be dispensed with and a suitable provision may be made for automatic grant of custom duty exemption on the basis of self-certification by the renowned shooter along with the documentary evidence in respect of import of weapons/ammunition."

The Ministry also revised the quota of custom duty exempted ammunition for top shooters.

"15,000 cartridges per year (For renowned shooters participating in one event), 20,000 cartridges per year (For renowned shooters participating in two events) and 25,000 cartridges per year (For renowned shooters participating in more than two events)," the ministry said.

The Ministry said top shooters can now also import upto five custom duty exempted weapons.

"Renowned Shooters may be allowed to avail of Custom Duty exemption for only five weapons, at any point of time. In case, he holds more than five weapons, on which he has availed Custom Duty Exemption, the limit imposed thereafter of five weapons, will exclude the weapons that have completed the minimum usage time prescribed in the import licence.

"As such, import of weapons beyond the limit of five weapons shall not be eligible for Custom Duty Exemption. Further the overall ceiling imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs on holding of weapons will apply," the statement said.

Besides, the shooters will also be allowed to sell their used weapons but only after five years of acquiring them.

"The present practice of prior approval may be dispensed with, and the Renowned Shooter may be allowed, to sell the weapons once he/she meets the minimum duration of use condition i.e. five years in the case of Renowned Shooter, and three years in the case of a Shooter who qualifies as a Renowned Shooter, for three consecutive years", it said.

"The Renowned Shooter may be allowed to sell the weapons to any shooter, who is a valid license holder, registered with District/State/National Rifle Association," the ministry statement said.

The Ministry said the guidelines have been revised after taking the feedback of top shooters.

"The Ministry has examined this issue after receipt of representations from the renowned Shooters that the existing procedure for import of arms and ammunition is very time consuming and causes escalation of cost of import, as well as shortages of weapons/ammunition and thereby, adversely affect the training and practice regime.

"Furthermore, the guidelines for resale of weapons imported by Renowned Shooters is unduly restrictive and hampers the development of sports," it said.

Sevens coach sets sights on Commonwealth Games

The retention of the IRB Sevens World Series rugby title is a fast-fading dream for the Springbok sevens side and a pragmatic Bok coach Paul Treu has now set his sights on the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October.

“Of course it remains our main goal to retain the IRB title,” said Treu yesterday, “but the reality is it will take not only a huge effort from the Springboks in the remaining six tournaments, but also some unlikely results from the front-runners in the competition for that to happen.

“It is a good time to start building for the future and that includes the Commonwealth Games as our first goal after the IRB Series.

“We have some very good young players and we still have six tournaments to get to the right combination and standard.”

Treu has four new caps in the side for the tournaments in Wellington (February 5-6) and Las Vegas (February 13-14) in Philip van der Walt, Steven Hunt, Hoffman Maritz and Branco du Preez, as well as Cecil Afrika, who has played in two tournaments so far.

But, points out Treu, some of the youngsters in the squad, as well as members of the training squad in Stellenbosch, should be at their peak in 2016 when sevens makes its debut at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“That’s six years from now. These guys will be between 25 and 27 years old by the time the Olympics take place – hard and experienced.

“We’ve worked very hard over the last fortnight,” Treu said.

“With the new players in the side it was important they gel and feel comfortable with the structures. They all had good tournaments in Argentina (Mar del Plata) and Sri Lanka (Asian Invitation) and the ability is there.

“One must remember, however, that this is a big step up and the rigorous training the past few weeks was partly to prepare the younger guys for the tougher and longer schedule of the IRB Series.”

Need to work hard to complete CWG projects in time: Dikshit

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday acknowledged that it will be "difficult" to complete all projects related to the Sheila Dikshit Commonwealth Games 2010 in the coming eight months.

Nevertheless, she expressed hope that the administration will be able to finish the work in time.

"It will be difficult to complete the CWG works in the next eight months and we need to work hard. But I believe we will complete the work smoothly," she said inaugurating the Ludlow Castle Wrestling Training Venue at a school near Civil Lines, the first Games venue to have been completed.

She also cautioned officials against giving excuses for delay in completing the projects.

"Drought, heavy rainfall, no rain - all these excuses will not work for us now. Before September 3, we have to complete all works related to the Games," she said at the function, which was also attended by Delhi ministers Arvinder Singh Lovely and Raj Kumar Chauhan.

"This is the first building to be completed for CWG. Today, We have completed the first phase of the Games. All credit goes to the PWD and education departments," she said.

She also used the opportunity to reach out to the students, whose participation, she believes, will be very important in hosting the Games successfully.

"I want to tell the children that we will need about 50,000 volunteers for the Games and our education department will soon start selecting volunteers. Besides, we need 10,000 students for opening and closing ceremonies," she said at the presence of IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi.

Kalmadi said the infrastructure for Commonwealth Games will be helpful in the future for those who want to take up Olympic sports.

"Cricket is more popular in the country and these facilities will help in encouraging those taking up Olympic sports," he said.