Commonwealth Games England team up with adidas for Delhi 2010 Games

Commonwealth Games England today announced sportswear manufacturer adidas as their official clothing partner for the much anticipated 2010 Games to be held in Delhi this October.

Taking place once every four years, The Commonwealth Games is a unique opportunity for English athletes to compete as a nation at a multi-sport event on the world stage, and is broadcast extensively around the world.

The appointment of one of the world’s great sporting brands supporting the England Team is a tremendous vote of confidence for the athletes heading off to Delhi.

England will be sending their largest ever team to an overseas Games, with almost 400 athletes making the trip as they hope to make the Games one of their most successful ever.

Sir Andrew Foster, Chair of Commonwealth Games England commented, “The partnership with adidas is fantastic news. By providing our athletes with such a top quality clothing partner it really sets the stall for the standards we want to achieve in Delhi, and gives us the best possible chance of success”.

Robin Money, Head of Sports Marketing, adidas UK & Ireland said, “adidas has a long heritage in supplying teams at major sporting events and is proud that almost 400 athletes of the England Team will receive the very best bespoke team apparel delegation wear for Delhi 2010”.

Willis says 1500m still in sights at Games

Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis will seek to defend his Commonwealth Games 1500m title after all.

Willis moved swiftly today to correct a website report out of Boston this week that he would only contest the 800m at the Games in New Delhi in October.

"It seems maybe my Kiwi accent didn't have the benefits in the States that it normally does," Willis told Radio Live.

"A reporter wrote down that I wasn't going to be doing the 1500m but what I was trying so say was that I'm going to be putting focus on the 800m in addition to the 1500m. The plan is still to do the double and that's what I'm going to be doing."

Willis had surgery on a torn labrum in his left hip in April followed by five months of rehabilitation, then spent time training and competing in New Zealand before returning to the United States for the Boston indoor games last Sunday (NZT).

There he defended his mile title with a sharp performance, winning in a classy three minutes 55.27 seconds.

He will next race in New Zealand on March 18 in Christchurch, where he will attempt to go under 1min 45sec over 800m, which would be easily quick enough to qualify for New Delhi.

Willis hinted he would even attempt a crack at Peter Snell's legendary New Zealand record over the distance, set in Christchurch in 1962. Snell ran a then-world record 1min 44.3sec on grass at Lancaster Park, timed while completing an 880-yard race.

A Race Against Time To Complete New Delhi's Newest Subway Line

A worker stands inside one of the Metro tunnels under construction in New Delhi, India, in preparation for the Commonwealth Games this October. To overcome the challenges of a tight three-and-a-half-year schedule and construction underneath a densely populated city, engineers used 14 tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) to dig the underground thoroughfare.

One of these machines completed the final subterranean stretch last fall, covering roughly 1,640 feet between two stations on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line. The TBMs averaged nearly 27 feet a day as they cut through the Delhi silt; while they tunneled, the machines simultaneously installed four-foot-long precast rings that were bolted together to prevent the walls from collapsing.

Before the tunnel can be used, workers will fill and flatten the bottom of the tunnel to lay tracks later on and install electrical connections and ventilation shafts that will extend to the surface.

Railways kickstart sprucing up of Old Delhi station before Commonwealth Games

Keeping the Commonwealth Games in view, Railways today kicked off a Rs7 crore project at the Old Delhi station to spruce up its infrastructure, change its look and lend a contemporary touch to the place. The work will start with relaying of floor tiles in platform 1A and extending the platform sheds.

"During the period of the construction work, trains which originate or terminate in this platform will be relocated to other platforms causing minimum inconvenience to passengers," said a Northern Railway spokesperson.

The move is in tune with Railways' plan to redo the looks of its stations in the national capital before the Commonwealth Games as more than a lakh tourists are expected to descend in the city to watch the sporting extravaganza.

The spokesperson said a special chemical will be applied on the relaid floor tiles to make them dust-proof.

"All the 14 platforms floors would be relaid and provided with modern-looking chairs," he said, adding the entire project will entail an investment of Rs7 crore.

The project will also see establishment of new water kiosks and other passenger amenities, he said.

Prior to the launch of the new project at the Old Delhi station, Railways had carried out a similar exercise in New Delhi which also included the opening of the new terminal building at the Ajmeri Gate side.

The spokesperson said that the beautification work in Hazrat Nizamuddin station will also be taken up soon. Railways will also improve the looks of the stations falling in ring rail routes in the capital.

It has also launched a project to construct about 17 over-passes and under-passes in the Capital in association with the Delhi government at busy railway crossings to ensure seamless flow of traffic during the Games.

MCD plans to rope in cricketers for clean Delhi campaign

To drive home the message of a 'clean and green' Delhi before the Commonwealth Games, the MCD is planning to rope in city-based cricketers Ishant Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag for a multi-media public awareness campaign.

The campaign will be aimed at educating the people about the need to keep the city clean as it prepares to host the mega sports event in October this year.

"We have approached Ishant, Sehwag and Gambhir for spreading the message of a clean and green Delhi. Ishant has already agreed to the proposal while talks are on with the other two cricketers," Leader of MCD House Subhash Arya said.

Arya, who also mentioned the proposal to involve cricketers in such a programme during his speech on MCD's 2010-11 budget earlier this week, said the campaign will be a multi-media one.

"Other than publishing the advertisements in newspapers, we will also put up hoardings and run an audio-visual campaign. We will launch it before the Games," he said.

MCD has already launched a civic sense awareness campaign to stop people from littering, spitting or urinating in public places.

Shahzad case: Home ministry for police restraint in talking to media

What is the link between the Commonwealth Games and arrested Indian Mujaheedin operative Shahzad, allegedly involved in Delhi serial blasts?

This question stumped Delhi police top brass when a poser was received from the home ministry asking them to explain how

some newspapers were attributing a report to its senior officials that the arrested militant had talked about plans to target the Commonwealth Games during his interrogation.

Home ministry officials said they were surprised when Delhi police conveyed that it had never leaked any information to the media.

However, taking cognisance of frequent interrogation details of Shahzad appearing in the media, the ministry told Delhi police to direct its officers to "exercise restraint" while talking to the press.

Senior home ministry officials have strictly directed to check possible leakage of information regarding the suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorist who was arrested on February 1, official sources said.

The move was prompted by reports that have appeared in media claiming Shahzad's role in killing of inspector MC Sharma during Batla House incident, involvement of a former MLA in funding or supporting the terrorist for executing serial blasts and other claims said to have been made in police custody, they said.

Shahzad alias Pappu, an accused in the September 13, 2008 serial blasts which claimed 26 lives, was arrested by the Anti-Terrorist Squad of the Uttar Pradesh Police from Khalispur village of Azamgarh district and is currently in custody of Delhi police special cell for interrogation till February 12.

Acting on the direction of the MHA, Delhi police has asked concerned officers to avoid direct interaction with media about the interrogation details, the sources said.

Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat yesterday also issued an advisory asking the media to avoid publishing or broadcasting story on the blasts accused.

"This is to clarify that news reports appearing in some sections of the media referring to the disclosure of Shahzad alias Pappu, a suspect in the Batla House incident, have mentioned certain details of his disclosure and police investigations, which are not based on facts on record.

"Keeping in view the sensitive nature of the investigations, the Delhi police officers authorised to speak with the media have all along taken a stand that since the investigations are still in progress and the final report of investigation in the matter is to be submitted in the Court, it would not be appropriate to reveal details for media coverage or draw any conclusion till the investigation is completed," the letter said.

The letter said such unofficial or unconfirmed reports only create misinformation or confusion in the minds of general public and may also seriously impede the process of further investigation in the case.

"It is requested, in the light of the above, that any further press coverage pertaining to the role of any suspect in the Batla House incident should be based only on the official versions, as and when given by official and authorised sources from the Delhi Police," it said.