Commonwealth Games: Tension rises as Delhi misses new deadlines

With seven months to go until the start of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, the partially completed main stadium is a messy building site and the swimming complex a pile of rubble.

Infrastructure projects linked to the Games, including flyovers and metro rail network extensions, are badly lagging. And, with the monsoon expected to arrive in June and July, preparations could be blown further off course.

Outside the Commonwealth Games office, the countdown clock is ticking down to the October 3 start of an event that India hopes will showcase its ability to organise major sports events and put it on course to host an Olympics.

Instead, it risks a debacle, with nervousness growing as deadlines slip repeatedly, particularly for the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium and the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee swimming complex.

"The deadlines are being pushed further every time," Mike Hooper, chief executive of the London-based Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), which owns and controls the Games, told AFP in an interview.

"In October last year we were told most of the venues will be ready by December, except the Jawaharlal Nehru and swimming stadiums which they said would be ready by March. Now that deadline has shifted to June.

"We struggle to understand that. If the venue construction programme does not adhere to what are self-imposed deadlines now, it will impact adversely the operational obligations."

He and others involved in the organisation stress that building the venues is one thing: testing and getting them ready to host thousands of athletes and spectators is another.

"We need to test their operational readiness at least two months before the start of the Games," Hooper said.

Hooper's concerns were echoed by CGF president Michael Fennell, who took a first-hand look at all the venues last week and went away a worried man.

"There remains quite a high level of concern about some of the venues being completed in time so that proper test events can be held," he told reporters in New Delhi.

"There is a lot of work still to be done. We still have areas of concern and we have discussed these openly and frankly with the organising committee."

The Indian organisers have been maintaining their line that everything will be ready in time.

Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi has compared the process to an Indian wedding in which everything looks disorganised from the outside but comes together at the last minute.

"There is no need to push the panic button," he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

"We are going to have the best-ever Commonwealth Games. I would like to assure the entire country that all pending work will be completed within the deadlines.

"The Delhi Games would be better than Melbourne and Manchester. We will show the world what we are capable of."

A sports ministry official coordinating with various Games' committees scoffed at Kalmadi's tall claims.

"Kalmadi does not know what he is talking about," he said, requesting not to be named.

"The Games were awarded to us way back in 2003. If only the officials had planned in a better way, things would not have come to a head.

"But they have been spending all of their energies in ego clashes with one another," he said, referring to Kalmadi's ugly spat with Hooper in public last year.

Kalmadi had objected to Hooper's continued presence in New Delhi, saying he was of "no use" to the organising committee. The outburst prompted Sports Minister Manohar Singh Gill to broker a truce in London.

Both Kalmadi and Hooper claim they have "moved on" since that slanging match.

"Kalmadi now refers to me as his good friend," laughed Hooper. "We have said let's focus on the issues and make sure everything is done in a timely manner.

"After all, all of us want the same outcome - to have a great Games!"

One foreign contractor working on the stadiums, who asked not to be named, is in no doubt that preparations are heading for a dramatic conclusion.

"It really is going to go down to the wire," he told AFP.

Stephanie Rice books place at Delhi Games

Stephanie Rice booked a place at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi when she won the 200m individual medley at the Australian selection trials here on Tuesday.

Rice swam a time of 2:10.07 to edge out fellow Queenslanders Emily Seebohm (2:10.75) and Alica Coutts (2:11.97).

With the first two placegetters in each final being guaranteed selection for the October Commonwealth Games, Rice is assured of a spot on the Delhi team.

The triple Olympic gold medallist has previously spoken of her unease at going to Delhi following threats of terrorism aimed at athletes but she made no mention of her concerns immediately after the race.

She was joined on the team by Nick DArcy, who cruised to an easy win in the men's 200m butterfly in a time of 1:54.61, well ahead of second placed Chris Wright (1:56.23).

DArcy has not been on an Australian team since 2007 due to a conviction for assault following the 2008 Beijing Olympics selection trials.

Other winners on the opening night included Blair Evans in the women's 200m freestyle in a time of 1:57.38 and Robert Hurley in the men's 400m freestyle in 3:47.67.

England confirms Comm Games attendance

England has confirmed it will be sending a team to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi later this year despite fears over security in the Indian capital.

Chef de mission Craig Hunter says a five-man delegation inspected the city during a nine-day trip, after concerns security issues would force the country to fail to send a team to the 80-year-old event for the first time.

Hunter says he came away from the Indian capital feeling greatly reassured as great progress has been made since his last visit in October 2009.

"England will categorically be sending a team to the Commonwealth Games," Hunter said.

"There's no doubt that there are lots of athletes who see Delhi as a vital developmental stepping stone towards the 2012 Olympics in London, and they are very keen to be in the team."

Safety concerns and lax security were cited last year when England's badminton team pulled out of the world championships in Hyderabad, India.

However, England plans to take a team of 560 for the October 3-14 showpiece, which is set to be the biggest multiple-sport event staged in India since the 1982 Asian Games.

Sri Sri launches Yamuna cleaning drive

Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar today launched the River Yamuna cleaning drive in the capital from the historic Purana Quila amid blowing of the auspicious conch shells and a dance and music extravaganza.

The major citizen initiative aimed to clean up the polluted river well before the Commonwealth Games, was launched by the spiritual guru in the presence of a galaxy of eminent personalities from all walks of life including renowned flutist Hari Prasad Chaurasia, vocalists
Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra and dancers Uma Sharma, Shovana Narayan and Sonal Mansingh. Stating that we have failed to take care of the Yamuna, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, ''The responsibility of cleaning up Yamuna lies with us - the people she nurtures. This movement is a call to remind us what this river has given to generations before us, and to allow her to nourish generations after us. It is a platform for our individual voices that will become a collective echo and an unstoppable force.'' The drive 'Meri Dilli, Meri Yamuna' is a mammoth collaborative effort which has more than 100 stakeholders coming together to take the initiative to ultimately see a clean Yamuna flowing through the capital. More than 1000 conch shells lead by experts from Kolkata went up in 'Shankh Naad' to herald the start of the drive. A poignant ''Ballet on Wheels on the Yamuna'' by Ability Unlimited was also performed .

Present as guest of honour was the Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh. Among those gracing the occasion were Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain, Delhi Minister Kiran Walia and Delhi Jal Board CEO Ramesh Negi. Also present were environmental activist Vandana Shiva, designers Ritu Kumar and Rina Dhaka, who are supporting the drive. Along with a number of dignitaries and stakeholders from every sector of civil society, corporates, education, art and culture, more than 100 NGOs have already extended their support for the initiative. From tomorrow thousands of volunteers will take up the cleaning of the several ghats of the Yamuna, spread all over Delhi, in the first-ever effort not only just to clean the river but also to beautify the various bathing ghats.

CWG OC reaffirms commitment to deliver successful Games

With less than 200 days to go for the much anticipated 2010 CWG, the Organising Committee (OC) today reaffirmed its commitment of delivering a successful event as it plans to launch a series of events to engage citizens of the capital in the run-up to the quadrennial multi-sports event, starting on October 3.

The 200 Days-To-Go celebrations, a combination of art, culture and festivities to offer a fun-filled day for Delhiites, would be held at the lawns around India Gate on March 21.

''As we get closer to the start of the Games, our sense of anticipation and excitement as well as our confidence that we can deliver the best Games ever grows,'' said Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman, Organising Committee Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2010.

''I take this opportunity to renew our commitment to producing a successful Games.'' Kalmadi also said the CWG Organising Committee was conscious of its own internal deadlines.

''We have set our own deadlines in planning and in getting together teams of personnel to ensure that we will meet our objective of delivering a world-class event that all participants - athletes, officials, partners, spectators and TV viewers - will enjoy,'' he said.

On the day of the event, dozens of leading artists, including Satish Gujral, will join hands in painting a 200-foot canvas around the theme: Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi - Game for Green.

Eminent personalities from the field of culture and sports will also be invited to paint the huge canvas that will be put on display at a suitable place during the Commonwealth Games.

At the same time, a kite flying festival will be held. Designed to portray the Delhi 2010 look and carrying the slogan 200 days to go, the kites will be flown by kite flyers and the citizens of Delhi.

IndiaMART supports largest citizen-driven initiative to clean Yamuna

First time association with a public initiative of such large scale. Associating with "Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna" (MDMY), is among the biggest CSR initiatives by IndiaMART.com, for a noble cause like cleaning up Yamuna.

MDMY has been initiated by the Art of Living Foundation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to clean-up Yamuna before Commonwealth Games. The effort is to make this campaign a people's movement, exhorting mass participation.

A grand event on 16th March 2010 in Delhi to launch the initiative, IndiaMART.com is actively supporting the event. Starting a series of such steps, a massive clean-up drive on the Yamuna's bank was organized on March 14.

As a responsible corporate citizen performing its corporate and social obligations at the highest level, IndiaMART.com, the country's largest online B2B marketplace, is supporting the 'Meri Delhi Meri Yamuna' (MDMY) initiative - the largest public initiative to clean up the Yamuna and restore it to its past glory, before the Commonwealth Games.

MDMY started as an initiative of The Art of Living, but it's now a full blown Citizen's Action Plan. Dozens of NGOs and Companies have already joined as Partners.

Yamuna is immensely important for the economic, ecological and basic needs of the region and its people. Sadly, over the years, it has become one of the most endangered waterways in India. More than half of 3.6 billion tonnes of sewerage produced in Delhi everyday flows into Yamuna untreated.

Dinesh Agarwal, Founder and CEO of IndiaMART.com expressing his views on this significant initiative said, "Almost all great cities and civilizations across the world are nestled around great rivers be it Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, New York or London. Delhi citizens too have a great river, but sadly we have stopped caring for it. It's time we show our pride in this national treasure before we loose it forever. We at IndiaMART.com are proud to play our part with the best of our abilities to help clean Yamuna, but a sustained support for a longer period of time will be required from every quarter, before we realize this dream."

The MDMY's other CSR partners include, Times of India, Star News, Phillips, SBI, Bajaj Allianz, Indraprastha Gas Limited, The UNESCO, World Bank, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) have pledged their support for this hugely ambitious initiative. IndiaMART.com on its part is promoting the initiative across its network, and its management and employees are taking part in this clean-up drive as well.

The Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna (MDMY) citizen initiative is being formally launched on March 162010, 7 pm onwards at Purana Qila in Delhi by his holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, where the citizens and leaders from all walks of life would be present to mark the occasion. A massive cleaning drive was also undertaken on March 14 on the Yamuna bank, which will be followed a series of such steps.

The aim of MDMY is "Sparkling Yamuna Shining Delhi". Surely, the revival of Yamuna will mean a protection of our heritage and the currently endangered bio-diversity of the eco-system, and will also be a huge contributor for tourism, a healthier and sustainable urban environment and a restoration of critical water resource.