NI picks first batch of athletes for Commonwealth Games

Cyclists David McCann and Michael Hutchinson are selected as are swimmers Claire Dawson and Sycerika McMahon.

Women bowlers Jennifer Dowds, Sandra Bailie, Mandy Cunningham, Barbara Logue and Donna McCloy are all chosen.

Mark Montgomery will be in action in wrestling eight years after competing in Judo at the Manchester Games.

Olympic silver medallist Houvenaghel will be Northern Ireland's first female track cycling competitor in the Commonwealth games, which will take place in Delhi from 3-14 October.

Perry was the first nomination put forward for selection for the Northern Ireland team.

The Banbridge squash player will be taking part in her fourth Games although she will not be playing mixed doubles in India.

Perry has reached the British Open final and World Open semi-finals over the past 18 months and is firmly established in the world's top 10.

The women bowlers will make challenges in the pairs and a triples.

Donna McCloy will be hoping that her husband Gary earns selection when the men's bowls squad is announced later in the summer.

Houvenaghel won silver in the pursuit at the Beijing Olympics and took gold in the team events at the 2008 and 2009 World Championships.

McCann and Hutchinson finished fourth and fifth in the individual time trial in Melbourne 2006.

West Belfast man McCann has been in tremendous form on the Asian circuit in recent weeks by earning wins in the Tour of Philippines and the Tour of Taiwan and may also aim for the individual road race.

Swimmers Dawson from the Ards club and Belfast teenager McMahon achieved qualifying times in Dublin recently.

Montgomery earned a fifth-place finish in judo at the 2002 Games.

The Aghalee says he will be aiming high again, only 18 months after taking advantage of Sport NI's Talent Transfer Initiative and swapping his belt for wrestling garb.

"My target is to finish in the top eight," said Montgomery.

"In these championships each country can enter two wrestlers per weight which means, whereas there is only one each in the Games so it has the potential to be twice as difficult."

Bid to clean up Capital's air ahead of Commonwealth Games

Accelerating the pace of cleaning up the Capital's air ahead of the Commonwealth Games this October, the State Environment Department is looking at all aspects of controlling air pollution including setting up more air monitoring stations and advocating lesser vehicular congestion on city roads.

“We are working at providing better air quality and the Delhi Transport Department is also looking into the possibility of controlling traffic congestion by levying tax on motorist using congested areas during the sporting event,'' said State Environment Secretary Dharmendra on Monday while speaking at a discussion on “Clean air before the Commonwealth Games'' organised by the Centre for Science and Environment.

Environment experts participating in the discussion noted that Delhi's pollution levels are daunting and the city will need to work at a frenetic pace to ensure that it cleans up its air exactly the way Beijing did for the 2008 Olympics.

“Clearing the haze takes on a specific significance in the context of the Games as athletes have to perform to potential, especially in extreme endurance events and they need clean air. With every breath athletes typically take in 10 to 20 times as much air and thus pollutants,'' said Centre for Science and Environment's air pollution unit head Anumita Roychowdhury. The CSE recently analysed the air quality data monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board and found the levels of tiny particles very high and climbing. “In fact, they have hit the pre-CNG days. Nitrogen oxide levels are rising in Delhi. This is strongly related to vehicular activity and needs stringent control. The number of days with ozone levels exceeding the standards is high in both summer and winter months. Studies in Delhi have shown that the pollution concentrations can invariably be 40-80 per cent higher during the winter months,'' said Ms. Roychowdhury.

The CSE has suggested that Delhi must be ready with an emergency plan for the Games and test it out before the event. “Reducing personal vehicle usage, upgrading public transport, walking and cycling, and leapfrogging vehicle technology are the key options left for us. Scale and stringency of action and enforcement are needed for effective impact and to meet clean air targets,'' said Ms. Roychowdhury.

“Already the report of the Commonwealth Games Evaluation Commission has stated that mobility within Delhi is difficult and congested and, therefore, a risk area. The Capital has already unleashed reforms to reduce traffic congestion in the city prior to the Games,'' added Ms. Roychowdhury.

A CSE release said: “After relocating polluting industry and stalling further expansion of power generation inside Delhi, rapidly rising numbers of personal vehicles hinders clean air action in Delhi. Vehicles are one of the key pushers of pollution in Delhi.''

Commonwealth Games hold DU hostels hostage

The Commonwealth Games will play a spoiler for many students seeking admission to Delhi University colleges.

The candidates looking to study in the varsity colleges will not be allotted hostel seats till the Games are over. The hostels will be used to accommodate athletes participating in the Games to be held in October.

So most outstation candidates may have to think twice before taking admissions.

The colleges have already asked second and third year students to vacate the hostels when the Games are in progress.

Principal P.C. Jain of Shri Ram College of Commerce said the college has about 40 per cent of outstation students.

“We will be unable to give any hostel accommodation for the first-year students since the renovation work is underway. They will be allotted seats only after the Games are over. But we will look at other viable options for students,” Jain said.

Colleges such as Hindu and Lady Shri Ram may allot seats to the candidates but they would be asked to move in only after the Games. The wait may actually dissuade students from applying to the university.

“I am new to the city and have no relatives in the city. I was planning to apply to only those colleges which have hostel facilities for girls,” said Radhika Goyal, a DU aspirant from Lucknow.

“The hostels give us a sense of security. But my parents are apprehensive now.”

With no hostels accommodation students will be looking towards paying guests accommodation.

But these will not come cheap as the owners of the PGs are already charging hefty fee as their demand has shot up since the second and third year students will also be availing these accommodations.

The prices have already shot up from Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,500 for a twin-sharing room in areas such as Roop Nagar which is closer to the campus colleges.

But students can take heart as colleges such as Miranda House will allot seats to the first-year students.

“The first-year students will be allotted hostel accommodation as of now,” said Pratibha Jolly, principal of Miranda House. “Should there be a situation where they need to vacate, we will arrange for safe and secure accommodation for them in consultation with parents and local guardians. Whatever the charges, the college will bear them.”

Participation in Nationals compulsory for CWG selection

The Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) on Tuesday said that all the boxers, notwithstanding their reputation, had to take part in the National championship in July in order to be eligible for the selection of the Commonwealth Games squad.

Following an executive board meeting of the federation here, IBF Secretary-General Col. P.K. Muralidharan Raja said a different method would be adopted instead of picking boxers from just one-off selection trial.

No relaxation

“All the boxers in the core group of Commonwealth Games will have to participate in the National championship. Participation is compulsory. Unless somebody is medically unfit, there would be no relaxation,” Co. Raja said.

“It is not that you have to win a medal in the Nationals to be eligible for the Games trials, but participation is compulsory,” he added.

According to Col. Raja, the IBF would take into account the track record of a boxer in international tournaments and training sessions, his performance in the Nationals and his showing in the selection trials (to be held in the first week of September) before selecting him.

The IBF regulation, to be put in the federation website sooner than later, will ensure the participation of some star boxers, who have been skipping the National championship for several years, in the event.

Col. Raja said during the Nationals, the IBF would give a token incentive to a boxer for winning each bout.

He said the IBF was trying to hire a foreign coach for the women boxers and he would be appointed by mid-June.

Among other important topics, the IBF focused on providing decent accommodation and food to the boxers during a National championship of any level and beginning the effort of building a ‘Boxing Bhawan' — a permanent abode for the federation.

Can’t provide cover to Games venues now, say security agencies

The security establishment has turned down a request from the organisers of the Commonwealth Games to provide immediate cover to venues and the athletes’ Village in the Capital. India’s security agencies are stretched; besides, there is no precedent of providing protection for a public event this early on, the organisers have been told.

The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held between October 3 and October 14, still nearly five months away. The organisers had asked for security in view of the persistent threat of terrorist attacks on Games venues, at many of which work is still ongoing, and safety concerns expressed by international sports delegations and heads of missions of Commonwealth countries.

The Delhi Police and central paramilitary forces, working under the supervision of the Union Home Ministry, and in collaboration with central intelligence agencies, will be responsible for the security of venues and the Village at the time of the Games.

Top sources in the security establishment told Newsline that they have argued that police and security agencies do not take full charge of venues like Rajpath or the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium up until a few days before the Republic Day parade or a popular One-Day or T20 cricket match.

There was no deviation from this policy “even when an India-Pakistan match was staged at this ground in 2005 and (was) witnessed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and (the then) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf,” security agencies have told the Games organisers.

For the Republic Day and Beating the Retreat parades — which are attended by thousands including VVIPs and foreign dignitaries — security agencies start covering the saluting base area from mid-November onwards, and the police begin to cordon off areas in the Central Vista only in January.

“If there is an apprehension of something (like a bomb) being planted in the (Games) venues, then that will hold good for the Central Vista, the parade route from Central Vista to Red Fort, Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort and Amedkar Stadium, where international matches are held,” the agencies argued.

According to top security officials, a pre-event lockdown is essentially a task for the venue-owners, and security and law enforcement agencies cannot in any case secure venues indefinitely in the post-Games period.

Elsewhere...
Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006: Security— including searching and frisking — was provided by private agencies London Olympics 2012: Private security agencies have been roped in to play a significant role

Delhi MLAs eye Games Village flats, Dikshit says flat no

Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit has rejected the state legislators' demand to allocate them the luxurious Commonwealth Games Village flats near Akshardham temple on preferential basis and discounted price.

Dikhshit gave this information to her Congress colleague and party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi in response to his letter to her, expressing outrage and concern over the demand by legislators.

"I have received your letter dated May 2, expressing your concern and disappointment over the MLAs' (member of legislative assembly) demand for the CWG Village flats," Dixit told Singhvi in her reply.

"In the democracy, every member and citizen has a right to express his/her opinion. It was a suggestion by some of the MLAs, the chief minister said, adding that her government had no intention to accede to the demand.

Citing media reports on MLAs' demand for a preferential allocation of the Games Village flats to them on concessional rates, Singhvi wrote to the chief minister that "as a citizen and parliamentarian of this country, I am concerned, disappointed and outraged at the MLAs' demand."

"I find it regrettable, objectionable indeed, that such a demand has been made, said Singhvi, adding that the demand, if met, is surely to be held illegal by courts and bound to be set aside.

GoM discuss theme of the CWG opening ceremony

A high level meeting convened by Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Tuesday discussed the details of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games here to be held in October.

Apart from Reddy, Sports Minister M S Gill, Tourism Minister Selja, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and officials attended the meeting to finalise the theme for the opening ceremony.

Noted film-maker Shyam Benegal, who plays an important role in the creative designing of the opening ceremony too attended the meeting.

"We discussed the opening ceremony. There was a detailed discussion. A final decision would be taken on March 22," Gill told reporters after the meeting.

Benegal said he was "happy" at the outcome of the meeting and said a final decision about the opening ceremony will be taken in the next meeting.