Australia names teenager in Delhi 2010 lawn bowls squad

Natasha van Eldik was on Wednesday named to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games lawn bowls pairs competition in Delhi in October. At 19, she will become the youngest lawn bowler to wear Australian colours in a Commonwealth Games competition.

She lines up alongside reigning gold medallist, 26-year-old Lynsey Armitage. The pair won the silver medal at the eight-nation tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium lawn bowls facility here in April. That convinced Australian coach Rex Johnston that Van Eldik was ready.

“I got the call at 6.45 this morning...they said we would get a call whether we had made the Commonwealth Games team or not so I didn't know what to expect,” she was quoted as saying in the Australian media. “It's a bit overwhelming really. In 12 months I have debuted for my country, played about 14 or 15 games for Australia and now I'm going to a Commonwealth Games. It's a dream come true.”

The 20-year-old Kelsey Cottrell, a reserve four years ago, will make her debut in the women's singles, while Sharyn Renshaw (NSW), Claire Duke (NSW) and Julie Keegan (NSW) have been selected to play in the triples.

In the men's disciplines, world No.2 Leif Selby has secured the coveted singles role while Mark Berghofer and Aron Sherriff will play in the pairs and Brett Wilkie will partner defending Games champions Wayne Turley (NSW) and Mark Casey (QLD) in the triples.

Australia topped the medal count in Melbourne four years ago with three gold, one silver and one bronze. National coach Rex Johnston believes it is possible to replicate that performance in Delhi. “We're extremely happy with the final 12 that has been selected,” he said, preparing for his sixth successive Commonwealth Games campaign as a player or a coach.

“We have a strong mix of youth and experience, with the likes of Armitage, Turley and Casey being given the chance to defend their respective gold medals from Melbourne, while we've also invested our faith in the likes of Cottrell and Selby who have proven to be world class players over the past couple of years.”

The team:

Men: Singles: Leif Selby; Pairs: Mark Berghofer and Aron Sherriff; Triples: Brett Wilkie, Wayne Turley and Mark Casey.

Women: Singles: Kelsey Cottrell: Pairs: Lynsey Armitage and Natasha Van Eldik; Triples: Sharyn Renshaw, Claire Duke and Julie Keegan.

Concerns India will lose face over Commonwealth Games

The games were meant to showcase a rising India; instead, they may end up being a major embarrassment

QUEEN ELIZABETH will not inaugurate the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October – the first time she has missed the event in four decades. Instead, she is sending Prince Charles to represent her as head of the colonial grouping.

The queen cited an overfull calendar as the reason for her absence from the games, which run from October 3rd to 14th.

She will miss an event billed domestically as one that promises to showcase a rising India but that so far promises to be anything but a celebration of the country’s progress.

It is questionable whether the British monarch is genuinely busy or whether she is wary of inaugurating an event which, a mere 120 days away, is far from ready and has the real potential to be an embarrassment.

The games, worth more than $3 billion (€2.44 billion), were considered an opportunity to display the “new India”, with its impressive economic growth rate and rising status as an Asian power. Instead, there is now a desperate scramble to prevent the event from becoming a humiliating failure.

Several sporting venues including the main track and field stadium, the swimming venue and the participants’ residential village complex are far from ready. Indeed, most of the Commonwealth Games sites across Delhi are besieged with cranes and open pits and rife with desultory building activity nowhere near completion.

Numerous road and rail overpasses required to ferry athletes and spectators through Delhi’s chaotic traffic are simply cement pillars supporting nothing.

Badly needed infrastructure that would ensure the smooth running of the games is also pitifully behind schedule, with at least half of 20 critical bridges and overpasses in all likelihood abandoned.

The revised December 31st, 2009, deadline for the completion of most of the work was deferred to the end of March, but this too has been pushed back to even closer to the games’ inauguration.

Commonwealth Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi conceded in a newspaper interview yesterday that construction work would “drag on” to the end of June but that too seems an overly optimistic assessment.

Plans to construct thousands of hotel rooms for guests have been jettisoned in favour of ad-hoc B&Bs – triggering fears that these “poor man’s Olympics” featuring 71 former British colonial states and territories could end up being mortifying for India.

This, in turn, would further inflame the country’s inferiority complex with regard to neighbouring nuclear, commercial and economic rival China, globally feted for hosting the near-flawless 2008 Beijing Olympics with all sporting, residential and spectator facilities ready in plenty of time to carry out rehearsals and resolve glitches.

Delhi will go straight into the Commonwealth Games without the luxury of dry runs in the majority of its hastily built venues.

In their mad scramble to meet long-delayed deadlines, the authorities have dropped plans to clean up several city slums, opting instead to plant bamboo groves to shield them.

The much-touted “civilising campaign” of levying fines on commonplace activities such as littering, urinating, defecating and spitting in public places has also been abandoned.

So have plans to teach taxi drivers, waiters and security staff English and international etiquette to make the participants feel comfortable.

Indian officials have repeatedly placated the panicky Commonwealth Games Federation with the well-practised line that the run-up to October’s sporting fest is akin to an Indian wedding: initially chaotic and disorganised but eventually majestic and orderly.

They insist the federation is missing a few tricks, unable to see India’s delayed genius at work.

If that were not enough, it now transpires that catering contracts for the games’ village are yet to be awarded, with not enough time for the awardees to erect their elaborate kitchens designed to feed thousands of athletes.

Security, too, poses a major challenge. The games are being conducted against the backdrop of a deteriorating internal security environment marked by a rising wave of regional extremist fundamentalism and increasing attacks by Maoists.

Various Islamist groups have threatened to disrupt the games. Though India has pledged tight security, anxiety persists, with dependence on massive security at sporting venues rather than advance work in “neutralising” potential threats.

As a further security measure, the authorities have ordered the closure of all educational institutions for the duration of the games. A fiat has also been issued for all shops, offices and business establishments to shut during the opening and closing ceremonies.

“The authorities will declare an unofficial curfew in Delhi for the duration of the games,” says

Delhi-based fashion designer Rita Paul, adding that it will be hell for the fortnight of the games and better to leave the city during that time.

Govt plans to hide unfinished Games work behind curtains

What you cannot finish, just cover up. That seems to be Delhi government’s motto, given the scale and pace of last-minute construction work for the Commonwealth Games and the impending rains which may temporarily halt most of the work.

Increasingly faced with the prospect of the work not getting completed on time, the city government, sources say, is considering putting up scaffold nettings or shade cloth of high density polythene microfilaments (that is dust and fire-proof) to cover unfinished construction sites.

This will be done ‘‘aesthetically’’ to ensure that the city does not look ‘‘under-prepared’’. ‘‘It will only be done for unfinished sites near Games venues. It should apply more for MCD and DDA than for us because our works are on course. We are not even competent to issue instructions to these agencies. Only the LG office can do so,’’ said a top Delhi government official.

Discussions about issuing a notification to restrict large-scale construction work during the first two weeks of October when Games will be on are at an advanced stage, sources say. ‘‘It is essential that the dust and grime that seems to have taken over do not hamper visitors’ impression of the city during the Games. That is why this is one of the proposals we are considering,’’ said a senior Delhi government official, confirming that sometime back, a letter had been received from the LG’s office too suggesting both the ban on construction and option of using scaffold netting to cover construction sites. Sources say the letter, signed by Ranjan Mukherjee, who is the OSD (Commonwealth Games) to the LG, was received about three months ago.

Officials say, if construction sites are indeed covered, the city would take a leaf out of other cities that have hosted mega-event like Beijing and Sydney. But a section in the government feels that better monitoring and enforcement of deadlines could have saved the city government this embarrassment.

‘‘It does not take rocket science to know that monsoon hits Delhi sometime in late June or early July, and it has a major slowdown effect on construction. After all the criticism received over the past year or so, we have allowed matters to come to such a pass that options like these have to be considered,’’ said an official closely involved with the preparations.

Preparations for CWG at advanced stage: Govt

Noting that the Commonwealth Games is an opportunity for the country to showcase its organisational capacity, the Government on Tuesday said preparations for the sporting extravaganza are at an advanced stage.

"Preparations for the event are at an advanced stage," the UPA government's 'Report to the People 2009-10' released in New Delhi by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.

It said the Games present an "excellent opportunity" to herald India's emergence as a significant sporting nation and showcase its organisational capacity to host such a major international event.

The Games will be held in the capital from October 3 to 14.

Stadiums to showcase their arty side

Apart from holding sporting events, Delhi's stadiums will have another task during the Commonwealth Games — promoting art.

Bringing art out of the galleries to the public domain, the Delhi government has decided to install ‘public art' at two of its stadiums — Chhatrasal stadium near Delhi University and Thyagraj stadium near INA — before the Games.

Made of stainless steel, both art pieces will have abstract human figures and would be installed close to the main entrance to the stadiums.

Senior Delhi government officials the prototype of the both the pieces of art has been approved by the chief minister.

"The one at Chhatrasal stadium will have three intertwined human figures while the one at Thyagraj stadium is a single human figure," said a senior Delhi government official requesting anonymity.

According to sources, the firm who installed stainless steel sprouts near the AIIMS flyover will design the art pieces for the two stadiums as well.

"It was a transparent selection process. We had empanelled a committee of 10 persons including some well-known artists who selected the design from more than 200 entries," said a senior Delhi government official said

CWG: Scheme to upgrade facilities in guest houses

Aiming at upgrading facilities at guest houses in the capital in view of the Commonwealth Games, Tourism Ministry has introduced an Interest Subsidy Scheme.

The scheme would be applicable for loans taken to upgrade the existing facilities in approved guest houses which are allowed as per the prevailing civic bye-laws of DDA, MCD and NDMC.

Interest Subsidy proposals will take into account number of rooms as licensed by civic agency and Delhi Police. The Ministry would provide interest subsidy on loan of maximum Rs 2 lakh per room basis.

Guest house may seek higher loan but the payment of interest subsidy would be calculated at Rs 2 lakh per room subject to an overall upper limit of Rs 60 lakh per guest house, officials said.

The scheme would be effective from immediate effect and it would apply to all licensed guest houses in the capital.

The subsidy would be applicable for upgrading of flooring, furniture like bed, table, chair, luggage rack, cupboard, bathroom fixtures including WC and wash basin.

It can also be used for geyser, RO machine for drinking water, A/C, electric light fittings, common areas like lobby and reception, facade and infrastructure development works like supply of electricity, water and installation of solar heating and lighting.

Sponsors shy away from Commonwealth Games

Will the 2010 Commonwealth Games' Organizing Committee (OC) be able to repay the Rs 1,600 crore it has taken as loan from the Centre to host the mega event?

The OC's reply to an RTI on the amount raised so far from sponsorships, paints a grim picture. With just four months to go for the Games, the organizers have managed to seal deals worth just Rs 243 crore in cash.

Sponsorships, apart from TV rights, were expected to form the major chunk of revenue for the organizers, who are also expecting to raise some money through merchandising and ticket sales.

According to OC's reply to the RTI on May 11, it has on board only five sponsors - Air India, NTPC, Hero Honda, Central Bank of India and Coca Cola - for the Games so far. It has raised Rs 143 crore in cash from the sponsors and got Rs 60.70 crore in kind. Another Rs 100 crore has been promised by the Indian Railways.

The OC has roped in Australian firm Sport Marketing and Management as its advertisement consultant in charge of bringing in sponsors. SMAM was a consultant at the 2002 Manchester Games and 2006 Melbourne Games as well. The firm's commission, according to OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi, varies from 20% to 25% of the deal amount.

"They had asked for 30% commission. But after negotiations it was worked out 20% to 25%, depending on the amount they bring in," Kalmadi had told TOI recently.

Kalmadi has admitted that both Melbourne and Manchester Games did not get many multinational sponsors, an indication that the OC may also lose out on that front.

This means it would be even more difficult for OC to raise money to repay the government loan. When asked whether SMAM has been able to rope in any local sponsors, Kalmadi said: "All, except the Railways."

TV rights deals, the next big hope of fund generation, have more or less been sealed. Deals with the likes of BBC in United Kingdom and Network Ten and Foxtel in Australia among others are believed to have generated close to Rs 300 crore.

Merchandising and tickets sales are unlikely to generate a huge amount of money, which could leave OC in heavy debt after the Games are over.

Kalmadi, however, remained optimistic. "We are hopeful of getting a lot of money. We hope to cover the deficit," he said.