Delhi Set To Give The Commonwealth Games A Totally New Feel

Delhi Set To Give The Commonwealth Games A Totally New Feel
21st October, 2009

As the England team left the Delhi Commonwealth Netball venue, they came across a bullock cart on the road. This isn't surprising if you know how things work in India. However, it surely confirms that the Commonwealth Games experience this time around will be a lot different from the past 2 games which were held in Melbourne and Manchester.

There are many aspects of Delhi as a city which are different from other developed metropolitan cities of the world. The authorities are trying their best to put a cover on accusations of unpreparedness for the games to be held in October 2010 but certain inherent properties of Delhi and whole of India are set to give Commonwealth Games in 2010 a totally different feel.

India is growing economic power and hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2010 is a means of proving to the world that it is fast getting equipped to match other countries in terms of infrastructure, planning and execution. India is desperate to prove that it can successfully host an event of this magnitude with thousands of athletes and officials so that it moves beyond being just a cricket venue and graduates to hosting high-profile events on a regular basis.

The success of Commonwealth Games in Delhi may also interest the International Olympic Committee which has recently awarded the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, another developing nation.

On the recent visit of CGF officials to Delhi, it was pointed out that the pace of infrastructure projects needs to be improved. Only 2 out of 12 venues are complete as of now and the deadline for the completion of major projects has been moved from November, 2009 to March, 2010. As the clock ticks and the games come closer, a sense of urgency is needed from the authorities to make sure that all preparations are in place on time.

Officials from the England team have been in Delhi this week to visit the various Commonwealth Sites under construction. The England team will comprise of over 500 athletes when they come for the games in October 2010.

Craig Hunter, the England chef de mission, seemed optimistic about how things were progressing and said "Looking at Delhi it is an enormous building site, so our concerns would be about infrastructure. But this is clearly a country where they can turn things around in days, weeks and months". He added "Security is a major challenge and the accreditation process that sits behind that". Hunter also pointed out that they are expecting some athletes to pull out of the games due to security concerns but "I think that is inevitable," said Hunter. The England officials seemed very impressed by the Games Village and said that it’s the best they've ever seen.

The Delhi officials have a massive task ahead and everyone in India would like the facilities, infrastructure and people to be at their best during Delhi 2010 so that India could be showcased to the world as a feasible and top-class host for high-profile events.

Following are some of the security related exercises which will be carried out by the Delhi Authorities during the games:

1. Terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport will be kept exclusively for the athletes, officials and VIPs of the Commonwealth games.

2. All vehicles entering the games village will have to show an electronic tag to pass through. For miscreants, tyre killers and steel bars will be used.

3. Indian Air Force helicopters will guard the games village day in and day out with special assault teams. Hotels where officials will be staying will be guarded from specially built watch towers.

4. The venues will have anti-intrusion squads to keep an eye on the crowd and all visitors will have to pass through 4 layers of security before they would be allowed to enter the venues.