Troubles behind, India readies for Commonwealth Games

The eyes of the world are set on India as it gets ready for the prestigious Commonwealth Games 2010 in its national capital New Delhi from October 3-14.

With only a week to go for the Commonwealth Games and delegates starting to arrive in the capital, the organisers reiterate that everything is ready for the mega sporting event and almost all the projects for the Games, including beautification and infrastructure-related, have been completed.

The Commonwealth Games 2010 has been a classic soap opera of Indian sport. The saga has already witnessed the big elements that make for a hot climax. Action, words, graft, sleaze, floods, terrorist shooting and what not. Sceptics wrote it off as an organisational disaster followed by allegations of corruption and delays as well as various infrastructure problems. Finally, however, the mega sporting event that will bring together 71 countries and participating teams to the Indian capital is now round the corner. The Organising Committee (OC) is confident it will pull off the event well, for which the Indian government has allocated Rs.15,000 crores (Rs.150 billion/over $3 billion).
The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee is expecting to receive over 100,000 spectators and delegates during the Games and New Delhi is all gearing up for the main event.
Allaying doubts about the readiness of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games venues, Organising Committee (OC) secretary general Lalit Bhanot has said that all venues are ready. “International bodies (concerned) have certified that all venues are fit to host events,” Bhanot said. “Though there was some delay in the completion of some venues, every stadium is completely ready now”. 
Saying that the stadia for the Games are world class, he added, “These stadia can host events like the Olympics and world championships.” 
Chef-de-mission of the Indian contingent Bhubaneswar Kalita said that chefs-de-mission of all the 71 participating nations have already visited all the venues.

Games Village
Regarding the Commonwealth Games village, of which much has been written about, Bhanot said that International Olympic Committee (IOC) members have expressed satisfaction at its readiness.  Situated next to the impressive
Akshardham Temple, the Commonwealth Games 2010 Village is spread over an 11-hectare area near the Yamuna banks. More than 8,000 athletes and officials will call the Games Village their home for a little less than a month. A total of 1,168 flats (with 4,008 rooms) distributed over 34 towers will accommodate the huge influx of sportspersons from around the world. The village has three distinct areas: a residential zone, to which no one but athletes and officials will have access; an international zone, which is a “gathering” area for residents and visitors, complete with a media centre and an entertainment and shopping centre; and an operational zone, with car parks, security centres, a logistics centre, etc. There is also a fitness centre for athletes, complete with training areas for various disciplines including weightlifting and wrestling, as well as a 50m swimming pool and an eight-lane 400m synthetic track. The Rs 1,350 crore spent on the Games Village is by far the largest amount spent on a single unit of infrastructure for the CWG. 
The village also features green building concepts — fly ash bricks used in construction, glazed glass with double insulation to let in light and trap heat, and a rainwater harvesting unit. Recycled water will be used for flushing and horticulture. The village also has a 1MW solar power plant as well as its own power substation. Officials say the grid, which will generate 50MW of electricity, will also serve nearly 200,000 people living in areas nearby.
The Games, the biggest sporting event in the country after the 1982 Asian Games, will feature 17 disciplines to be held at six venue clusters and five stand-alone stadia and showcase to the world magnificent stadia, foolproof security and modern-day transportation systems.
 
Special arrangements by Delhi Metro
The Delhi Metro will provide easy Metro connectivity to 10 out of 11 venues of the Commonwealth Games 2010. These are the Games Village, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi University, Thyagaraj Complex, Siri Fort Sports Complex, National Stadium, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Talkotora Indoor Stadium, Yamuna Sports Complex  and R.K. Tennis Complex.
Delhi Metro has made special arrangements to facilitate passengers’ movement at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium station during the Commonwealth Games. The station will have five entry and exit structures so that the public can access the station easily and extra staircases of much wider width are being provided so that more people can be accommodated easily. There will also be four escalators connecting the concourse with the platform. There will be 20 automatic fare collection (AFC) gates instead of eight AFC gates normally provided at most stations. Volunteers and Sahayaks (helpers) will be posted to assist passengers at all the important points of the station such as the AFC gates, escalators, platforms and entry and exit points where first-time Metro users may face difficulty. A special control room will be established at the Stadium Metro station from where public announcements will be controlled and LED signs will be displayed for guidance of passengers. Railings will be installed and there will be extra lighting for good visibility.
All information related to the CWG 2010 will be made available at all metro stations in the form of a booklet which includes various places of interest in and around Delhi, how to reach them, and all related and detailed information of hotels, important emergency numbers, railway stations, markets, etc.

CWG special road lanes
Special road lanes have been dedicated for Commonwealth Games officials, athletes and visitors There are 36 reserved lanes stretching from the airport to the Games Village and various Games venues. These lanes will be on the right side of the roads and earmarked by broad blue bands and Commonwealth Games logo.  They will be guarded by the expanded force levels of Delhi Traffic Police, which will reach 5,500 personnel and over 1,000 volunteers.  Besides these lanes, the traffic police has inducted 200 fast interceptor bikes and 300 traffic policewomen.
 
Fool-proof power supply for Games venues
To ensure uninterrupted power supply to all the 12 Games venues, power distribution company BSES has created a multi-pronged fool-proof arrangement.  All the CWG venues in BSES area will have ‘double source’ power supply from different grid stations. This is to ensure that if one source fails, there is no disruption of power supply to the venue.  To tackle any power-related emergency during the Games, the Delhi Government has constituted a high powered Emergency Response Team.
 
3-tier security ring
Security has been a major international concern in the wake of terror threats, but India’s internal security department has assured participating countries that it will be a “safe and secure” Games.
“We are fully prepared for the mega sporting event. Our force is trained, ready and positioned and I am fully satisfied about the preparations for the mega event,” Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal declared recently.
   Apart from around 80,000 Delhi Police personnel, over 17,500 paramilitary personnel, 3,000 specialised commandos and 100 anti-sabotage check teams, besides a 123-member dog squad, will be deployed across the city. Delhi Police has also procured armoured vehicles and has formed a special commando force to ensure that the event passes off without any trouble.  Continuous aerial surveillance, about 2,000 closed-circuit cameras and latest security gadgets would be employed for extensive three-tier security ring that the Indian government has planned for 2010 Commonwealth Games.
   The Indian government has conveyed to the heads of missions of all Commonwealth countries that there is no specific threat to the Games but every precaution was being taken to make it incident-free. This includes taking adequate precaution even for tackling chemical or biological attacks.
   Every vehicle meant for athletes would be put through an anti-sabotage test every morning while each of 23 venues would be completely sanitised seven days ahead of an event.
   “We are in full command of the venues. Adequate security arrangements are in place to ensure an incident-free Games,” Rajan Bhagat, spokesperson of Delhi Police said.
   Each venue will be connected to a central command room (command, control, coordination and communication centre) at the Delhi Police headquarters where CCTV cameras will relay every activity from the venues.
   Besides, Delhi Police will have 62 National Security Guard (NSG) commandos in case of any combat situation, Special Protection Group (SPG) commandos for VVIP security, and local police personnel in and around a two-kilometre area from a particular venue, as well as helicopter surveillance.
   Likewise, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue where the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, would be secured by 1,500 trained officers, the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium by 1,000 officers, Indira Gandhi National Stadium by around 1,200 personnel, Talkatora by 800-1,000 officers, Siri Fort Complex by 1,000 officers, and similar number for the other stadium.
At the apartments where athletes will be staying, Delhi Police will have commandos deployed on every building, apart from trained private security guards to look after peripheral security. The practice venues will have commandos and dog squads round the clock and the whole area would be lighted up.

Dengue scare
The Indian government has issued a health advisory about Dengue to the participants visiting Delhi for the Commonwealth Games stating that the “H1N1 influenza has now peaked in India”. The advisory, issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, says that if the athletes find any symptoms of flu, they should consult the medical officer in the contingent. If required, they should also get the medical advice of the polyclinic in the competition venue or hotel. If the advice of the doctor is to stay in the Games village, they should “use triple layered surgical mask and avoid close contact with others for a week”. If the symptoms aggravate, they should report to the nearest notified hospital in Delhi.    
   “Anyone who contracts H1N1 during the Games will be given free consultation, diagnosis and treatment,” the statement said.  The advisory carries a detailed Dos and Don’ts list to prevent swine flu. The athletes have been asked not to shake hands or hug while greeting.  The health ministry has advised athletes “to carry full sleeved clothes and mosquito repellents while travelling to India”.
   It also advises athletes not to leave the doors and windows of their apartments open during their stay for the Games.
   The dengue scare, however,  has not deterred the “biggest” Australian contingent from going to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games, Peter Varghese, the country’s high commissioner in India, said. The envoy said that despite the dengue scare, Australia was looking forward to the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games. “We are looking forward to the Commonwealth Games and have a very large team of 650 Australians that would be the biggest we would be sending. So, we will be looking forward to some very good competition in the Games,” Varghese said.

Opening Ceremony
The Commonwealth Games, also known as the ‘Friendly Games’, are a multinational, multi-discipline sports event held once in four years and participants come from the Commonwealth of Nations – or former colonies of the British Empire.  Hosting the 19th Commonwealth Games, India will have an opportunity to present its culture, its achievements, its warm hospitality and its organisational capabilities to the world.
The Games’ Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. In the opening ceremony on October 3, there will be a flag parade of countries participating in the Games. Australia, being the host country for the last Games (2006) will lead the parade. As per custom, India, the current host country will stand last in the parade. The opening ceremony parade is an important event. During the parade, India’s national anthem Jana Gana Mana will be played. The Queen’s Baton relay is also an important event and is the curtain raiser for the Games. The first and the last baton carrier are chosen from a list of well known athletes belonging to the host country which is India for 2010 commonwealth Games. It is expected that Indian President, Mrs. Pratibha Patil will grace the Queen’s baton relay at the opening ceremony. India’s ace shooter, Olympic gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra will be the first baton carrier for 2010 Commonwealth Baton relay. (For Canada, the Indian-origin Ken Pereira, Canada’s hockey team captain, will carry the national flag). At the opening ceremony the baton will be handed over to her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II or her representative by the last runner. Queen Elizabeth II will not attending the Games inauguration this time breaking a 40-year-old tradition due to a very packed schedule, according to reports. However, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will be present during opening ceremony.
   There will also be a welcome ceremony after the inaugural ceremony where athletes of all the participating nations will be welcomed and Green Flag will be shown as a sign for commencement of the games. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will hoist three flags, the flags of the present host country (India), the last host country (Australia) and the next host country (Scotland).
Apart from the traditional events associated with Commonwealth Games, the 2010 Commonwealth Games will also host musical performances as part of opening ceremony. The musical performances will be delivered by many well known and established foreign and Indian artists. Oscar winner A.R. Rahman will be performing live. Many Bollywood personalities and celebrities from the field of politics, sports and media will also be present. Impressive fireworks will light up the skyline and will add to the excitement.
The closing ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games will be held on 14th October 2010 at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, New Delhi. 
 
Green Games
The Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games has been recognised as the first ever “Green Commonwealth Games”.
The CWG organisers had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Program to show the intention to host a “sustainable games” and to take the environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. Taking further the efforts to conduct a Green Commonwealth Games, recycled paper and stationery will be used for official work during the event and this would be applicable in respect of functions, events and offices. ‘Green’ Sheras, the Games mascot, will greet visitors at the Commonwealth Games venues – with leaves springing out of their wire mesh structures – giving a literal touch to the concept of green Games. Besides Shera, the Games logo is also green.

High definition coverage
The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee has finalised deals with rights holding broadcasters from 13 countries across six continents. Prasar Bharati is the host broadcast partner for Delhi 2010.  The international broadcast exposure will beat all records set. The Games are to be viewed across Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States, with additional daily news coverage reaching across 160 countries. For the first time in the history of the Commonwealth Games, all 17 sports disciplines and opening and closing ceremonies will be covered on High Definition Digital Format (HDTV)
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will be sending a crew of 250 while an Australian broadcasting team will comprise 280 people (Channel Network Ten/Foxtel/ABC Radio). Prasar Bharati has appointed Satellite Information Services (SIS) Live of UK for production and coverage services. SIS Live will deploy over 1300 experts across all venues. Approximately 345 HD cameras, including 38 Super Slow Motion cameras, 55 Robotic cameras, 40 RF cameras and 100 Slow Motion Servers are going to be part of the technical infrastructure.  A range of ‘Speciality Cameras’ will include ‘Fly Cam’ for overhead tracking shots at the ceremonies, athletics and swimming, ‘Crawl Cam’, ‘Pole Cam’ and ‘Turn Cam’ for underwater shots at the swimming venues. ‘Dive Cams’ will follow divers from the diving board into the water.  The ‘Track Cams’ will run alongside the track for events like the 100 metres. Helicopters with specially mounted cameras will cover the entire route. Special motorbikes equipped with RF cameras will follow the athletes for the coverage during the whole course of route.

Troubles and controversies behind and with just a week to go for the sports event, the only message of the CWG organisers to all participating nations is – come to India and play well.