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Even a nation like Malaysia is better-placed to host the Games. It's sad but true. We should not have bid for the Games - Baichung Bhutia
Come something like Commonwealth Games, in India, and the first tendency of our sports bureaucrats seems to be the 'money' factor. Not to be mistaken that the money we are talking about here is the one which goes in their pockets rather than doing the usual. The event will and anyway happen (who gives a darn), regardless of the fact that anybody will participate in it. It's a loot - come take and don't worry about the fact that the name India is associated with it. But, don't even think about the bid for 2020 Olympics if you have any pride left.
Commonwealth Games was a chance for India to show off its proficiency to everyone and instead they are busy looting public money in the name of CWG projects.
With less than two months away for the Games, they are busy forming an emergency panel to investigate the large-scale corruption - i.e. financial irregularities to be precise - rather than deciding the parameters for hosting an event like CWG. Did anyone say whatever about tarnishing the country's image? No kidding why top foreign athletes decided to pull out. Some Indians too!
If we had put Rs 35,000 crores into providing games facility for 90 per cent of our children who have no games facilities no access to them. Tomorrow we'd be winning all the medals in the world. But so long as you go on spending thousands of crores on circuses like this and totally ignore the aam bachcha (common child), there is no hope, said a thoughtful Mani Shankar Aiyar.
On a lighter note and more rightly Mr. Aiyar said, with rains hitting the capital, he was delighted as it would enable agricultural production in the country and it would cause difficulty for the Commonwealth Games Federation in the preparations.
The outspoken MP's remarks should have embarrassed the government or the CWG committee or us otherwise, but the way things are managed here everybody preferred to shut up and let the mockery continue. Please see the sarcasm in the above quote, which is quite true to say the least.
The Prime Minister has given us Rs 700 crore for training of athletes, I am confident that will reflect in India's medal tally, said a happy chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi.
The question anyone will ask looking at the chaos and organisational mess is: Does India actually plan to host the mega sporting event in the country?
Nevertheless, hurrah! With the onset of the Rs 700 crore, all the focus from the Games shifted to paisa making. We finished fourth - medals tally - in Melbourne during the 2006 Games. But this time Mr. Kalmadi has other plans for the athletes. He tweaked the Common 'Wealth' Games format a bit to suit his own charms.- Crores of money has been spent. Some went here some went there. So in aquatics category - since Phelps is not coming - they are swimming in money.
- Athletics requires lots of running to do. And since, the hands of the law are very long - according to Bollywood - you should be prepared to run. Anil Khanna couldn't because his conscience was clear.
- Since demotivated India's ace shooter Gagan Narang is thinking about skipping the Commonwealth Games, Kalmadi and co has shot themselves right on their foot. No medals though!
- Olympian bronze medalist grappler Sushil Kumar among others promised a rich medal haul at the Commonwealth Games. But the entire CWG committee seems to be wrestling with their self-conscience. Whether Sushil and others will manage a medal is unknown but Kalmadi surely will have no contest.
- In the racing category however, the Suresh Kalmadi team is seriously behind schedule. Delhi got the bid to host the mega event as early as 2003 and we are still racing against time to complete the basic infrastructure.
Is anyone still talking about the amount of disgrace brought to country? Please bear with them; we are famous for our IST.
In all 272 gold, 272 silver and 282 bronze medals will be given away to the athletes during the mega event. Each medal are said to be six mm in thickness and 63.5mm in diameter. Some money to be made here too. I am clueless what the budget for the toilet papers was. It's an inflation time and maybe they were concerned over the price rise.
Even the National AIDS Control Organisation is scratching their heads over the delay in installing condom-vending machines at various Commonwealth Games sites. With the market rising exponentially, maybe Kalmadi and co are busy working on the prices of the CWG-type condoms. Hey we are talking about several lakh rupees. There are no system of checks and balances to ensure accountability of these politicians-turned-managers. After the heat, couple of them have resigned but all of them are in line. Whose head do you want?
Amidst all the chaos in the name of a sports event, I was just curious; do we actually need Common 'Wealth' Games in India? With due respect to our Indian athletes, the huge amount of money that went in hosting such an event (in Kalmadi's pocket) should have been spent on commitment towards the cause of sports in the country. Or sit back, rely on our favourite formulajugaad, hope for the best and be proud to be irresponsible.
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