Commonwealth Games - 2010

The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the nineteenth Commonwealth Games. The Games are scheduled to be held in Delhi, India between 3 October and 14 October 2010. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. It will also be the first time the Commonwealth Games will be held in India and the second time the event has been held in Asia (after 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).

The bid which was made in 2003 for hosting Commonwealth Games was put at 1,899 crore rupees, however the unofficial assessment of actual costs have been mindboggling 30,000 crore. Normally, it is expected that the cost of such events go up as the event approaches, but this kind of rise in figures is unimaginable. This shows how badly we plan our projects.

Remember the extravaganza called Beijing Olympics? It was one of the most expensive Olympics ever to be held. People were in wonder of what China had done with the Infrastructure & facilities for the tournament. For China, it was a big step for changing its global image from a poor country to a more modern upcoming super-power nation.

India wants to do same but On the other hand, India seems to be doing exactly the opposite, although, we cannot say this until the Commonwealth Games supposed to be held this year in Delhi are over. But the way things are going currently, India may have to hide their faces, if something is not done.

Although the IOC head Mr. Suresh Kalmadi keeps iterating that they are on schedule but as of now, none of the venues are even near completion. And it is just not for the venues, the accommodation arrangements for the athletes also are a big issue.

Delhi, which is to host the games in October, next year, is a complete mess. Almost every major road is dug up or blocked, either for Metro or flyover construction.

India should always host such events to showcase our progress but with these findings I think hosting such events is proving to be more counter – productive.

Is it better to cancel the Commonwealth Games plan instead of ruining India’s Image or should we go all out and do whatever it takes to ensure that Games are held with some amount of respectability?