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Fennell checks out CWG Village, England athletes arrive

Saturday, September 25, 2010 Labels: , , , 0 comments

NEW DELHI: Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell on Friday inspected the Commonwealth Games Village and said "considerable improvements" have been made there even as embattled organisers continued their sprint against time to complete preparations for the October 3-14 event.

"It is good to be in Delhi, and the briefing I received from my CEO, Mike Hooper, last night, was that considerable improvements have been made within the Village, with further significant resources deployed by Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Dikshit, to make good what was a concerning situation," Fennell said in a statement.

Fennell, accompanied by Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, secretary general Randhir Singh CGF CEO Mike Hooper, took stock of the arrangements at the athletes Village, which was dubbed "filthy and uninhabitable" by visiting international delegates a couple of days ago.

His statement came even as the first batch of 22 English athletes landed in the capital but headed to hotels instead of the Village as their living area is still not ready.

The CGF boss, who was unimpressed with the pace of the work and even shot off a letter to the Cabinet Secretary a few days ago, also briefed the delegates about the work.

Fennell will meet Cabinet Secretary, KM Chandrasekhar this afternoon.

"I am looking forward to spending the morning with my colleagues from the Commonwealth Games movement and evaluating the situation with all the key stakeholders," Fennell said.

"I am certainly pleased to arrive in Delhi with the news that Australia has moved into the Village to get ready for the arrival of their athletes, and with the confirmation late yesterday that England and Wales will be on their way to Delhi shortly.

"Already so many athletes from around the Commonwealth have started their journey to Delhi. Our job across the next week is to help ensure that all the corrective work is completed in good time," he added.

Fennell said the organisers have to provide a good environment for the visiting athletes and officials.

"We must ensure that a suitable environment is provided to ensure the welfare of the athletes and their support staff.

"It is vital that all remedial work that has already started continues with the greatest urgency," Fennell said.

However, the grim build-up to the Games continued with four top British cyclists, including world champion Welshman Geraint Thomas, pulling out of the event along with New Zealand's Greg Henderson.

The New Zealand delegation will take another 24 hours before deciding whether to compete at the event.

Read more: Fennell checks out CWG Village, England athletes arrive - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/commonwealth-games/top-stories/Fennell-checks-out-CWG-Village-England-athletes-arrive/articleshow/6618906.cms#ixzz10XKjVerL

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Malaysian delegation arrives in New Delhi to assess CWG state of affairs

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New Delhi, Sep. 25 (ANI): A 15-member delegation from Malaysia arrived here to assess the state of affairs just one week before the opening of the Commonwealth Games 2010.

The Malaysian delegation accompanied by two security officials will visit all the stadiums to assess the situation.

The delegation will leave on Monday. A total of 203 Malaysian athletes will be visiting India to participate in the Commonwealth Games.

The athletes will compete for medals in aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, rugby sevens, table tennis, shooting, squash and weightlifting.

Several other countries had raised concern over the preparedness of the venues after reports of hygiene issues, dengue fever outbreak and security incidents in the lead up to the event which is scheduled to begin in nine days.

India is scrambling against the clock to clean up the games venues.

Meanwhile, authorities tightened the security cover around the Games venues on Friday by deploying thousands of security personnel as athletes from various countries start trooping in for the embattled Games.

Paramilitary troops and heavily armed commandos had cast a tight security net around the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, where the opening and closing ceremony would be held for the October 3-14 Games. (ANI)

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Commonwealth Games Village unliveable, complain four countries

Monday, September 20, 2010 Labels: , , , 1 comments

NEW DELHI: Amid all the gloom about chaotic preparations for the Commonwealth Games, there was at least one silver lining: the widespread applause for the "world class" Games Village at its soft launch on September 16. Unfortunately, the Organising Committee has run into a rude reality check even on this front.

New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland have objected strongly to the condition of the accommodation given to them, say highly placed sources. The reason - lack of maintenance of apartments in the towers allotted to these teams and their abysmal, "unliveable" condition, say team delegates. Toilets in particular are said to be in a "mess".

Sources said the apartments, which are left unlocked through the day and night, were found to be dirty. In some flats, labourers had defecated. In others, fixtures and other facilities were still to be provided. Though athletes are to start moving in after September 23, work in just 18 of the 34 towers is said to be complete. The advance teams are reportedly of the view that the remaining work is not likely to get over for weeks.

The delegates are learnt to have told the OC that unless the apartments are set right, their teams should be put up in a Games Family hotel - the Ashoka or Janpath - or some other accommodation. This could add to the OC's logistical problems.

1. Condition of Games Village has prompted delegates from New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland to issue ultimatum to OC

2. Apartments in towers allotted to these countries, especially Kiwis, filthy.

4. Site workers have been using the unlocked flats.

5. Toilets are stained, fixtures haven't been installed, don't work or are broken

6. Size of contingent: Canada 400, New Zealand 325, Scotland 300

7. Those happy with Village: Australia, England

source >> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/commonwealth-games/top-stories/Commonwealth-Games-Village-unliveable-complain-four-countries/articleshow/6595540.cms

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Fennell inspects Commonwealth Games venues

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Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell Wednesday embarked on a whirlwind tour of the stadiums and Commonwealth Games village here as part of his two-day visit to monitor the preparedness for the Oct 3-14 Games.

Fennell’s visit comes at a time when the Commonwealth Games are embroiled in controversies ranging from financial irregularities, unpreparedness and sub-standard quality of work in Games projects.

The Jamaican, who arrived in India Tuesday night, went around the city checking out the facilities at the stadiums. He was accompanied by CGF chief executive Mike Hooper, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) vice-chairman Randhir Singh and secretary general Lalit Bhanot.

Fennell began his day visiting the Thyagaraj Stadium at 9 a.m and then went on to see Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Indira Gandhi Complex, Games Village and Yamuna Sports Complex.

He will also be visiting Delhi University’s Rugby Stadium, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Swimming Complex, Talkatora Stadium, Siri Fort Stadium and R.K. Khanna Stadium to complete his day.

Fennell will visit the two shooting ranges — Karni Singh and Kadarpur — Thursday.

The CGF president is also expected to have a series of meetings with government officials, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, and Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, who is the heading the Group of Ministers overseeing the preparations of the Games.

He is also expected to address the Organising Committee executive board.

Before Fennell’s ongoing tour, Randhir and Bhanot made a round of all the facilities except the Kadarpur Shooting Range following the uproar over their unpreparedness.

Final touches are still to be given to the venues and garbage and construction materials are littered all over the stadiums.

The CGOC top brass, after their four-day tour of the venues, said they have scanned through the minute details related to the finishing touches and overlays and they appeared satisfactory.

The CGOC gave Aug 25 as the deadline when all the venues will be completely ready while the Games Village will be thrown open Sep 16 when foreign delegates will start arriving.

source >> http://www.thelatestnews.in/fennell-inspects-commonwealth-games-venues/41091.html

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Commonwealth Games 2010: Delhi working through the night to beat deadline

Friday, September 17, 2010 Labels: , , , , 1 comments

With only 15 days to go until the start of the Commonwealth Games, the Indian capital is in a frantic rush to be ready for its big opening night.

"My motto is 'Not tomorrow, today. Not today, now'," said Lalit Bhanot, the hard-pressed secretary general of the Games organizing committee.

"There is absolutely no time to waste. We know it will be hectic. We have to work day and night and I am fully aware that from now until the end of the Games there is no holiday and no day off or night off."

After months of delays and missed construction deadlines, Delhi now has a deadline that cannot be moved. On Oct 3, the Prince of Wales will open proceedings at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before competition gets under way the following day.

One can only assume that the area around the stadium, currently an expanse of monsoon-soaked mud, will have been landscaped by then and that the sound of hammering and sawing that reverberated during a media open day this week will have ceased.

Comically, while officials gave interviews at the stadium about the completion of the refurbishment work, a painter was perched above them whitewashing the ceiling.

It was a similar story when the Mukherjee swimming complex opened its doors last Sunday. Although the competition area was to all intents and purposes complete, the 10-metre diving platform still needed surfacing, while the warm-up area was being repainted and retiled.

At the Siri Fort sports complex, which will stage the badminton and squash competitions, the gleaming interior was in marked contrast to the scene outside – a temporary slum for the hundreds of migrant labourers laying paving slabs and painting kerb stones.

Bhanot insists that such landscaping is a straightforward job that will be completed within a few days. What he has no jurisdiction over is the "beautification" of central Delhi – a government project of far greater scale in which miles of roads and pavements are still in the process of being relaid in readiness for the Games.

"I feel it is going to be complete very shortly," said Bhanot. "Maybe after one week, maybe after 10 days.

"By the time the athletes start arriving, you will find everything in order. I tell all my competition staff and organising committee staff that the government will complete their work and all the work will be completed on time. There should be no doubt at all."

The lateness of the preparations has turned what should have been a celebration for Delhi and India into a public relations disaster at home. Local press coverage is unremittingly negative.

But not all of the carping is fair. Final preparations may be behind the clock but the Games have already brought the city a magnificent new airport terminal, a state-of-the-art metro system and new roads and flyovers to improve the flow of Delhi's notoriously clogged traffic.

And, external landscaping apart, the new stadiums are of undeniably world-class standard. The Thyagaraj sports complex, where netball will take place, and the Talkatora indoor stadium, which will stage boxing, are both gems, while the velodrome at the Indira Gandhi sports complex is rated by cycling's world governing body as second only to the Beijing velodrome in terms of build quality. What a shame neither Sir Chris Hoy nor Victoria Pendleton will be there to enjoy it.

But the fact that none of the venues received its building completion certificate until Sept 6 has frayed the nerves of the organising committee and the Commonwealth Games Federation. The CGF had warned it would not allow competitions to go ahead without the proper approvals.

"If they'd got the certificates six months ago, life would have been a lot less stressed," said Mike Hooper, the CGF chief executive.

"There's no denying that, being so late, it has impacted on other operational areas, which means there is a lot of work to be done by a lot of people in the coming days.

"Delhi Police very publicly said that, ideally, they would have liked a month to get in the venues to do what they need to do. They haven't. They've got less than that.

"The same goes for the organising committee in terms of making the venues operational in relation to the delivery of sport. It's all very well having spanking new buildings that they got the keys to on Sept 6, but on Oct 3 they've got to play sport in them."

The CGF would be entitled to say "we told you so". As far back as October last year, CGF president Michael Fennell warned the Delhi organisers that "time is your enemy" as schedules started to slip.

But Hooper insists that now is not the time to criticise or apportion blame. There are more important priorities.

"I'm not interested in pointing fingers and saying, 'He should have done this' or 'This should have been done sooner'," said Hooper. "Of course there have been delays. We don't need reminding of that. We've been saying it for the last two years. But we are where we are. The glass is half full. Let's focus on getting it filled up and getting all the work done."

Delhi by numbers

14 million people live in Delhi

190,000 kilometres will be covered by the Queen's Baton Relay

80,000 Delhi police officers will be on duty

6,500 athletes are expected, the most ever for a Commonwealth Games

2,000 CCTV cameras have been installed

700 pounds for a top-priced Opening Ceremony ticket

371 English athletes will be in action

103 Indian athletes have failed drug tests this year

71 nations will take part in the Games

70 pence to watch any first-round lawn bowls match

36 gold medals were won by English athletes in Melbourne four years ago

17 sports will be contested

14 pounds for the cheapest Opening Ceremony ticket

11 venues have either been built from scratch or refurbished


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