Commonwealth chief promises first-class show

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica: New Delhi will be ready to put on a first-class show as host of the 19th Commonwealth Games later this year, says Games boss Mike Fennell.



With the October 3 start date approaching and deadlines for the construction of main venues falling by the wayside, Fennell promised the problems would be fixed in time.



“Things are in great shape,” said the president of the London-based Commonwealth Games Federation.



“We had hoped all the venues would be ready ahead of time so we could test them, but they will be completed ahead of the start of the Games.”



Fennell was speaking at a cocktail reception put on by the Indian Community in Montego Bay on Monday which was also attended by the Indian High Commissioner Mohinder Grover.



The reception was in honour of the Queens Baton Relay that had stopped in the northwestern city, the same place where India had won the bid seven years ago. Earlier in the day, the delegation accompanying the baton had stopped at a high school, Cornwall College.



The 12-day sporting extravaganza is already the most expensive Commonwealth Games in history with an infrastructure and organising budget of two billion dollars.



The previous edition in Melbourne, Australia in 2006 cost 1.1 billion dollars.



Preparations for the Games, the biggest multi-sport event to be staged in India since the Asian Games in 1982, have been dogged by slow progress in the construction of stadiums and other infrastructure.



Fennell said the main concerns were about the main stadium that will host the opening ceremony and the track and field competition, as well as the swimming venue but said they should be completed soon.



Fennell, who was in India a week ago, said at a recent meeting of all 71 head of delegations in India, they were given assurances that the event dubbed ‘The Friendly Games’ would “exceed all expectations”.



Fennell pointed to the already completed field hockey and netball facilities, the former which hosted the recent World Championships as “one of the finest anywhere in the world” while promising that the netball stadium will impress.



Security he said was a major concern, not just for the Games, but an ongoing one for the Indian government which was “taking every precaution, Games or no Games to ensure the safety of their citizens.”Fennell said the perceived setbacks in the planning especially in operations and management were no different from those of other major sporting events.



“India has spared no resources for the Games and everything will be first class,” Fennell said.



India were awarded the Games in 2003 when the bidding process was held at Half Moon Hotel and they edged Canada in the final round of voting.