Life
Commonwealth Games Jitters
The glacial pace at which preparations are underway, has led to media speculation that the largest athletic event India has ever hosted could turn out to be an embarrassing debacle.
Indian organizers are tangling with Commonwealth Games officials who are getting jittery over preparations for the October 2010 games. Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper commented that to say that Delhi is unprepared “is the understatement of the year.”
Local organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi fired back to demand that Hooper be recalled from Delhi, claiming he was “of no use” and had been an “impediment to functioning.” Hooper insists he is staying and now India’s sports minister M.S. Gill has intervened, saying, “Whatever has happened is not right and shouldn’t have happened.” India is hoping that the Commonwealth Games, which feature 71 nations and territories of the former British Empire, will bolster its international prestige, perhaps positioning it for a claim to the Olympics in the future. But the pace of progress has been slow and there is widespread media speculation that the largest athletic event India has ever hosted could turn out to be an embarrassing debacle. |
