Commonwealth Games-all is well that ends well

What we have witnessed in the last fortnight or so is nothing but spectacular. The negativity surrounding the start of the XIX Commonwealth games in New Delhi was transformed into a positive tide by the end of it. 

After an awesome opening ceremony and scintillating performances of the indian athletes at the CWG ,the games has come to fascinating conclusion, kudos to all the people like technicians,organisers, volunteers sports  persons, and all those who were involved in the conducting of Delhi CWG games. The headlines across the world have changed and how. Ten days ago they read: "Games are running on empty" and "What's wrong with the Games today?" But now after the successful staging of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, topped off by a glitzglam closing ceremony on Thursday, an overwhelming majority of the foreign media is singing praises - some fulsome, a few grudging - about the way the Games were overall conducted.  It was very pathetic of Indian media who instead of raising the morale of Indian sports fedration created a contorversy of the people involved in this games! Indian sports fedration have successfully came unscathed of all the CRITICISM by the media and proved that india can host any sporting event. This games has brought INDIA in the global sporting scenario..

Athletes with their sheer grit and determination tried to ensure that the mega event would be remembered for all the right reasons.

Indian players, with the home support behind them, raised the level of their game and made the impossible possible. No one had believed before the start of the games that india would finish with 38 gold and cross the century mark in terms of the total number of medals.

There is no greater proof of the success of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi than CGF president Michael Fennell hailing it.

The Commonwealth Games Federation chief, however, refused to single out anyone for the splendid show.

"I think it was team work. You can't credit the success to any one individual or organisation. There were a few things that were not going right and the Delhi government and the Indian government put into a lot of resources to help correct the situation.

"Certainly, the federation has to share the responsibility of getting it right and we provided the direction and the expertise that we had available.

"All in all, we were able to mobilize corrective actions to see that the Games got off to a good start and ran successfully. But many, many people were involved in the success," Fennell said.

Unfinished work, monsoon rains, extended deadlines and controversies  may have led sceptics to write off the Commonwealth Games as an organisational disaster. 

The furnishing of apartments, beautification and construction of the approach road was also incomplete at the much talked about Games village situated on the banks of river Yamuna.

The  report of the autonomous Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had cast a long shadow. The corruption watchdog had pointed out poor quality of construction material and grant of work to ineligible agencies in several projects. As per the CVC’s Chief Technical Examination Wing, large-scale procedural violations, including corruption, have been noticed in 16 projects.

Another scandal surfaced over the award of contract to a company in Britain allegedly without following proper procedures. But CWG organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi has vehemently denied all allegations. He said these charges were “baseless” as proper trails existed to establish that all transactions were within law and above board. There were worries regarding a lack of spectators at venues and swimmers falling ill and blaming the water quality of the training pool.

Vijay kumar malhotra, president of the General Association of National Sports Federations (GANSF), said: “There is a general sense of antipathy, cynicism, concern, worry about the Games. The common man on the street is worried not only about the massive corruption but also about the image of the country.”

But India’s top sports officials  proved to the nation and the 71 participating teams that they were ready to host the “best ever” Games.  State of the art stadia, foolproof security and modern day transportation systems were showcased for the world to see.

And the closing ceremony was a stirring success. Indeed, some officials who before the games fought over who should be blamed are now fighting over who should get credit.....