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2010 Commonwealth Games

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The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the nineteenth edition of the Commonwealth Games, and the ninth to be held under that name. The Games are scheduled to be held in Delhi, India between 3 October and 14 October 2010. The games will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. 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).

In addition to the Commonwealth Games, the city of Pune, Maharashtra hosted the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games between October 12 and 18, 2008. The Youth Games offered nine sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.[1]

Organisation

Bidding

Organising committee

The organisation was beset by delays: in January 2005, the Indian Olympic Association vice-chairman Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was not up to speed in forming and organising its games committee and, following a 2009 Indian Government report showing two thirds of venues were behind schedule, Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell stated that the slow progress of preparations represented a serious risk to the event.[2] Singh called for a revamp of the games' organizing committees:[3] Jarnail Singh, a former Secretary of the Government of India, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi was appointed as head of the committee.[4] In spite of delays, commentators stated that they are confident that India will successfully host the games and do so on time.[5][6]

Costs

Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi

The total budget estimated for hosting the Games is US$ 1.6 billion and this amount excludes non-sports-related infrastructure development in the city like airports, roads and other structures. This will likely make the 2010 Commonwealth Games the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever, being larger than the previous games in Melbourne 2006 (approx. US$ 1.1 billion).

Transport

Further information: [[:Transport in Delhi]]
Delhi metro

Delhi proposed a four-lane, 2.2 km underground stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna, linking the Games Village to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and reducing travelling time for athletes travelling between the Village and the Stadium by six minutes.

In response to concerns over the large number of trains that pass by the Delhi metropolitan region daily, construction of road under-bridges and over-bridges along railway lines has been started. To expand road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges have been planned to improve links for the Games and city in general. Road-widening projects have begun with an emphasis being placed on expanding national highways. To improve traffic flow on existing roads, plans are underway to make both the inner and outer Ring roads signal free.

To support its commitment to mass transport, nine corridors have been identified and are being constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for example, one from Ambedkar Nagar to Red Fort). Six of these corridors are expected to be operational in 2010. Additionally, The Delhi Metro will be expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transport during the 2010 games. At 420 km long, it will be one of the world's longest networks and it will extend to Gurgaon and the Noida area.[7] For this exponential increase of the network, Delhi Metro will deploy 14 tunnel boring machines, an unprecedented number in an Asian country.[8]

Indira Gandhi International Airport is being modernized, expanded, and upgraded. Costing nearly US$ 1.94 billion, Terminal 3 will improve airport passenger capacity to more than 37 million passengers a year by 2010. A new runway is being constructed, allowing for over 75 flights an hour and – at over 4400 metres long – it will be one of Asia's longest. The entire airport will be connected to the city via a six-lane highway (National Highway 8) and the Delhi Metro.[9]

Venues

File:JLNScons.jpg
The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium under construction for the 2010 Commonwealth Games

Existing and new stadia in Delhi will be used to house the sports during the Games:[10]

The opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, lawn bowls, and weightlifting will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi, which will have a capacity of 75,000 spectators after renovation for the games.[11]

Archery, cycling, gymnastics, and wrestling will take place at the Indira Gandhi Arena, the largest indoor sports arena in India and the second-largest in Asia, which seats 25,000 people. Located at the Indraprastha Estate in the eastern region of New Delhi, the arena will be connected to other venues via dedicated bus lanes and mass transportation. The arena will be renovated for the Games.[12]

There are 26 new stadiums which will be utilized for the Commonwealth Games. Some older ones will be upgraded and some new will be constructed.[13]

Green Games

Logo for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games being recognized as the first ever "Green Commonwealth Games"

The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme to show the intention to host a "sustainable games" and to take the environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. Thyagaraj Stadium is intended to be a key example of environmentally-considered construction.

In opposition to this intention, a number of environmental controversies arose and the adverse ecological impact of various aspects of the games have been protested by city residents.[14][15] City residents filed a public interest petition to the Supreme Court of India against the felling of 'heritage' trees in the Siri Forest area to make way for Games facilities. The court appointed architect Charles Correa to assess the impact and he severely criticized the designs on ecological grounds.[16] In spite of this, in April 2009 the Supreme Court allowed the construction on the grounds that "much time had been lost" and "the damage already caused to the environment could not be undone".[17][18]

The Commonwealth Games village, located on the flood plains of the Yamuna, has also been the subject of controversies about the flouting of ecological norms.[19] After a prolonged legal battle between city residents and the state, construction was permitted to continue on the basis of an order of the Supreme Court of India in July 2009, which held that the government had satisfied the requirements of "due process of the law" by issuing public notice of its intention to begin construction work in September 1999 (a date four years prior to the acceptance of Delhi's bid for the games).[20]

Marketing

The games mascot is an anthropomorphic tiger called Shera; a name derived from the Hindi word Sher – meaning tiger.[21]

Other preparation

In preparation for an influx of English-speaking tourists for the Games, the Delhi government is implementing a program to teach English, and the necessary skills for serving tourists, to key workers – such as cab drivers, security workers, waiters, porters, and service staff. In the two years prior to the Games 2,000 drivers were taught English. The program aims to teach 1,000 people English per month in the hope of reaching all key workers by March 2010. In addition to Delhi, the Indian Government plans to expand the program to teach people in local tourist destinations in other parts of India.[22]

To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the Games and to end chronic power cuts in Delhi, the government is undertaking a large power-production initiative to increase power production to 7,000 MW (from the current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi, and construct new power plants. In fact, the government has promised that by the end of 2010, Delhi will have a surplus of power.[23]

In addition to physical preparation, India and Delhi will offer free accommodation for all athletes at the Games Village, as well as free transport and other benefits, such as a free trip to the famed Taj Mahal and a reserved lane for participants on selected highways.[24] The Games Village will house over 8,000 athletes and officials for the Games. Indian states will train state police forces to handle tourist-related issues and deploy them prior to the Games.

A massive construction and "beautification" project has resulted in the demolition of hundreds of homes and the displacement of city dwellers – at least 100,000 of New Delhi’s 160,000 homeless people have removed from shelters, some of which have been demolished.[25][26] Bamboo screens have been erected around city slums to separate visitors from the sights of the slums,[27] a practice which human rights campaigners have deemed dishonest and immoral.[28]

The Delhi High Court is set to implement a series of "mobile courts" to be dispatched throughout Delhi to relocate migrant beggars from Delhi streets. The mobile courts would consider each beggar on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the beggar should be sent back to his/her state of residence, or be permitted to remain in government-shelters.[29]

Queen's Baton relay

The Queen's Baton relay began when the baton, which contains Queen Elizabeth II's message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton will arrive at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 70 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games.

The baton was designed by Michael Foley, a graduate of the National Institute of Design.[30] It is a triangular section of aluminium twisted into a helix shape and then coated with coloured soils collected from all regions of India. The coloured soils are a first for the styling of a Queen's Baton. A jewel-encrusted box was used to house the Queen's message, which was laser-engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf – representative of the ancient Indian 'patras. The Queen's baton is ergonomically contoured for ease of use. It is 664 millimetres high, 34 millimetres wide at the base, and 86 millimetres wide at the top and weighs 1,900 grams.

The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including:

  • The ability to capture images and sound
  • Global positioning system (GPS) technology so the baton's location can be tracked
  • Embedded light emitting diodes (LEDs) which will change into the colours of a country’s flag whilst in that country
  • A text messaging capability so that people can send messages of congratulations and encouragement to the Baton bearers throughout relay

Calendar

The official calendar for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is as follows:[31]

   ●    Opening ceremony    ●    Event competitions    ●    Closing ceremony
October   3      4     5     6     7     8     9     10     11     12     13     14   Venue
Ceremonies ● ● Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Aquatics ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● SPM Swimming Pool Complex
Archery I. G. Indoor Stadium Complex
& India Gate / Red Fort
Athletics ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Badminton ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Siri Fort Sports Complex
Boxing ● ● ● ● ● ● ● R ● Talkatora Indoor Stadium
Cycling ● ● ● ● ● ● I. G. Indoor Stadium Complex
Gymnastics ● ● ● R ● ● ● ● ● I. G. Indoor Stadium Complex
Field hockey ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium
Lawn Bowls ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Netball ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Thyagaraj Sports Complex
Rugby sevens ● ● Delhi University
Shooting T ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range
Squash ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Siri Fort Sports Complex
Table Tennis ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Yamuna Sports Complex
Tennis R K Tennis Complex
Weightlifting ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Wrestling ● ● ● ● I. G. Indoor Stadium Complex
October 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Venue

Sports

There are 17 disciplines planned for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Kabaddi will also be a demonstration sport at the 2010 Games.[32]

The triathlon appears likely to be excluded from these games as there is no suitable location for the swimming stage. The organisers have also proposed removing basketball, but want to include archery, tennis, and billiards and snooker for men. Cricket, although in strong demand, may not make a come-back as the Board of Control for Cricket in India were not keen on a Twenty20 tournament, but the organisers did not want a one day tournament.[33]

Participating nations

There are currently 71 nations planning to field teams at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. As Fiji is suspended from the Commonwealth, it has been banned from participating in the Games.[34] Rwanda may field a team for the games since becoming a Commonwealth member in 2009.

Nations expected to compete at the 2010 Games

Controversies

Labour violations

Campaigners in India have accused the organisers of enormous and systematic violations of labour laws at construction sites. Although official numbers have not been released, it is estimated that over 415,000 contract daily wage workers are working on Games projects.[35] Unskilled workers are paid 85 to 100 Indian rupees (INR) per day while skilled workers are paid 120 to 130 INR per day for eight hours of work. Workers also state that they are paid 134 to 150 INR for 12 hours of work (eight hours plus four hours of overtime). Both these wages contravene the stipulated Delhi state minimum wage of INR 152 (approx. US$3) for eight hours of work.[citation needed]

These represent violations of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948; Interstate Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Act 1979, and the constitutionally enshrined fundamental rights per the 1982 Supreme Court of India judgement on Asiad workers.[36][37] The public have been banned from the camps where workers live and work – a situation which human rights campaigners say prevents the garnering of information regarding labour conditions and number of workers.[38]

There have been documented instances of the presence of young children at hazardous construction sites, due to a lack of child care facilities for women workers living and working in the labour camp style work sites. [39] Furthermore, workers on the site of the main Commonwealth stadium have reportedly been issued with hard hats, yet most work in open-toed sandals and live in cramped tin tenements in which illnesses are rife.[40] The High Court of Delhi is presently hearing a public interest petition relating to employers not paying employees for overtime and it has appointed a four-member committee to submit a report on the alleged violations of workers rights.[41][42]

During the construction of the Games Village, there was controversy over financial mismanagement,[43] profiteering by the Delhi Development Authority and private Real Estate Companies,[44] and inhumane working conditions.[45]

See also

References

  1. ^ "2010 Commonwealth Games". Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  2. ^ "India admits 2010 Games problems". BBC.
  3. ^ "Olympic official calls for revamp of Delhi Games committee". Reuters.
  4. ^ http://www.cwgdelhi2010.org/newscontent.aspx?newsid=N:190
  5. ^ Dean Nelson. "Delhi Commonwealth Games 'at grave risk of collapse'". Telegraph.co.uk.
  6. ^ Jeremy Page. "Only a year to run – and Delhi is losing race to host Commonwealth Games". Times Online.
  7. ^ Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
  8. ^ "Delhi Metro deploys 'record' 14 tunnel boring machines". Retrieved 2008-05-14.
  9. ^ Indira Gandhi International Airport
  10. ^ CWG Venues, 2010 Commonwealth Games, 13 May 2007.
  11. ^ Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Information
  12. ^ "Indira Gandhi Arena". Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  13. ^ "New stadiums". Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ "Students protest against felling of trees eating of footpath space/"..
  16. ^ [2]
  17. ^ [3]
  18. ^ "Supreme Court Clears Siri Fort Complex, Indian Express, April 28th, 2009"..
  19. ^ [4]
  20. ^ [5]
  21. ^ "Shera — the friendly tiger will be the mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Financial Express, 9th March 2006". {{cite web}}: Text "2010-03-05" ignored (help); Text "accessdate" ignored (help)
  22. ^ Roy, Rajeev Ranjan (2008-03-30). "Lessons in English and etiquette ahead of Commonwealth Games". Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  23. ^ "Delhi will have surplus powe..." 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  24. ^ Commonwealth Games, India
  25. ^ "cnn.com". Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  26. ^ "Poor lose before Games begin".
  27. ^ "telegraph.co.uk". Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  28. ^ "independent.co.uk". Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  29. ^ "Mobile courts suggested to make Delhi beggar-free". 2008-05-04. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  30. ^ [6]
  31. ^ 2010 CWG Calendar
  32. ^ "India wants kabaddi at Olympics". 2006-12-23. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  33. ^ "Cricket unlikely at 2010 Games". Cricinfo.
  34. ^ "Fiji to appeal Commonwealth Games ban", The Times of India, December 1, 2009
  35. ^ "Daily News and Analysis". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ "Peoples Union for Democratic Rights Report"". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Peoples Union for Democratic Rights Report"". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ "Peoples Union for Democratic Rights Report"". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "Guardian Photo essay Commonwealth Games construction under labour spotlight".
  40. ^ "The Dawn". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ "Asia News International". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  42. ^ "Guardian Photo essay Commonwealth Games construction under labour spotlight".
  43. ^ [7]
  44. ^ [8]
  45. ^ [9]
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