Alan in Montréal Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 Interesting video... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikarus360 Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 They're not going to be canceled, because its already too late for that. But yeah, that's the sad truth about Delay 2011. Like i said before, the CWGF will think it twice before choosing an unprepared city to host these games, because its gonna take some time to clean the CWG image from this embarassment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huaiwei Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 Like i said before, the CWGF will think it twice before choosing an unprepared city to host these games, because its gonna take some time to clean the CWG image from this embarassment You wouldn't know that a city would be unprepared 7-8 years down the road when you are picking the host city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citius Altius Fortius Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 ... from which country is this "news-show"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan in Montréal Posted September 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 (edited) They're not going to be canceled, because its already too late for that. I'm not so sure. A highly-favourited Aussie athlete has left the Games indicating that she just felt unsafe. Several major national teams are expressing concerns, mostly around living conditions that are "unfit for human habitation" and also, on perhaps an even more important aspect, a perceived lack of proper security in terms of terrorism threats. And with the most recent bridge collapse at the stadium site, it's not looking very good. There's also some kind of viral outbreak now in the city. Personally, I think the Games could be postponed for these reasons. But if England, Scotland, Wales, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are publicly saying that they may leave for some of these reasons, there is a major problem! I don't think there is time to resolve it. We've heard of concerns about lack of preparation for major Games like this before (Athens, for example) but never have the major teams banded together and indicated they may just leave if they are not fixed. Not having suitable accommodations for he athletes, without basic electricity and plumbing, is pretty darned pathetic just 2 weeks before the Games. How awful. And they've spent in excess of $2 billion on these Games. ... from which country is this "news-show"? India. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NewsX Edited September 21, 2010 by Alan in Montreal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4seasonscentre Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 You wouldn't know that a city would be unprepared 7-8 years down the road when you are picking the host city. Hambantota is not prepared I don't know if it is funny or sad that Hambantota and the Gold Coast will be taking part in the CWG observer program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 Highly doubt they will be cancelled. I also do not think the teams have the balls to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan in Montréal Posted September 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 And the bad press continues to roll in. Even the head of the CWG indicates that the situation is a mess... "The Commonwealth Games Federation president, Michael Fennell, described the whole two-week event as "seriously compromised". "It is quite simple: we have to hope for a miracle. Otherwise we are facing national disgrace," said Boria Majumdar, an Indian sports historian and author of Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games. "The glare of the world's cameras is upon us." "Government officials are investigating allegations that safety certificates for some buildings were falsified to cover up the use of cheaper sub-standard materials." http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/sep/21/commonwealth-games-collapse-bridge-delhi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob2012 Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 Don't know why we have two threads on this now. Most of this news has already been put in the main thread today: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huaiwei Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 Hambantota is not prepared I don't know if it is funny or sad that Hambantota and the Gold Coast will be taking part in the CWG observer program. And you appear to be completely confident that Hambantota will not be able to do anything for 7 years? It is plain obvious that quite a number of people here (which I presume is also mostly white males anyway) seem intent on having the CWG cycling through only the white-dominated countries of the old Commonwealth? I suppose the English forgot why decolonisation took place? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4seasonscentre Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 ^ Nope, I'm definitely not white. I don't exactly know what you mean by "old commonwealth". Canada, New Zealand, and Australia were all colonies just the same as India. Perhaps the distinction you are looking for is "developed nations". But don't forget these developed nations of the commonwealth contain non-white people like me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 Hambantota is a joke. Congrats on bidding but lets call a spade a spade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Rols Posted September 21, 2010 Report Share Posted September 21, 2010 Hambantota is a joke. Congrats on bidding but lets call a spade a spade. But their Facebook page says they have it in the bag. Some Halifaxian has a cunning and brilliant plan to win it for them. It's all about flight schedules apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardian Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 So goes the biggest crisis the Commonwealth Games is going through right now, since the boycotted 1986 version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCD 2012 Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 C'mon who ever gave Hambantota a chance of beating the Gold Coast ? Calling a David-Goliath battle would an understatement. No matter how much Hambantota assures the CWF that everything will be fine and ready in time, the Delhi tag is going stuck with them like glue. Does the average American differentiate Slovakia and Slovenia ? No, they don't and its the same for CWF members voting. They're not going to differentiate Sri Lanka and India. If Delhi, the Indian Capital can't get everything on time, what can make the voters assues that some second-rated Sri Lankan city can do it ? Anyway, back to the topic. I can see the games being postponed and pushed back but not cancled. The next week is be really crucial. Although, I have to add, after everything that has happened Delhi is just a nail away in closing that coffin that is the Commonwealth Games 2010. In short, one more hurdle like this and the games are in really deep sh!t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 Maybe Abuja can stage athletics and swimming. Other events to South Africa. Some more to Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 - Opening Ceremony to Beijing - Volleyball to California 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brekkie Boy Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 The CWG Federation has a lot to answer for and the buck has to stop with them. The fact is Delhi isn't ready - it's no good saying the athletes village will be finished for the Opening Ceremony when athletes are arriving a fortnight earlier. Add to that legitimate concerns about the construction - and it's a disaster, and a disaster of the CWG's own making. We all know the thinking behind choosing Delhi to host the event, and in theory that was a good move - but these problems have been highlighted time and time again over the last couple of years yet the CWG Federation have obviously done nothing to ensure we avoided the outcome we're now seeing. It might have been embarrassing, but cancelling or postponing the games months ahead of their scheduled appearance is far less damaging PR wise than the prospect of them being cancelled - or at least boycotted by many athletes, if not nations - now, and would at least have given them time to come up with a plan B (I've seen Singapore suggested considering they had venues and infrastructure in place for the YOGs). As selfish as it may seem, the CWG Federations loyalty is to the games, not the host city - and if the host city was failing time and time again to meet specified deadlines, the CWG Fed shouldn't be afraid to act in the interest of the Commonwealth Games. The whole organisation needs to grow up and realise this isn't an "amateur" event, but one they need to look after and treat professionally for it to prosper. Host city choices are obviously limited especially when big cities aren't putting their names forward, but the CWG should be looking at solutions to that problem - for example a partial downsizing or a more effective bidding process (bidding for two games at once for example). They also need to sort the calendar out to stop athletes withdrawing due to the excuse they're out of season. Games in March or October are ridiculous - surely a May to September window can be worked out. It's bound to clash with some international events, but it is in October anyway - so compromises have to be made. Basically though although Delhi is obviously far from blameless for this situation, the problems are one of the CWG's own making - and risk killing off the games for good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan in Montréal Posted September 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 The CWG Federation has a lot to answer for and the buck has to stop with them. ...Except that it's a safe assumption that they have raised these concerns months in advance to the New Delhi committee only to be told "don't worry - it will all be fine and we will have it fixed on time." That is the exact reaction that Games organizing committee members are saying even now, when they are not blaming the teams for being too "picky" about the conditions of the village. I mean really - what's wrong with dog crap on a bed. Geez! In my opinion, the much bigger issue is going to be security. We have all read about the Aussie journalist who was able to march into the stadium yesterday with a suitcase full of suspicious items completely unchecked. We've now also heard that for weeks, the Athlete's Village has been reasonably open, with most of the room doors unlocked. These Games are under a very serious security threat ,and as far as I'm concerned, the venues and village will come second to the deplorable state of security for the athletes if these Games are scrapped, which I believe in fairness to the safety of the teams and officials, they may have to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 But they have missed countless deadlines. Yet the CWG Federation kept ambling along. Each visit resulting in new deadines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brekkie Boy Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 ...Except that it's a safe assumption that they have raised these concerns months in advance to the New Delhi committee only to be told "don't worry - it will all be fine and we will have it fixed on time." OK - admittedly easy to say this in hindsight (I'm sure many of us here who heard such things months ago had heard it all before for previous events which were alright on the night!) but these inspections shouldn't have been about what the Delhi team is telling the CWG Fed - it should be the other way round. I suspect though the CWG Federations resources didn't stretch to monitoring the build up to these games to the extent which was obviously required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4seasonscentre Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 It is not enough to be expressing concern. The Federation should have threatened to pull the games 2 years ago, and followed through with the promise 1 year ago. It could have then come up with some sort of contingency. Not enough time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafa Posted September 22, 2010 Report Share Posted September 22, 2010 I agree. When it comes to South Africa, Delhi, or even Rio, you monitor things closely, you are more involved etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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