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Delhi 2010


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No one ever wanted these Games to fail. To the contrary. Most would have loved to see them succeed and place India in a glowing light...and position it as an Olympic New Frontier. Just like how we wanted the Greeks to succeed in 2004. Just like how we wanted South Africa to succeed in 2010. And how we want Brazil to succeed in 2014 and 2016. But the IOC and FIFA do what the CGF obviously fails at doing...they keep on the backsides of the organizers and make sure these events are pulled off. Countries use these kinds of events to demonstrate that they have "arrived" - just as China did in 2008, Korea did in 1988, and Japan back in 1964. India wanted 2010 to be its moment to show off - at least in front of the old Imperial overlord and sisters of the Commonwealth. But what is obvious is that the resources and opportunities wasted on these Games were just that...wasted. The country should have invested in its own infrastructure and practices first. What these poorly prepared Games are saying is India is "delayed".

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And I suppose that just reminds me of why the CWG will never raise in stature.

Even I, coming from a place many would consider "developed", perhaps even more developed than England itself according to some Englishmen, would not make statements like that. It reeks of arrogance, insensitivitiy, ungraciousness, and ignorance, and I thought we have people here (including myself) who were disgusted by the arrogance of the people in charge in India?

I am becoming utterly sick of the opportunisitic few who appear determined to see this games fail just to ram home the point that the CWG should just cycle through the white developed countries.

What twaddle!

None of this is about looking to have the CWGs cycled endlessly through white developed countries. The complaints have all been focused on the betrayal of the very principles of the games and the most vulnerable members of Indian society. There have been numerous citations from Indian sources in previous posts about the inequities of these games and if you actually look back at some of my posts from 2 or 3 months ago you'll see citations referring to Indian social welfare and political groups voicing the same concerns.

And if it smacks of arrogance to be proud of a country or a system of government that abhors using 3 year olds in manual labour then hell, I'm arrogant. This is not about race, creed or colour, this is about not allowing the exploitation or degradation of the human rights of people in a developing country because the rich upper classes and ruling elite want to pander to jingoistic bigotry.

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And developing countries do? I mean seriously, get off the high horse and think. Developed countries have the luxury to tell people that young children should not work since they have the economic ability to rely on the working population to keep the country going. The less developed countries, in particular the least developed countries where mortality rates remain high, getting children to partak in work is seen no differently from getting children to contribute to doing housework. And they do so out of sheer neccesity for basic survival, and not to exploit them.

I explicitly drew a comparison with Beijing 2008 which is also in a developing country. No child labour was needed for those Olympics. If I am riding a high horse then the OC is trying to reach me on the shoulders of children. There is a strong chance they could get hurt as this horse is going very fast and I should probably just turn away right now.

I understand that some families in India require children to work. That does not make it ok for the OC to allow child labour and the Federation has been complacent in allowing this to happen.

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Hmmm. I know it's not always a popular opinion, but I certainly have no qualms about the likes of Beijing being awarded the games. Again, I would have enthusiastically voted for them if I'd been an IOC member, and wouldn't have apologised for doing so. I do go by the notion that the Olympic are the games for the Youth of the World, not just the youth of the western liberal democratic world, and it would be a huge double standard to say to a country; "Yes, we'll let you compete, but don't even think about asking to host until you have a government that more suits my tastes and inclinations". Plus, if it comes to how to deal with a totalitarian regime, I believe it's better to engage with them, and hopefully lead them that way, than to isolate them. It's not like China, Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany came out of their games smelling of roses - I'd say in those cases the games raised awareness of issues like Tibet and censorship, the invasion of Afghanistan and the oppression of the Jews than more if those editions had been Barcelona '36, LA '80 or Toronto '08.

This deserves a thread in itself but I disagree with you Rols. If one considers the concrete results of engaging via the Olympics to improve human rights in any of the totalitarian regimes then the results are a big fat zero. On the other hand ask South Africans and Zimbabweans about the effect of being banned from the Olympics on the public and sporting policies of their white supremicist regimes and you'll see that engagement through allowing a games to host is a dud proposition.

And considering that the Olympic charter and modern Olympism was a creation of western liberal democracies with values that are more focused on individual human rights then I firmly believe there is no conflict in asking for host cities to meet those same expectations. Otherwise you get situations as those seen in Beijing where people who wanted to use the Olympics to raise the profile of Tibet were muzzled by the locals who conveniently reneged on their promises to allow for freedom of the press. If Delhi has shown us anything in relation to this issue the Indian media and the game's critics have shown the power of democratic activitism when a major games fails to meet public and political expectations which respect core human values.

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Whatever the circumstances behind the current situation of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the damage is already done. According to Wikipedia, New Delhi wanted this upcoming experience to be a stepping stone to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games. Judging the way things are right now, the IOC would not give this city candidate status for an Olympic Games. Therefore, its section is in the "cancelled bid" sub-topic of the Wikipedia entry now.

Besides, I think the biggest threat that really occurred for New Delhi's 2010 CWG was, and still is, the Naxalite movement. They want to overthrow all Indian political, social and economical structures and replace it with Maoism (apparently they like the Cultural Revolution best). These "brainwashed souls" are all situated at all natural resources locations of India, which it needs in order to grow and have infrastructure like those in the West.

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John Coates is not a fan of Delhi...

India should never have got Games: Australia

India should not have been awarded the Commonwealth Games said Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates.

Only nine days remain before the Games are due to start in New Delhi and the showpiece event has been beset by problems, mainly stemming from serious delays in construction, which have caused some the teams to threaten withdrawal.

"In hindsight, no, they shouldn't have been awarded the Games.

"The problem is the Commonwealth Games Federation is under-resourced.

"It doesn't have the ability to monitor the progress of cities in the way the Olympic Committee does," he said.

The Commonwealth Games Federation has a staff of just five as it attempts to monitor India's preparations while the

International Olympic Olympic Committee employs more than 400 staff.

Coates said the IOC has contracts in place with London and Rio de Janeiro to meet established deadlines with Games preparations.

"If that had been the case here in Delhi, then certainly something would have been done a lot sooner because obviously the venues are not ready," he said.

Indian organisers repeatedly failed to meet deadlines for Games construction.

Coates dismissed the fact that Delhi's protracted monsoon season has added to delays in construction and preparation as a mitigating factor.

"You can't ever cut any slack when your focus should be on the best conditions for the athletes," he said.

England, New Zealand, Scotland, and South Africa are among a number of countries that have delayed their teams' arrivals due to filthy and substandard conditions in the athletes' village.

Indian officials have promised that cleaning and repair efforts will be completed by the time the bulk of the 7000 athletes from 71 countries begin to arrive from Saturday.

The village was evidence that India should not have been awarded the Games, Coates said, but he would not recommend that any team should stay home.

"I'm certainly not going to be drawn into making a commentary

Well there goes any hope for Delhi 2020...2024...2028 etc etc

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Video taken by Daily Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/commonwealthgames/8020432/Commonwealth-Games-2010-Team-England-official-helps-police-detain-journalist.html

Jessica Halloran was then confronted by a Team England official who handed her over to police.

It is also reported that a photographer was stripped of his credentials for taking pictures of child labourers. Yeah, NOW you want to be like China!

As for the bathroom, again the showers seem to be on level with the floor with out any sort of raised part to keep the water in. Is this common in India? I know this concept is used on trains and in small bathrooms in the west, but if the tile isn't textured it could be dangerous. The surface also needs to be tilted towards a floor drain.

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This deserves a thread in itself but I disagree with you Rols. If one considers the concrete results of engaging via the Olympics to improve human rights in any of the totalitarian regimes then the results are a big fat zero. On the other hand ask South Africans and Zimbabweans about the effect of being banned from the Olympics on the public and sporting policies of their white supremicist regimes and you'll see that engagement through allowing a games to host is a dud proposition.

And considering that the Olympic charter and modern Olympism was a creation of western liberal democracies with values that are more focused on individual human rights then I firmly believe there is no conflict in asking for host cities to meet those same expectations. Otherwise you get situations as those seen in Beijing where people who wanted to use the Olympics to raise the profile of Tibet were muzzled by the locals who conveniently reneged on their promises to allow for freedom of the press. If Delhi has shown us anything in relation to this issue the Indian media and the game's critics have shown the power of democratic activitism when a major games fails to meet public and political expectations which respect core human values.

I thought De Coubertin's motivation was more to instill the "public school " sports spirit in France - and thus hinder the Prussian army from using Paris' tree-lined boulevards for marching practice the next time a fight came - than to propagate parliamentary democracy. And if that truly was the case, then why among the original IOC membership was it deemed appropriate to appoint the likes of Alexie de Boutovski from the Tsars' Russia and Ferenc Kemeny, loyal subject of his Habsburg Highnes Franz-Josef, to an organisation about western liberalism? Why indeed have the likes of Russia (pre-during-and-post Communism), China, Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Peronist Argentina, Bathist Iraq and so on ad-infinitum even been allowed to participate? And that to me is the big point - if they can compete, it's hypocricy to say they can't host. At best, the Olympics serves to promote peace through engagement and the bringing together of the youth of the world.

Looking up the charter I see:

The IOC's role is to:

1. Encourage and support the promotion of ethics in sport as well as education of youth through sport and to dedicate its efforts to ensuring that, in sport, the spirit of fair play prevails and violence is banned;

2. Encourage and support the organization, development and coordination of sport and sports competitions;

3. Ensure the regular celebration of the Olympic Games;

4. Cooperate with the competent public or private organizations and authorities in the endeavor to place sport at the service of humanity and thereby to promote peace;

5. Take action in order to strengthen the unity and to protect the independence of the Olympic Movement;

6. Act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement;

7. Encourage and support the promotion of women in sport at all levels and in all structures with a view to implementing the principle of equality of men and women;

8. Lead the fight against doping in sport;

9. Encourage and support measures protecting the health of athletes;

10. Oppose any political or commercial abuse of sport and athletes;

11. Encourage and support the efforts of sports organizations and public authorities to provide for the social and professional future of athletes;

12. Encourage and support the development of sport for all;

13. Encourage and support a responsible concern for environmental issues, to promote sustainable development in sport and to require that the Olympic Games are held accordingly;

14. Promote a positive legacy from the Olympic Games to the host cities and host countries;

15. Encourage and support initiatives blending sport with culture and education;

16. Encourage and support the activities of the International Olympic Academy (IOA) and other institutions which dedicate themselves to Olympic education.

In the case of South Africa, yes, that does directly clash with point 6. And racism is an ideal that just about all nations at the very least pay lip-service to. But I see nothing there about secret ballots, universal suffrage or rights to free speech or association.

Again, I still think exposure and engagement is always better than treating a nation as a pariah and isolate them. I also think he Olympics forces a host to accept the fact that they are in the spotlight. As I said, I strongly supported the decision for beijing to host the games. But I also strongly supported the rights of the Tibetan protesters to use the torch relay to highlight their cause. The Olympic spotlight works both ways. Hosts love to use it to aggrandize themselves, but it has also forced the likes of Hitlers Germany to (however temporarily) suspend their demonization of the Jews (and have Jewish members on their team, even if token), Soviet Russia to endure and explain away a boycott and lack of some national flags at their OC, South Korea to embrace democracy or risk criticism when their moment in the sun came, and China to face the fact that not all coverage of their country's preparations was going to be controlled or glowing.

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I reckon that the organisers can call themselves damn lucky if there won't be just a single athlete who catches diarrhea or worse by those hygienic conditions and just a single construction collapsing during the course of the Games. I hardly believe that the Games will run without significant flaws but I also think that the media over-accentuate the negative aspects currently. That said, I hope that Delhi 2010 doesn't prove me wrong by turning into a major desaster.

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Video taken by Daily Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/commonwealthgames/8020432/Commonwealth-Games-2010-Team-England-official-helps-police-detain-journalist.html

Jessica Halloran was then confronted by a Team England official who handed her over to police.

It is also reported that a photographer was stripped of his credentials for taking pictures of child labourers. Yeah, NOW you want to be like China!

As for the bathroom, again the showers seem to be on level with the floor with out any sort of raised part to keep the water in. Is this common in India? I know this concept is used on trains and in small bathrooms in the west, but if the tile isn't textured it could be dangerous. The surface also needs to be tilted towards a floor drain.

Not sure as to whether the gallery link below is from Halloran's peek inside the village, but here is an example of the construction work from the athlete's village:

566146-games-village.jpg

Gallery of Village Images

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My, oh my... What strikes me in the first picture (apart from the obvious flaws) is that the "2" and the "0" of the 20 in that circle above the entrance seem to be in different fonts (the "0" is much bolder than the "2"). Didn't they manage to get numbers in the same font? That looks really amateurish.

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Olympian, there is another thing: the building seems to be not aligned too, which is weird for a brand new building.

I'm not really used (and somehow, not really interested) to Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games issues, but today I read an article in a Brazilian site and saw some pictures.

It's really hard to believe on it. Everything, at least in the pictures I saw in the site and here, seems to be very very amateur and poor quality.

I really thought India was intended to use these games to boost some Olympic project in the future, but I see that if they want to host some Olympics someday, they will need to have a epic job about convicing IOC they can deliver.

It's sad. I was hopefull to see someday some Olympic Opening Ceremony with all Indian culture related things, which would be amazing...

Anyway, I wish the best for the games and good lucky for the athletes. =]

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My, oh my... What strikes me in the first picture (apart from the obvious flaws) is that the "2" and the "0" of the 20 in that circle above the entrance seem to be in different fonts (the "0" is much bolder than the "2"). Didn't they manage to get numbers in the same font? That looks really amateurish.

I am more worried about unsafe ladder practices!

Ladder Safety

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:) Looks like New Zealand IS going to ND...NZOC has given thumbs up after returning from New Delhi. Team will start to arrive from Tuesday 28 with many sub teams arriving towards their events and allowed to leave after them...
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One forumer on SSC seems to have access to the venues (he's been posting internal photos in the past, so no reason to doubt him).

Some reports from him:

CWG Village

Get ready for big big disappointment...CWG Village is in bad bad shape...with walkways tiles broken coming off...I myself tripped twice walking on them.....finishing of the towers are of LOWEST GRADE...SHAME ON EMMAR MGF..SHame on them

Landscaping does not even EXISTS there..sorry to say its indeed filthy .....I din't even feel like taking pics of it....I am Ashamed....

There were around 5000 NDMC, MCD and private cleaning staff was present at CWG Village..so things might...MIGHT get better...though I am hopeless

Apart from 7 towers all are filthy...and in bad shape...I just hope some miracle happens ...though it can NOT....as the structure itself of the towers are untidy with no finish....bad really bad.

However, Training venues are indeed very nice...thats the only thing in CWG Village which can save us from big big embarrassment .

POSITIVES of CWG Village...

A grade facilities, Training venues are magnificent....A BIG THUMBS UP to it....

and Security ..job well done

and now the main thing....FOOD.....its fantastic , very very hygienic , so tasty and very well behaved and trained volunteers...

Proud of it....

Brief: Apartments are pathetic and services/facilities super cool....however prepare yourself for big time embarrassment .....Emmar MGF has let us down...badly

CWG Village( Residential Zone) rating:

3/10..

Facilities :

8/10

Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium:

One word....BEAUTIFUL

one stadium we Indians will be proud of for years to come....Very nice landscaping...equally good facilities...

Interiors and finish of JLN stadium is of indeed very good standard, security systems in place and working fine...

Lighting is awesome.

Negatives.....

Few Washrooms are in super pathetic state...desperately need some cleaning up....

However , NO Major work left...Is ready for the event...

Rating:

9/10

Job well done

Dhyanchand Stadium:

Now this is what a really call A WORLD CLASS VENUE in real terms....

Lots and lots of positives and to say that no negatives exists would be an under statement...

The structure looks magnificent

Beautifully landscaped and tastefully done...

Lighting part is WOW....athletes for sure will fall in love with the beauty of this venue.

Security and security system in place and working well...

Interiors of the stadium ..surprisingly a BIG THUMBS UP...it looks like a MALL....nice finish , very well done WASHROOMS....

Negatives:

Wasn't able to find even a single FLAW...

Its surroundings are MAGNIFICENT with INDIA GATE in background...big beautifully streetscaped greens....great sitting arrangements ...WOW I am in love with this arena...more than ever.

Ratings: 10/10

LINK

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:) Looks like New Zealand IS going to ND...NZOC has given thumbs up after returning from New Delhi. Team will start to arrive from Tuesday 28 with many sub teams arriving towards their events and allowed to leave after them...

So far no team has pulled out. Greg Henderson a 2002 GOLD medalist cyclist pulled out of the new zealand team today.

I hope this doesnt open the flood gates for more kiwis to pull out. I would be surprised now that the NZOC has given the thumbs up to new zealand going

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Its still amazing how there is still this obsession amongst Indian forumers to compare venues and the Games in general to KL, MAN, and MELB.

I mean really....pave your entrances, fix your ceilings, and paint the walls before you even begin to make some sort of comparison.

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