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The coordination commission (CoCom) has just expressed its fears over the work completion on several venues before march end. Completion dates haven't been officially extended. OC is quite confident over the progress, and is sure that all the competition venues will be handed over till march-april end.

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A vote of confidence from Australia:

New Delhi Games could be 'best ever'

THE embattled 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games could yet become the best in history, according to Australia's leading Games official.

Perry Crosswhite, the Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief executive officer, says India has made startling progress recently after early preparations were stalled by disorganisation and politicking.

"The jury is still out but given the rapid progress that the organisers are making, the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi have the potential to be the best Games ever," Crosswhite said.

"We have had concerns on occasions this year in regards to the organising committee's ability to meet deadlines and requirements. However as 2009 draws to a close I am buoyed by the progress shown in the last couple of months.

"After meeting with the CGF [Commonwealth Games Federation] in October, organisers have appointed a number of international experts including village operations expert John Lade, event manager Peter Stewart and technology specialist Brian Norse. They all have significant experience in major games such as the Sydney Olympics and Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

"It's also pleasing to see that the Indian government has become more involved. They fully understand that the Games need to be a success for their country, their people and their standing on the international stage."

Crosswhite has been appointed to the Delhi 2010 co-ordination commission.

Crosswhite's optimism came at the completion of a three-day meeting in Delhi - and after a warning to Games officials to maintain their efforts.

Austin Sealy, Commonwealth Games treasurer, said: "There has been noticeable progress over the last two months. However, with only nine months remaining, the intensity must continue.

"We received detailed reports from the OC [organising committee] across key areas where we had previously identified delivery risks. These reports show an increased awareness of the work that has to be undertaken."

Crosswhite predicted all venues would be finished on time.

Daily Telegraph

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"on time"..being before the Games start? or before test events?

I could be wrong but Delhi has yet to raise its roof, the same/similar roof London has raised this week.

Its still my view that the recent pace of construction and pace in the past does not support even the amended the deadlines/completion dates in place.

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Delay Games Projects, Face Actions: CM to Contractors

Hindustan Times e-Paper - Article

Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit warns Commonwealth Games contractors

Sorce: http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_delhi...ractors_1326046

New Delhi: With just over 285 days left for the mega 2010 commonwealth Games to begin in the Capital, the Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit is getting jittery because of the continuous delay in the completion of the projects.

In the latest review done by the international experts of the Commonwealth Games Federation, though the officials were happy with the progress yet they raised concerns over the continuously extending deadlines of games projects.

The officials have said that the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JNS), which is the main venue for the event, is lagging behind and was supposed to be delivered by December 31 this year but the new deadline has been extended to June-end. Apart from JNS, the SP Mukherjee swimming venue is also delayed and the deadline has been extended again.

"We are committed to make the Commonwealth Games 2010 a grand success. The government will not listen to any excuses for delay in projects completion and contractors responsible for delays would be blacklisted apart from other contractual actions against," said Dikshit.

Dikshit further instructed the concerned officers and departments to take measures for completion of projects relating to CWG 2010 and work in tandem to avoid causing any delay.

Although the games are just 10 months away in October 2010, the organisers are particularly worried that if the projects are delayed repeatedly, the Indian organisers would find it difficult to carry out test runs in the stadiums and hostels which might lead last minute problems and chaos.

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These articles are really concerning. They need to get their a** into gear instead of mucking about. This article appeared on the stuff.co.nz website today:

Nervous Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit admits she has been reduced to praying that her city can successfully host next year's Commonwealth Games as major fears intensify over stadium construction delays.

"I only keep praying that we won't let the country down," Dikshit said in an interview this week as she celebrated her third term in charge of India's capital, home to more than 15 million and awaiting the arrival of 8500 athletes from 71 countries next October.

"I'm still not comfortable, I'm nervous. We will do everything possible to see that the country is not let down."

Dikshit's honesty comes in the wake of comments by Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael Fennell about the ability of Delhi to meet construction deadlines at most of the major venues.

In a recent report on the 2010 prospects, Fennell wrote: "The CGF is extremely worried about the organising committee's ability to deliver the games to any comparable standard to that of the last two editions of the Games in Manchester and Melbourne.

"Our concerns are such that unless there is significant change in the management culture and operation of the organising committee these Games will fail from an operational perspective."

New Zealand Games bosses Mike Stanley and Barry Maister have also expressed concerns with time ticking away on a March 31 deadline for sites to be ready. The prospect of some venues being untested before the Games appears very real.

Dikshit has used threats to try to stir the contractors into speeding up their work.

"The government will not listen to any excuses for delay in projects completion and contractors responsible for delays would be blacklisted apart from other contractual action against them," an anxious Dikshit said.

Dikshit blamed the absence of a single line of authority to oversee Games projects for the delays. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has stepped in to create a group of ministers which meets almost every week to oversee the preparations.

India has never hosted an event of this magnitude and the Games are seen as a massive opportunity to showcase why the country has one of the biggest emerging economies.

But the problems aren't just restricted to the actual Games venues. Delhi's entire infrastructure is under question with major concerns over roading projects, sanitation improvements, accommodation upgrades and the general appearance of one of the world's biggest cities.

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A new report by Delhi's Central Pollution Control Board says sanitary conditions in the city have deteriorated and about 50 per cent of the city's population are condemned to live in unhygienic conditions. About one-third of the population defecate in the open.

The report is particularly critical of a landfill site near Indira Gandhi International Airport, claiming it has become a threat to the flights taking off as birds hover over it.

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They didn't get a very nice Xmas gift either:

December 25 - A fire broke out late last night at the rugby stadium under construction for next year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

The blaze had started in the venue seats and taken almost two hours to extinguish but no casualties were reported.

A spokesman for the fire brigade said: "PVC sheet was being laid when the fire broke out due to carelessness in welding work."

He said the fire was put out within two hours.

After the fire was reported at the under construction Rugby stadium around 7 pm, six fire engines were rushed to the spot, officials said.

The fire brigade spokesman said: "The fire was put out by around 9.15 pm.

"Cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained."

The extent of the damage was not immediately known.

The site was cordoned off by private security guards deployed by Gammon India, which is constructing the stadium.

The under-construction stadium at Hindu College in Delhi University will host rugby sevens matches during the Games, which are due to begin on October 3, 2010.

insidethegames.biz

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The users of an Indian portal SSC (namely, IU, IR and Abhishek901) shared some of the pictures from the CWG 2010 venues, which show a significant progress.

Copyrights, if any, rests with the above mentioned users.

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Siri Fort Complex

Render:

img0153w.jpg

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Side View:

img0139b.jpg

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One of the corners:

img0136lag.jpg

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The board reads: Refurbishment of training venues for aquatics, badminton, squash and tennis at Siri Fort Complex.

img0137cs.jpg

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Needless to say, it was difficult to capture whole stadium in a single picture:

img0149j.jpg

Some more pics to be posted in next reply.

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Are we seeing the end of the Commonwealth Games?

England ready to pull out of Commonwealth Games over terror risk

England is poised to pull out of next year’s Commonwealth Games over fears that athletes will be victims of a terrorist attack, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

By Holly Watt and Robert Winnett

Published: 10:00PM GMT 29 Dec 2009

It would be the first time that England has not competed in the 80-year-old Games, which are due to be held in Delhi in October.

Police and security advisers fear that the English team will be targeted by Pakistani terrorists and feel that athletes’ safety cannot be guaranteed at present.

Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, visited the Indian capital earlier this month to inspect the Games sites and was said to have voiced “serious concerns” about the security arrangements.

Although a formal decision on England’s participation will not be taken until the new year, senior Whitehall sources told The Daily Telegraph that there was “virtually no chance” a team would be sent.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/otherspor...error-risk.html

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England to withdraw from Commonwealth Games

Article from: Fox Sports

December 30, 2009

Media reports claim England are seriously considering pulling out of next year's Commonwealth Games in India over fears its athletes will be victims of a terrorist attack.

Police and security advisers fear the England team will be targeted by Pakistani militants and feel the safety of athletes cannot currently be guaranteed, according to the Daily Telegraph, quoting unnamed sources.

It would be the first time that England has not competed in the 80-year Games, to be held in New Delhi in October.

The report comes after the England badminton team pulled out of the world championships in India in August, saying security in the host city of Hyderabad was lax, and sparking criticism that they were overreacting.

Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, visited the Indian capital earlier this month to inspect the Games sites and was said to have voiced "serious concerns" about the security arrangements, the paper said.

"If you are an English athlete there is no way you are going to want to risk your life competing at the Games," a source was quoted as saying on the newspaper's website.

"We currently cannot see any way that England will be able to send a team to Delhi next year," the source added.

A spokeswoman for the English Commonwealth Games told the newspaper that the security situation was being monitored, and a final decision on whether to take part will be made next year.

"We take guidance from the Metropolitan Police. We can't make a judgment until nearer the time. We have had briefings on security and we will decide when we know what the terror threat is going to be like," she said.

Concern of an attack on England's athletes apparently stems from Britain's role in the international conflict against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The perceived risk of foreign sports stars being targeted in South Asia has increased since gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan, in March.

Six policemen and two civilians were killed and seven Sri Lanka squad members were wounded in the assault as the team travelled to a Test match.

Militant attacks in Mumbai last November that killed 166 people have also added to anxiety about teams travelling to India.

Concerns are also mounting in India over delays on the construction of venues for the Games, which involve 6,000 international athletes competing in 17 sports.

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Well, the English CGF has denied it:

LONDON: England's Commonwealth Games officials insisted late on Tuesday they have received no security warnings to indicate the team must withdraw from the New Delhi event next year because its athletes could be targeted by terrorists.

England general team manager Ann Hogbin issued a strong denial of a front page report in Wednesday's edition of the Daily Telegraph that claimed there was "virtually no chance" a team would be sent. An online version of the report quoted an unnamed political source as saying that the formal pullout would be announced in the new year.

"That is definitely not the case. Our current and strong intention is to field a team for the games in Delhi next year," Hogbin said in a statement. "Of course, we have a duty of care to the athletes and other team members which we take very seriously.

"Despite having been given extensive briefings from relevant authorities, we have not received any indication that we should not participate in the games and we will continue to work hard to put in place the best possible arrangements for our team."

Britain's Foreign Office said that it has "not advised any of the British teams not to participate in the Commonwealth Games."

"We are aware that the Commonwealth Games Federation had some concerns about preparations for the games," the statement added. "We continue to work closely with the Indian authorities who are doing everything they can to ensure a safe and secure games."

England's badminton team pulled out of the world championships in Hyderabad this year, citing fears about its safety and lax security arrangements, while Australia refused to play a Davis Cup match in Chennai.

The Commonwealth Games are set to be the biggest multiple-sport event staged in India since the 1982 Asian Games.

Organizers are expecting nearly 8,000 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories from October 3-14, along with nearly 30 heads of states.

This year, India's Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai said he was not aware of security threats to the games, and added that no special security measures will be undertaken for athletes from specific countries.

AP

I somehow think this isn't the last of it, though. This will now really raise that other, ahem, Elephant in the Living Room about Delhi - security.

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