LONG LASTING From civic to sports infrastructure, the Commonwealth Games have led to a major transition that will benefit the city long after the event is overIn exactly a month from now, Commonwealth Games will be over.
The missed deadlines, the leaking roofs, the heaps of debris, the seemingly overpriced procurements -all the chaos and controversies that have become the calling card of the Commonwealth Games, will be history.
But what is going to be left behind is an international-standard sports infrastructure and a much-developed city that is ready to compete with the best in the world.
The Organising Committee says the development was the main reason for holding the Commonwealth Games in the Capital. “If it wasn't for the Games, who knows how many more years India would have had to wait for this worldclass infrastructure. The Commowealth Games, the Olympics and other such events act as a springboard for development in countries they are held in,“ said Priya Singh Paul, head of Communications and Legacy at the Organising Committee.
But this kind of transition is not new for Delhi. For the Ninth Asian Games, held in 1982, Delhi had constructed two main stadiums -the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. But that was 28 years ago and Delhi needed another such catalyst for development in the 21st Century, officials say.
“Now, our stadiums and their grounds are of international standards, giving our athletes and budding sportspersons a level-playing field with their counterparts in the developed world,“ said H.S. Kingra, in charge of the Commonwealth Games coordination at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), which owns most sporting venues for the Games.
There is, however, a small hurdle -maintenance of this infrastructure. The government is trying to decide what to do with the stadiums after the Games because maintaining them with their current grandeur is not an easy task.
The SAI is seeking a private partner for the maintenance of these places.“One of the models under consideration is that we allow a regulated nonsport commercial use of some parts of these structures, so that they are selfsufficient and not a burden on the exchequer.“
The organisers are confident that India will be viewed as professional sports event manager after the Games.
“Aided by international experts, OC officials -both in the government and the private sectors -and its vendors, have become a niche workforce in Games management,“ Paul said.
The legacy of the Commonwealth Games will stay long after the closing ceremony. 22,00,000 spectators expected on the stands and a targeted 2 billion TV viewers around the world 18 competition venues.
40 training venues 190,000 Kilometres is the distance the Queen's Baton Relay has covered across the world 22,000 the number of volunteers from Delhi for the Commonwealth Games 71 Countries participating in the Commonwealth Games 7,000 athletes in 17 sporting disciplines to be part of this mega sporting event SURGING AHEAD The Games have helped the country match international standards in sports management FILLIP TO OTHER SPORTS IN THE LAND OF CRICKET The Commonwealth Games 2010 has brought back the focus on non-cricketing sports in a big way. The world-class stadiums and training venues have brought international sporting standards to India.
Other sports are back in the limelight, thanks to athletes and sportspersons from different fields who have travelled to remote villages, small towns and virtually every corner of the country with the Queen's baton relay.
A SHOT IN ARM FOR SPORTS MEDICINE One of the least practised and popular medical streams in India is sports medicine. However, the Games are expected to give it a fillip as a team of 386 doctors, 262 nursing staff, 103 physiotherapists, 95 massage therapists and 179 medical students as volunteers has been specially trained in sports medicine by international experts. This kind of expertise will go a long way in helping the sports infrastructure of the country.
HD LIVE BROADCAST Another area where the country has benefited from the Games is broadcasting.
For a nation whose broadcasting technologies, especially in sports, was stuck in the '90s, the high-definition multimedia streaming of the broadcast content during the Games will give it a chance to catch up with the developed world. The content will be aired to 2 billion viewers worldwide. GLOBAL SPORTS MANAGEMENT India has emerged as a global sports manager, thanks to the Games. The 2000-odd officials at the Organising Committee and the Indian vendors have formed a talent pool that has helped India match countries such as Australia, the UK and Canada as professional managers of global sporting events. The last multi-sport event held in India -the Ninth Asian Games -were organised in 1982. The country has taken a huge leap in these 28 years as far as managing and organising such events is concerned. WORLD'S BEST IN INDIA Much of the sporting good imported for the Games are of global standards. The vendors are the internationally approved top-line companies. Some of the items are IMPORTED SYNTHETIC TRACKS: JLN Stadium, Chhatrasal Stadium, DU, Thyagaraj Sports Complex and others TABLE TENNIS: 24 tables from Germany SQUASH COURTS: 13 courts imported from Germany BADMINTON COURTS: 17 courts imported from Japan WEIGHTLIFTING SETS: 32 sets brought from Japan and Sweden CYCLES: 46 brought from the UK for the Indian team GYMNASTICS: Four sets each of Roman rings, pummel horse, balancing horse JAVELIN, HAMMER AND DISCUS: 100 sets imported from Sweden, Hungary and Poland TREADMILLS: Around 20 have been imported for training venues and the Games Village RUGBY: Rugby sets with 8 pairs of goal posts brought from Australia HURDLES: 200 brought from Germany LANDING BEDS: Eight have been got from Germany for high jump Sets of remote-controlled equipment retrieval systems for JAVELIN, and HAMMER and DISCUS from Germany
