Uncommon Politics in Common Wealth Game in 2010

Politics played a dirty role on the run up to the Common Wealth games in Delhi in 2010. Due to the back stabbing and upfront assault by her own party men and women Sheila Dikshit is facing an uphill task in hosting the common wealth games.

The Times of India writes (2 August 2009)

With about 13 months left for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to begin in Delhi, there is a real danger that several projects associated with the
Games might not be completed on time. A Comptroller and Auditor General report submitted to the Prime Minister's Office and sports ministry has confirmed our worst suspicions. Work on 13 of the 19 sports venues is behind schedule with the aquatics complex and the hockey stadium in the worst shape. What is particularly galling is that the design for the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - the main venue of the Games - is yet to be finalised. All 16 major infrastructure projects for the city are behind schedule, with the public works department admitting that six, including flyovers and road tunnels, won't be completed on time.


The situation is as bad as it can get. It once again shows up our inability to plan and execute major projects on time even when the deadline is known years in advance. The authorities will surely scramble and finish work on the sports venues before the Games begin. But projects completed at breakneck speed are very likely to develop all sorts of problems later. Besides, the Games are not just about building sports venues. Nowadays, major sports events are used to overhaul the infrastructure of the host city, showcase it to the rest of the world and reap the benefits for years afterward.


Look at what the Olympic Games did for Beijing. The Chinese government pumped in $40 billion to develop Beijing, building new highways, a vast subway network, the world's biggest airport terminal and a showpiece stadium. Similarly, England is using the 2012 Olympics to give London a makeover and revive entire neighbourhoods. Even if India can't match China's scale and ambition, the Commonwealth Games should at least be used to improve Delhi's crumbling infrastructure and put it on par with other world cities.


This has been done before. The 1982 Asian Games in Delhi was a good example of a major sporting event triggering a makeover. The Asiad changed the face of Delhi. Many of the city's flyovers and roads are a legacy of the Games. The Commonwealth Games present a similar opportunity. It's a pity that urban development has to wait for major sporting events. But if that helps in beefing up infrastructure and improving the lives of people, so be it. Delhi has ambitions of hosting the Olympics in future. But if India slips up in its preparations for the Commonwealth Games, it's unlikely that any global sporting event will come our way soon.