NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – New Delhi Commonwealth Games organisers promised yesterday to respond to heavy criticism and deliver a world class event next year.
“We are happy with all the wake-up calls we get,” organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi told a packed news conference, as he sought to allay concerns the Oct. 3-14, 2010 event was doomed to failure because of poor preparation.
Fresh doubts about India’s ability to stage the event has grown since Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell slammed the organising committee this week, seeking an urgent meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to salvage the Games.
Rattled by heavy media criticism following his remarks, the organising committee gave a video presentation and said all games venues, the athletes village as well as transport, security and hotel accommodation would be ready before time.
All the CGF’s concerns would be addressed during its general assembly in New Delhi from Oct. 6-13, Kalmadi said, in the presence of all senior organising committee officials.
“We’re all working as a team to deliver a great Games,” he said. “We respect Fennell’s views but we want to reassure people that we will stage a great Games and it will be held on time.”
FOREIGN EXPERTISE
Fennell quoted a Games coordination panel report warning of at least a partial collapse of the Games while criticising India’s reluctance to call on foreign expertise.
Kalmadi, also the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president, played down criticism of the organising panel, which is packed with sports federation chiefs.
Fennell said the organisers should seek foreign help as they had not staged a major event since the 1982 Asian Games, but Kalmadi said local officials had overseen the 2003 Afro-Asian Games as well as various national games.
Experts had slammed the Afro-Asian games as waste of money after many postponements, also a feature of national games.
The IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh urged the organisers to take the CGF criticism positively, reiterating his view the organising panel should be decentralised to make it efficient.
