New Delhi:
Legendary Milkha Singh on Sunday lashed out at the foreign athletes for making too much noise about the living conditions at the Commonwealth Games Village, saying that they can stay at hotels if they don't like the accommodation.
"I think we are getting dominated by our guests. I have also been to number of countries and there have been times when the arrangements were not very good but we never made such a fuss out of it," Milkha said.
"I think India is giving in to the demands of our guests a little too much. The guests cannot dictate us. If they (foreign athletes) don't like the arrangements they should go and stay in the hotels," said the 81-year-old.
The build-up to the Games has been marred by controversies with the Games' Village being termed by some foreign officials as "filthy and unlivable". There was a firing incident at two foreign nationals and a footbridge collapsed near the main venue.
Milkha, the only Indian who has won a gold in Commonwealth Games track and field event, however, said the controversy surrounding the Commonwealth Games have tarnished the image of India.
"What should have been ready three years ago is still not complete. We waited till the last moment to finish everything, hence bringing disrepute to the nation," fumed the 'Flying Sikh', a name given to him by Pakistan General Ayub Khan in 1962.
"Wherever I go with my son (ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh), people speak so highly about India and talk about the progress the country has made over the past few years. But all this mess in the Commonwealth Games has dragged the country back. The nation has lost its respect," the gold medallist in the then 440 yard race in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
Milkha also blamed the administrators for the sorry state of affairs in athletics and said Indian athletes would not be able to win a single medal in the Commonwealth Games and it would be solely because of the sluggish attitude of the officials.
"I had told the Athletics Federation of India to start the training of the athletes about 8-10 years back. The day we bagged the Commonwealth Games, I had asked them to start their training.
"But unlike China, which immediately after getting the Beijing Olympics, started to provide their athletes the best of training possible as well as opened academies for them, we never did it. And no wonder, China won so many medals in the last Olympics," said the legendary athlete.
Expressing his disappointment over the delay in Games' preparation, Milkha said, "We have wasted eight years and I am extremely upset about it. Had we shown a little more dedication, we might have been expecting better results today."
"Unfortunately, during the October Games, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium would be full of people and there would be 46 medals to be grabbed in athletics but I would be surprised even if a single Indian flag goes up during the track and field event," said Milkha.
Milkha Singh, who narrowly missed out on a medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics, was the first sporting icon of independent India and it was then believed that he would be an inspiration for most youngsters to take to the athletics. That, however, did not happen.
"After India got its first Milkha Singh, subsequently 100 more Milkha Singhs should have been born but it did not happen," said the man, who broke the Olympic record in 400 metres.
When asked why despite having athlete of his or P T Usha's quality, the country failed to produce any more greats in this sport, Milkha argued, "I think the politicians did not want the sportspersons to excel because if they stand with a Milkha Singh or a P T Usha, nobody would even spare a look for them. And they obviously don't want to lose their control, even in the world of sports.
"I don't have problems with the politicians, but unless they take sportspersons along with them, no game can make progress," added the Padma Shri awardee.