New Delhi:
A senior Indian Olympic official has joined the Commonwealth Games Federation chief in urging New Delhi organizers to speed up preparations or risk jeopardizing the success of the 2010 event.
Randhir Singh, secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association and a vice chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee, said New Delhi must take this week's warning from CGF chairman Michael Fennell as a "wake-up call" regarding preparations that are lagging behind schedule.
Singh, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, was quoted by the Indian Express newspaper as saying Fennell's fears were valid and the "big issue was how the games would be staged."
In a letter to New Delhi 2010 organizing committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, Fennell outlined that he was "extremely worried about the 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."
Kalmadi, who is also president of the Indian Olympic Association, went into damage control after excerpts of the letter were published in the domestic media, saying all the venue construction would be completed on schedule by early next year.
Fennell's fears about the games followed a report by a coordination commission which predicted a partial failure of the event scheduled for Oct. 3-14 next year.
The report said it was "reasonable to conclude that the current situation poses a serious risk to the Commonwealth Games in 2010."
Fennell has asked for a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to brief him about the situation as the government had invested a lot of money in infrastructure. Kalmadi said he was willing to organize the meeting to reassure the CGF, while other organizers played down the situation, saying the coordination commission report was based on six-month-old data.
But Singh said "there is no point arguing with the CGF on this."
"We need to reassure the CGF that we can host the best Commonwealth Games ever, which we can if we respond to the ringing alarm bells," Singh said.
He said the organizers needed to "ensure than our concerned departments and stakeholders come together."
The CGF will hold its general assembly in New Delhi next month.
"That's a key meeting, and we need to make some palpable changes before it," Singh said. "If they're not receiving answers to questions, then they will be concerned."
The Commonwealth Games are set to be the biggest multiple-sport event staged in India since the 1982 Asian Games. It is expected to feature more than 5,000 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories which comprised or were linked to the old British empire.
Randhir Singh, secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association and a vice chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee, said New Delhi must take this week's warning from CGF chairman Michael Fennell as a "wake-up call" regarding preparations that are lagging behind schedule.
Singh, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, was quoted by the Indian Express newspaper as saying Fennell's fears were valid and the "big issue was how the games would be staged."
In a letter to New Delhi 2010 organizing committee chief Suresh Kalmadi, Fennell outlined that he was "extremely worried about the 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."
Kalmadi, who is also president of the Indian Olympic Association, went into damage control after excerpts of the letter were published in the domestic media, saying all the venue construction would be completed on schedule by early next year.
Fennell's fears about the games followed a report by a coordination commission which predicted a partial failure of the event scheduled for Oct. 3-14 next year.
The report said it was "reasonable to conclude that the current situation poses a serious risk to the Commonwealth Games in 2010."
Fennell has asked for a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to brief him about the situation as the government had invested a lot of money in infrastructure. Kalmadi said he was willing to organize the meeting to reassure the CGF, while other organizers played down the situation, saying the coordination commission report was based on six-month-old data.
But Singh said "there is no point arguing with the CGF on this."
"We need to reassure the CGF that we can host the best Commonwealth Games ever, which we can if we respond to the ringing alarm bells," Singh said.
He said the organizers needed to "ensure than our concerned departments and stakeholders come together."
The CGF will hold its general assembly in New Delhi next month.
"That's a key meeting, and we need to make some palpable changes before it," Singh said. "If they're not receiving answers to questions, then they will be concerned."
The Commonwealth Games are set to be the biggest multiple-sport event staged in India since the 1982 Asian Games. It is expected to feature more than 5,000 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories which comprised or were linked to the old British empire.
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