Commonwealth Game 2010

The 2010 Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India between 3 October and 14 October 2010. With a population of over 15 million, Delhi is one of the largest cities in the world. This will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.

This is the first time the Commonwealth Games will be held in India, which will be the third developing country to host the event (after Jamaica in 1966 and Malaysia in 1998). This is the second time the event has been held in Asia (after 1998).

In January 2005, the Commonwealth Games Federation vice-president Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was behind schedule in forming an organising committee. On 18 January 2008, however, the Commonwealth Games Federation expressed its approval of Delhi's progress.

In addition to the Commonwealth Games, the city of Pune, India hosted the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games between October 12 and 18, 2008. The Youth Games offered nine sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

India's Sports Minister will head the apex committee for conducting the games while the Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi will head the organising committee. The Games will be held from the 3rd to 14 October 2010.

A large number of rooms (obviously hotels) are needed to accommodate these visitors. Government as well as private players are doing their part for fulfilling the demand.
Just have a look at some of the renowned hotels in the National Capital Region..
The Hotel s are:

* City Park,
* Vasant Continental
* Crowne Plaza
* Galaxy
* Grand
* Hyatt Regency,
* Le Meridien,
* The Metropolitan
* Taj Palace
* Taj Mahal
* Oberoi,
* Shangrila
* Sheraton
* Siddharth
and many more etc...

There are 17 disciplines planned for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.Kabaddi will also be a demonstration sport at the 2010 Games. The triathlon appears likely to be excluded from these games as there is no suitable location for the swimming stage. The organisers have also proposed removing basketball, but want to include archery, tennis, and billiards and snooker for men. Cricket, although in strong demand, may not make a come-back as the Board of Control for Cricket in India were not keen on a Twenty20 tournament, but the organisers did not want a one day tournament.

* Aquatics
* Archery
* Athletics (track and field)
* Badminton
* Boxing
* Cycling
* Gymnastics
* Hockey
* Lawn Bowls
* Netball
* Rugby sevens
* Shooting
* Squash
* Table Tennis
* Tennis
* Weightlifting
* Wrestling

Delhi proposed a four-lane, 2.2 km underground stretch from Ring Road to Lodhi, linking the Games Village to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and reducing traveling time for athletes traveling between the Village and the Stadium by six minutes.

In response to concerns over the large number of trains that pass by the Delhi metropolitan region daily, construction of road under-bridges and over-bridges along railway lines has been started.

To expand road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges have been planned to provide connectivity to the Games Village, to sports venues, to hospitals, and for intra-city connectivity. Road-widening projects have been under process, with an emphasis being placed on expanding national highways. To improve traffic flow on existing road, plans are underway to make both the inner and outer Ring roads signal free.

To support its commitment to mass transport, nine corridors have been identified and are being constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for example, one from Ambedkar Nagar to Red Fort). Six of these corridors are expected to be operational in 2010.

Additionally, the Delhi Metro will be expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transport during the 2010 games. By then it will have the second longest network in the world and later the longest, which will be more than 420 km.[4] To achieve this exponential increase in the network's length, the Delhi Metro has deployed 14 tunnel boring machines (TBMs). The Delhi Metro reports that no country in Asia has ever put to work so many TBMs at the same time.

To further support air travel, the Indira Gandhi International Airport is being modernized, expanded, and upgraded. By the 2010 games, a new terminal (Terminal 3) will have been constructed at a cost of nearly US$ 1.94 billion, with the capability to cater to more than 37 million passengers a year by 2010 and the planned expansion program will increase its capacity to handle 100 million passengers by 2030. Terminal 3 will be a two tier building, with the bottom floor being the arrivals area, and the top being a departures area. This terminal will have over 130 check in counters, 55 aerobridges, 30 parking bays, 72 immigration counters, 15 X-ray screening areas, duty free shops, and much more. The airport will also have a new runway to cater more than 75 plus flights an hour; the runway will be more than 4400 meters long and one of Asia's longest. The entire airport will be connected to the city via a 6 lane highway (National Highway 8) and the Delhi Metro.

Delhi has a vibrant hospitality industry with almost all major world-class hotels and restaurants located here. However, the current capacity will be insufficient to handle the huge influx of visitors expected into Delhi for the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. An additional 25,000 rooms are being built to meet the requirements of the Games; this will be supplemented by the Bed and Breakfast Scheme launched by the Delhi government.

India is expected to use the Games to provide a major boost to tourism in India. According to official estimates, two million foreign tourists and 3.5 million domestic tourists are likely to arrive in Delhi in 2010 as a result of the Games. To prepare for this influx, the government is providing tax incentives for hotel rooms to be constructed in India, with a focus on tourist regions of Agra & Jaipur.

Additionally, the government has extended a five-year tax rebate to the tourism industry to create jobs and increase development.

A new, modern Games Village is being built by the private company Emaar-MGF along the east bank of the Yamuna River at a cost of USD 230.7 million.[citation needed] The Games Village will be spread over an area of 63.5 hectare (158.4 acre) and is situated near renowned monument and landmark the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple inspired by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The Delhi Games Village will be a low rise medium development with a possible capacity for 8,500 athletes and officials.On 22 February 2008, a senior official of the DDA announced that the Games Village would be completed by December 2009.

Though there have been many environmental concerns about the Games Village Site, Dibarkar Sarkar, Sport Director of the Delhi Development Authority, and Michael Hooper, CEO of the Commonwealth Games, have both gone on the record saying that it is doubtful that construction will be delayed at this late stage in the preparations.

In preparation for the Games and to promote security at major tourist destinations, Indian states will be deploying a force of "tourist police" far before the Games begin. These tourism police are regular state police forces, but will be trained to handle tourist-related aspects. A number of states have already implemented this program; other states are expected to emulate this model within the end of the year.

The total budget estimated for hosting the 19th Commonwealth is US$ 1.6 billion. This makes the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever (compared to Manchester 2002 - approx. US$420 million, and Melbourne 2006 - approx. US$ 1.1 billion).

India has declared itself committed to preventing environmental degradation due to the Games, and has declared the 2010 Games to be the "Green Games."
To plan for this goal, India has taken the commitment to the international level by partnering with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In order for the games to be awarded the title of "Green Games," UNEP must approve of the process and ensure that the games are environmentally sustainable. The Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games have appointed a well known environmental consultancy, Naturefirst-GEMS as consultants to achieve the Green Games vision that it has set forth for itself.

To meet this goal, Delhi is providing a large upgrade to its mass transportation system by expanding the size of the Metro network and increasing public bus capabilities. Additionally, Delhi has equipped its Metro stations with rainwater harvesting infrastructure, to be stored in tanks located in each station. It is equipping 1,600 out of 2,500 shelters with solar panels, so the bus shelters will be illuminated with solar power, and will equip over 1,000 shelters with water harvesting facilities.

Delhi is also undertaking a tree-planting campaign, spearheading an anti-litter effort, and promoting the use of renewable energy around the country and city.

All new buildings constructed for the Games will be green buildings as well. According to the State Environment Department, the Games will follow the principles of “sustainable site planning, design and construction of buildings” in order to “ achieve maximum harmony with nature.” These principles of water and energy efficiency are being applied in the construction of the Thyagaraja Sports Complex being constructed.

Controversy arose with regards to the Games Village, the construction of which citizens claimed was harming the banks of the Yamuna River.[20] A major concern is that constructing the Games Village will destroy the Yamuna floodplains, causing not only environmental damage, but also putting the river areas at risk for periodical flooding as well.

To address these concerns, the Indian government formed a monitoring committee to oversee the ecological aspects of the construction of the Games Village. It first invited Nobel prize winner and chairman of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) R.K. Pachauri to head the committee; Pachauri, however, recommended that a non-profit group be partnered with the committee for greater effectiveness.

Additionally, citizens accuse the government of unnecessarily cutting down or transplanting "heritage trees" (old trees) in its drive for rapid development to prepare for the Games in time. In response to these perceived wrongs, citizens are calling for a "Yamuna Satyagrah" (literally, "fight for truth for the Yamuna") - a method of protest first popularised by Mahatma Gandhi.

Existing and new stadia will be used to house the following sports: Archery, Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) Events, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling. Specific venues for 2010 games[25] in Delhi are following:

* Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - Opening and Closing ceremonies, Athletics, Lawn bowls, Weightlifting
* Dhyan Chand National Stadium - Hockey
* Indira Gandhi Arena - Archery, Cycling, Gymnastics, Wrestling
* Delhi University sports complex - Rugby 7s
* Tyagaraj Sports Complex - Netball
* Siri Fort Sports Complex - Badminton, Squash
* Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range - Shooting
* Talkatora Stadium - Boxing
* SPM Swimming Pool Complex - Aquatics
* RK Khanna Tennis Complex - Tennis
* Yamuna Sports Complex - Table tennis

Delhi already has many international features of a modern and well-planned city. However, to get ready for the huge influx of tourists visiting Delhi during the Games, the Government of India has taken many steps to improve the city. This includes city beautification, transportation development, upgrading of many old structures etc.