CWG delegates happy but give wake-up call

I have no doubt that 2010 Games can be great, provided all corrective measures are taken, Fennel said.

Zeenews Bureau

New Delhi: The entire country, especially the CWG 2010 officials, heaved a sigh of relief as Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennel declared that the games are in good hands. After a five-day stay and visits to various venues where construction was on for the next year`s Games, he said there was no plan B to shift the Games venue from Delhi but said now "every day is pivotal and every hour vital". "With two years to go for the Delhi Games, I said to the Organising Committee that time was not their friend. With one year to go, I now say that time is your enemy, but together we can defeat it", he told a press conference here. Replying to questions, Fennell said the CGF felt that the venues will be ready in time but they cannot afford any more slippages. "We have to stick to the new deadlines." He however praised Delhi as a ‘wonderful host’. Fennell, who had last month written a scathing letter to the Organising Committee on the tardy preparations, appeared still concerned. He decided to form an independent monitoring panel for the 2010 edition of the Games and bluntly reminded the Organising Committee that time was the "biggest enemy". "I have no doubt that the 2010 Games can still be great Games, provided all corrective measures are taken and there is no further slippage," Fennell told reporters here. "The CGF Executive Board has decided to establish a high-level, independent, technical review panel, that will monitor the progress. This panel will comprise of Chairman and other members who will be experts in their field. They would give us monthly report on in an open, transparent fashion," said Fennell, who has been critical of the capital`s tardy preparation. Suresh Kalmadi, president of Indian Olympic Association also exuded confidence that India will successfully host the event. He also informed that work is in full swing at the games sites. Earlier, Fennell said that many of the reports on Delhi`s tardy preparations for the 2010 Games are "not quite accurate" and the government of India is paying full attention to hosting the event successfully. "We are coming here in the midst of many adverse reports about Delhi, reports that are not quite accurate," Fennell, who has been quite critical in his assessment of Delhi`s preparedness in the past, said while inaugurating the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly. "But one conflicting fact is that attention is being paid by the government of India through (Sports) Minister M S Gill, who has given qualified assurance that all the resources that are necessary to ensure the successful celebration of the Games in 2010 will be provided by the government," he added.Fennell, who has inspected various venues including the Games village in the past couple of days, had shot a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month expressing concerns about the preparations. Meanwhile, Sports Minister M S Gill also sought to assure the CGF of Delhi`s preparedness, saying the capital would host the Games successfully and the city should not be compared to previous hosts like Melbourne. "We are satisfied that the Government of India places highest importance to the security of the country and really high importance on the Games` security," Fennell said. Fennell sought an overhaul of the procurement process and was assured by OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi that the issue would be taken care of. "I also advised getting foreign experts in areas like Games Village operation, press operations, transportation, ticketing and accreditation. "It is a big step forward and this should be maintained without any hitch," Fennell said, looking at Kalmadi. Bureau Report