CWG Village was better than London Games Village: Maken

Zeenews Sports Bureau

New Delhi: Sports Minister Ajay Maken said that, according to the Indian athletes and coaches taking part in London Olympics, the Commonwealth Games Village in New Delhi was better than the London Olympics Games Village. The Commonwealth Games Village during Delhi CWG in 2010 came under criticism from the foreign athletes for being dirty and unhygienic. But Maken tweeted that CWG village was far better than what was provided by the Olympics authorities to the Indian contingent. “Interacted w/athletes & coaches at London Olympic Village. Surprisingly everyone rated Delhi CWG Games village better than London!!! (sic) ,“ tweeted Maken on Tuesday. Earlier, it was reported that transport and security woes came visiting the London Olympics organisers in ample measure ahead of the greatest sporting show on earth, forcing the athletes to experience a different kind of trouble at the Games Village here. Sharing of a toilet among four spokespersons, and sometimes even by six athletes, is causing strain and forcing some of them to alter their morning schedules so as to manage essential routines. "It`s amazing that competitors have to get used to these sort of things at the biggest event of the world. This may just be design issue for the flats, but the athletes are getting quite stressed," had said an Indian official who is part of the delegation staying at the Games Village. Two others in the Indian contingent - a boxer and a shooter - confirmed that the toilet time was the first thing athletes got to discuss after checking into the Games Village. "You can`t just order a different flat with an extra toilet, so we have to deal with what is available. But come competition time, and this could become a serious matter," had said the Indian shooter, preferring not to identified. The boxer, who had also competed in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, said in retrospect the facilities inside the apartment in the 2010 Games Village seemed much better. "So many sportsmen did not have to line up to use the toilet in any of the apartments in the Commonwealth Games Village," he had said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said tempers had not frayed until now, but if an athlete spends extra time in the toilet, he tends to get glared at by others sharing the apartment.