Australia to send 600-strong delegation for 2010 CWG

In what would come as music to the ears of an embattled Organising Committee, Australia is planning to send its largest-ever delegation of over 600 athletes and officials, including Olympic and world champions, for next year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

"Australia is planning to send a full team of over 600 athletes, coaches, managers, medicos and officials. The team will be the largest ever to compete in an overseas Commonwealth Games campaign with the first round of team nominations including the provisional selection of eight track and field athletes, including world champions Steve Hooker and Dani Samuels," Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) said in a statement.

Pole vaulter Hooker is a gold medallist from the Beijing Olympics where he set an Olympic record of 6.06m. Samuels is the youngest ever female discus thrower to become a world champion.

ACGA CEO Perry Crosswhite said not a single athlete has raised any security concerns about travelling to India.

"To date the questions have been about the weather predictions and the sports venues, and, of course, what the food and the village are going to be like," he said.

Crosswhite also welcomed England's rebuttal of the media reports saying that English athletes would not be taking part in the event fearing terror strikes during the Games.

"I am very pleased to hear that England has confirmed that it will send a full team Delhi," Crosswhite said.

"Australia is looking forward to renewing the traditional England-Australia rivalry at the Indian hosted Commonwealth Games and I expect that the competition as to which nation will win the most medals will be closer than ever," he added.

To be held from October 3 to 14, the 2010 Commonwealth Games will have 19 sports on the program, making it the largest Games to date.

Commonwealth Games 2010 Schedule

Event..................................................Venue......................................... Event Dates

Opening Ceremony...........JN Stadium........... 03 October 2010
Closing Ceremony........... JN Stadium............ 14 October 2010

Aquatics
Diving............. Dr SPM Swimming Complex............ 10-13 October 2010
Swimming...... Dr SPM Swimming Complex.............. 4-9 October 2010
Synchronised........ Dr SPM Swimming Complex........ 6-7 October 2010

Archery........... Yamuna Sports Complex/India Gate.......... 4-10 October 2010

Atletics
Track & Field.......... JN Stadium............ 6-12 October 2010
Marathon................ JN Stadium/Marathon Course............ 14 October 2010
Walk........................ India Gate............... 09 October 2010

Badminton...............Siri Fort Sports Complex............... 4-14 October 2010
Boxing.....................Talkatora Indoor Stadium.............. 5-11, 13 October 2010

Cycling
Track........... IG Sports Complex................... 5-8 October 2010
Road Mass Start............. India Gate........... 10 October 2010
Road Time Trials............. Noida Highway Express Rd........... 13 October 2010

Gymnastics
Artistic............. IG Sports Complex................. 4-8 October 2010
Rhythmic......... IG Sports Complex..................12-14 October 2010

Hockey............ Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium............4-14 October 2010

Lawn Bowls..........JN Sports Complex.............4-13 October 2010

Netball................Thyagaraj Sports Complex...4-12, 14 October 2010

Rugby 7s..............Delhi University..................11-12 October 2010

Shooting
Clay Target............ Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range............. 6-13 October 2010
Full Bore................ CRPF Campus, Kadarpur...................... 9-13 October 2010
Pistol and Small Bore......... Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range......5-13 October 2010

Squash...............Siri Fort Sports Complex.................4-13 October 2010

Table Tennis........Yamuna Sports Complex................4-14 October 2010

Tennis................. RK Khanna Tennis Stadium...........4-10 October 2010

Weightlifting........JN Sports Complex.........................4-12 October 2010

Wrestling..............IG Sports Complex.........................5-10 October 2010

India prepares for bioattacks at 2010 Commonwealth Games

Almost eight battalions of India's National Disaster Response Force have readied themselves with prophylaxis for anthrax and nerve gas antidotes in preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games that will take place in New Delhi.

Nearly 71 nations are expected to take part in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 8,000 personnel from the eight battalions will be at all stadiums to fight any eventuality created by terrorists looking to cause panic or create terror.

"The profile of terrorists is changing. Gone are the days when only uneducated unemployed youth got into terrorism," Alok Awasthi, Commandant of NDRF, told Mid Day. "Now well educated and techno-savvy youth are getting indoctrinated and hence we have to be ready to understand their mindset. Hence we have been asked to be on alert during the Commonwealth Games."

The NRDF's main areas of concentration during the games will be the possibility of bioterrorism, especially through anthrax attacks or chemical warfare agents such as nerve gas, mustard, phosgene, hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen chloride.

To combat the potential attacks, the NDRF will be equipped with Residual Vapour Detectors, Chemical Agent Monitors, Water Poisoning Detector kits and three color detector papers. Devices for decontamination from the agents will also be available.

"We will be carrying out mock drills in the venue of Commonwealth Games from January to create awareness among the people and also to test our teams," Awasthi said.

ITDC to Hire 600 College Students for Commonwealth Games

It's time to put your best foot forward. The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is looking for students to come on board as volunteers for the Commonwealth Games 2010. The good news is: you'll get paid to hobnob with the Games participants and other celebrities staying at ITDC properties in the city.

"We are looking to hire around 600 students from Delhi University as well as hospitality colleges across the country as executives for the Games. We will not only provide them training and an opportunity to be an integral part of history but also pay them a handsome salary,'' said the spokesperson, ITDC. He added the hunt for suitable "volunteers'' would start from January 2010, but refused to divulge how much the stipend would be. Though he said it would match with the best in the industry.

The catch, however, is that ITDC's not going for a campus recruitment like the organising committee or Delhi government. Sources in the organization said only the best would be taken on, with ITDC planning to visit a select few colleges like LSR, St Stephen's, Hindu and others for the recruitment. Added the source, "We will be training the selected candidates for two months, and thereafter, they will be posted in one of the ITDC properties for three months till the Games.'' The central government is reportedly in talks with the concerned hospitality colleges and DU to ensure the academic calendar doesn't clash with the five months that would be taken out by the volunteers.

According to the ITDC spokesperson, the 600 volunteers would be spread across the main venue, Ashok Hotel, and other properties like Samrat, Janpath and the DDA flats that are being managed by the ITDC for the Games. "Around 35 executives will be posted at the Ashok and will serve as the face of the hotel for the Games. The DDA flats will also be manned by these trainees, as it will be an important tourist accommodation during the Games,'' added the spokesperson. The selection process will consist of interviews, group discussions and interactions with the ITDC selection committee. "We're looking at young people who want to be closely associated with the Games and have an interest in the industry as well,'' added the ITDC official.

Incidentally, the OC has already started volunteer recruitment while Delhi government will be starting off soon. However, neither plans to pay the volunteers, unlike the ITDC initiative. More than 30,000 volunteers will be part of the Games preparations, said OC officials.

Commonwealth Games 2010 contract referred to solicitor general

The contract between public broadcaster Prasar Bharati and UK-based SIS Live for television coverage of the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010 has now been referred to solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam, it is learnt.

A source in the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry said that opinion of the solicitor general has been sought on the draft contract between Prasar Bharati and SIS.
Also, the I&B ministry has written to the Central vigilance commissioner Pratyush Sinha on the coverage of the games and the tendering process for selection of the broadcaster. I&B secretary Raghu Menon's recent letter to Sinha, elaborating on the tender process, is being seen as a cautious step to ward-off controversies on a later date.

Sources pointed out that SIS wanted certain changes in its contract with Prasar Bharati, and that resulted in difference of opinion between the finance wing of the broadcaster and the Doordarshan Directorate. Subsequently, a decision was taken to seek the advice of the solicitor general.

After a tender process, in which at least 10 players participated, five were shortlisted. Finally, SIS Live of the UK was selected for production and coverage of the Commonwealth Games for Rs 246 crore.

Officials in the I&B ministry said that since Prasar Bharati does not have the expertise to conduct an international event in the high-definition television (HDTV) format, production and coverage of the games had been outsourced.

An empowered committee comprising top officials of Doordarshan and All India Radio selected the broadcaster.

SIS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Satellite Information Services (Holdings) Ltd and is owned by a combination of leisure and financial investors, according to the company website. It's into TV production, broadcasting and providing live pictures and data via satellite. It also supplies TV programming and data services to the UK and Ireland betting industry.

Among other bidders shortlisted for producing the games coverage were ADAG group's Big Products in consortium with Inter Public Marketing Services Shanghai and Tokyo Broadcasting Systems.

Sources pointed out that the ADAG group may not be keen on producing the games any more, after having put in the bid a few months ago.

Commonwealth Games Coordination Committee Meeting enters Day 2

The Commonwealth Games Federation Co-Ordination Commission (CoCom) continued to review the progress made by the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi for the second day running on Tuesday.

In the first session on Tuesday, the CoCom reviewed the financial status, cash flow linked to major procurement and delivery requirements, procurement schedules and arrangements. Later, it reviewed presentations by the following Functional Areas: Transport, Security, Marketing, Licencing and Communication, Overlays, Accreditation, Sport (competition and operations) and Testing and readiness.

On Monday, after the opening session, venue owners and six Functional Areas - Games Venue, Venue Operations, Games Village, Games Village Operations, Broadcasting and Press Operations -- made presentations to the CoCom members.

CoCom will have meetings with more Functional Areas of the Organising Committee, including Technology and Ticketing besides have a review with the stakeholders like the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Government of the National Capital Territory Region of Delhi on Wednesday.

MAMC to take care of 2010 Games athletes' dental health

Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) was Tuesday entrusted the task to attend to dental emergency and to provide complete dental healthcare to over 7,000 athletes and delegates during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS), which is a part of the MAMC, will also set up its base in Talkatora Stadium and National Stadium during the mega sports event in October next year.

'Apart from the designated hospitals and Games Village, emergency health service facilities will also be set up at the Games stadiums like National Stadium, where hockey will be played, and Talkatora Indoor Stadium where boxing will take place. Both are dangerous sports and need medical attention. The emergency services will be backed by well equipped ambulances, medical surgeons and support staff,' Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said.

'The other areas of health emergency services will be covered by G.B.Pant hospital. Apart from these nodal health care centres, a state of the art well-equipped, round-the-clock polyclinic will be set up at the Commonwealth Games village.'

'These facilities will be operational a day before the Village opens until one day after the Village is officially closed,' Dikshit said after inaugurating a dental health fair at MAMC campus.

MAIDS principal Mahesh Verma said: 'The hospital is ready for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. There shall be two operating dental chairs and two dental surgeons posted round the clock in three shift duties. Besides, one Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon shall be on call to take care of trauma of the head at the Games Village.'