Delhi Prepared for Commonwealth Games Security

A policeman sitting at the police headquarters near ITO in central Delhi will be able to see the person entering the Commonwealth Games Village in east Delhi, five kilometres away.

That’s not all.

The cop will also be able to see every vehicle entering the city, a shopper at Karol Bagh market, a motorist on Parliament Street and all of them at one go.

If there is a threat anywhere in Delhi, the information will be fed into the system.

They will be colour coded in red, yellow and green based on the severity of the threat and will flash on screens.

Delhi Police are all set to install giant screens at a new center for command, control, coordination and communication called C4i.

The centre would be linked with cameras installed at 58 markets, 27 border check posts, 1,000 police control room (PCR) vans, 12 police video monitoring vehicles, 700 traffic vehicles and two city hotels.

“The live feed from the cameras would be displayed at the C4i centre. Any untoward movement or emergency would be spotted by the policeman sitting at the centre and relayed to the local police for necessary action,” said a police officer.

“If there is a stampede at a market, the cop would make announcements on the public address system from the centre and control the situation. This is before additional force can be rushed in,” he said.

The centre will be equipped with three 32 inch LCD screens and two 46 inch LCD screens. In all, there would be 88 screens at the centre covering the city.

“The centre would be operational before the Games,” said Rajan Bhagat, spokesman, Delhi Police.

Samrat Hotel and Hotel Ashok in Chanakyapuri, which are the official games hotel will also be linked to this centre.

“The movement of all the players and dignitaries will be monitored through this centre,” said the officer.

Ferns N Petals Preparing for the Commonwealth Games

New Delhi-- Ferns N petals, the leading floral retailer is ready for Commonwealth games. ‘Flowers are a perfect replica of human life’, every sentiment is expressed in one because feelings need the language, and no language could be better than the language of flowers.

From the times of Mauryas, Cholas and Mughals till to the period of British Empire, India has always been famous for its traditions and hospitality. The warmth in the relations and euphoria in celebrations make the country stand out distinctively in the clutter.

As we know that the 2010 Commonwealth Games will be India's first major international sports event after the 1982 Asian Games. For the upcoming 2010 Commonwealth Games Ferns N Petals is also preparing itself. They are expanding manpower to meet the demand because of common wealth games and October is also wedding season so the demand of the flowers is likely to increase this season.

Innovative styling of the wedding with Mandap, unique stage décor, table top arrangements and traditional Hindu ritual accessories like lamps, Dias come as a package with the flower decoration.

"We are hoping that our demand for flowers will go high, so sensing the significance of the events, we are now moving towards to increase option for unique and designer floral gifting said “ Mr. Vikaas Gutgutia , MD Ferns N Petals.

Ferns N Petals is also coming up with innovative ideas of gifts and floral packaging during the common wealth games that may symbolize common wealth games and them proud to be an Indian company.

New Treasurer Appointed for Commonwealth Games

New Delhi- Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman, Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, today announced the appointment of Anil Khanna, the Secretary General of the All India Tennis Association as the new Treasurer of the OC for the Games.

In a statement issued to the press earlier in the day, Mr. Kalmadi said, "It is with great reluctance and after consulting my senior colleagues I have decided to accept my colleague Mr. Ashok Kumar Mattoo's resignation as Treasurer of the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi.

"I wish I could have persuaded him to change his mind and not have to make this statement. We tried hard to convince Mr. Mattoo to stay on but he has made up his mind. We have to respect his sentiments and accept his wish to retire from sports administration.

"We will miss his valuable inputs as we head to the home stretch of our preparations to host the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. We will miss him in the offices of the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. We wish to place on record our appreciation of his meticulous work over a number of years.

"I am pleased to nominate Mr. Anil K. Khanna, the Secretary General, of All India Tennis Association as Treasurer of the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi."

Participation of Abhinav Bindra in Commonwealth Games is Uncertain

NEW DELHI — India's only Olympic individual champion Abhinav Bindra was on Monday embroiled in a tug-of-war with sports officials over his participation in the Commonwealth Games later this year.

Bindra, who won the 10m Air Rifle shooting gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, is not assured of a place at the Games which India hosts in New Delhi from October 3-14.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) wants Bindra to attend trials like other contenders if he wanted to be picked for international events.

Bindra, 27, prefers to train abroad on his own and wants the NRAI to judge his current form on his scores in competitions in which he takes part in various countries.

The NRAI dropped Bindra for next month's Commonwealth shooting championships in New Delhi, a test event for the Games, saying it was only following sports ministry guidelines which makes it mandatory to attend trials.

A "frustrated and distressed" Bindra has appealed to the association and the ministry to let him train abroad as per the schedule charted out by his coaching staff.

"I don't see the chance of future success if I am not going to be allowed to prepare in the way my professional team has planned," the shooter said in a statement over the weekend.

"These modules have worked very well for me in the past and have helped me be the current world and Olympic champion.

"It is quite unfortunate and extremely distressing to me that my point of view is not being appreciated and respected. It leaves me very frustrated and upset and does not really leave me with much motivation."

Bindra said he will go ahead with a planned training tour of Europe next week and speak to his coaching staff on his "future course of action".

NRAI secretary Baljit Sethi defended his federation, saying it was bound by sports ministry regulations.

"We have been told by the ministry to select teams after trials," Sethi told AFP. "The team we have picked for the Commonwealth championships has been approved by the government."

A sports ministry official confused the issue further by saying the government had no objection if Bindra was exempted from attending trials.

"It's for the national sports federations to lay down the selection criteria," ministry official Injeti Srinivas told the Press Trust of India (PTI).

"If the NRAI tells the ministry it wants to follow a separate approach for the top shooters and exempt Abhinav from trials, we would have no objection. But we have not received any such request till now.

"The ministry only insists on federations having a well-calibrated selection criteria implemented in a transparent manner so that it results in the best team representing the country."

Queen's Baton Reaches Swaziland

The Queen's Baton Relay has reached the Kingdom of Swaziland, South Africa. The country is famous for handmade articles and artifacts where service industry dominates its economy similar to socio-economic fabric of rural India.

The Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 Queen's Baton Relay arrived at the capital city of Swaziland, the Mbabane after a two day stop over at Lesotho.

Mbabane, along with Manzini, the largest and main industrial hub, extended a warm welcome to the first batonbearer for the day, Mr. Robert Magagula, the President of the Commonwealth Games Association (CGA). Hundreds of people cheered the batonbearers on the streets of Swaziland as they carried the Baton past the landmarks that dot the streets of Manzini and Mbabane.

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small country to the east of Southern Africa. Bounded to its east by Mozambique, South Africa shares the rest of landlocked Swaziland's borders.
The economy is dominated by the service industry, manufacturing and agriculture. Swaziland joined the Commonwealth in 1968 and made its debut in the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, to boast a record thereafter, of fielding its sporting prowess in each and every edition of the Games.

Swaziland's first medal came at the 1974 Games in Christchurch when Richard Mabuza picked up a bronze for clocking 2 hrs 12 minutes 54.4 seconds in the men's marathon. In the last edition of the Games in Melbourne in 2006, Simanga Shiba took home a boxing Bronze Medal in the men's light flyweight class. The Swaziland National Olympic Committee was established in 1974 and is responsible for their country's participation at the Commonwealth Games.

The relay passed through the Old Trade Fair Gate, the Mahhala Complex, the Coronation Park, the Mananga Training Centre and the Olympafrica Centre in Manzini and Mbabane. Mrs. Vickey Nxumalo, Deputy Mayor of the Old Trade Fair region and Mr. Sibusio Dlamini, Honourable Member of Parliament were among the batonbearers. One of the highlights of the day was the traditional singing and dancing performance - Ummiso and Sibhaca, and a gymnastics display by three teams.

UK security experts happy with security plans for Commonwealth Games

LONDON: Four UK experts, after concluding their three-day Delhi visit, have given a thumbs up to the city's security plans for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

The security experts concluded their visit yesterday, having met Indian government and Delhi Police officials to discuss various aspects of security planning both for the Commonwealth Games and the 2012 London Olympics.

The UK-India Summit in January 2008 had agreed that co-operation on security for major sporting events would be a key priority for both countries.

The UK delegation had positive discussions with their Indian counterparts and found security planning for the Commonwealth Games was progressing well given there are still nine months to go.

Jim Busby, Olympic and Paraolympic Specialist Operations, Metropolitan Police Service, said, "As we are both hosts of major sporting events, India and the UK both have a lot to gain from this co-operation. We had some very good discussions. India has completed a lot of planning work in recent months."

50% of visa fee to be cut for Commonwealth natives

NEW DELHI: Taking a leaf out of its slogan `Athithi Devo Bhava', the tourism ministry is likely to waive off 50% of the visa fee charged from visitors of Commonwealth nations as an incentive to boost slagging foreign tourist arrivals. This is part of its effort to incentivise tourism to India for the Commonwealth Games to be held in October.

"We are considering a proposal to waive off 50% of the visa fee. The expense will be borne by the tourism ministry," a source said. The move comes after the positive response to `Visit India 2009' promotion where major stakeholders like hospitality partners, tour operators and others had offered schemes and promotions in addition to what the visitor paid for.

The visa fee waiver will supplement the promotions and the ministry is already in talks with hotels, travel agents and tour operators for extending these incentives for another year.

There are 54 members of the Commonwealth of nations of which visitors from UK, Australia and Canada form a large part of India's tourist inflow. India received 5.11 million tourists of which 0.5 million come from Commonwealth nations. Sources estimate an expense upwards of Rs 75 crore if the waiver plan comes through as visa fees are fixed on a reciprocal basis.

While visa fees for UK is 30 pounds or Rs 2,280, Australia charges Rs 3,168 while Canada charges about Rs 2,751. "It will prove to be a heavy dent on the public exchequer but we feel that the decision will boost tourist inflow to India," the source added.

Foreign tourist arrivals during 2009 were 5.11 million, down from 5.28 million in 2008. Growth in tourism dropped after the Mumbai terror attacks and slowdown in the eceonomy. Though the growth rate for 2009 was negative, India performed better than UNWTO's projected growth rate of (-)6% to (-)4% for the world. Incidentally, foreign exchange earnings have increased from Rs 50,730 crore in 2008 to Rs 54,960 crore in 2009.

Indian Men’s Hockey Team Resumes Training at Balewadi

The Indian men’s hockey squad resumed training Thursday at the Balewadi hockey turf, ending six days of agitation and negotiation with Hockey India over delayed cash incentives for 2009 performances.

The 22-member squad, preparing for the 2010 Hero Honda World Cup in New Delhi next month, watched by the entire coaching staff, went through the routines.

Jogging around the turf in batches to get warmed up for training ahead, the players took breaks, mostly planned and some spontaneous when Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi arrived at the venue when the session was on. The administrator talked to the assembled boys and coaches before stepping on to the turf for dribble with Dhanraj Pillay and drag flicks into an empty net with specialist Sandeep Singh at hand for tips.

Pillay also jogged with the players for part of a lap before joining in drag flicks. The guests were accompanied onto the turf and goalmouth by television crews capturing live action, forcing the players to bide their time before serious training resumed under chief coach Jose Brasa, assistant coaches Romeo James, Harender Singh and Ramandeep Singh. The players went through regular drills like half-court play, hitting and separate training for goalkeepers using the bowling machine.

Former actress Salma Agha visited the hockey probables. She had promised to arrange a fund-raising programme for the players. Coach Brasa, talking about the plans ahead, said: “Training will be high intensity for the next two weeks. We have to move forward, there is no point in looking back.” Matches against the national men’s development squad, currently training in Lucknow, has been planned, followed by home matches against France, according to the chief coach.

Indian cricket team comes forward to help the hockey team

Indian cricket team comes forward to help the hockey team

New Delhi: Indian cricket team on Thursday decided to pitch in with their bit for the national game.

Members of the Indian cricket team who are presently touring Bangladesh have pledged to contribute Rs 1 crore for the hockey team.

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar reportedly came up with the idea before the tri-series final on Wednesday and spoke to current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh.

Both Dhoni and Harbhajan agreed to the proposal and said that they would come up with the amount irrespective of India's fortunes in the forthcoming Hockey World Cup.

Meanwhile, all seems well for the national game as after six days of revolt, the Indian men's hockey team players on Thursday were back on the field in Pune to train for the upcoming World Cup.

Hockey players on Wednesday forced Hockey India to agree to their demand of clearing their unpaid dues before the World Cup.

The team resumed practice in Pune for the World Cup, which starts on February 28.

The preparatory camp had been put on hold for the past few days.

The players' fight over better pay ended on Wednesday with Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi and former hockey team skipper Dhanraj Pillai brokering peace between the players and Hockey India.

The dues will be cleared before the World Cup and they have also been assured of a system of graded contracts.

The players also met Pakistani singer Salma Agha at the sports complex on Wednesday, who had promised them help when the revolt was on.

Games committee insists ‘international standard’ food on menu

A day after former BJP president Rajnath Singh said beef should not be served during the Commonwealth Games, the organising committee on Thursday maintained that “international standard” food will be served during the October 3-14 event.

“We have to serve food of international standard — our menu will cater to palates of all participating countries,” Games organising committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot said. “The menu will also have to be approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation.”

The committee is yet to decide on caterers for the Games Village and other sports venues. More than 20 catering firms had submitted bids after the tender was issued in June 2009. The Games Village will dish out 36,000 meals each day, officials said. They said 45 different kinds of cuisines will be served during the event.

Another senior organising committee official (name withheld on request) said, “Just because the event is being held in India does not mean we can serve them Indian food. We also have to take care of athletes’ choice.”

Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Reached South Africa

New Delhi, India- The Ministry of Tourism organized an Incredible India road show in Johannesburg, South Africa on Tuesday. The event coincided with the passing of the Queen's Baton to promote the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in New Delhi.

Ten double decker buses were wrapped in Incredible India images and flagged off by M.Mashabane, Minister of International Relation and Cooperation, Government of South Africa along with Vikram Doraiswamy, Consul General of India and T.S. Darbari, Joint Director General, Commonwealth Games Organizing Committee.

This event was followed by presentations on Incredible India, the Commonwealth Games, a taste of Indian, music and dance.

Mashabane complemented on this mega promotion and spoke highly of India- South Africa relations and India's tourism products.

More than 200 people from various walks of life were present at the event.

Meanwhile, prior to the event at Johannesburg, legendary Archbishop, Desmond Tutu became the Baton bearer when the Baton Relay 2010 Delhi had reached Bloemfontein in South Africa.

The Queen's Baton had been received at the airport by Dan-Kgothule, Minister of Sports and Executive Mayor with representatives from ministries of sports and culture.

After the staging of cultural performances, the Baton was handed over to the executive mayor for the relay in Bloemfontein where it saw the participation of about 300 baton bearers and enthusiastic response from hundreds of citizens.

Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow

Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow

The 20th Commonwealth Games in 2014 will be held in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The winning city was announced by the Commonwealth Games Federation on 9 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Games will run for 12 days from 23 July to 3 August 2014. It will be the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland, although the country previously hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986 in Edinburgh.

Commonwealth Games 2014 will welcome 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 countries. There are also hundreds of thousands of people welcomed to the host city of the Commonwealth Games. It will begin on 23rd July 2014 with the opening ceremony at Glasgow’s Celtic Park and August 3rd 2014 will be the last day of ceremony at Hampden Park, Glasgow.

Several mostly played in Commonwealth countries, will be on display for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games including 17 sports: badminton, weightlifting, lawn bowls, hockey (men & women), athletics, aquatics, boxing, rugby 7s (men), squash, netball (women), cycling, shooting, wrestling, gymnastics, judo, table tennis & triathlon.

About the City Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands. A person from Glasgow is known as a Glaswegian, which is also the name of the local dialect.

Games Venues

Hampden Park: The main venue for athletics and for the closing ceremony would be held on Hampden Park, Scotland's National Football Stadium. Celtic Park would be used for the opening ceremony. Hampden Park is one of an iconic place for Scots. It is the home ground of the national football team, which will be transformed for the period of the Glasgow Games for the track and field events.


Kelvingrove Lawn Bowls Complex: Kelvingrove Park is situated (close to the SECC) in the Glasgow's West End, which has already five bowling greens installed for competitive use. A complete improves and renovation of the park is ongoing, and the park is also able of holding events like triathlon and hockey. For the latter events, Glasgow Green could be a possible alternative venue.

Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre: Scotland's north bank of the River Clyde, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) would provide several multipurpose arena style venues including the planned Scottish National Arena for events such as gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, and judo. It will be also hosting related entertainments events for the period of the games.


Ibrox Stadium: Ibrox Stadium (in the South Side,) is the considered venue for the rugby sevens tournament. The another outdoor venue in the city, such as Pollok Park or the military Dechmont ranges in Cambuslang will be held the shooting competition. For the famous Glasgow Rangers Football Team, Ibrox Stadium is the home.

Dalmarnock: Neighboring to this, a possible site for an athletes' village has also been recognized in Dalmarnock. The village would be planned to create 6,000 homes and officials in 2,500 residential units and leave a legacy of renewal in this deprived district of the city.

Tollcross International Aquatic Centre: Already one Olympic standard 50 metre swimming pool owned by Tollcross International Aquatic Centre. The pool and the facilities would be extensively refurbished, and a second 50 metre pool would be added for the Games' aquatic events.


Important Links
Glasgow City Council
Glasgow Airport
Glasgoe Museums
University of Glasgow

Rajnath wants beef off Commonwealth Games menu

The Commonwealth Games organising committee now has to worry not just about meeting the deadline, but also the menu card for sportspersons and delegates.

Former BJP president Rajnath Singh has written to Games organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi that his party opposed beef on the menu.

“Cow is considered sacred in India. This thought has been integral to our cultural ethos for ages. No wonder, even the founding fathers of our Constitution also advocated a ban on cow slaughter (Article 48),” Singh said in his letter.

“The Commonwealth Games have become an important event where we should use every possible opportunity to highlight our cultural values and age-old traditions. By removing beef from the menu card, the organising committee would not only empathise with the popular sentiment but also save the Games from agitations and other possible controversies,” he added.

He also says that the BJP-dominated Municipal Corporation of Delhi has already passed a resolution to this effect. “Rules for importing such items will be suitably altered for the purpose. If imported, beef will only be for the guests and sportsmen and not for general consumption,” said Rakesh Mehta, chief secretary, Delhi government. The organising committee has not committed itself on the matter.

The politics of beef is not new in the country and Rajnath appears to be hoping that by adopting this pet Hindutva cause, he could hold on to some of the party’s old agenda.

“With Nitin Gadkari determined to move ahead with a development-oriented agenda, rather than a Hindutva one, this is Rajnath’s way of signalling the RSS that for him at least, these pet causes are important,” said a senior BJP leader.

Commonwealth of Nations, History & Members

The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states, all but two of which were formerly part of the British Empire. The member states co-operate within a framework of common values and goals as outlined in the Singapore Declaration. These include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism and world peace.

The Commonwealth is not a political union, but an intergovernmental organisation through which countries with diverse social, political and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status. Its activities are carried out through the permanent Commonwealth Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General; biennial Meetings between Commonwealth Heads of Government; and the Commonwealth Foundation, which facilitates activities of non-governmental organisations in the so-called "Commonwealth Family". The symbol of this free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, which is a ceremonial position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II.

Elizabeth II is also the monarch, separately, of sixteen members of the Commonwealth, informally known as the Commonwealth realms. As each realm is an independent kingdom, the Queen, as monarch, holds a distinct title for each, though, by a Meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in 1952, all include the style Head of the Commonwealth at the end; for example: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of Australia and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth. Beyond the realms, the majority of the members of the Commonwealth have separate heads of state: thirty-three members are republics, and five members have distinct monarchs: the Sultan of Brunei; the King of Lesotho; the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (or King) of Malaysia; the King of Swaziland; and the King of Tonga.

History
While not all current members were once British colonies, the Commonwealth is generally considered to be the successor to the British Empire. In 1884, while visiting Australia, Lord Rosebery described the changing British Empire, as some of its colonies became more independent, as a "Commonwealth of Nations".

Conferences of British and colonial Prime Ministers had occurred periodically since 1887, leading to the creation of the Imperial Conferences in 1911. The formal organisation of the Commonwealth developed from the Imperial Conferences, where the independence of the self-governing colonies and especially of dominions was recognised. The Irish Oath of Allegiance, agreed in 1921, included the Irish Free State's "adherence to and membership of the group of nations forming the British Commonwealth of Nations." In the Balfour Declaration at the 1926 Imperial Conference, Britain and its dominions agreed they were "equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations." These aspects to the relationship were eventually formalised by the Statute of Westminster in 1931 (Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland had to ratify the statute for it to come into effect; which Newfoundland never did and Australia and New Zealand did in 1942 and 1947 respectively).

Members
The Commonwealth comprises fifty-four of the world's countries (including one currently suspended member), across all six inhabited continents. The members have a combined population of 2.1 billion people, almost a third of the world population, of which 1.17 billion live in India and 94% live in Asia and Africa combined. After India, the next-largest Commonwealth countries by population are Pakistan (176 million), Bangladesh (156 million), Nigeria (154 million), the United Kingdom (61 million) and South Africa (49 million). Tuvalu is the smallest member, with 12,000 people.

The land area of the Commonwealth nations is about 31,500,000 km2 (12,200,000 sq mi), or about 21% of the total world land area. The three largest Commonwealth nations by area are Canada at 10,000,000 km2 (3,900,000 sq mi), Australia at 7,700,000 km2 (2,970,000 sq mi), and India at 3,300,000 km2 (1,270,000 sq mi).[16] The Commonwealth members have a combined gross domestic product (measured in purchasing power parity) of $10.6 trillion, 66% of which is accounted for by the four largest economies: India ($3.3 trillion), the United Kingdom ($2.3 trillion), Canada ($1.3 trillion), and Australia ($800 billion).
Source: Wikipedia

BBC Still to Agree 2010 Commonwealth Games Rights

The BBC has admitted that it has yet to reach an agreement to broadcast the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi despite claims in India that rights deals with Australian and UK broadcasters had exceeded its revenue target.

Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of Delhi's local organising committee, said last month that it had earned £37.5 million - £12.5 milion more than its original target - after striking "good deals with broadcasters in Australia and Britain."

Australian broadcasters' Network Ten and Foxtel announced two years ago that they had secured TV rights for Delhi in a shared deal. However the BBC, who traditionally covers the event, said: "Negotiations are still ongoing and have yet to be finalised."

Two weeks ago a senior Whitehall source told the Daily Telegraph that there was "virtually no chance" that Team England team would be sent to India following security fears over the Delhi event.

The BBC refused to comment over fears that the broadcaster may be waiting for assurances from Commonwealth officials that the squad would be travelling in September before committing to any rights deal.

In November, Scottish first minister Alex Salmond attacked the BBC for failing to commit to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Glasgow’s bid was primarily based on the BBC being host broadcaster but a £20 million hole in their budget now looms large as a result of the recommendation to drop the Commonwealth Games from Britain’s protected list of television's free-to-air sporting events.

Usain Bolt to Skip Commonwealth Games 2010

Sprint Sensation Usain Bolt would not be seen in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games 2010 slated to take place in the Indian capital New Delhi later this year.

The much hyped 2010 Commonwealth Games according to reliable resources would miss Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt. His manager Ricky Simms had said that fastest man on earth till date is working arduously for 2011 World Athletics Championships and would most probably miss the bus for October games.

Addressing a query related to Bolt’s participation in the Commonwealth Games, Ricky told Sunday Mail, London "It's now looking unlikely Usain will be going to the Commonwealth Games. His priorities have to lie elsewhere. First and foremost is his four-year plan leading up to the next Olympics, which is exactly what he did prior to Beijing in 2008".

Elaborating more on the issue Ricky gave reasons behind this move “"The timing of the Commonwealth Games is the issue here. By the start of October, Usain will have needed to have rested and then began his pre-season which, as every athlete knows, is massively important". Simms explained.

On Usain’s future engagement, Ricky said "It's started well enough with what he achieved at last summer's Berlin World Championships, but this year is all about the Diamond League and a continuation of his preparation for 2012. He also views the World Championships in 2011 and 2013 as crucially important".

Usain Bolt’s non participation will definitely be a huge jolt to hundreds of sports lovers who were planning to witness his thundering speed and tiger like leapin athletics at 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Games Federation dismiss reports of sub-standard security

The Commonwealth Games Federation has condemned reports security would be substandard at the Delhi Games, insisting the comments were "ill-informed" and that security planning for the Games was on track.

A Sydney Sunday newspaper quoted Australian security consultant Lloyd Bromfield saying he was alarmed by New Delhi's lack of preparation and this left athletes at risk of terrorist attacks. CGF president Michael Fennell said its own security adviser, a rival Australian company Intelligent Risks, had assured him the Indians had dedicated appropriate resources to providing a secure environment for the Games.

"The CGF regards the safety and security of the Games, for athletes and spectators alike, as being of paramount importance and of the highest priority," Fennell said.

"IR has vast Commonwealth, Olympic and multi-sport games experience and, importantly, has a detailed knowledge of what is actually being done with security for Delhi.

"A number of recent media reports on Games' security come from comments by those who have not worked on any aspect of security planning for the Delhi 2010 Games, and do not have any serious knowledge of the detailed plans across all aspects being put in place by local authorities."

Fennell said the Delhi organising committee had appointed internationally respected Indian government and police officials to head security operations.