Adverse reports on CWG preparations not accurate: Fennell

12 October 2009

Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell says 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.


"Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell arrives for the Commonwealth Games General Assembly in New Delhi on Monday. APWe 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 here.

"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.

"This is not Melbourne. This is not Glasgow. This is 15 million people in one of the greatest cities in India. We are Team India and the government of India is in total support without hesitation," he said at the CGF General Assembly inauguration," Gill said.

"This (organising ) committee has been given a renewed and expanded mandate that it will take all steps and all decisions as necessary to see the Games are ready and complete and properly done for the good name of India," the minister added.

The 71 CGF delegates will wind up their inspection trip to India after the assembly.