The Delhi Commonwealth Games promised all glory for India and it did to some extent but no one can affirm that there was nothing to frown about. Indian architects and engineers did prove themselves on the international stage that they are capable to develop the sports infrastructure for any mega event. It will go a long way to support India’s claim for becoming the host for even greater sports event like Olympics or the Football World Cup. The subsequent stories of red tape and corruption only served to portray the ugly reality of the stink in Indian bureaucracy.
The Commonwealth Games was a very good opportunity to reaffirm India’s much eulogized hospitality along with showcasing its technical and administrative expertise for a gala sports event. We did hear reports in the media of how all the planned infrastructure development was coming up well and the preparation of our devoted athletes. It was expected that the Indian sportspersons would drive home the advantage of the event being in their home country. This turned out to be true as they were able to bag more medals than the earlier versions of this event. The athletes deserve special accolades for being able to excel despite having faced the red tape and nepotism of the rotten bureaucracy themselves.
The mass bungling of funds and the inability to complete some important infrastructure begs the question whether one should celebrate the event as India having arrived on the world sporting stage as an eminent member or shrink in shame with the country being exposed for the corruption and administrative inefficiency that mocks at us. The great support by the volunteers in the management of this event and the commendable performance of our athletes is something to take heart. It did manage to bring some glory for us in the face of a near debacle since a lot of athletes had withdrawn their names from this event.
The games were expected to cover us in glory altogether but that was not to be. The Commonwealth Games showed India in all its colors, good and bad. To end on a positive note, it was heartening to see a grand sports event being held in India and it did find appreciation from some who said that it might have raised the bar for the London Olympics due in 2012. The hospitable nature of Indians was again praised along with the enthusiasm of sport lovers.
