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National/Health/Commonwealth Games 2010
In time for Games, India's new sports injury center (With
Images)
By Shweta Srinivasan
New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) It's set to give a healing touch to
players! A spanking new sports injury centre with integrated
medical facilities has cropped up adjacent to the Safdarjung
Hospital, one of four designated referral hospitals for the
Delhi Commonwealth Games.
After the October Games, the one of its kind government facility
will not only cater to sportspersons but also provide otherwise
expensive treatment to common people at subsidised rates.
"Our hospital is preparing to dedicate the first fully
integrated Sports Injury Centre to the nation. Once complete, it
will be the largest such medical outfit in Southeast Asia
catering to the specific needs of sportspersons," Deepak
Chaudhary, the centre's director and the hospital's leading
arthoscopic surgeon, told IANS.
The seven-storey building will be a one-point solution for any
sports injury with its advanced diagnostic centre, radiology
wing, physiotherapy unit, advanced surgical equipment,
rehabilitation and post-operative care as well as a capacity of
50 beds.
The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs.70.72 crore
(Rs.707 million) and the hospital is recruiting a staff of 187
people, including specialised orthopaedic doctors, a senior
official in the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee's
medical department told IANS.
"The facility is likely to be ready by June-end and will be
a legacy for the country. In August, the Commonwealth Games
Federation (CGF) medical commission will visit the centre. They
are satisfied with our arrangements so far," Jiji Thomson,
special director general of the Organising Committee, told IANS.
The CGF delegation has already visited the other three
designated hospitals - the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, the All
India Institute of Medical Sciences and the G.B. Pant Hospital -
which will cater to a cluster of stadia or Games venues in a
fixed geographic radius.
According to P.S.M. Chandran, a sports medicine expert involved
in the project, the centre is a "boon" for a large
number of Indian sportspersons who cannot afford to travel
abroad for treatment.
He told IANS: "It is a positive contribution for this
sector. Firstly, it is a government hospital and hence the
treatment is cheaper than in private hospitals. Also, the
doctors working for this wing will also be leading doctors
practising elsewhere. So the large number of players who hail
from rural or less fortunate socio-economic backgrounds can
benefit. "
Chandran, who is with the Sports Authority of India, clarified
that the Safdarjung Sports Injury Centre was not a standalone
centre and was part of the Safdarjung Hospital's orthopaedics
facilities.
"During the Games, it will treat players only but after
that it will treat sports injuries but not that alone. There may
not be enough workload to treat only sports injuries. Once
reputation builds up, cases may get referred from all over the
country but again that won't be just of sportspersons,"
Chandran added.
Usually injury cases, specially in contact sports, are referred
for treatment abroad.
"Unfortunately in our country integrated and related
facilities for management of sports injuries under one roof are
virtually non-existent. Now with the coming of our centre,
injured players need not limp around to foreign countries for
treatment," Chaudhary said.
Indian sportsmen also agree that the centre would be a
"boon" for them.
Wrestler Sushil Kumar, who has won the Olympic bronze medal,
told IANS: "In India, we don't have care units for sports
injuries. It is good that we will have a centre in Delhi.
"For sports injuries, we usually go to South Africa or
Australia and that's a costly affair - something that all
sportpersons can't afford. This will be a boon for all Indian
sportspersons."
Another Olympic bronze winner boxer Vijender Singh says in his
sport the chances of injuries are high and hence a treatment
facility on home turf has added advantages.
"The chances of injuries in body contact sports like boxing
and wrestling are more. So it is good if we are able to avail
ourselves of specialised treatment right here," he told
IANS.
(Shweta Srinivasan can be contacted at shweta.s@ians.in)
--Indo-Asian News Service
National/Environment/Commonwealth Games
2010
Green and hi-tech, stadium is Games showpiece (With Images)
By Richa Sharma
New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) It's one of the greenest sporting
arenas in the world. The Thyagaraj Stadium for the Delhi
Commonwealth Games boasts of it all, from glass glazing for
insulation to energy saving light fixtures to water conserving
plumbing.
Built from scratch at a cost of Rs.300 crore (Rs.3 billion/$65
million) and slated to open Friday, it is the most talked
about venue for the Oct 3-14 event. With retractable chairs,
disabled-friendly signages and ramps, and folding doors with
fire sensors, it is as state-of-the-art as it gets.
It took nearly three years for the public works department (PWD)
to construct the multi-disciplinary games stadium spanning an
area of 16.5 acre with a seating capacity of 5,000. The stadium
also has a practice track for athletics, three tennis clay
courts and two grass courts.
"We have made all efforts to minimise the carbon footprint
of the building," Amit Kumar, executive engineer with PWD,
told IANS.
"From solar- and gas-based power generating systems to
rainwater harvesting and an effluent treatment plant, several
environment-friendly technologies have been used."
Designed by famous Australian sports architecture firm Peddle
Thorp, the stadium has an Integrated Building Management System
for energy efficiency.
It has been built using 28 lakh (2.8 million) fly ash
bricks and all the brick walls have cavity in between -
effective for thermal insulation and acoustics, consequently
reducing the air-conditioning loss and improving energy
efficiency.
"The stadium has glass glazing all around the building
which will prevent transfer of heat from the atmosphere. The
glass used for glazing has very high light transmission and very
low heat transfer capacity, thereby increasing energy
efficiency," said Kumar, who has been handling the project
since beginning.
There is a composite aluminium roofing system with acoustic and
thermal insulation properties. The stadium will get power from
solar panels and piped natural gas.
"The stadium requires 3.5 MW of energy per day and using
our solar power generation system we will be able to generate 1
MW of energy, the largest in the country from a single solar
unit. The generated power shall be directly fed to the northern
grid and we will get the power from there," he said.
The exhaust smoke generated by the gas turbine is being utilized
for air-conditioning by installing a Vapour Absorption Machine (VAM)
to run the air-conditioning of the building.
For construction, emphasis was laid on using eco-friendly
materials and practices.
The stadium, having three pairs of escalators, has
separate entrances for players and VIPs, spectators and media
people. There is a basement parking that can accommodate 450
cars. However, it will not be used during the Games for security
reasons.
"The venue is disabled-friendly and has three ramps besides
visual and audio signages to help visually and hearing impaired
people," said Kumar.
The stadium has 10 vertical folding doors attached with fire
sensors. "If there is a fire in the stadium, the doors will
automatically open and help in mass evacuation."
Another feature, introduced for the first time in the country,
is retractable chairs. The system acquired from China will
retract the chairs in a few seconds, thus helping in fast
evacuation after the games get over.
For water conservation, rain water harvesting is being done in a
16.5 acre area. Besides, rain water from the roof of the stadium
will be collected in a tank for horticulture and flushing
purposes. The stadium has an Effluent Treatment Plant for sewage
treatment.
The changing and rest rooms are fitted with hydrotect tiles,
which have a coating of titanium oxide to improve air quality
inside toilets.
With so many eco-friendly initiatives, the authorities have
already begun the process of acquiring LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) green certification.
"We are applying for the platinum rating, the highest level
for any building, he said.
(Richa Sharma can be contacted at richa.s@ians.in)
-Indo-Asian News Service
Sports/Commonwealth Games 2010
The Games are on course: CWG chief Mike Hooper (Lead)
By Pragya Tiwari
New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) Commonwealth Games Chief Executive
Officer Mike Hooper Friday dispelled worries over the completion
of venues for the Oct 3-14 event, saying India will be ready in
time, things were improving and security was in place.
A confident Hooper said India is left with no choice but to
complete the task it has taken up and it will.
"Look, there is no denying that we voiced our concerns
repeatedly over preparations for the Games. If you remember,
Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell in
December termed the delays in the completion of stadiums
'distressing'. By early this year he said there are 'some
concerns' and last week he was satisfied with the progress. So
things are improving for sure," Hooper told IANS in an
interview.
"The Games are going to take place from Oct 3-14 in India
and there is no way the date or the venue is shifting. The
deadlines have been revised several times and we have reached
the stage when things are really tight. If that means, working
24 hours a day, so be it and the Organising Committee
understands it."
Hooper said the success of the various testing events of
different disciplines, including the Hockey World Cup, shows
that things are right on track.
"We have had test events in shooting, boxing, archery and
Hockey World Cup and things are more or less ready at
these venues. Whatever shortcoming are there we are working on
them and that is precisely why we hold these pre-Games events to
test the facilities," Hooper said on the sidelines of the
Commonwealth Rugby Sevens event.
"The Hockey World Cup was a big success, even though it was
an International Hockey Federation (FIH) event. I happened to
see the preliminary FIH report after the event, pointing out
some operational problems. We will work on them and that's how a
mega event like the Commonwealth Games is organised.
The New Zealander, however, refused to hold the Organising
Committee (OC) alone responsible for the organisational delays.
"See, what can the OC alone do. There are various agencies
like the DDA, SAI, CPWD which are involved in infrastructure
building and they need to buck up," he said.
"But things are looking up and the Games will be wonderful
for the sports in India as well and they will also improve the
connectivity in the capital tremendously.
"The new roads are being built and transport in the
National Capital Territory is going to get a huge boost. I have
been living in Delhi for close to two and half years and I have
struggled in the traffic here. But things are already so much
better now," he said.
Hooper said India is absolutely safe to hold the Games and that
even Pune blast last month failed to cast a shadow on the
successful conduct of the quadrennial event.
"Security is in place. When the chefs de mission of 71
participating countries met here they were fully satisfied with
the security cover. Even after the Pune blast, there were no
second thoughts. It is just that we have to assess the security
situation at a given moment and work accordingly," Hooper
said.
"The CGF has its own agency looking after the security and
it will be visiting India thrice before the Games.
"We talk of security being tight not to mislead anyone, we
truly believe it is no longer an issue and there is no danger to
life here."
(Pragya Tiwari can be contacted at pragya.t@ians.in)
--Indo-Asian News Service
National/Environment/Commonwealth Games
2010
Go
green, pay for carbon footprint during Games
By
Richa Sharma
New
Delhi, March 25 (IANS) Driving, flying or home energy use, many
innocuous everyday activities contribute to global warming. But
now you can pay for your carbon footprint and redeem yourself
during the Delhi Commonwealth Games.
As
part of the first 'green' Games, the organising committee has
decided to set up carbon neutrality kiosks at the Games Village
and six venues where people can buy carbon credits to neutralise
the harmful environmental effect of their activities.
"The
initiative will help neutralise carbon dioxide emissions during
the Games," CWG organising committee secretary
general Lalit Bhanot told IANS, explaining the work undertaken
by General Environment and Sustainability Division (GESD).
"A
customised travel footprint calculator will be installed at
these kiosks where people can come and calculate the carbon
emission during their travel from their home to the Village or
venues."
An
estimated 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases will be
emitted during the Oct 3-14 Games. The organisers committee will
motivate athletes, delegates, spectators and others to offset
their carbon footprint by investing in clean energy projects.
Carbon
footprint is the amount of carbon emitted by an activity.
"Those
interested can offset an equivalent amount of emission by
investing in clean development mechanism projects," he
said.
The basic idea of carbon offset is to figure out your personal
contribution to the global warming from activities such as
driving, flying or home energy use. Carbon offsets help you take
personal responsibility for the environmental consequences of
your activities.
The
organising committee has written to a few carbon credit selling
companies in the country to come and set up their kiosks.
"It will be a one-stop shop where people can offset their
carbon footprints by investing in clean sources of energy like
hydroelectric, nuclear or wind," added Bhanot's colleague
in GESD.
According
to the World Bank, India is the second largest seller of carbon
credits, after China. The global carbon credit market is
estimated to grow to a whopping $100 billion this year, in which
India could emerge as one of the largest beneficiaries with as
much as a 25-percent share.
A
host of Indian companies, both state-run and private sector ones
, deal in carbon credits. The Delhi Metro, for example, which
will ferry athletes and visitors during the Games, is expected
to earn 400,000 carbon credits over a 10-year period, beginning
December 2007, for its clean mode of transport.
(Richa
Sharma can be contacted at richa.s@ians.in)
--Indo-Asian
News Service
National/Religion/Commonwealth Games
2010
Games
village to have prayer rooms for athletes of all faiths (With
Images)
By
Azera Rahman
New
Delhi, March 29 (IANS) The Commonwealth Games village in east
Delhi, where athletes will be staying during the games in
October, will have a special building with prayer rooms for all
faiths. This, officials said, will give the athletes a space and
option to pray and meditate - crucial for a peaceful mind during
the taxing days.
The
Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games is in talks with
the head priests and management officials of different religious
places in Delhi for voluntary service during the games.
"We
are in talks with the Akshardham temple, the India Islamic
Cultural Centre, a few gurudwaras and other religious places for
volunteers to conduct prayer services in the prayer rooms during
the games," Jiji Thomson of the Organising Committee told
IANS.
"We don't want any religious preaching to be done. The aim
behind this initiative is to give the athletes an option to pray
and meditate if they want to. Prayers have a healing power to
soothe frayed nerves," he added.
The building will, however, be a temporary structure.
"It
will be a structure with partitions so that the space is divided
into prayer rooms for different faiths like Hinduism, Islam,
Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism. It will however be a
temporary structure," Thomson said.
With
all the construction work expected to be wrapped up by June,
it's non-stop work at the massive 63.5 hectare village at the
moment.
Nestling
close to the Akshardham temple and at a walking distance from
the Akshardham metro station, the village has 34 towers with
1,168 flats - two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom-hall-kitchen
types.
"The
flats where the athletes will be staying are equipped with
latest technology from flat screen television sets to a well
equipped kitchenette. Also, the flats are disabled-friendly -
the bathrooms for instance have handles near the toilet for the
benefit of a wheelchair-bound person," Thomson said.
After
the games, the flats will be sold to people.
Each of the tower has a physiotherapy room, a team meeting room,
a massage room and a room for the team's chef - so that the
athletes don't have to go anywhere far for anything. A
polyclinic will also be in place in the village with doctors and
paramedics that the Delhi government will handle.
There
will also be a games lounge where the athletes can entertain
themselves and unwind.
The
dining area, where the athletes will be eating their meals, has
a capacity for 2,000 people. There is also a casual dining area
for lighter meals like snacks and this has a capacity for 350
people.
"Besides
the residential zone, there will also be an international zone
which will have handicraft stores, a post office, a bank, a
phone shop and a media centre. We are in talks with some small
and medium enterprises and cottage industries for the handicraft
shops," Thomson said.
The
international zone will also have cultural events taking place
regularly for the benefit of the athletes and the rest of the
team members.
In
the vicinity of the village are the training areas for the
athletes - complete with a 400-metre athletic track, sauna and
swimming pool.
"Since
it's a green Commonwealth Games, the tiles used in the
residential zone and elsewhere are made of eco-friendly
material. There is a sewage treatment plant set up by the Delhi
Jal Board and proper waste management in place," he
said.
Keeping
the security concerns in mind, there will also be
baggage-screening tables put up at the entrances of the village.
"There
will be a soft opening of the village on Sep 16 when various
team officials will arrive and then the athletes will start
arriving from Sep 23 onwards. The games are from October 3 to
14, but by the time the last person leaves, it will be October
18," Thomson said.
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.p@ians.in)
-Indo-Asian News Service
National/Lifestyle/Commonwealth Games
2010
Now cafes in monument premises for tourists during CWG
New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Going all out to make Delhi
experience a wholesome one for tourists during the Commonwealth
Games and beyond, Indian archaeological authorities have
given permission to setting up cafes near
protected monuments that dot this ancient capital.
On the second day of the Delhi Tourism Conclave Friday, Rina
Ray, managing director of the Delhi Tourism and Transportation
Development Corporation (DTTDC), said that the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) has agreed to set up canteens and
cafeterias around various heritage structures in the next couple
of months.
"The joy of wining and dining against the backdrop of a
beautiful heritage structure is unparalleled, as is seen in
other countries. The ASI has recently agreed to allow cafes to
be opened around monuments, which will be a big attraction for
tourists," Ray said.
With the Games less than 200 days away (Oct 3-14), this
initiative and others, Ray said, are being worked upon by the
Delhi government for the benefit of tourists.
"The Delhi government is looking at installing sculptures,
art work, murals and paintings at the airport and railway
stations," Ray said.
"While some of these public art will be temporary like art
work and sculptures, others like murals will obviously be
permanent. This has been especially worked upon keeping the
Commonwealth Games in mind," she added.
In their bid to do away with touts and middlemen, who are often
found exploiting unsuspecting tourists, Ray said that they will
soon be starting a round-the-clock helpline and also upload
information on booking hotels and taxis and the like on their
website.
Emphasising that they must be more "tech savy", Ray
said that they will register themselves in social networking
sites like Facebook for easy accessibility.
"Also, a month before the games begin, there will be
cultural festivals and music programmes at various places in
Delhi and special programmes for disabled children, basically
something like a mini Commonwealth Games fiesta," Ray said.
"We are also thinking of a new campaign for Delhi. Since
the word Delhi comes from the Arabic word Dehleej or gateway, we
are thinking of something to the tune of Delhi-the gateway to
India," she added.
--Indo-Asian News Service
Sports/Commonwealth Games 2010
450 officers will ensure Games are dope
free
By Shweta Srinivasan
New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Around 1,500 samples from athletes
will be randomly tested to make the 2010 Commonwealth Games dope
free. On the job will be some 450 Indians who are being selected
and trained as dope control officers (DCOs).
"We will test some 1,500 samples. For this, we are training
447 DCOs," Munish Chander, deputy director general (doping
control) of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, told
IANS.
"During major events like the Commonwealth Games, the
athletes have to go through many rounds of selection trials and
it is here that they take to prohibited performance-enhancing
substances."
Chander said after stringent scrutiny, people from a science,
MBBS or physical education background were being selected as
DCOs and trained in England, Austria and Germany.
"It would be an asset for the country to have
internationally qualified DCOs and international standards of
testing," he said.
He said there was very little dope control awareness in India
and fewer qualified sports medicine experts or dope control
specialists.
"There are only around 50 professionally-trained DCOs who
usually collect samples at sports events here, but the
Commonwealth Games are too big an event."
Delhi has the advantage of having the World Anti Doping Agency
(WADA) approved National Dope Testing Laboratory (NTDL), which
is one of 35 in the world and one of six in Asia.
The Games doping control procedures and the lab came in for
praise from Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike
Fennell during his visit to Delhi last week.
The lab at Lodhi Road's CGO complex in south Delhi will be fully
operational during the Oct 3-14 Games. It has successfully
conducted tests during the Commonwealth Shooting Championship,
the Hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Boxing Championship in
the last one month to finetune the procedures.
P.S.M. Chandran, a sports medicine expert with the Sports
Authority of India and president of the International Federation
for Sports Medicine, said there is an acute shortage of manpower
in sports medicine.
"Hopefully, this will be noted during the Games. The
organisers should provide the best facilities to the home team
as well to ensure better performance. The professionals inducted
should preferably have experience in sports and should not be
left in the hands raw government hospital doctors,"
Chandran told IANS.
"So far 250-odd people have been selected and trained. It
is a three-phase training programme and the candidates must get
through a written test in July. We are choosing those with a
background of medicine or science. Then they will be certified
for two years," said Chandran.
Sample collection stations will be set up at all major Games
venues, including the Nehru Stadium and training venues.
The Games Village on the banks of the river Yamuna, which will
accommodate 8,000 athletes and team officials, will also have
pre-event sample collection stations.
Weight lifters, athletes, competitors in aquatic sports,
wrestlers and boxers are usually on the radar of drug
controllers looking out for the prohibited substances.
The Indian Wrestling Federation escaped a ban when several
weightlifters tested positive last year. A fine of Rs.500,000
was slapped on it. The federation has previously been banned in
2004 and 2006 for drug abuse by its athletes.
Chander blames this on the ignorance of not only the athletes
but also the training staff.
"It is sad that the 30-odd national sports federations
don't have a system in place or DCOs to educate the athletes,
who are largely from a rural background with little knowledge
about the prohibited substances. Our sports federations really
need to educate the athletes so that they don't suffer," he
said.
Chander said his department planned to release a series of
booklets in regional languages or at least in Hindi on the
dangers of drug abuse.
Games
galas will showcase Indian culture - not all Bollywood
By Shweta Srinivasan
Plans for the 2010 Commonwealth Games ceremonies are a bit of a
secret. There is speculation that
India
will showcase its Bollywood formula yet again in
Delhi
like it did in
Melbourne
. But here's what - you can actually expect a cultural fiesta
replete with classical and folk dances and music!
Holding the spectacle together will be the ceremony's theme --
"the wheel of life" -- a take on the country's
5,000-year-long civilisation and colourful celebrations, say
organisers. The Games will take place from Oct 3-14.
"Our key concept is 'the wheel of life'. We are also
incorporating the idea that the 'whole world is one family',
which is affirmed in the ancient Upanishad scriptures as 'Vasudhaiva
Kutumbakam'," a top official in the Commonwealth Games
Organising Committee (CGOC) told IANS.
The organisers say the opening and closing galas have a budget
of Rs.84 crore and will blend
India
's classical and folk dances, with music being the thrust of it.
Unlike the Indian show at the Melbourne Games in 2006, where
only popular Bollywood dance numbers and stars like Aishwarya
Rai, Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee took centre stage, this
time around 8,000 professional artists will be out in the
middle.
"Bollywood is an integral part of
India
and recognised the world over. It could be a part of our closing
ceremony but we aren't considering it for the opening," the
official said, not wanting to be identified because of
organisational rules.
The theme will, as Queen Elizabeth II said while declaring open
the Melbourne Games, be to celebrate the value of sport as a
means of bringing together people from 71 nations and
territories and from a wide range of cultures, traditions and
beliefs, the official said.
With rehearsals set to begin next month, the ceremonies
department of the OC is buzzing with elaborate plans to dazzle
the international gala.
The team working non-stop on the extravaganza is being guided by
Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan who is also the ceremonies
department's joint director general. Along with her, the
creative heads incharge include
Bharat Bala
,
India
's noted creative director, filmmaker Shyam Benegal and script
writer Javed Akhtar.
The organising committee has hired international consultants for
the gala, including Australian producer Ric Birch and renowned
creative engineer Mark Fisher.
While Birch boasts of having managed various Olympic Games
ceremonies like the magnificent Beijing Games, Fisher is the man
behind creative marvels like the Cirque-du-Soleil show.
"
India
is culturally very diverse and we want our best to come out on
the international platform. We have Ric and Mark on board to
provide an international outlook and execution.
India
will be holding such a grand show, perhaps, for the first time.
In addition, the organising committee is organising a horde of
cultural events for players and visitors at different
venues," said the person in charge of the show.
Artists from all corners of the country have been nominated by
'regional cultural centres' and will come together in various
capacities for the opening and closing events of the Games
scheduled in October, she said.
For the opening ceremony alone there are around 15,000
participants, including the nearly 8,000 professional artists
from all over the country. Nearly 6,000 schoolchildren from in
and around
Delhi
have been selected to participate.
The rehearsals for the smaller ceremonies like player's welcome
will begin in April and the larger events will be rehearsed in
July.
In addition to the events by the organising committee, the
Delhi
government has lined up Indian music, dance and theatre shows in
a carnival atmosphere with plenty of Indian food to savour.
(Shweta Srinivasan can be contacted at shweta.s@ians.in)
Games
look inspired by traditional Indian art
By Azera Rahman
The colour
palette is vibrant, modern. But look closely and the images of
the 2010 Commonwealth Games for hoardings across
Delhi
, including sporting venues, will reveal traditional Indian art
forms deftly woven into them.
For one, the pictograms of the Oct 3-14 Games have been inspired
by the traditional Sanjhi art of Uttar Pradesh.
"The branding, the logo and the entire look of the Games
have been designed keeping in mind global standards. But all
with a traditional Indian touch. For instance, the pictograms
are inspired by the Sanjhi art of Uttar Pradesh," an
official heading the Image and Look section of the Commonwealth
Games Organising Committee told IANS.
A pictogram is a graphic representation of a physical object. In
this case, pictograms are used to identify a particular sport
like boxing or swimming.
Sanjhi art on the other hand represents silhouette or stencil
forms. The speciality of this art form is that it uses paper
cuttings without previous sketching and the background is filled
with bright colours. It is said this art form reached its
pinnacle in Vrindavan and Lord Krishna's beloved, Radha, used to
paint the walls of her house with Sanjhi art to attract his
attention.
"The pictograms of every sport had to look universal and
our aim was to still give it an Indian touch. Therefore, it was
seen how a particular sport can be depicted through Sanjhi and
then that was adapted to meet global standards. The end result
has been unique," said the official who did not want to be
named.
"Why Sanjhi?
India
has so many different art forms but not every art form would
have suited our need. Madhubani, for instance, is more intricate
and wouldn't have served our purpose. The perfect boxing posture
or something else could have been depicted only through Sanjhi
and then adapted," the official added.
The logo of the Commonwealth Games is inspired by the Ashoka
Chakra.
"The logo is the most visible face of any games. The olive
wreath was the logo for the
Athens
Olympics...therefore we decided that the Ashoka Chakra that
symbolises
India
should be what the logo of the Games is inspired from," the
official said.
Therefore the Games logo - with 29 shades - is a spiralling rise
of spokes, signifying
India
's rise to super power.
Besides these, the various images of the Games that will go up
on hoardings, banners, bridge panels and fence fabrics just
three months before the Games in October, will also have Indian
touches.
For instance, an imagery of the Qutub Minar or
Lotus
Temple
or Indian patterns like the peacock will decorate the background
of an image.
"We have been working on the image and look of the Games
for the past two years. One may think that it's no big deal and
is just a permutation and combination of colours, but in reality
a lot of planning goes behind each image. And then everything
has to be approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation,"
the official said.
As per guidelines, the colour palette used for branding and
conjuring a particular look in a sporting event venue is very
specific.
"For instance, you can't have white boards in a badminton
court venue because the players may get confused while looking
out for the white shuttle. The hoardings can be of a particular
size and colour," the official added.
According to the official, the entire image and look in the
venues - in sporting and non-sporting places - has an allocation
of Rs.500 million.
"We have tied up with the
Delhi
government for signages across the city, outside the main
venues. There will be larger than life cuttings of athletes -
like that of a swimmer taking a dive - overarching roads and on
bridge panels. There will also be colourful fence fabrics along
long stretches of road," the official said.
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.p@ians.in)
Sports
/Security/
Commonwealth
Games 2010
Dedicated buses, 24X7 monitoring of transport for Games athletes
By Mayank Aggarwal
Dedicated buses, GPS-based vehicles, CCTVs...Organisers of the
Commonwealth Games in the Indian capital are leaving no stone
unturned to ensure a smooth and secure ride for international
athletes, support staff and the media.
Right from the time they land here to the time they fly back,
elaborate plans have been drawn up by the Commonwealth Games
Organising Committee (CGOC) to take care of athletes during the
Oct 3-14 event.
The CGOC is leaving nothing to chance after reports from private
security experts scared sportspersons from
Australia
,
England
and
New Zealand
, saying they would be going to
India
at their own risk.
Jiji Thomson, the Kerala cadre IAS officer who holds a pivotal
position in the CGOC, said things have more or less fallen in
place and the security agencies have an impeccable blueprint to
protect athletes and officials as they move around the city.
"Keeping in mind all the concerns, everything has been
planned to the minutest possible detail. After the athletes
arrive at the recently renovated Indira Gandhi International
Airport (IGIA), they would be taken to the
Games
Village
near the Akshardham temple in east
Delhi
through air-conditioned low-floor CNG buses," Thomson told
IANS in an interview.
The security agencies, CGOC and the Delhi Transport Corporation
(DTC) would be working in close coordination at the airport and
there would be a dedicated parking area for the Games vehicles
at IGIA to avoid traffic glitches.
"Every bus carrying athletes would be accompanied by a
well-equipped security vehicle to ensure its safety. There would
be dedicated traffic lanes for the Games vehicles," Thomson
said.
A transport hub is coming up near the
Millennium
Park
for the Games vehicles and a transport mall at the Village.
"There will be a 24X7 control room manned by traffic
police, DTC officials and CGOC volunteers and they will
supervise all transport operations through GPS (Global
Positioning System)-based vehicle tracking system. And there
will also be CCTVs to aid security," he added.
There will also be dedicated buses to carry athletes and team
officials to different competition and training venues and back
to the Village. Their designated primary routes and secondary
routes in emergency have already been identified.
"On the day of the opening and closing ceremonies, nearly
7,500 athletes and support staff would have to be transported to
the Jawahalal Nehru Stadium within two to three hours. It will
be a gigantic effort and it will be done without a hassle,"
Thomson told IANS.
Then there are plans to make over 100,000 expected tourists to
the Games feel comfortable.
Over 500 buses would be pressed into service to cater to an
estimated 7,500 athletes and their support staff, 1,250
technical officials and 3,000 mediapersons and broadcasters.
They will all use dedicated buses.
For mediapersons, a shuttle bus service would be available from
their hotels to the various venues and to the main Press Centre
and the International Broadcasting Centre at Pragati Maidan.
CGOC has also earmarked hundreds of limousines, sedans, SUVs and
other swanky vehicles for the Games VIPs who include senior
officials of the Commonwealth Games Federation and the CGOC.
"These cars will probably be sponsored by the automobile
manufacturers and we are in discussions with them," Thomson
said.
The CGOC has also devised a 'Vehicle Access and Parking Permit
Scheme' (VAPPS) to control all vehicle access and parking
entitlement during the Commonwealth Games.
"At the end of it all, the arrangements will be to
everyone's satisfaction and nothing will go wrong for want of
effort," said a confident Thomson.
Shooters have already dispelled the fears, describing the
security cover provided to them in two words - "best
ever"! The shooters at the Commonwealth championship are
impressed with the impregnable four-layer security ring the
athletes will have at all the venues during the Games, starting
with an outer level, then middle, then inner and finally the
exclusive.
(Mayank
Aggarwal can be contacted at mayank.a@ians.in)
Australian,
English shooters knock off security fears
New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) The Australian, English and New Zealand
shooters
here for the Commonwealth Shooting Championship have sent out a
strong
message to their governments that they are extremely happy with
the
security cover provided to them.
The
Dr.Karni
Singh
Shooting
Range
was like a fortress what with over a
thousand security men keeping it out of bounds for general
public and 200
CCTV cameras prying on every visitor and vehicle entering.
Commonwealth Shooting Federation (CGF) president Graeme Hudson,
a New
Zealander, said the championships will be a good test for the
security as
well as the technical conduct of the event.
"Being an outsider, I can assure all the overseas teams
that there is no
reason to worry. The government has taken care of security and
this is the
best any country can offer. It will also be a good test for the
security
officials before other major events like the hockey World Cup
and the
Commonwealth Games in October,"
Hudson
told IANS.
The 34-member
England
team looked relaxed on the opening day of the
championships while the Australians enjoyed the picturesque
shooting
range.
"We are extremely happy with the security cover provided to
us and all our
apprehensions were allayed. After coming ehre we realised that
there is a
world of difference between the scary media reports and the real
picture
here,"
England
shooter James Sole said.
Chief executive of Australia International Shooting Limited Nick
Sullivan
said that before coming to
India
they had done their usual security checks
and felt there was no need for panic.
"We do our security checks for every tournament, be it in
India
,
Barcelona
or
Berlin
. In
India
, we are extremely safe with the security cover
provided to us," sad Sullivan.
Indo Asian News Service
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2. Australia
satisfied with sports security in India
New Delhi, March 2 (IANS) Australia Tuesday said it was
"satisfied" with
Indian security arrangements for sporting events, including the
ongoing
Hockey World Cup tournament, the third edition of the Indian
Premier
League (IPL) starting March 12 and the Commonwealth Games to be
held here
in October.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who is on a three-day
trip to
India
, inspected the main stadium for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth
Games,
which has been the target of threats by some militant groups.
"
Australia
is very pleased with the cooperation and coordination about
security in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games," Smith
told reporters
after being shown around the progress of work at the Jawaharlal
Nehru
Stadium, the main venue of the Commonwealth Games, in the
capital.
"Of course, we have been very pleased with security
arrangements both for
the Hockey World Cup and also recently for the Commonwealth
Federation
shooting competition," Smith added.
Briefing reporters on Smith's visit, external affairs ministry
spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said that
Australia
and
India
have been in
close touch over the security for the games.
"Australian Hockey team is here. Australian players will be
participating
in the IPL matches and
Australia
has expressed satisfaction at the
security arrangements," he said.
In a sign of confidence in Indian security for sporting events,
Smith
joined Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Tuesday
night to
watch
Australia
and
India
play a Hockey World Cup game that the two sides
have designated "Friendship Match".
The security for the Commonwealth Games will be among key issues
for
discussions between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and
Smith here
Wednesday. The talks are expected to be dominated by the safety
and
security of Indian students in
Australia
in the wake of attacks that
started in May last year.
Indo Asian News Service
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Direct: 91-11-2610-4655,
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: +91-9873188969
or mail us at support@ians.in
3. 1,000
solar rickshaws to ferry Commonwealth Games athletes
By Prashant K. Nanda
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) At least 1,000 solar rickshaws will be
deployed
to ferry over 7,000 athletes and their delegates during the
Commonwealth
Games later this year.
A joint project between
Delhi
government and the central government-run
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), these zero
carbon
vehicles will help players commute inside the Games villages and
reach
sporting venues from Metro stations.
"Its a unique initiative, where both innovation and concern
for
environment will be on display," Rajesh Kumar, a senior
scientist at CSIR,
told IANS.
"We hope the initiative will be a huge hit among athletes
from across the
globe. The fleet of 1,000 solar rickshaws will reduce the carbon
foot
print and provide hassle free travel to our guest
sportsmen," said Kumar,
who has been coordinating with the city government.
These rickshaws are the greenest transport vehicles and help the
cause of
Green Games as promised by the
Delhi
government. These are optimally
designed, pedal operated, motor assisted green pedicabs which
draw their
power from overhead solar panels.
Over 7,000 players and delegates from over 70 countries will
reach
Delhi
to be a part of the Commonwealth Games Oct 3-14 in the national
capital.
These vehicles were developed by CSIR's Central Mechanical
Engineering
Research Institute based in
Durgapur
.
Kumar said he and his team are working hard to popularise the
vehicle and
set to hold a rally in its favour. "We are going to hold a
rally of at
least 50 solar rickshaws in
Delhi
to create awareness among people about
the vehicle that reduces human drudgery and improves
environment."
Indo Asian News Service
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91-11-39400100, 30617900, 2616-5778/8546
Direct: 91-11-2610-4655,
Mobile
: +91-9873188969
or mail us at support@ians.in
4. From homemakers
to corporates, thousands volunteer for Games
By Azera Rahman
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) There is a buzz around the imposing
Commonwealth
Games Organising Committee Headquarters near Connaught Place
these days as
scores of excited students, professionals, homemakers,
ex-servicemen,
teachers and people from the corporate world flock to it to join
as
volunteers for the Oct 3-14 Games.
The aspiring volunteers, both boys and girls, await their turn
for a
one-on-one interview for being part of the 30,000 needed for the
Games,
though the number of applicants is several times that number.
Sudhir Mital, the special director general looking after the
Rs.180
million (Rs.18 crore) image-building volunteers programme Delhi
United,
said the response was so overwhelming that receiving
applications online
had to be discontinued for a while.
"To make the programme socially inclusive, we have
categorised applicants
under different heads. For 5,000 volunteers in the general
category, our
portal has received a whopping 29,000 applications, forcing us
to
discontinue the service," Mital told IANS.
It is amazing to find the kind of people who want to be
associated with
the Games in some form or other -- from specialist volunteers to
generalist. They know that a tourist will carry home the
cheerful, helpful
image of a volunteer and that's exactly what they want.
"We have a number of applicants from top corporate houses.
They are
willing to take off from their work to join the Games,"
Mital said.
The rest of the 25,000 volunteers will be recruited from the
tourism
ministry,
Delhi
University
, National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service
Scheme (NSS), and sports and physical training institutes. The
vetting and
selection process will go on till April end.
"The volunteers will be the most visible face of the Games.
From the
moment a visitor lands at the airport and till the time he
leaves the
national capital, he will be interacting with volunteers the
most.
Therefore, the volunteers programme is a key component in the
Games
framework," Mital said.
"There are three things that we are looking for in the
volunteers --
commitment, communicative skills and availability of time. A
volunteer
should be able to give at least 10 days for the event," he
added.
A volunteers' job is not just escorting guests; there are as
many as 120
specific roles with specific skills like handling accommodation,
accreditation, protocol, medical support, press operations,
compiling
results and working on ambulances.
"We have special management software that categorises
volunteers into
specific roles, going by the skills they have mentioned in their
application forms. Whether a candidate fits the bill or not for
a specific
role is decided at the interview," Mital told IANS.
Rukhsana Bee, a student of
Sri
Venkateswara
College
, said: "I am doing my
B.Sc. in life sciences, and also doing a 21-day course in
hospitality
management. So I am most probably going to be slotted in the
hospitality
sector."
"I am quite satisfied with my interview. The questions were
simple and
predictable, like what do I know about the Games and why I want
to be a
volunteer. I had done my homework, and my answer was that I want
to be
part of this show and that the experience will add to my
CV," Bee told
IANS.
Similarly, Rajesh Jain, a physical fitness trainer, said:
"I want to be
part of the sports administration team. I train in a physical
fitness
training institute, but during the Games I will take leave to be
part of
the great spectacle."
Mital said a special training academy will impart training for
the
volunteers.
"The training will begin in April at the venues provided by
Delhi
University
. First, there will be a general training and then role-specific
training," he said.
"To motivate the volunteers, we will also give awards and
recognition to
those who show exemplary performance," Mital said.
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.p@ians.in)
Indo Asian News Service
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91-11-39400100, 30617900, 2616-5778/8546
Direct: 91-11-2610-4655,
Mobile
: +91-9873188969
or mail us at support@ians.in
6. A
way to de-stress for Commonwealth Games volunteers
By Azera Rahman
New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) As pressure mounts on volunteers for
the
approaching Commonwealth Games in the capital, they may find the
perfect
way to stay high on enthusiasm and physical fitness with an Art
of Living
course.
The mega event, which will take place in
Delhi
from Oct 3 to 14, aims to
recruit 30,000 volunteers from a cross-section of people - from
students
and homemakers to ex-servicemen and corporate honchos.
Sudhir Mital, the special director general looking after the
volunteers
programme, said: "The Art of Living Foundation has
expressed an interest
in providing a three-day course on stress management to the
Commonwealth
Games volunteers".
"The course, which is otherwise a week long, will be
specially formulated
to suit our needs. According to the proposal, it will be divided
into a
four-hour capsule for three days. We are in the process of
finalising it,"
Mital told IANS.
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's organisation, the Art of
Living
Foundation, teaches meditation and yoga with a basic aim of
de-stressing.
The foundation has a large following across the globe and has a
presence
in 151 countries.
Darshak Hathi, international director of Art of Living, said the
foundation will also offer members of their youth wing for the
volunteers
programme.
"We are hoping to give 1,000 volunteers from our youth wing
for the
volunteers programme for the Games. Members of our youth wing
are in the
age group of 25-35 and are a dedicated lot. Most of them are
also from a
sports background; therefore it's an added advantage,"
Hathi told IANS.
According to Hathi, besides helping the volunteers de-stress,
the course
will also motivate them to take on challenging tasks.
"Along with technical skills, it's important that the
volunteers are
taught stress management and coping skills. They also need to be
motivated
to take up challenging tasks. Therefore, we have proposed to
impart them
the required skills. The same will be provided to the
staff," he said.
Since the number of volunteers will be huge, Hathi said the
group will be
divided into batches of 2,000 who will be trained by 25 trainers
of the
foundation.
Preeja Jain, a teacher who has applied for the volunteering
programme and
also takes the Art of Living course, said: "If the Art of
Living
Foundation is planning to train the volunteers, then there could
be no
better news.
"It's very important to have a positive outlook, be
physically fit and
have enthusiasm to do a task properly and these courses will
help in doing
that."
(Azera Rahman can be contacted at azera.p@ians.in)
Indo Asian News Service
For clarifications/queries, please contact IANS NEWS DESK at
91-11-39400100, 30617900, 2616-5778/8546
Direct: 91-11-2610-4655,
Mobile
: +91-9873188969
or mail us at support@ians.in
7. Action plan to check
dengue in Delhi ahead of CWG
New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)
Wednesday initiated a campaign to check mosquito-borne diseases
like
dengue, chikunguniya and malaria in time for the Commonwealth
Games.
Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said that an action plan has been
chalked out to
prevent the spread of these diseases during the Oct 3-14 Games.
"Around 34 hospitals have been identified as sentinel
surveillance
hospitals and 22 surveillance posts will be established for
Commonwealth
Games," Sain said.
"To check the spread of the virus of the vector-borne
disease, Rapid
Response Teams are being constituted in each of the 12 zones of
the MCD,"
Sain said while addressing a workshop for various municipal
counsellors
and staff.
Deputy Mayor Azad Singh called for intensification of efforts by
the civic
body. He said there is a need to depute more people for the
surveillance.
At the meeting, the MCD's domestic breeding checkers were also
asked to
swing into action and intensify efforts around the year and not
just after
the monsoon season.
Last year,
Delhi
reported three dengue deaths while over 1,000 people were
affected by the mosquito-borne disease.
--Indo-Asain News Service
8. Purple
cabbage, seedless cucumber on Games platter
By Prashant K. Nanda
New
Delhi
, March 4 (IANS) A world-class infrastructure and fool-proof
security are not the only things in offing during the
Commonwealth Games.
The organisers are also fixing up delightful menus prepared with
select
ingredients ranging from purple cabbage and seedless cucumber to
multi-coloured pepper.
Leading agricultural scientists in
Delhi
are currently working on a number
of vegetables, which are not only safe and pesticide-free but
also fancy
and colourful. These vegetables will be served to over 7,000
athletes,
delegates from over 70 countries and other tourists who will be
here for
the mega sporting event Oct 3-14.
"We are getting ready for the Commonwealth Games. They will
get safe and
colourful vegetables to eat," Baljit Singh, a principal
scientist with the
Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) here, told IANS
Thursday.
"It is our job to provide them good food. We know October
is an off season
but we will cultivate vegetables in protected
environments," he said.
"Vegetables like purple cabbage, special broccoli, multi-coloured
peppers,
cherry tomato with at least seven percent sweetness, French
radish and
seedless cucumber are some of our focus areas now.
"We have cultivated them under protected environment and
are now training
farmers, living in 80-km radius of the national capital, to grow
these
vegetables," said Singh, who is the head of the Centre for
Protected
Cultivation Technology at IARI.
He said several farmers in and around
Delhi
are interested in cultivating
these vegetables.
For example, farmers in Najafgarh are likely to cultivate
pesticide-free
cauliflowers while those in Alipur will produce seedless
cucumber. Special
sweet corns are likely to be sourced from Sonepat in Haryana.
Several
farmers in Bilaspur region of Himachal Pradesh are likely to
provide red,
yellow and green pepper.
The scientist explained that protected cultivation meant that
all these
vegetables would be grown in "greenhouses under a
controlled environment".
Water, fertiliser and temperature will be controlled.
Indo Asian News Service
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9. Commonwealth Games
baton is 'soul of
India
'
By Paras Ramoutar
Port-of-Spain, Feb 26 (IANS) The 2010 Commonwealth Games baton
now
circulating throughout Trinidad and Tobago has been described as
the "soul
of India" by Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra here.
The baton for the
Oct 3-14 Games in
New Delhi
will later tour other
Caribbean
countries who
are members of the Commonwealth.
The envoy assured the media and the people of
Trinidad and Tobago
that
"all facilities and other areas of the Games will be ready
for the October
3 start".
Trinidad and Tobago
is one of the 71 countries the baton will pass through
in its 240-day trek before arriving in
India
July 1.
The
Trinidad and Tobago
contingent to the Games will have 150 members,
Larry Romany, president of its Olympic Committee and
Commonwealth
Association, said. Hockey Board Public Relations Officer Arnold
Knott will
be chef de mission for the 2010 Games. "We expect to put
forward a very
good performance when we get to
Delhi
," he said.
John Hoskins, vice-president, Commonwealth Games Federation,
said that the
baton for this Games is much more elaborate than the last one.
It includes
a video camera, audio recorder, LED lighting systems which can
be changed
to suit colours of the flag of the country it is in, and can
also receive
SMS text message. The 1.9-kg, 66.4 cm baton also contains a GPS
facility.
Special arrangements are being made for sports enthusiasts here
to visit
India
for the Games.
This country's population is made of 44 percent of people of
Indian origin
whose forefathers came from Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar
between 1845 and 1917
to work on the sugar plantations.
(Paras Ramoutar can be contacted at paras_ramoutar@yahoo.com)
Indo Asian News Service
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10. Karni
Singh Shooting range gets the thumbs-up from shooters
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The renovated Karni Singh Shooting
Range has got
the thumbs up from all the shooters taking part in the ongoing
Commonwealth Shooting Championship.
All national and international shooters taking part in the event
rated the
range as "world class".
"The Championship was a very good preparation for the
forthcoming
Commonwealth Games. These ranges are at par with any other
international
range. International shooters who are participating in the
championship
are equally impressed with the world class facilities
here," said pistol
shooter Samresh Jung, who was adjudged the best shooter in the
2006
Commonwealth Games.
Martin Mace,
Northern Ireland
's team manager, was impressed with the
facilities at the range.
"I would like to take it home. This is the second time I
have come here
since 1995. Security can sometimes be used as an excuse by
governments of
participating countries to not compete. However, I am completely
satisfied
with the security arrangements in place," he said.
Ratna Sharmin Akhter from
Bangladesh
was satisfied with the facilities and
infrastructure at the renovated shooting range.
Indo Asian News Service
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