Biggest Commonwealth Games kicks off in Delhi
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marcos98
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Commonwealth Games opening ceremony goes off without a hitch
By Rick Westhead South Asia Bureau
NEW DELHIIt was an evening to celebrate Indias ancient music and dance, its dazzling modern technology and its ability, some said in the tradition of the classic Indian wedding, to pull together an unblemished Commonwealth Games opening ceremony at the last moment possible.
You could almost hear the estimated 64,000 in attendance at New Delhis renovated Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium breath a collective sigh of relief.
It has, after all, been a breathlessly bad few weeks for event organizers, who have been dogged by complaints about shoddy accommodations for athletes and rampant corruption in the lead up to the Games.
But Sunday nights ceremonies, the formal kickoff to the 71-nation Games, was a chance to turn the page on sour storylines.
While its love for sports centres almost exclusively on cricket during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the country of 1.2 billion won just three medals India hopes the Commonwealth Games will serve as a showcase for its emergence as a global force.
As Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh settled into his seat next to Prince Charles, the ceremonies got underway at 7 p.m. right on time with a series of fireworks that lit up the night sky. Athletes soon began their slow march into the stadium following a series of dance and music performances and the only questions left unanswered seemed to be: would the $16-million helium blimp hovering overhead stay afloat, and how would the audience react to the arrival of Pakistan, Indias neighbour and archrival.
Turned out there was no problem on either front.
The blimp, covered in mirrors and cameras, was a technological marvel and displayed a visual crawl of the nations flags as they were announced. Pakistan, meantime, received one of the largest cheers of the night, trailing only the host nation India.
In the hours leading up to Sundays opening ceremonies, New Delhi was on edge.
By order of the government, all markets throughout the city remained closed throughout the day. Many main thoroughfares were eerily quiet and absent of traffic. Camouflaged paramilitary troops wearing bullet-proof vests and armed with machine guns stood at street corners and on building rooftops.
In all, there were as many as 100,000 security personnel patrolling the Indian capital, with Mig fighter jets and helicopter gunships also on standby.
Its been seven years since New Delhi won the right to host these Games by beating out Hamilton in a vote held in Jamaica.
The Games have to go on to new horizons, Indian cricket star Sunil Gavaskar told reporters in Jamaica a few hours before the deciding vote. It cant be stagnating around Canada, Australia and Britain.
Yet after revelling in their victory, it took three years for New Delhi officials to form an organizing committee to oversee construction and planning for the Games.
Over the subsequent four years, numerous construction deadlines were missed, allegations of corruption were widespread, and at least one major sponsor backed out of its ties to the Games because they had become a public-relations debacle. In the final days before the Games, Indian television commentators began calling these Indias Shame Games.
Some countries, Canada included, said the athletes accommodations were uninhabitable. Indian officials bristled and one Indian minister traveling through Canada suggested the complaints had more to do with worries that Canadian athletes wouldnt win medals.
For their part, Canadian athletes said they have been given some help to sidestep controversies during the 11-day event. Many have been given media training to prepare them to answer sensitive questions about security, child labour and even child malnutrition.
The biggest lesson our coaches are reminding us of is to think before we speak, said Mark Pearson, 23, a field hockey player from Vancouver. We are given a sample question like, Do you feel safe and a sample answer like, We have trust in our Games organizers.
Pearson said the training has already helped.
He was approached by an Indian journalist in the Commonwealth Games village and asked if he knew about the local pub.
I saw where he was going with that and I just said we are focused on our training, Pearson said with a chuckle.
Suresh Kalmadi, the chair of the organizing committee who has been blamed for many of the Games problems, hasnt shown such a deft touch avoiding controversy. When he appeared onstage on Sunday night, he was greeted by muted applause and jeering.
There have been many challenges but we have been able to rise above them all, Kalmadi said, adding that Singh had helped spur Games organizers in the final days of preparation.
He made us see, yes, we can, Kalmadi said.
Kalmadis platitudes aside, many Indians have been hugely embarrassed by the organizing committees poor planning and the government has promised there will be a reckoning after the Games for those responsible.
Its been very frustrating, said Ishaan Shanker Tiwari, a 16-year-old student who attended Sundays opening ceremonies with a friend. But all of these things weve gone through will hopefully make us a stronger country; it will teach us our drawbacks. Our country is just 60 years old and we are already the largest democracy in the world with the seventh-largest economy. With everything we have gone through, India still stands united. We are so proud of our country.
That much was clear during the ceremony. Only a few seconds after the arrival of athletes from Zambia was announced, the crowd rose to its feet, ready to greet the home team. As Singh stood and clapped stiffly, the music volume was cranked up a few notches and the crowd rose to its feet. Even Indian journalists in the press box hopped up cheering and dancing, oblivious to the bewildered stares from some western reporters sitting nearby.
As one fan said before the ceremonies in broken English, This is a good night to be Indian. No, sorry. Its a great night.
By Rick Westhead South Asia Bureau
NEW DELHIIt was an evening to celebrate Indias ancient music and dance, its dazzling modern technology and its ability, some said in the tradition of the classic Indian wedding, to pull together an unblemished Commonwealth Games opening ceremony at the last moment possible.
You could almost hear the estimated 64,000 in attendance at New Delhis renovated Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium breath a collective sigh of relief.
It has, after all, been a breathlessly bad few weeks for event organizers, who have been dogged by complaints about shoddy accommodations for athletes and rampant corruption in the lead up to the Games.
But Sunday nights ceremonies, the formal kickoff to the 71-nation Games, was a chance to turn the page on sour storylines.
While its love for sports centres almost exclusively on cricket during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the country of 1.2 billion won just three medals India hopes the Commonwealth Games will serve as a showcase for its emergence as a global force.
As Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh settled into his seat next to Prince Charles, the ceremonies got underway at 7 p.m. right on time with a series of fireworks that lit up the night sky. Athletes soon began their slow march into the stadium following a series of dance and music performances and the only questions left unanswered seemed to be: would the $16-million helium blimp hovering overhead stay afloat, and how would the audience react to the arrival of Pakistan, Indias neighbour and archrival.
Turned out there was no problem on either front.
The blimp, covered in mirrors and cameras, was a technological marvel and displayed a visual crawl of the nations flags as they were announced. Pakistan, meantime, received one of the largest cheers of the night, trailing only the host nation India.
In the hours leading up to Sundays opening ceremonies, New Delhi was on edge.
By order of the government, all markets throughout the city remained closed throughout the day. Many main thoroughfares were eerily quiet and absent of traffic. Camouflaged paramilitary troops wearing bullet-proof vests and armed with machine guns stood at street corners and on building rooftops.
In all, there were as many as 100,000 security personnel patrolling the Indian capital, with Mig fighter jets and helicopter gunships also on standby.
Its been seven years since New Delhi won the right to host these Games by beating out Hamilton in a vote held in Jamaica.
The Games have to go on to new horizons, Indian cricket star Sunil Gavaskar told reporters in Jamaica a few hours before the deciding vote. It cant be stagnating around Canada, Australia and Britain.
Yet after revelling in their victory, it took three years for New Delhi officials to form an organizing committee to oversee construction and planning for the Games.
Over the subsequent four years, numerous construction deadlines were missed, allegations of corruption were widespread, and at least one major sponsor backed out of its ties to the Games because they had become a public-relations debacle. In the final days before the Games, Indian television commentators began calling these Indias Shame Games.
Some countries, Canada included, said the athletes accommodations were uninhabitable. Indian officials bristled and one Indian minister traveling through Canada suggested the complaints had more to do with worries that Canadian athletes wouldnt win medals.
For their part, Canadian athletes said they have been given some help to sidestep controversies during the 11-day event. Many have been given media training to prepare them to answer sensitive questions about security, child labour and even child malnutrition.
The biggest lesson our coaches are reminding us of is to think before we speak, said Mark Pearson, 23, a field hockey player from Vancouver. We are given a sample question like, Do you feel safe and a sample answer like, We have trust in our Games organizers.
Pearson said the training has already helped.
He was approached by an Indian journalist in the Commonwealth Games village and asked if he knew about the local pub.
I saw where he was going with that and I just said we are focused on our training, Pearson said with a chuckle.
Suresh Kalmadi, the chair of the organizing committee who has been blamed for many of the Games problems, hasnt shown such a deft touch avoiding controversy. When he appeared onstage on Sunday night, he was greeted by muted applause and jeering.
There have been many challenges but we have been able to rise above them all, Kalmadi said, adding that Singh had helped spur Games organizers in the final days of preparation.
He made us see, yes, we can, Kalmadi said.
Kalmadis platitudes aside, many Indians have been hugely embarrassed by the organizing committees poor planning and the government has promised there will be a reckoning after the Games for those responsible.
Its been very frustrating, said Ishaan Shanker Tiwari, a 16-year-old student who attended Sundays opening ceremonies with a friend. But all of these things weve gone through will hopefully make us a stronger country; it will teach us our drawbacks. Our country is just 60 years old and we are already the largest democracy in the world with the seventh-largest economy. With everything we have gone through, India still stands united. We are so proud of our country.
That much was clear during the ceremony. Only a few seconds after the arrival of athletes from Zambia was announced, the crowd rose to its feet, ready to greet the home team. As Singh stood and clapped stiffly, the music volume was cranked up a few notches and the crowd rose to its feet. Even Indian journalists in the press box hopped up cheering and dancing, oblivious to the bewildered stares from some western reporters sitting nearby.
As one fan said before the ceremonies in broken English, This is a good night to be Indian. No, sorry. Its a great night.
Kinetic
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justanobserver
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Spectators boo Suresh Kalmadi at Games opening ceremony
(Reuters) - Suresh Kalmadi, head of the troubled Commonwealth Games organising committee, was booed when he began his welcome speech to 60,000 spectators at the opening ceremony on Sunday.
bigbrother
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plz give me the second part.
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