Australians now full of praise for Games Village

[true_indian]

Australians now full of praise for Games Village

New Delhi, Sep 28 (IANS) With only five days left for the Commonwealth Games to kick off, the Australian delegation Tuesday heaped praise on the sprawling Games Village it had trashed earlier.

Eighty athletes and officials from Australia have checked into the facilities and 48 more are expected soon, taking the Village population to around 2,000 athletes and officials.

Having earlier led the attack on India over shoddy work and poor hygiene at the Village, the Australians sang a different tune after seeing for themselves what was on offer.

'I am pleasantly surprised at the facilities... The only worry is the movement of our athletes has been restricted (due to security reasons),' Australian chef de mission Steve Moneghetti told IANS.

Almost all the 7,000 officials and athletes from 71 countries and territories will take up residence at the Village during the Oct 3-14 Games.

With the clock ticking away for India's biggest sporting meet after the 1982 Asian Games, the Village is full of life -- with many busy practising and preparing for the contest.

Preparations are in full swing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the heart of the city for the grand opening ceremony where composer and Oscar winner A.R. Rahman will perform Oct 3.

But India's famed Bollywood quotient will take a back seat, giving primacy to the country's cultural heritage.

Security concerns remain -- evident from the very visible khaki uniforms and automatic weapons in and around the Village and all the venues across the capital.

Some foreign delegates complain that the security is choking. Indian officials say they cannot help it.

Australia's Moneghetti said his athletes will not be allowed to move around freely till the sporting extravaganza gets over.

The Australians have been advised not to wear their team jerseys outside the Games venues. Athletes from England, Canada and New Zealand have also giving similar advice.

Moneghetti, who was mayor of the Village at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006, said the much-criticised Village in Delhi was actually very nice.

'We are happy with everything at the Village... We are happy with the traffic. I haven't received a single complaint from the athletes about the Village. Accommodation is perfect, the dining area excellent,' he said.

Training is also going on in several of the venues, including the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium where both the men's and women's hockey teams will fight it out.

Former Indian hockey veteran V. Baskaran, who led India to gold in the 1980 boycott-ridden Moscow Olympics, is expecting a great contest in hockey.

'I expect the hockey competition to be at a much higher level than any other sport, with the possible exception of athletics,' Baskaran told IANS.

The reason? The world's top-ranked teams are taking part, he said. But this will not be true for women's hockey where the top four teams will not be present.

 

[riju78]

 

[Baahubali]

Hriday Parivartan

English: Change of Heart!

Anyways, congratulations to all my fellow Indians, Inshallah we'll host a great games.

Muddai (Kalmadi) laakh bura chaahe magar kya hota hai?
Wohi hota hai jo manzoor-e-khuda hota hai!

 

[true_indian]

First NZers give Games village thumbs-up

The first New Zealand athletes to check into the Commonwealth Games village in New Delhi, the lawn bowls team, today gave the thumbs-up to the facilities provided.

The accommodation areas of the village have been under an intense spotlight over the past fortnight, with New Zealand being among the countries to complain about their dirty and unfinished state.

Those complaints led to a concerted clean-up, allowing the Black Jacks to check in last night (local time), two days later than originally planned.


Coach Dave Edwards said the players had no complaints after their first night in the village.

"Obviously, there's been a bit of work go in over the past few days, but as far as we're concerned, it's fine," he told NZPA.

"There's a little bit of dust and some poor finishing with plaster and paint and things like that, but we're very happy with what we've got."

Edwards said one comment from a bowler who had been at a past Games was the space in the rooms.

"There's horror stories from previous Commonwealth Games where you roll over in the middle of the night and give your neighbour in the bed next door a black eye," he said.

"But these are roomy and spacious in that regard and the rest of the village is all fine. The dining hall is excellent."

He added that the transfer from the airport to the village had been a smooth one.

Edwards was speaking just as the team were leaving for their first training session so he wasn't able to comment on the practice facilities.

The main reason the Black Jacks had wanted to arrive in New Delhi in good time was to get used to the artificial greens, which are much slower than those in New Zealand.

Because of the delay in being able to check into the village, they had a two-day stopover in Dubai.

"It just meant we missed a couple of days' training, which was disappointing, but we're here now."

The bowlers were followed into the village by the boxing and archery teams, and others due to arrive over the course of the day are competitors in gymnastics, synchronised swimming and badminton.

New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie said the accommodation was not five star, "but it's clean and tidy".

He understood some of the later arriving countries were still having issues with their areas.

"One of the challenges we feared would happen was that, as they (the organisers) have more pressure on the village, they would struggle to keep ahead of it," he said.

"They're keeping ahead of it. They've got a lot of cleaners and workers here, but I understand there are still a few countries experiencing problems."

Currie said transport was "a bit of a problem" in getting finetuned because of the tight security measures in place, but he said organisers were "certainly doing what they said they would".

He said there was an escort with each transport movement comprising one armed vehicle in front and one armed vehicle behind and travel was on a dedicated lane.

"It's working pretty well," he said.

"There's some delays in getting away and the thing that is delaying it is are the security at the village here and getting into the training venues. Because of the heightened security, getting these movements streamlined has been a challenge."

 

[true_indian]

Facilities at CWG Village bowl over Malaysia

After pullouts by star athletes and the negative publicity about the Commonwealth Games, finally comes a report that may give some relief to the organisers. The Malaysian team on Monday gave a thumbs-up to the conditions at the Games Village and said they were happy with the facilities.

The Malaysian team manager Jefri Ngadirin denied that his contingent had criticised the venue and were considering moving into a hotel. Ngadirin accepted that the floors and toilets were not fully ready when they arrived at the Village, but said that after they conveyed their problems to the authorities they straightaway sorted out the problems.

"The Games Village's amenities are fantastic. There were issues when we arrived here but after we discussed with the officials, we were given a crew to look after all the problems. The crew is working hard round the clock to make things perfect," Ngadirin told MAIL TODAY.

"Plumbing, electricity supply and cleanliness have already been improved and things are really getting better." When asked whether they felt unsafe after a snake was found in the Games Village, Ngadirin said that the matter was blown out of proportion.

"I think there are too many negative issues being raised. A snake can be found anywhere. The venue is safe and even the food and health issues do not pose a threat to the players as the organisers took care of them properly," said Ngadirin, who was comfortably roaming around at the Village.

The 15-member lawn bowls team was in the first batch of Malaysian athletes who arrived in Delhi, and are already staying at the Village. When asked whether they had to wait for the charted bus at the airport, Ngadirin answered in the affirmative but said it is not a reason to criticise the organisers.

"Yes we had to wait for the bus but just because there was a delay, it does not mean that everything was pathetic. We came here to win medals and not to blame the organisers," he added.

Malaysia is expected to send about 200 athletes to participate in 14 disciplines, plus 90 officials and is aiming for 10 gold medals. "Be it badminton or other sports, we are eyeing at least gold 10 medals and we will hopefully achieve that.

"Even our players are excited and are toiling hard to win medals. In badminton with top seed Lee Chong Wei in our team, we have strong chance of a gold medal," he said.

More Arrivals:

The second batch of 61 athletes and officials from England moved into the Games Village on Monday and were accompanied by Australia (59) and Canada (30).

The spokesperson for the England contingent Caroline Searle was reasonably satisfied with the facilities on offer at the Village.

"We have sufficient bedrooms for this first group of athletes, and activity at the Village has picked up a lot," Searle said.

Close to 550 international athletes and officials checked in at the Village on Monday with South Africa moving in with the largest contingent of 113 athletes and officials.

Officials and athletes from New Zealand, Wales, Namibia, Jamaica, Botswana, and several countries and territories also checked in.

A 77-member second Scottish batch also checked in and was all praise for the facilities. "We went to the archery venue and the facility is up there with some of the best fields I have seen," archer Claudine Jenning said.

Meanwhile, Indian teams continued to trickle in with swimming and cycling squads moving in to the Village on Monday. Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra also checked in to join his fellow rifle shooters.

The cycling team arrived in the evening at their residential block.

"India's cycling and swimming teams arrived today. Two women tennis players are also scheduled to arrive late at night," India's Chef de Mission Bhubaneswar Kalita told Mail Today. " Only wrestling, rugby, tennis and some members of the athletics team have to arrive now," he added.

 

[true_indian]

Competitors start arriving for Commonwealth Games

NEW DELHI — The clock ticked down on the Delhi Commonwealth Games on Tuesday with signs that conditions in the much-criticised athletes' village were finally improving as hundreds of competitors arrive.

Australia, one of the countries that had slammed the village last week, said organisers were working hard to improve the state of facilities just five days before the start of the event.

"It's pretty good," Lynsey Armitage, a member of the Australian lawn bowls team, told reporters. "I've been here for the last two days. The dining hall is fantastic."

South Africa too said the first contingent from its 150-strong squad would move into the village on Tuesday after the facilities had been passed as fit by the team leader.

"The athletes are very happy with the reception they've got so far," spokesman Mark Keohane told AFP, referring to the first batch of competitors who arrived Monday and spent their first night in a hotel.

There was possibly more bad news for the athletics competition, however, which has already been hit by pull-outs and no-shows from the biggest world crowd-pullers such as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Caster Semenya, the South African 800-metre gold medallist, was expected to lend some star-power to the Games' line-up, but her coach was quoted as saying Monday that she was struggling with a back injury and was now a doubt.

The showpiece multi-sport event, which opens on Sunday, had teetered on the brink of collapse last Tuesday when some nations threatened to pull out amid worries about security, a bridge falling down and the state of the facilities.

Problems plaguing the Games range from shabby accommodation to security fears, an outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever, and doubts about the quality and safety of venues and infrastructure.

In a desperate bid to finish work on time, an army of manual workers has been drafted in to tackle uncompleted apartments, dirty toilets and heaps of builders' rubbish at the village.

Organisers have promised that all the accommodation will be finished by Wednesday and that full security is now in place to protect venues and participants.

Tens of thousands of paramilitary troops and police are deployed in India's capital carrying out armed foot patrols and manning bunkers amid a huge security operation for the Commonwealth Games.

Since the devastating Mumbai attacks of 2008, when Pakistan-based Islamist militants killed 166 people in a 60-hour assault, India has been fearful that the Commonwealth Games could be a high-profile target for attack.

With the opening ceremony looming, 17,000 paramilitary troopers are on duty reinforcing 80,000 city police.

Sharelle McMahon, a Commonwealth Games veteran who first competed in the 1998 Games in Kuala Lumpur, said she was surprised by the number of police armed with machine guns but was still optimistic about the event.

"It is certainly a different experience. We were really excited last night to arrive here," the 32-year-old captain of Australia's netball team told AFP. kar-adp/ft

 

[true_indian]

Winds of change at Games Village?

NEW DELHI: Winds of change seem to be blowing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, with the athletes who have been arriving at the Games Village flashing pretty smiles of approval on Monday. The overwhelming negativity surrounding the Games seems to be gradually giving way to optimism and satisfaction, with the first of several cultural shows planned for each of the 71 participating countries getting off the ground here.

Nigeria and Scotland were officially welcomed by school students of Kendriya Vidyala and Ahlcon Public School, who performed Indian dances like the garbha and bhangra with a fair smattering of pop music thrown in. 'Dilli hai meri jaan' blared from the speakers as the foreign athletes got busy with their video cameras.

Scotland's archery team head coach Lana Needham was pleased with the welcome.

"I was here in March last year for the test event and it was a mess. But now they've really done it up. We went to the archery field this morning and things indeed are looking different. It's a happy feeling and the weather's good as well," added Needham, who is originally from Moldova, a part of the erstwhile USSR.

A more young Kareena Marshall, a defender with the Scottish hockey team, was beaming too.

"The village looks nice and everyone here, especially the volunteers, are so friendly. I am, however, more concerned about our first clash with India on October 4 but a good ambience such as this one helps us in the preparation," she said.

Nigeria's 18-year-old boxer in the 56kg category Agbaje Taiwo, attending his first Commonwealth Games, broke into a jig while enjoying the show. "I'm feeling good. I'm here to win the gold," said the youngster with a Mike Tyson-like scar below his left eye.

The good vibes came not just from athletes of these two nations but also from the English women's hockey team, which flew in on Monday and drove straight to the Village. "Yeah, it's nice and comforting though the weather's quite warm for us. Know what, we had to pull out our tracks as soon as we were out of the airport as our legs were getting sun burnt," said Ashleigh Ball, a midfielder in the team.

The mood at the athletes' residential area also appeared positive. Besides flags of nations swarming the balconies, there was also a huge banner of the Wales team screaming 'Dragon's Lair Ffaur Dreigiau.'

India's table tennis stars Soumyadeep Roy and Paulomi Ghatak were also spotted taking a stroll. "Yes, we are comfortable. Our rooms are nice and clean," said the two in unison.

Meanwhile, the Village shopping area also attracted a large number of footfalls. The Shahnaz Husain salon saw a steady stream of athletes dropping by for hair cuts, massages and beauty treatments. "We are also distributing 8000 bottles of muscle relaxant oil for free," informed salon manager Deepika Shukla.

The dry cleaners, the cyber cafe, the convenience store and the Games room were all buzzing. Athletes have more amenities at their disposal too: a bank, an ATM, post office, photo store, tour and travel office and even a florist!

 

[true_indian]

Australians, Kenyans happy with Games Village

They were worried before leaving for India, but after watching the arrangements at Commonwealth Games Village here the foreign delegates were all praise for the sprawling campus where the teams are moving in. "It is an excellent Village. Steve Moneghetti, former marathon gold medallist, who is chef de mission, told the Australian media today in 25 years of living in a Village, this is as good as he has ever seen," Australian Press Attache John Gatfield said.

The first batch of the Australian athletes for the Delhi Games arrived here in the wee hours today and came to the
Games Village.

Australia's lawn bowl squad have arrived and later today, their netball and gymnastics teams will also join them.

Gatfield, after taking a round of the Village said, "The team was very happy and rooms were very spacious. Excellent
food, excellent facilities, he (Moneghetti) is very happy. The team is very happy."

Asked about the fear of a dengue epidemic, he said, "All fears taken care of. No mosquitoes. If you are sensible, you
will not get any fever."

Meanwhile, chef de mission of Kenya Jonathan Koskei also echoed Gatfield's opinion. "We have participated in such Games in other countries also. The facilities are poorer (than here) in many other countries. We are happy with the facilities, that is why we are here," Koskei said.

Asked about the reported filthiness in some corners of the Village, The Kenyan said, "They are improving hour by hour. The training venues are on and we are practicing there."

"The Village is also OK. The Games will go on," he said with the with a thumbs up sign. The Village has already come in for sharp criticism for what some delegates have termed as unhygienic condition.

 

[true_indian]

Participants happy with facilities at Games Village


Contrary to the perception created by negative publicity the Commonwealth Games preparations have been receiving, many foreign participants on Monday found the Games Village much better than what they had imagined.

Stating that he has not come across anything bad, Michael Oluochi Omondi, the Paralympics coach for the Kenya, said: “The quality of food being served is good. The Village staff and the volunteers are very friendly.” Mr. Omondi, who also attended the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, said there is a “slight difference” between the infrastructure and facilities extended here. “Except for the bathrooms, everything is perfect.”Impressed with the arrangements and the warm welcome, Scottish Tennis Coach Euan Mcginn, who arrived along with a part of the contingent on Monday, said the facilities were second to none.

Gordon Shepherd, the Scottish Head Coach of the women's hockey team, also expressed satisfaction over the standard of accommodation. “Volunteers have been fantastic,” he said.

However, Samoa chef de mission Shelley Burich said the tower in which the team had to stay was not completely ready. “We have been assured that it would be ready by Monday evening,” she said, adding that the Village staff members were helpful in swiftly fixing the problems. The Samoan contingent is expected to arrive on Tuesday.

Lesotho chef de mission Tilali Rampooana said had the work been finished it would have been much better and beautiful than the arrangements at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

“Things look good,” said Martyn White, a member of the English contingent. Drawing a comparison with the Melbourne Games, he said the catering is almost identical, but the accommodation facilities were different. “It is fantastic and lot better than what I had imagined,” said Australian medical personnel Narelle.

While the Caribbean regional Vice-President of CWG Federation, Fortuna Belrose, said India had done a lot of work for the athletes to have a pleasurable time, a member of the Trinidad and Tobago contingent said, “Everything may not be perfect. But we are here and ready for the competition. Indian food is great. Almost 48 per cent of my country's population is of Indian origin. For me it is just like home away from home.”

 

[true_indian]

Pakistan, Bangladesh satisfied with facilities at Village


A day after complaining about the arrangements at the Commonwealth Games Village, Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik today expressed satisfaction at the facilities and said most of the national athletes will check in at the 63.5 acre sprawling complex here tomorrow.

"We are quite satisfied with the facilities and the credit for this goes to Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit, who has taken personal interest," Malik told reporters.

"Pakistan has never raised any security issue and never did they say that they are not willing to stay at the village. We are satisfied with the security and 90 per cent of our athletes are coming tomorrow and the rest will be coming in a day or two," he added.

In a guarded response, Malik had said yesterday that there were some areas at the Games Village which needs to be taken care of so that athletes feel comfortable staying here.

There were severe criticism of the living conditions of the Games village with some participating nations, including Australia, New Zealand and England terming the residential complex as "****** and unlivable".

His Bangladesh counterpart Tarik A Karim also gave a thumbs up to the arrangements and said he was happy with the facilities and athletes from his country will arrive here on Thursday.

"I am happy with the facilities here. Our contingent will come day-after-tomorrow," Karim told reporters after the waiting journalists and cameramen pounced on him for sound bytes.

Karim was visually annoyed at the behaviour of the posing media and expressed his disgust, saying, "I am not happy with the way you are crowding me.

 

[true_indian]

ITF delegate happy with tennis facility for CWG


New Delhi: Even as the Commonwealth Games Village continue to draw flak from the international teams, the tennis stadium for the event was praised by the technical delegate of International Tennis Federation.

Tom Boyle, who will be in charge of the tennis event during the Games, arrived Monday morning and inspected the R K Khanna Tennis Stadium.

"From my perspective it's fine. Certain things were required to be done when I came here last time but now the players facility, the locker room, the players lounge.. all are ok," Boyle said.

"We had the opportunity to test the facilities during the test events. It was a work in progress at that time and it's pleasing to see that everything is ok. I am confident that the players will have a good time," he said.

Asked about the playing surface, which was earlier criticised for being outdated, Boyle said, "We have hosted a few test events for on the same surface but I would not like to comment on it. It's for coaches and the players to see. We will ask them when they will come here and practice."

The tennis stadium is quite far from the Games Village but Boyle said the players are not likely to experience any difficulty while shuttling between the two places.

"There are good facilities here. The players can practice, have food, lounge is there and then there is a dedicated transport lane. I don't think, there will be any problem."

Several top tennis players have pulled out of the tennis event in its debut year but Boyle said they do not have control over such things.

"The International tennis has a busy calender. Every week there is a tournament and we can't control players choice.

It's up to athletes," he said.

Boyle also informed that referees, who did duty during the Australian Open this year, will do the job during the tennis event.

While the chief umpire will be from India, other umpires have also been called from South Africa and England to conduct the event, he said.

 

[Baahubali]

@ Mods: Kindly change the title of this thread to : Positive news about CWG

 

[AViet]

Criticism is hard to swallow, but it is generally better than praise, because it help (persons and nations) to look at themselves from others' perspective. I myself always want to hear the criticism from other countries or organization to Vietnam, even with far-fetched ranting like Vietnam is dirty poor and third world (it is partly true), rather than blah blah praising my country.
We all should learn to accept the criticism with positive attitude.

 

[CardSharp]

Criticism is hard to swallow, but it is generally better than praise, because it help (persons and nations) to look at themselves from others' perspective. I myself always want to hear the criticism from other countries or organization to Vietnam, even with far-fetched ranting like Vietnam is dirty poor and third world (it is partly true), rather than blah blah praising my country.
We all should learn to accept the criticism with positive attitude.

Very true but some people are more comfortable with self-congratulations.

 

[xdrive]

The title of the article and thread is stupid "Australians now full of praise for Games Village"

It implies that everyone has the same opinion. Some Australian might be happy with the games, some might not be. The title implies that EVERYONE wasn't happy and then all of a sudden EVERYONE was happy.

It's different opinions from different people.