The seven-member evaluation commission ended its visit to New Delhi Wednesday following an assessment of New Delhi’s bid for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Michael Hooper, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Games Federation said, “some of your venues already meet international requirements but they need refurbishing and updating. Others need to be built”.
But he added he was confident this will be done because the bid has the support of the Indian government.
Hooper said the Games would be “a promotional opportunity money can’t buy”.
Hamilton Canada is New Delhi’s only competitor for the 2010 Games. Its facilities were inspected last week. Hooper said, “I can’t say which is the better bid. All I know is that we have two quality bids. It will all depend on how the vote goes”.
Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said, “we have put our claim on the ground that we are one billion people, we have never hosted the Commonwealth Gams, India is a leading light of the Commonwealth and because the games should come to developing countries”.
Kalmadi said the New Delhi subway would be ready for 2012 as well as major infrastructure development.
But he declined to respond to routine criticism of India’s sports administrators, who are mostly politicians and blamed for poor sports infrastructure in the country, reports the Associated Press.
On Monday, day one of the assessment, Indian sports officials addressed the evaluation panel.
Later in the day the delegation was taken to a school where more than 2000 students pledged their support to New Delhi’s bid.
On Tuesday the group toured the major sporting arenas of New Delhi. First on the list was the Nehru Stadium where a majority of events are expected to take place. The team also visited 11 other sporting arenas.
At the end of the tour the delegates, led by chairman Dick McColgan, called the Nehru Stadium “world class”.
The committee chairman described the venues as “excellent”. He said the JN Stadium had excellent facilities, “the swimming complex was in great shape, as were other venues”.
Hooper said Tuesday there was a vast gap between now and 2010. “Besides the existing facilities, there are certain things that needed to be checked, like whether the bidding host will be able to meet its commitment of building additional facilities”.
The squash court and the Games village are some of the facilities that need to be built.
