Delhi Commonweatlh games: Would you go?

[Mambo95]

Whether or not I went would probably depend on what sport I did. If I did a very minority sport which hardly ever got on TV and this was one, if not the, major event of the year - then sure I'd go. Plenty of people back pack around India staying in basic accomodation and don't get too sick, beyond a dose of the squits.

However, if I was a Pro Tour road cyclist, I wouldn't bother. It ranks lower than a national title in terms of prestige. I probably wouldn't have bothered in the first place. Although if I came from pokey backwater like the Isle of Man, I might be tempted, particularly if a gold would get me more recognition in Britain than winning Milan-San Remo.

I wish some of the no-shows would be more honest about why they're not going (e.g. Geraint Thomas - I've got no spleen, so potential infections are a risk) rather than suddenly develop an injury like several British track and field athletes.

(PS - whoever, said the cricketers manage OK - they stay in five star hotels).

 

[Ferminal]

If I was a middle of the road athlete and got selected, I would go for sure.

But if I was a world class athlete it might be a different matter.

I find the Commonwealth Games very difficult to get excited about. It gets pumped enormously by the media here as though it's the pinnacle of sport. At the end of the day it's an opportunity for Australia to beat up on the motherland and other dominions, carrying on as though there is some sporting significance in their achievements.

 

[Master50]

I am Going
World records have been set at the CG. Australia set one in Manchester in 2002

 

[auscyclefan94]

If I was a middle of the road athlete and got selected, I would go for sure.

But if I was a world class athlete it might be a different matter.

I find the Commonwealth Games very difficult to get excited about. It gets pumped enormously by the media here as though it's the pinnacle of sport. At the end of the day it's an opportunity for Australia to beat up on the motherland and other dominions, carrying on as though there is some sporting significance in their achievements.

Another good thing about the Commonwealth games is that the british countries compete as actual countries and not make one "super" country. Maybe for the olympics we should join Indonesia and/or New Zealand.

 

[Galic Ho]

And i disagree with the olympics in beijing based on chinas horrendous human rights records as well.

I studied China in year 12 Modern History. I took an extra extension unit and studied revolutions. I studied them all. Russia, China, Cuba. Bottom of the barrel in terms of human rights. Hitler was bad, Stalin was worse. Mao made Hitler look like a choir boy. Man was an outright coward and pig. China is in a much better state today though.

Chinese officials bribed almost everyone to get the games. That is no secret. When the IOC delegates arrived in Beijing the police and military had removed thousands of locals in shanty parts of Beijing out of the city and demolished their residencies. The CCP even stooped as low as painting the grass green to garner votes. China never should ahve been given the Olympics. I thought the Greeks did a bad job not filling stadiums at every event. The Chinese were worse. Largest population in the world in a dictatorial communist regime and most were bone dry. Not hard to march people into the stadiums. Bums on seats is where it is at. If you cannnot guarantee that, you shouldn't get be considered.

Opening ceremony was very good though. China had everything finished early...not as early as Australia did, but not rushing at the last minute to put seats into the main Stadium like the Greeks did. Beijing even got an additional highway. City had 6 or 7 at the time, govt built a brand new one. Also built a new airport. Both are better than what was there before. Australian companies provided the majority of building products and designs for Beijing's Olympics. Win-win scenario for Australia really. China's economy could handle financially and worker wise, a large sports event.

As for bribery, I found this piece today:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...alth-games-bribe/story-fn65mzk7-1225928616679

Nothing to see there. India isn't the biggest problem. ****stan is. Last year hotel terrorist attack proved that. Nut cases from Muslim ****stan can cross the border almost at whim and do whatever they want. India's main fault is their workforce. They are not China. China is a better country to live in, don't let the democracy element fool you. I have a friend who has been there for quite some time now. India is still a 3rd world country. They were never going to have everything finished. Workforce is not trained well enough and the heirarchy do not have their heads screwed on properly to allow them to make changes that would have enabled the project to be ready in time. This will sound mean, but it is honest...India really is a dump. The level of comfort required for visiting athletes and officials is far too oppulent. It is beyond what the common Indian citizen can ever hope for. This isn't an Aussie or English cricket team visiting for a Tour. It is thousands of athletes. The standard required by the visitors is almost unfathemable to all but a handfull of the locals. How can one expect people who have no comprehension of the standard that is automatically required by foreigners to uphold what they have no knowledge of? The people who voted for Delhi are to blame, through and through. Not the Indians, but the enablers, the foreign dignitaries. Games should be in Britain, Australia and Canada. Give it to NZ and South Africa once in a blue moon. Only the big 3 can financially and structurally cater to what is required.

A number of elements need to be in place IMO for a nation to be considered eligible to host a major sporting event. Things like the Commonwealth Games, FIFA WC and the Olympics. For the record, South Africa should not have been given the recent World Cup, Brazil should not have received the 2014 WC and London should never have been given the Olympics for 2012. All these nations have had major worker and financial implications in recent history. When London was awarded the Olympics their economy was already going down...it has not recovered yet. The English cannot even get Englishmen/women (make that all Brits) construction jobs on the venues. They have foreigners working over locals. Stupid. Welcome to a nice pile of debt Britain...oh and India, they'll be up to their eyeballs in debt.

 

[Anonymous]

And the forum censor steps in to tell us that Pakistan is a banned word. How completely ridiculous

 

[auscyclefan94]

Noticed that quite a few of the no voters are from commonwealth countries which you could assume that those people are more informed about how bad the conditions are.

 

[Ferminal]

And the forum censor steps in to tell us that Pakistan is a banned word. How completely ridiculous

I've tried telling them but they don't listen

 

[Grand Tourist]

A Tour of India would be good. Big mountains in the North, dreadful roads, infernal heat & guaranteed food poisoning. That'd separate the men from the boys

 

[Tugboat]

shows what happens if you hold a major event in an Asian country, DONT they have niether the culture infastructure or ability to pull it off with any success

This mistake wont be repeated for a while to come

That's a pretty generalist statement to make about Asian countries. Malaysia did a good job of hosting the 98 CG games in KL and could certainly do so again.

 

[Tugboat]

Nothing like a bit of child slave labour to get the Delhi stadium finished in time though...

...nice "motivational tool" that the adult supervisor is holding in the background.

 

[delbified]

apparently "lay down" sally robbins blogged her advice for athletes to withdraw from the games. the ironing of that is delicious.

these athletes are nothing more than spoiled brats. faced with the choice of sipping daiquiris and pillow fights in their underwear at the tax-payer funded AIS (or equivalent for the wealthy countries participating), they've said "no thanks". what a joke.

i don't like cricket much, but the aussies and british turn out for indian tours, suffer through the heat, humidity, food poisoning and other conditions, usually to get slogged by a second rate indian team. dean jones vomitted his way to 210 in Madras in 1986, suffering severe dedyharation, after AB told him his no. 3 batting spot was at stake. that's courage. these athletes are a joke.

 

[Dalakhani]

Rubbish! Gkasgow will be able to provide proper facilities for the athletes and put on a much safer (in many different facets) games which the athletes will enjoy.

My point isn't that Scotland should go, no matter what. My point is that Scotland shouldn't be leading (as they seemed to be, early this week), the countries threatening to boycott.

So, if other UK nations are willing to turn up and tough it out, so should Scotland.

Steve

 

[53 x 11]

I never like the Commonwealth games because Britain makes a big deal out of getting medals there, despite the fact that all the competition has been taken out.

But a quick point about your comment that India is corrupt.

I dont know what the situation with the stadiums is, and if there is really some sudden outbreak of disease that will prove a danger to the athletes then i have not heard of it either. What i will say is that India is a far less corrupt and more prosporous country than the one which for example held the 1980 olympic games, and definately as far as corruption goes, it can not even compare with the country which just hosted the most recent olympics. You want corruption, see the millions who suffered as a result of the chinese government directing huge funds to build a state of the art stadium, and for firework displays. See the deals with Nike which included using their secret police to try to find someone who was spreading rumours.
See the people being kicked out by force from shanty towns in South Africa which were near stadiums of hotels for the footballing gods, so tht Fifa can make even more money, and so Blatter could stuff his fat _ mouth with a nobel peace prize.

Delhi perhaps may not have been the best city, but India is rightfully called the worlds largest democracy. It is far less corrupt than the 3 examples i mentioned.

Well said. It should also be pointed out that all of the last major sporting events have had speculation of problems and cancellations. South Africa world cup, Beijing and Athens olympics. Not that I would argue that Comm Games is a major sporting event.

 

[180mmCrank]

The Commonwealth Games are a great event. From an athletes perspective they are a great stepping stone towards Olympic competition - they are multi sport and usually have a rasonable standard of competition (Aus, NZ, Can, Eng, Sco, Wales, African and Carribean nations) - much like the PanAms.

They are called the Friendly Games and my experience of them both as a spectator and a competitor has always been awesome. Very different in character from the Olympics.

It will be a shame if India can't get this sorted out. Most athletes will go - you might get the odd top level athlete concerned about security and/health that pulls out.

 

[auscyclefan94]

The Commonwealth Games are a great event. From an athletes perspective they are a great stepping stone towards Olympic competition - they are multi sport and usually have a rasonable standard of competition (Aus, NZ, Can, Eng, Sco, Wales, African and Carribean nations) - much like the PanAms.

They are called the Friendly Games and my experience of them both as a spectator and a competitor has always been awesome. Very different in character from the Olympics.

It will be a shame if India can't get this sorted out. Most athletes will go - you might get the odd top level athlete concerned about security and/health that pulls out.

Yes I went to see Ben kersten win the 1km tt and beat Hoy. that was a pretty special moment. It was great to see it meant so much too him. Personally the track cycling is one of the best event as the Comm games especially as the competition is very strong.

But the road cycling in melbourne was pretty weak. There was a great atmospehere out on course but the field especially in the time trial was so weak.

Then in the road race, on a completely flat circuit, you see riders getting dropped on the 2nd lap.

 

[Izzy eviel]

apparently "lay down" sally robbins blogged her advice for athletes to withdraw from the games. the ironing of that is delicious.

these athletes are nothing more than spoiled brats. faced with the choice of sipping daiquiris and pillow fights in their underwear at the tax-payer funded AIS (or equivalent for the wealthy countries participating), they've said "no thanks". what a joke.

i don't like cricket much, but the aussies and british turn out for indian tours, suffer through the heat, humidity, food poisoning and other conditions, usually to get slogged by a second rate indian team. dean jones vomitted his way to 210 in Madras in 1986, suffering severe dedyharation, after AB told him his no. 3 batting spot was at stake. that's courage. these athletes are a joke.

Well the cricket teams stay in 5 Star hotels and nowadays take along their own food & chefs. Gone are the days when they ate local food. Jack Russell used to take along an entire suitcase full of Baked Beans.

If your holding a major international event then you should provide at the very least, very good facilities.