'Buffalo-boost' for Sushil Kumar

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Keeping in mind of the fitness of newly-crowned world wrestling champion Sushil Kumar, Delhi Kushti Sangh today felicitated the wrestler with one (rpt one) buffaloes, 100kg desi ghee and 100kg almonds.
"He is our champion, country&aposs pride. We want him to win the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. He will remain healthy and fresh drinking buffaloes&aposmilk,"senior vice-president of the association Pradeep Jain said.
"Wrestling involves healthy nutrition. Fresh almonds and ghee will cater to his daily needs. We have also given him some cash award and the entire felicitation worth about Rs 7 lakh,"Jain said.
Former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh also attended the function held in Chandni Chowk.

Over 170 challaned for straying into CWG lanes

New Delhi, Sep 27 (India Report)
Over 170 people were today challaned in the national capital for straying into lanes reserved for Commonwealth Games traffic here.
"We have challaned 129 people and issued notices to another 43 for deliberately entering the Games lanes in different parts of the city,"a senior police official said.
Delhi Police has for the first time challaned 17 people on Sunday and 100 yesterday for violating the provision for Commonwealth Games lane.

Gill visits JL Nehru stadium, watches rehersal

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Sport Minister M S Gill today visited the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue for the opening and closing ceremony of the October 3-14 Commonwealth Games, here.
During his visit, Gill spent an hour with the creative head of ceremonies, Bharat Bala and also watched the rehearsal programme of the opening ceremony that will be held on October 3 here.
The sport Minister will meet Vice President Hamid Ansari to extend an invitation for the Commonwealth Games, the ministry said in a release.

Bombs don't scare 15-year-old Aussie swimmer Kukla

Melbourne, Sep 28 (India Report)
For 15-year-old Australian swimming sensation Yolane Kukla, the sound of bomblasts is not something that scares her. The Brisbane schoolgirl knows what it means to be live in a dangerous part of the world.
So heading to New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games surrounded by a world-class security outfit carries no concern for the teenager. Kukla will land in Delhi with the rest of the Australian swimming contingent on Wednesday night.
Kukla said media dialogue about the Games issues had been"annoying"with"all that hype about terrorists", but for her family there was never any doubt she would compete and they would attend.
"We used to live in Manila where lots of bombs were going off and that sort of stuff,"Kukla told an Australian newspaper."We were in a village so we were pretty secure, but it was pretty close."
"Dad used to travel to India quite a bit. He has stopped that now because he has changed jobs, but he has got friends over there.
"Mum, Dad and my sister are going to Delhi. I&aposm looking forward to seeing them when I get there. They&aposre not scared and I&aposm not scared either."
Kukla&aposs only concern has been to shake off a rib injury while preparing for a six-event campaign in Delhi. She will enter the Games as the top-ranked swimmer in the 50m butterfly and will compete in four individual and two relays.

Chidambaram reviews security ahead of Games

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today reviewed the security ahead of the Commonwealth Games with senior Delhi Police officials.
Chidambaram was closeted in a nearly two-hour long meeting with Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal, all the DCPs and other senior officials, sources said.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Police said security forces have fully taken over the Commonwealth Games venues and a fool-proof security blanket is in place.
Dadwal, who is commanding more than one-lakh security personnel including paramilitary forces and NSG commandos, had said every security aspect is being looked after.

Dedicated CWG lanes to be extended to cover two more stadiums

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Dedicated lanes for Commonwealth Games in the national capital will now be extended to Major Dhayan Chand Hockey Stadium and Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from the Games Village.
To facilitate Commonwealth Games-related traffic, Delhi Traffic Police has been maintaining dedicated Games Lane from Games Village to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Games Family hotels from 8.00 am to 800 pm since September 26.
"Now this has been extended to Major Dhayan Chand Hockey Stadium and Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from Games Village. For other competition and training Venues, Traffic Police has been facilitating the movement of athletes and officials,"a senior police official said today.
A notification relating to the movement of all categories of goods vehicles during Commonwealth Games which will be effective from September 30 to October 15 has also been issued by the Transport Department.
The notification prohibits the entry, plying and idle parking of heavy, medium and light goods vehicles on certain roads during specified timings.
According to the notification, there will be day time restriction on the entry, plying and idle parking of goods vehicles from 6.00 am to 1000 pm on 84 roads including NH-8, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Aurobindo Marg, Nelson Mandela Marg, Aruna Asaf Ali Road, Thamaiya Marg, Shankar Road, DBG Road and Rani Jhansi Road.

Over 3100 athletes in Delhi for 19th Commonwealth Games

New Delhi (28 September ,2010),(India Report).

About 850 athletes including Canadian Susan Nattrass, a six-time Olympian and seven-time world trap shooting champion, arrived here for the Commonwealth Games.
In total, 3100 athletes from India and across the participating nations have arrived for the 3-14 extravaganza.
Nattrass, however, is yet to win a Commonwealth Games gold and she has two silver and three bronze medals to her credit.
The Jamaican contingent lives up to its rich athletic traditions, with Allodin Fothergill (men&aposs 400 metres) Lerone Clarke (men&aposs 100m), Oshane Bailey, who held the No 1 position for 100 metres at the Reebok Grand Prix in 2009, rubbing shoulders with Ricardo Cunningham, who is an 800 metres specialist.
Jamaican team manager Judith Ewart was hopeful of medals from field events with national record holders Maurice Smith (heptathlon), Dorian Scot (shot put) and Jason Morgan (discus) in the side.
The side also has some surprises, including IAAF World Junior Championships 100m bronze medallist Remaldo Rose.
Kenia Sinclair, national record holder in the 800m and IAAF Continental Cup double gold medallist hurdler Nickesha Wilson are also in the fray.
Also in Delhi is the Australian women&aposs hockey team, winners of three Olympic gold medals, five World Cup medals, three Commonwealth Games medals and 12 Champions Trophies.
Eleven of the 16 players selected will make their Commonwealth Games debut in the team captained by Madonna Blyth.
Coach Frank Murray said that Australia is one of four teams capable of winning gold in 2010, identifying England, New Zealand and India as their biggest threats.
Murray said this year promised the tightest competition in Commonwealth Games history.
Malaysia had 93 more athletes and officials coming in, the largest contingent today.
These athletes will participate in archery, aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, badminton and weightlifting. Northern Ireland, New Zealand, England and Australia were among the countries that saw athletes arriving today.
Northern Ireland has brought in a formidable boxing squad and a very accomplished lawn bowls contingent.
In boxing, Tyrone McCullagh (men&aposs 56kg) is a national champion and European bronze medallist.
Eammon O&aposKane won the men&aposs 75kg Commonwealth Championship in 2007 and European Championship bronze in 2008.
The shooting contingent includes Kirsty Barr, a gold medalist in ladies Olympic trap at the 2010 Commonwealth Championships and David Calvert, winner of four Commonwealth Games golds.

Archers, swimmers go through their paces

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
The South African and Norfolk Island archers today began their practice stint at the Yamuna Sports Complex training venue for the competitions that begin on October 4.
Wales and Isle of Man, apart from hosts India, have already been practising here for the past couple of days.
The first practice sessions for the aquatic competitions, beginning on October 4, started in right earnest today, with swimmers from Tanzania making the first splash at the S P Mukherjee Aquatics Centre Training Pool.
India, Kenya and Trinidad and Tobago also used the pool while officials from South Africa, Canada and Australia visited the venue.

Cook Islands team shows solidarity with Organising Committee

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
It&aposs okay for the Cook Islands contingent if the TV remotes in their rooms at the Games Village are not working properly, if they have no phones to stay in touch or the wi-fi station is also not functioning.
They are not complaining instead want to put all their energy into things which will ultimately matter -focusing on practice and winning medals.
After a 19-hour long journey from their South Pacific Ocean country to India, they reached the Village at 5:00 am this morning.
After checking into their room, they encountered problems but the Sir Geoffry Henry, President of the Commonwealth Games Association of Cook Islands, chose to dismiss them as little ones.
"It happens. We are not looking at it that way. We are interested in concentrating on just sport and win medals. But yes one thing, we would like to have that-the six managers, who are in our contingent get the mobile phones, so that we can get in touch,"Sir Geoffry Henry told media.
Henry spoke just after the flag hoisting ceremony along with that of Brunei Darussalam, a South East Asian country.
About 40 Cook Islands athletes will participate in six events-Tennis, Boxing, lawn Ball, Net Ball, Weightlifting and Athletics.
While addressing the gathering during the ceremony, he expressed solidarity with the embattled Organising Committee.
"We would like to congratulate you for the commitment to develop all required facilities. Hope it will be a memorable event and for years it will be remembered,"he said.
At the flag hoisting ceremony of the two nations at the International Zone, students from the Summer Fields and Vandana International schools of New Delhi put up a decent traditional dance and music shows.
A group of about 40 people from the Cook Islands and a small gathering of Brunei Darussalam enjoyed the evening cultural show.
Games Village Mayor, Dalbir Singh welcomed the officials from the two countries.
Tomorrow South Africa and Wales&aposflag hoisting ceremony will take place.

HHEC launches fresh range of products for C'wealth visitors

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran today launched a new range of products such as miniature paintings, sculptures, and scarves at the refurbished outlet of the Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation (HHEC) of India at the National Museum here.
Coinciding with the Commonwealth Games, the HHEC has introduced a new range of items like cushion covers inspired by miniature paintings, scarves and stoles, replicas of sculptures and art books produced by leading publishers.
The minsiter hoped that with this effort, the HHEC would be able to showcase and provide contemporary artifacts and museum objects to visitng Indian and foreign tourists.
The Textiles Ministry and the HHEC have decided to showcase India&aposs heritage across the country.
"We are requesting the Ministry of Culture to allocate shops (for HHEC) in heritage places. Also, we are planning to have similar plan at airports,"Maran said.
HHEC is also planning to open shops at Qutub Minar and the Red Fort.
"We are expecting tourists and we want them take a part of India with them,"Secretary in the Minsitry of Textiles Rirta Menon said.

MCD taking over CWG venues by tomorrow for sanitation upkeep

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
The MCD has been entrusted to maintain sanitation standards in Commonwealth Games Village and venues in areas under its jurisdiction and will take over all these premises by tomorrow, the Delhi Mayor said today.
"Two-three days back, MCD was entrusted to upkeep the sanitation of Khel Gaon and Games venues. The Cabinet Secretary after looking at the work of MCD has entrusted the job of cleaning and sanitation of all the venues falling in MCD&aposs jurisdiction to it,"Mayor Prithvi Raj Sawhney said.
He was speaking after inauguration of streetscaping and beautification on Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Lodhi Road, Meharchand Road near Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium, Chandulal Balmiki Marg and Jagannath Marg near Thyagraj Stadium.
"MCD will take over all the venues for sanitation purpose by tomorrow,"Sawhney said.
The civic bodies were earlier supposed to only assist three private companies which were given the job of sanitation at 11 venues by the CWG Organising Committee. However, now the MCD and NDMC have been asked to take up the job in venues in their respective areas and the private firms will provide necessary assistance, officials said.
After complaints about cleanliness in the Games Village, more than 1000 MCD and NDMC workers were deployed there a few days back to make it spic and span.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijay Kumar Malhotra unveiled the completed streetscaping works and said all MCD projects for the Games have been completed in time with required standard.
Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta claimed that if any inquiry is conducted relating to Commonwealth Games,"MCD will be the only body which will come out clean".
Subhash Arya, Leader of House in MCD and Chairman, Standing Committee, Yogender Chandolia said that MCD has done the streetscaping job in half of the estimated amount for the purpose. They said that the greenery at the central verge and beautification done by the MCD will offer a scenic view to visitors.

Bindra lands in trouble over land

Chandigarh, Sep 28 (India Report)
Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, whose name initially figured among those who were allotted 1 kanal plots under the reserved categories in the Aerocity project, has now landed in a controversy as his allotment came under scanner.
Authorities claimed that Bindra had been earlier allotted a plot somewhere in Punjab, which bars him from applying for any other plot anywhere else in the state.
However, he concealed this fact and applied for a 500 square yards plot in the sports quota in which 13 plots were available. The ace shooter got lucky and his name appeared in the draw for owning a plot.
Under this category, a total of 57 applications were received for the allotment of 13 plots reserved in the quota for sportspersons who are medal winners in Olympics, Commonwealth Games or Asian Games and Mountaineers.
The sources said that if any applicant had furnished any false information or concealed information the Letter of Intent (LoI) for the allotment of the plot would not been issued later.
But it added that at present nothing could be said specifically about any particular applicant since no scrutiny of applications had been done.
The scrutiny of applications of successful applicants will take place after the completion of the draw for allotment of plots by the middle of next month.

Delhi HC asks Games OC to preserve documents relating to QBR

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
The Delhi High Court today asked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee to preserve all documents pertaining to the Queen&aposs Baton Relay on a plea by suspended official M Jeychandren seeking appointment of a local commissioner to examine the relevant papers relating to the sports event.
The Court also sought a response from the top brass of the Organising Committee, including its Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, on the defamation suit filed by Jeychandren seeking Rs 5 crore in damages for"destroying"his professional record.
Justice Sunil Gaur issued notices to Kalmadi, OC&aposs Secretary General Lalit Bhanot also Mike Fennell, Chief of Commonwealth Games Federation(CGF), besides 14 other OC officials and sought their response by January 4, 2011.
On August 5, OC had suspended Jeychandren, T S Darbari and Sanjay Mahindroo following charges of questionable selection process and payments to AM Car and Van and AM Films for their services during the Baton Relay function in October 2009 in London.
Filing an application before the court, Jeychandren claimed he had no role in the controversy over payments to these companies."I had no role except to follow instructions of the OC and done the process for release of payments after due sanction".
On his plea for appointment of a Local Commissioner to examine the documents relating to the event, the Court did not pass any order but asked the OC to preserve them for the Court&aposs perusal.

Maruti develops hybrid SX4, electric Eeco for CWG

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
The country&aposs largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India today said it has developed the hybrid version of its premium sedan SX4, which will be demonstrated during upcoming Commonwealth Games.
The company has also developed and handed over an electric variant of the multi-purpose vehicle Eeco for using in the international sporting extravaganza, to be held on October 3-14.
In a statement, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said it will provide 10 hybrid SX4 and 4 electric Eeco to CWG as part of a demonstration fleet.
"I am happy that engineers at Maruti Suzuki have developed these future technology vehicles. This project has helped our engineers to increase their knowledge and enhance their R&D capability,"MSI Managing Director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi said.
The company said a team of 25 engineers worked on this project with global hybrid technology and component suppliers. The concepts of these vehicles were showcased at Delhi Auto Expo 2010.
Hybrid technology utilises conventional fuel along with fuel cells (batteries), which could be used alternately to power a vehicle, and is considered eco-friendly.
MSI claimed that while the SX4 hybrid offers 25 per cent more fuel efficiency compared to the conventional petrol one, the Eeco runs around 100 km in a single charge of the lithium ion battery-powered engine.
The vehicles on alternate fuels were developed under two government-backed initiatives-National Hybrid Propulsion Programme and High Energy Density Battery Development Programme, the statement said.

Krishna dispels concerns about New Delhi Commonwealth Games

United Nations, Sept 28 (India Report)
Dispelling concerns about next week&aposs Commonwealth games, India has assured 71 participating nations that the 12-day sporting event will be very successful.
During a meeting here with Commonwealth ministers yesterday, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna invited sports persons from Commonwealth nations to attend the October 3-14 Games.
"I have invited spokespersons and representatives of sporting bodies from Commonwealth countries to Delhi for the opening session next Sunday,"he told the Indian media, after coming out of the meeting.
"They are going to be very happy to come,"he added, in response to whether there had been resistance due to recent reports that New Delhi hadn&apost got its act together in time in preparing for the Games.
Krishna, who is here attending the opening session of the UN General Assembly since last week, also tried to dispel any concerns about the Games.
"The people, the government and the prime minister of India are resolved and determined to make the Commonwealth Games a success,"he told BBC, noting that all athletes and participants arriving in New Delhi would be protected and they have no reason to worry.
On Sunday, the Commonwealth countries wished India all the best for the embattled CWG, and expressed confidence that the Games will be a success.
"We wish India and the Games Federating all possible success and our support,"said Kamalesh Sharma, Commonwealth Secretary-General.
"They will go ahead. They will honour the athletes who have invested so much energy into their participation."
After being slammed by the Indian and foreign media about the deplorable arrangements from filthy rooms to lack of security, the CWG organisers appear to have got the situation under control.
Australia Chef de Mission Steve Monoghetti today expressed satisfaction over the facilities being provided to the athletes and delegates of his country in the Commonwealth Games Village here.
"We are working very hard. We have brought the largest team from Australia. We are enjoying a comfortable life in the Village,"Monoghetti told Australian media.

Village facilities top class, says South African boxer

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Putting behind the snake incident, South African boxer Siphiwe Lusizi today said the facilities at the Commonwealth Games village were"top class"and the team was looking forward to the sporting events.
The South African envoy here had voiced concern when he claimed that a snake was found in one of the rooms of the Village.
"The incident is now over and we are focusing on the Games,"Lusizi said.
"When the snake incident happened, everyone in the team was scared and wanted to go back home and there were doubts over our participation. But the team official and coaches told us to relax. They convinced us that nothing will happen and we were at ease after that,"he told media.
Lusizi, who is participating in the welterweight (69kg) category, said after he arrived at the village all his doubts were cleared as he found the facilities to be top class and"there are no problems".
"Food, dining, lodging and training facilities, everything is top class,"he said.
Team official Nkosinushi Welcome Hiletswayo also gave a thumbs to the facilities and said the athletes are having a good time at the village.
"We are enjoying our stay here. It has been very good till now. The facilities are wonderful here and all the athletes are very happy with their stay,"he said.

Gill, Kalmadi meet President on CWG

New Delhi (28 September ,2010),(India Report).

Sports Minister M S Gill and Commonwealth Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi today met President Pratibha Patil and are understood to have briefed her about the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.
Under a compromise reportedly reached between New Delhi and London, Prince Charles will declare the games open while President Patil will say&aposlet the games begin&apos.
Official sources said the Gill and Kalmadi met Patil for about 10 minutes at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and are understood to have discussed the upcoming sporting extravaganza and briefed the President about the opening ceremony.

Queen's baton continues its onward journey in Haryana

Chandigarh, Sep 28 (India Report)
Queen&aposs Baton Relay of the Commonwealth Games was accorded warm welcome by the people of Haryana as it reached Gohana in Sonepat district today.
Sonepat Member of Parliament Jitender Singh Malik received the Baton at Devi Lal Stadium, Gohana.
There was enthusiasm for the Baton Relay and people thronged the venue.
A number of old and young people and children welcomed the relay by waving the tri-colour.
Addressing the gathering, Convenor Queen&aposs Baton Relay Alka Lamba said that the baton would arrive at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on October 3 after visiting the other 70 nations of the Commonwealth and passing throughout India, reaching millions of people to join the celebrations for the Games.
Malik honoured international players including Arjuna Awardee Yogeshwar Dutt Sharma and Ramesh Guleia and Dhyan Chand Awardee Kuldeep Malik by presenting them with shawl and bouquet.

Zeehsan Ashraf fit to lead Pakistan in CGames

Lahore, Sep 28 (India Report)
Fullback Zeeshan Ashraf was today declared fit to lead Pakistan&aposs hockey team in the Commonwealth Games, with chief selector Hanif Khan confident the demons of New Delhi will not haunt the squad.
The Pakistan team recorded worst finish in the World Cup in March this year, after playing at the same venue where they will compete in the Games&apos10-team field hockey competition.
"The nightmares of Delhi will not haunt Pakistan and I am confident that this team will reach the victory stands in the Commonwealth Games,"Khan told media.
Ashraf, who also led Pakistan in the World Cup and had to come out of retirement, was declared fit after suffering hamstring injury during the team&aposs preparatory tour of the Netherlands earlier this month.
Since the World Cup flop, Pakistan has hired Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel, who has been looking after the preparations for the past four months.
Pakistan&aposs first task-reaching the semi-finals-looks very tough as they are pitted alongside title holders and world champions Australia with hosts India, Malaysia and Scotland the other teams.
"It will be a very tough tournament but I am confident that the boys will do well,"said Khan, a member of the team which won a gold medal for Pakistan at the 1984 Olympic Games.
Pakistan finished runners-up to Australia in the last Commonwealth Games, held in Melbourne in 2006.
Squad: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan, Waseem Ahmed, Mohammad Rasheed, Fareed Ahmed, Shafqat Rasool, Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Haseem Khan, Waqas Sharif, Mohammad Rizwan, Omer Bhutta, Imran Shah, Mohammad Tauseeq, Kashif Javed.

India can come in reckoning: Aussie netball captain

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Yet to figure among the top 25 nations in the International Federation of Netball Association (IFNA) rankings, hosts India would have the right opportunity to develop the sport at the Commonwealth Games, feels Australia captain Sharelle McMahon.
A Commonwealth Games veteran, having first competed in the 1998 edition in Kuala Lumpur, the 32-year-old said,"India have a very good chance of developing the sport. We are looking forward to playing in India."
Ranked No 1 in netball, the Aussies went down to second-ranked New Zealanders to settle for the silver medal in the last edition of the meet in Melbourne.
Lack of enthusiasm in the sport in India has led to a poor response in terms of ticket sales and McMahon appeared concerned.
"We are looking forward to playing in India. Hopefully, the crowd will put together an atmosphere so that we can play well,"Sharelle McMahon, captain of the netball team, said.
"It is a sport which needs a lot of crowd support and cheer. But ticket sales are not satisfactory, the organisers have told us,"said one of the Aussie team members.
Incidentally, as per the IFNA rankng system, India will have a chance to become ranked once they play eight matches.
If a team has played fewer than eight matches, they will still have a rating, but without a corresponding ranking, the IFNA ranking guidelines state.
The Aussie skipper further said despite being numero uno in the world, her team would require to watch out against teams like New Zealand and Jamaica.
"Each nation brings in different challenges with different team composition, different combination. But we have to be very careful against World No 2 New Zealand and No 4 Jamaica,"McMahon said.
Asked about her experience in the capital, the Australian captain said she was surprised by the number of police personnel with machine guns and added that she was optimistic about the mega-event.
"It is certainly a different experience here. We could not remember seeing any machine gun in Melbourne. We are in Delhi for the second time. Earlier, it was a different, we were staying in a hotel and could walk around freely,"McMahon said.
The team arrived here after undergoing training in Malaysia.

'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' enthrals Tanzania team

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
A fusion of eastern and western music on the tune of famous Hindi song&aposMile Sur Mera Tumhara&aposand a cultural dance by school students kept the 41-member Tanzania team enthralled during their flag hoisting ceremony at the Games Village, here today.
Tanzania became the third nation to participate in the ceremony after Norfolk Island and Scotland.
The Tanzanian contingent enjoyed the performance of a group of students from Delhi school, who skillfully played musical instruments in an open amphitheatre.
"We are really happy with the way we were welcomed and the performances by the young children. It is really a privilege to be here,"said Nassra Juma Mohammed, General Manager of Tanzania team.
Tanzania squad includes members of para-athletes team, who were also seen nodding their heads and moving their body to the rhythm.
"The facilities here at the Games Village are really good. From practice venues to residential complexes all are fine,"said Patric Nyangero Lusatu, an athlete from the Tanzania team.
Shera the mascot of the Games was also seen sitting amongst the Tanzanian contingent.
While addressing the Tanzania team, Mayor of the Commonwealth Games Village, Dalbir Singh said,"We have created a Home away from Home here. There are some areas of little concern, which are being addressed. I am sure you will have a pleasant and comfortable stay."
According to Organising Committee officials, over 1,100 athletes and same number of international delegates and support staff from 46 nations have arrived in the Games Village so far.
The sporting extravaganza will begin from Sunday.

Australia happy with Games Village facilities

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Australia Chef de Mission Steve Monoghetti today expressed satisfaction over the facilities being provided to the athletes and delegates of his country in the Commonwealth Games Village here.
"We are working very hard. We have brought the largest team from Australia. We are enjoying a comfortable life in the Village,"Monoghetti told Australian media.
Australian athletes too appreciated the food, transport and security being provided to them by organisers here.
"It has been pretty good. The dining hall is fantastic, it is same as Melbourne. And the security is top notch out here. I feel completely safe and secured,"said lawn bawl player Lynsey Armitage.
Elated over her first of its kind experience in the country, Lynsey said,"Being in India is a life-time opportunity."
The facilities also impressed Australia&aposs Press Attache, John Gartfield.
"We are really very happy with the facilities. The Commonwealth Games village is superb. Dining area, practice venues, residential complexes are really better. Our athletes are not facing any problem here,"said Gartfield.
He said about 100 athletes have already arrived checked in at the Village and about 250 more would be descending in the Capital in the next three-four days.

Malik wants to lift Pakistan in India

Lahore, Sep 28 (India Report)
Weightlifter Shujauddin Malik promised today to give Pakistan a lift on and off the Commonwealth Games arena, pledging to win a medal for his troubled country.
Malik is Pakistan&aposs best-perhaps lone-gold medal hope in the October 3-14 Games due to take place in New Delhi and has won national fame for excelling at international competitions.
He won Pakistan&aposs only gold medal in the last Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia in 2006 and has been striking gold in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games since 1985.
"India is a special place for me because it is here I won my most precious gold medal in the SAF Games in 1995, competing in the most difficult 94 kilogramme category,"Malik told media.
"You get pumped up in India and want to win more because of the rivalry,"he said in reference to the political tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since independence.
Malik said he also wanted to leave Indians with a good impression.
"There is a wrong conception about Pakistanis in India but I want to tell them that we are good people."
A four-year peace process between India and Pakistan collapsed after 166 people were left dead in the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistani-based militants.
Malik, who will compete in the 94 kilogramme category, said he would dedicate any gold medal to the victims of Pakistan&aposs devastating floods, which have affected up to 21 million people in the country&aposs worst natural disaster.
"I am confident that I will win gold medal in the competition and that will be dedicated to the millions of flood victims in Pakistan as I can feel their pain,"said Malik.

Snake incident has jeopardised our partcipation: SA boxer

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
South African boxer Siphiwe Lusizi today admitted that they were completely rattled after a snake was found in one of the rooms of the Village and said the incident had put their participation in the Commonwealth Games in jeopardy.
On Sunday, South African High Commissioner Harris Mbulelo Mejeke had claimed that a snake was found in a room in the residential towers, earmarked for their athletes and Lusizi said it was only after being pacified by the team officials that they were able to relax.
"When the snake incident happened. Everyone in the team was scared and wanted to go back home and there were doubts over our participation. But the team official and coaches told us to relax. They convinced us that nothing will happen and we were at ease after that,"he told media.
However, Lusizi, who is participating in the welterweight (69kg) category, said after he arrvived at the village all his doubts were cleared as facilities here were top-class.
"After arrival what we have experienced is that it is very good facilities here. Food, dining, lodging and training facilities, everything are top class,"he said.
Team official Nkosinushi Welcome Hiletswayo also gave a thumbs to the facilities and said the athletes are having a good time at the village.
"We are enjoying our stay here. It has been very good till now. There were no problem are. The facilities are wonderful here and all the athletes are very happy with their stay,"he said.
On Sunday, Mejeke had said that they have grave concerns about staying at the village.
"We can&apost go and stay till things are fixed up. We have very grave concerns. If snakes are found we can&apost ask our teams to stay there. Yesterday we found a snake but I don&apost know whether it was an Indian snake. But it was there in one of our rooms,"Mejeke had said before entering the Village.

CWG lanes: Traffic Police thanks Delhiites for cooperation

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Police today thanked Delhiites for their cooperation in enforcing the restrictions on lanes dedicated to Commonwealth Games traffic and said this experiment gives them hope to start implementing lane discipline even after the event.
In a post in social networking site Facebook, Special Commissioner (Traffic) Ajay Chadha wrote that the Traffic Police was thankful to all the citizens for their cooperation in implementing the restrictions on Games lanes.
"Barring a very few exceptions, all citizens are complying with the restrictions. We look forward to their continued support till October 16. This experiment gives us hope that we may be able to start implementing lane discipline in general after the Games,"he said.
In response to the post, a number of netizens support the idea.
A netizen Ritika Kar Sharma wrote,"Indians in general need to learn lane discipline. When we go to other countries and drive there, we drive in our own lanes and don&apost zip zap zoom like we do here. I hope some stringent laws are put in place."
Supporting the idea, another netizen Rashi Jain said lane driving can initially lead to a big mess for a few days, but once implemented strictly,"it will be very good driving on Delhi roads".
Abhinav Bansal was of the view that driving in wrong lanes were one of the major reasons behind traffic jams and he hopes in November when Trade fair will take place, the situation will remain under control.
However, another netizen Puneet Goyal said issuing appeal was"not the right approach"to enforce lane discipline, either now or after the games.
"You should seriously start thinking of intelligent traffic system.You should also install CCTV cameras, which can record insane driving and lane changing nature of people. Get the challans sent automatically,"he suggested.

'Chinese' presence add to competition in CWG: Poulomi

New Delhi (28 September ,2010),(India Report).

China may not be a part of Commonwealth nations but the presence of paddlers of Chinese-origin means there will be stiff competition, feels reigning woman national champion Poulomi Ghatak.
China is not among the 71 nations and territories who participate in the Commonwealth Games but countries such as Singapore have become forces to reckon with in the ping pong game by offering nationality to many a Chinese players.
And in the coming Delhi Games also, when the women&aposs team would try to improve upon their bronze medal winning performance from the 2006 Melbourne edition, these China-born paddlers will surely pose a big threat to their medal hopes.
"China does not play Commonwealth Games, but except India and England almost all the other countries have atleast two Chinese players in their squads. So you can say the level of competition in Commonwealth Games has surely gone up over the years,"Poulomi told media.
The experienced Indian also knows that her journey in the multi-discipline event is not going to be a mere cake-walk with a number of strong contenders present in the field.
"Singapore is number one in table tennis and Malaysia is also a good team. Besides these two, we have to overcome stiff challenge from Australia, England and Canada. Then there are New Zealand and Nigeria as well,"she added.
Poulomi, who will spearhead the Indian charge in women&aposs section of table tennis during the October 3-14 Games, said after two years of preparations, now its time to reap the fruits of her hard work in front of the home crowd.
"My preparation was good. We started preparations for the Delhi Games two years ago and now the time has come. We are well prepared to take any challenge and everyone in the squad is in good shape,"Poulomi told PTI.
"We are not thinking about the medals right now but just aiming to give our best in the Games, which will see some tough competition in the table tennis section. But if we can play well, the medals will come automatically. We need not think about it separately,"she said.
She is also ready to handle the pressure of expectation.
"There will be pressure of expectation on us. We are playing at home, so friends, relatives and in general common people would expect a good performance.
"But, I would say, it is always encouraging when so many people support you and want you to succeed. That&aposs a good thing,"she said.
As part of their preparation for the Games, Indian team has toured China as many as five times in last 12 months and the experienced paddler admitted those exposure trips will help them when table tennis competitions start on October 4 at Yamuna Sports Complex.
"Yes, the tours were really good because we learnt a lot of things there. We played with a number of quality players in some of the Pro-Tour events like Qatar Open. We saw how other countries set playing strategies and that surely benefit us as well,"she said.
Poulomi also has no doubt that Table Tennis Federation of India&aposs (TTFI) decision to engage Olympian Achanta Sharath Kamal&aposs younger brother Rajath, himself a former paddler, as sports analyst will give dividends.
"We can analyse our performance after every match and during the practise sessions. He (Rajath) is doing a good job and it is certainly helpful in the long run,"she said.
In the ping pong game, hosts will be represented by a 10-strong contingent-five men and as many women -in the mega-event, which is being held in India for the first time.

Pakistan, Bangladesh satisfied with facilities at Village

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
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 media.,
"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"filthy 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 media after the waiting journalists and cameramen pounced on him for sound bytes.

Commonwealth Sports Ministers to meet during CWG

London, Sep 28 (India Report)
With&aposSport for all&aposon its agenda, Commonwealth Sports Ministers will discuss as to how sports can be used for social and economic upliftment, with focus on youth development, in their meeting during the Games in New Delhi on October 4.
The fifth biennial meeting of Commonwealth Sports Ministers will chaired by India&aposs Sports Minister M S Gill.
The ministers will hear from the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport which was established in 2005 to promote value of sport as a tool for social and economic development, including using sports to improve achievement and attendance in school, to improve health, create cohesive communities, and tackle inequalities in society.
They will be briefed by Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell and World Anti-Doping Agency Director General David Howman, a release from the Commonwealth Secretariat said here.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said sport can be used as a tool"in positive social transformation."
"At every turn, the Commonwealth has reaffirmed its belief that sport is for the many and not for the few, and that it can be a powerful tool in positive social transformation. It can advance our most cherished goals in the Commonwealth: those of democracy, development and diversity,"he said.
"I believe the Meeting can see us take great strides in establishing&apossport for development&aposas an integral part of our Commonwealth Youth Programme, as part of wider Commonwealth Secretariat activities particularly in areas like health and education, and– perhaps most importantly of all-in the policy and programme agendas of all our member governments,"he added.
Sharma will be in India for the Sports Ministers Meeting, and he will attend both the opening and closing of the Commonwealth Games.
At the meeting, the ministers will be updated on United Nations activities on Sport for Development and Peace, a topic which will also be presented by Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Minister of Youth and Sports in Ghana.
Dr Bruce Kidd, Chair of CABOS, stressed that sport is not only about competition and the performance of elite athletes.
"While the inspiration provided by the Commonwealth&aposs sporting heroes is powerful, it is not enough to make a difference. It needs to be followed up with sustainable programmes if the promise of sport for development is to be realised. That is the urgent challenge facing the Commonwealth, and one which Ministers will be discussing in New Delhi,"he said.

'Lock your rooms', says CM on reports of theft at CWG Village

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
"Lock your rooms"is Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit&aposs advice to visiting athletes and officials putting up at the Commonwealth Games Village.
She was responding to questions from mediapersons on reports of theft and pilferage at the Games Village.
"I would suggest to keep the rooms locked,"Dikshit said.

China backs India on CWG, says such events are challenging

Beijing, Sept 28 (India Report)
China, which stunned the world by showcasing the 2008 Olympics, today backed India&aposs ability to conduct a successful Commonwealth Games and said the government in New Delhi has made"great efforts"to host them.
Conducting such a large event is a challenging job, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu said and wished India success.
"I think the Indian government has made great efforts to prepare for the games. I wish it will be a successful one,"Jiang said.
China is itself preparing to hold the 16th Asian Games in the southern city of Guangzhou in November this year.
"No matter which country, to host such large scale games is quite a challenge,"Jiang told a media briefing while responding to a question on allegations that poor facilities were being provided for Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
The unsavoury drama in a controversy-marred build up to the Games in New Delhi, and claims by the organisers that the facilities would be better than that of Beijing, generated considerable interest in the Games in Chinese official media.
China, preparing to host yet another mega sports event this year, has claimed that the Asian Games would be a shade better than the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The construction of all the facilities, including accommodation for more than 8000 athletes was finished and handed over to the organising committee on September 20.
After more than two years of construction, Games Town is ready to accommodate the expected 40,000 athletes, coaches, technical officials and members of the media from around the world for the event to be held from November 12 to 27.
Xu Ruisheng, vice-mayor of Guangzhou and executive deputy secretary-general of the organising committee was quoted by the official media here recently as saying that"the facilities for the athletes at the Asian Games are much better than at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

Australia wants to encash CWG platform to earn business

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Australia, which had raised several concerns over the Commonwealth Games, today launched a business club providing a platform for its top companies to network with India Inc during the event.
"The Business Club Australia (BCA) is the Australian governments official business programme for the CWG in Delhi and is aimed at boosting trade and investment opportunities between India and Australia,"Australian High Commissioner to India Peter Varghese told reporters here.
He said BCA, which is coming to India for the first time, will showcase Australia&aposs capabilities to Indian business houses during 11 days of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) starting from October 3.
Australia has raised concerns on security and infrastructure preparedness. It had also issued a travel advisory concerning security issues for its countrymen visiting India.
However, 47 Australian companies are working on contracts worth Australian dollar 83 million for the CWG in areas like broadcasting, design of the venues, IT consultancy, logistics and coordination of the Queen&aposs Baton relay.
Varghese said the CWG would provide an opportunity for further growth with India preparing for other major sporting events like the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and 2011 Formula One.
Nathan Bracken, team member of the Australian Cricket team and Michael Kasprowicz are members of the BCA.
Top Australian companies like Taiyo Membranes, David Payne and Associates, Macquarie Securities and Leightons India would represent the BCA.
"We see the CWG as the ideal networking opportunity for the business communities of the two countries . We expect something like 2,000 participants in that . Lets wait and see whether it leads to any concluded deals or any new opportunities. We certainly hope that it might,"he said.
The bilateral trade between the countries stood at USD 13.79 billion in 2009-10.

China backs India to successfully host Commonwealth Games

Beijing, Sep 28 (India Report)
China today backed India&aposs ability to conduct the Commonwealth Games successfully saying that the Indian government has made"great efforts"to host them.
"No matter which country host such large scale Games, it is quite a challenge,"Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Jiang Yu told a media briefing when asked about the allegations that poor facilities were being provided for Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi.
"I think the Indian government has made great efforts to prepare for the Games. I wish it will be a successful one,"she said.
The unsavoury drama relating to the poor preparations of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and claims by its officials that the facilities would be better than that of 2008 Beijing Olympics which won international acclaim for China, generated considerable interest in the Games in Chinese official media.
China itself is preparing to host yet another mega sports event, the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou in November this year, which the organisers claim would be shade better than 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The construction of all the facilities, including accommodation for more than 8000 athletes was finished and handed over to the Organising Committee on September 20.
After more than two years of construction, Games Town is ready to accommodate the expected 40,000 athletes, coaches, technical officials and members of the media from around the world for the games to be held from November 12 to 27.
In addition to an athletes&aposvillage with 13 apartment buildings, the Games Town includes a media village, technical officials&aposvillage, international broadcast centre and the main press centre.
Xu Ruisheng, vice-mayor of Guangzhou and executive deputy secretary-general of the organizing committee was quoted by the official media here recently as saying that"the facilities for the athletes at the Asian Games are much better than at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

Everything will be in place before Games start: Dikshit

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today assured that"everything will be in place"and Commonwealth Games Village and venues will be made"spic and span"before the commencement of the sporting extravaganza.
"All the work at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Commonwealth Games Village and other venues will be over and everything will be in place before the commencement of the Games on October 3,"she said after inaugurating a 220 KV substation near the IGI airport here.
She said that even in other countries the work continued till the inaugural ceremony and"such thing do happen but I can assure you that everything will be in place".
The Delhi Chief Minister, on reports of pilferage or theft in the Commonwealth Games Village, suggested the everybody should lock their room while leaving it.
The 220KV sub-station has been established by Delhi Transco Limited in order to provide uninterrupted power supply to the swanky new integrated terminal 3 (T-3) of the IGI airport.
"This sub-station will not only provide uninterrupted power supply to T3, but also the high speed Delhi Metro&aposs Airport Line Express and other adjoining areas,"Dikshit said.
Larson and Toubro has completed the Rs 250 crore project on turnkey basis using 220 KV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) from a Korean company for which six kilometre long underground cable was laid to connect the substation with 400KV Bamnauli sub-station on one end and with 220 KV Mehrauli sub-station at the other.
International flight operations from the new terminal started from in July but the domestic operations could not begin, as proposed in August, as the power supply was inadequate to run all the equipment like baggage conveyor belts and others.
After a visit to T3, the officials from Civil Aviation Ministry and other related department deferred the shifting of domestic flight operations T3.
It is now expected that the domestic flight operation is likely to shift to last week of October or after Diwali.

About 1,100 athletes, delegates of 46 nations in CWG Village

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee officials have today expressed satisfaction that athletes and delegates from 46 participating nations, who have already entered the Games Village, are pretty happy with the arrangements and facilities.
"Athletes and delegates from about 46 countries have entered the Village so far and they are happy with the preparations and facilities,"an OC official said.
Nearly 1,100 athletes and almost the same number of delegates have arrived in the Games Village.
Earlier, the build-up to the Games was marred by controversies with the Village being termed by some foreign officials as"filthy and unlivable".
The Games Village, spread over 63.5 hectares, however, welcomed 500 athletes and officials yesterday. The largest contingent was from South Africa, with 113 athletes and officials. It was followed by Scotland (77) and England (61). Also 59 players and their officials from Australia and 30 from Canada arrived in the Capital.
Officials and athletes from New Zealand, Wales, Namibia, Jamaica, Botswana, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, St Vincent&The Grenadines, Kiribati had arrived yesterday, in addition to Chefs de Mission of Niue Island, Malawi and St Vincent&The Grenadines.
According to the officials, about 548 athletes and their support staffs including the Chef de Missions of about 17 countries, including Falkland (186-member team), Jamaica (80-member team) and Malaysia (71-member team) are likely to go to the Village today.
After facing a lot of criticism, the government and security agencies are doing their best to ensure successful conduct of the event. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be going to the Village to meet players and delegates almost everyday.
Delhi Police and central security agencies are also striving hard to ensure that adequate security can be put in placed. Over one lakh security personnel would be seen in action during the Games, including about 175 companies (17,500 personnel) of paramilitary forces, 3,000 commandos, 100 anti-sabotage teams, 200 dogs and 15 bomb disposal squads.
Besides, about 150 personnel of the Delhi police&aposs special weapons and tactics team have been trained by the IAF and the NSG to shoot down suspicious manned and unmanned"flying objects".
Government has also roped in Helicopters with armed commandos to ensure a ground-to-air security cover at and around the Commonwealth Games Village and the competition venues in Delhi.

Yet another CWG theme song launched

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
In a musical stampede of sorts ahead of the Commonwealth Games, another theme song was today launched, this time for the volunteer programme in an effort to"connect"with the masses.
Titled&aposDelhi United In Spirit. In Action', Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi launched the audio CD of the song and conceded that there were"too many"theme songs for the October 3-14 event here.
"Many a times, I have been asked that there would be how many more theme songs. Beside the official CWG song, there was recently a song on (the mascot) Shera,"Kalmadi said.
He however said&aposDelhi United', composed by Tapasya band of the Manav Rachna International University (MRIU), would be hugely successful.
"I am very happy the way the song has come up. The song is fantastic and hope it will serve the purpose,"he said.
Vice-President of Manav Rachna Educational Institutions Dr Amit Bhalla said they were told to conceptualise the song in July.
"This song has been composed to pump in some energy among the masses and with a local feel. We want everybody to be associated with it,"Bhalla told media.
Asked where would he place this one among the barrage of theme songs launched recently, Bhalla said,"It will have a local appeal. This song is for the masses and it will connect them well."
&aposDelhi United&aposis composed by a seven-member team with assistance from Dr Bhalla and and Manjushree Roy, deputy director General Broadcasting and Games media operations head, and coordinators Ashish Puniany and Roma Ghosh.
The members are band manager Rohit Chaudhry, guitarist and lead singer Gaurav Sharma, guitarists Deepanshu Bhoj and Aman Bhatnagar, keyboard player Akshay Gauri, drummer Akash Sharma and female vocalist Apurva Grover.
Maestro A R Rahman&aposs&aposJiyo Utho Badho Jiyo&aposis the official CWG theme song, while a Shera song has recently been launched by Sports Minister M S Gill.
Joining the musical bandwagon, a number of other artistes like Anand Raj Anand, Palash Sen, Daler Mehndi, Kailash Kher and Shibani Kashyap are also releasing other Games songs.

Camilla arrives in Bangalore for a pre-games rejuvenation

Bangalore, Sep 28 (India Report)
Prince Charles&aposs wife Camilla arrived in the garden city today for a pre-Commonwealth Games rejuvenation at a holistic health centre here.
Duchess of Cornwall, formerly Camilla Parker-Bowles who flew in quietly, headed straight to"Soukya"located in Whitefield suburbs, sources at the centre told media.,
After a four-day stay at the centre, she will join her husband, Prince Charles for the inauguration of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
At"Soukya", a 30-acre integrated holistic healing centre which incorporates the ancient medicine systems of Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Naturpathy, she will be exposed to yoga, meditation, ayurveda and other traditional forms of therapy.
Accompanied by family and friends, Camilla will have a taste of the Indian"Satvic"food which is served at the centre.
The 63-year-old Camilla is staying at the 2,500 sq ft Presidential Suite which has three ethnically decorated bedrooms, a fruit garden, private garden, open-air shower and a lotus pond.
On her request, her private visit was kept secret with her security personnel asking the city police to maintain complete secrecy about the visit.
Last week, Scotland Yard personnel did a recce of the campus and met Soukya staff.
While she will be provided security by Scotland Yard within the campus, local police will take care of external security.
When contacted, Dr Issac Mathai, Medical Director and founder of"Soukya", was not available for comments.
Soukya Foundation inked a pact earlier this year with the Royal College of Integrated Medicine, London, to provide clinical training in Bangalore to European and Western doctors in ayurveda/homoeopathy and traditional forms of medicine.

Security forces take over CWG venues

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
The Delhi Police today said security forces have fully taken over the Commonwealth Games venues and a fool-proof security blanket is in place.
"All venues have been handed over to the Delhi Police. We have a perfectly fool-proof security,"Delhi Police Commissioner Y S Dadwal told reporters after attending a meeting on Games security chaired by Home Minister P Chidambaram here.
The meeting, attended by senior police and security officials, took stock of the overall Games security apparatus.
Dadwal, who is commanding more than one-lakh security personnel including paramilitary forces and NSG commandos, said every security aspect is being looked after.
"Security situation is totally under control. We have gone into details.Everything is looked after,"he said.
Referring to traffic situation in the city after dedicated Games lanes have been earmarked on certain roads, Dadwal said the situation is quiet good.
"Traffic situation is fine.As good as can be One lane is reserved on certain circumstances. The situation is quiet OK. We are not reserving the lanes for 24 hours. We are only reserving the lanes from 8 AM to 8 PM. At night there is no such restriction,"he said.
Over one lakh security personnel have been deployed for the Games including about 175 companies (17,500 personnel) of paramilitary forces, 3,000 commandos, 100 anti-sabotage teams, 200 dogs and 15 bomb disposal squads.
About 150 personnel of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) of Delhi Police have been trained by the Indian Air Force and the NSG to shoot down suspicious manned or unmanned"flying objects".
Seventy one countries and territories are participating in the event scheduled from October 3 to 14.
The Games Village has been transformed into a fortress with over 1,000 security personnel, helped by a plethora of safety gadgets and armed commandos, guarding the premises on a 24-hour basis.
Along the routes at different corners of the city, Quick Reaction Team (QRT) vehicles have been parked with gun totting personnel keeping a close eye on the traffic.

Kalmadi puts onus on volunteers for CWG success

New Delhi (28 September ,2010),(India Report).

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi today asserted that all the 71 participating nations have reposed full faith in them to pull off a spectacular show in the October 3-14 quadrennial extravaganza.
In the line of fire for all the mess leading up to the 17-discipline event, Kalmadi said the Games Village was fully ready, and urged the 1,000-odd volunteers to take more responsibility.
"Notwithstanding the controversy and all the bad publicity that has come out, I want to make it clear that the Commonwealth Games infrastructure is fully ready. The Games Village is in place,"Kalmadi said while launching Commonwealth Volunteer Programme&aposs theme song, titled&aposDelhi United&apos.
"Three thousand athletes have already entered, many (visitors) are coming and returning home satisfied. Let me tell you that all the 71 participating nations have full confidence that we will do it well."
Terming volunteers the"face"of the Games, Kalmadi said"We have done our job. Now, it&aposs up to the volunteers to take charge. It&aposs an immense responsibility on them. You (volunteers) need to be very affectionate, smile all around, do&aposnamaste', reach out to the venues and take up the responsibility.

'Issues exist in every Game but India will deliver'

New Delhi (28 September ,2010),(India Report).

The crisis-hit Commonwealth Games has got support from an unexpected quarter in Australia&aposs hockey coach Ric Charlesworth, who said controversies are not new in multisport events but exuded confidence that Delhi would deliver the goods.
The Delhi Games organisers have come under severe criticism from all quarters because of it&aposs shoddy preparation, which includes a"filthy and unhygienic"Athletes Village, outbreak of dengue fever and security issues among others.
But Charlesworth, who had a nine-month tumultuous stint here in 2008 as India&aposs hockey consultant, said his wards have no issues traveling to Delhi for the Games, but will definitely adopt a cautious approach during their stay here.
"There are always issues with such large events.But I&aposm confident India will get it done,"the 58-year-old Australian hockey legend told PTI ahead of his team&aposs departure for Delhi tomorrow.
"We will be vigilant about mosquitoes in Delhi.The players are relaxed,"added Charlesworth.
Charlesworth, who has always been a vocal critic of the Indian system, however, said that he was not surprised at the unpreparedness of the Delhi Games&aposorganisers.
"But we planned to arrive late (for the Games),"he said.
Incidentally, earlier this month Charlesworth had said that he was nervous about what he may find when he lands in Delhi for the Games.
"Who knows what the accommodation will be like when we head over there. I&aposm very worried about it. Does the air conditioning work? Do the lifts work? Is there flyscreens on the windows? There is dengue fever in India,"he had said.
But the Australian coach said, inspite of the negative reports, at no point of time, his players were apprehensive about traveling to India for the mega-event, starting Sunday.
Asked if the Kokkaburras have any security concern after many star athletes pulled out of the event due to safety issues, Charlesworth said,"No, we don&apost have any problems with security. It is an issue in any world level multi-sport event.

I would have loved to beat Dani Samuels and win gold: Poonia

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Top Indian woman discus thrower Krishna Poonia today said she would have loved to win gold in the Commonwealth Games by beating world champion Dani Samuels of Australia, who had pulled out of the mega event here due to security and health concerns.
Poonia, who is now training in Ukraine and is a top medal prospect in track and field event, told PTI that she is primed to reach her peak form in the upcoming Games starting Sunday.
"I would have loved to win a gold in presence of Dani (Samuels). I had been looking forward to competing against her. She is the reigning world champion and she won bronze in 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. But this year she has not crossed 62m and so I thought I could beat her in Commonwealth Games,"said Poonia, who had career-best performance of 63.69m which she cleared in a competition in California in April.
Asked if she thinks it right for top athletes to pull out of the Commonwealth Games, citing one reason or the other, Poonia said,"I would not want to comment on whether it&aposs right or wrong to pull out of the Games. But certainly a top-class field is always welcome though I am not saying it is no longer top-class now.
"Dani&aposs form has not been that good this season. She threw just 6134m in the IAAF/VTB Bank Continental Cup in Yugoslavia early this month and may be that could also be one of the reasons behind her decision,"she added.
If Poonia wins a gold, she will be the first woman Indian athlete to win the yellow metal in the Commonwealth Games and the discus thrower said she was targeting a distance of above 64m.
"I am looking to throw anything above 64m and I think that should be enough to win a gold. I think I can go beyond Seema Antil&aposs 64.84m also I am in my best shape now."
Poonia&aposs main rivals would be defending champion Elizna Naude of South Africa and former world champion Beatrice Faumuina of New Zealand.
Naude is the season&aposs leader among Commonwealth athletes with a throw of 64.49m ahead of Poonia while Beatrice, the 1997 World Championship gold medallist and 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games winner, is third with season&aposs best of 61.11m
"My main rivals are from South Africa and New Zealand. One is the defending champion while the other is former world champion. In discus throw the competition is very tough. The winner will be decided by a few centimeters,"Poonia said.

Lata Mangeshkar defends A R Rahman over CWG theme song

New Delhi, Sept 28 (India Report)
Defending the music maestro A R Rahman over the Commonwealth Games theme song fiasco, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has said that people should not expect every song of this genius composer to be a rocking hit.
"I have not heard the song. What I am hearing is continuous criticism, which I don&apost like at all. Rahman is an extremely dedicated composer and people are getting too harsh because of just one failure,"Lata Mangeshkar told media .
"It&aposs just like people should not expect century from Sachin (Tendulkar) in every match. It happens in music also. Even the veterans do mistakes sometimes. I cannot say that every song of mine is perfect. Many a times I am not satisfied with what I have sung,"said the Bharat Ratna awardee.
The CWG theme song"Oh Yaaro, Ye India bula liya"has got a lukewarm response. People have been saying that it lacks lustre and was either a result of a hurried job or the composer&aposs powers were no longer as potent as before.
Although Rahman charged a whopping Rs. 5 crore as fee for the theme song, but it desperately lacks the verve or pace of Shakira&aposs"Waka, Waka", which became a global hit during this year&aposs football World Cup. It also falls well short of the composer&aposs own rousing hits of the past.
Lata Mangeshkar, who turned 82 today, however, applauded the dedication and devotion of the Oscar winning music director.
"Whatever Rahman has created, must be a result of a lot of hard work. Sometimes audience do not like what we feel is our best. It happens and one cannot avoid it. In this case neither Rahman is wrong nor the audience,"said the legendary singer.
The Indian nightingale, who has rendered her voice in some of the gems from Rahman like&aposJiya Jale'(Dil se),&aposO Paalan haare'(Lagaan) and&aposLuka Chhipi'(Rang de Basanti), felt that music is a passion for the Mozart from Madras and he wants to bring something new every time.
"I remember when he was working on his album"Vandemataram", one day at midnight he went to the Tamil director Bharat Bala and told him that he was ready with the song and wanted to record it then.
"They did the recording at night and then Bala made the video. It shows how sincere Rahman is towards his work,"she added.
Bala, incidentally, is also the creative head of the ceremonies committee for the Delhi Games 2010. The video of CWG theme song is conceptualised and produced by Bharat Bala productions.

850 foreign athletes arriving today

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
With the criticism over the shoddy state of affairs at the Commonwealth Games Village waning by the day, around 850 foreign athletes and officials will arrive at the national capital today to participate in the mega event.
A 93-member Malaysian contingent, the largest to arrive today will have participants in disciplines like archery, aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, badminton and weightlifting.
Jamaica&aposs contingent of 87 athletes will participate in shooting, cycling, netball and athletics.
The other large contingents arriving today include North Ireland (83), Samoa (57), Guernsey (55), New Zealand (52), Cooks Islands (49) and Australia (48).
Apart from these, officials and athletes from Zambia, Botswana, England, Canada, Wales, Kenya, Tonga, Tuvalu, Singapore, Falkland Islands, St. Helena, British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Bahamas and Niue Island are also arriving today, a release from the Games Organising Committee said.
In addition, the Chefs-de-Mission of Malaysia, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts&Nevis and St. Helena, apart from a large international media contingent, are arriving today to be a part of Delhi 2010.

Milkha Singh recalls experience of staying in Army barracks during CWG

Chandigarh, Sep 28 (India Report)
Legendary Milkha Singh today recalled his experience of having been made to stay in Army and Air Force barracks during the 1958 Cardiff Games, saying that he and other athletes never made any fuss about it, thinking that participation and winning medals was their only concern.
"In the 1958 Games at Cardiff, our stay was arranged in Army and Air Force barracks, but nobody ever complained about the poor arrangements. We were focused on winning medals and taking part in the Games,"the&aposFlying Sikh&apostold media here.
He said that non-stop criticism of the alleged poor facilities at the Delhi Commonwealth Games from various quarters was"only an attempt to show India in poor light, which is not good".
"I am shocked to hear the comments made by some delegates about the poor arrangements. As a senior sportsperson, I would urge all the participating nations not to throw mud on the organisers. I think the Games are held to maintain and enhance the spirit of brotherhood, friendship, cultural exchange and sportsmanship among nations and let&aposs all help to realise this,"he said.
Milkha Singh, who had participated in 80 international races, out of which he won medals in 77, said,"In many countries, there was something or the other lacking but we never complained,"the 81-year-old said.
The build-up to the Games has been marred by controversies with the Games Village being termed by some foreign officials as"filthy and unlivable".
The Chandigarh-based Milkha, the only Indian to have won a gold in Commonwealth Games track and field event, also said that it was time that the country should rise to the occasion and unite to make October Games a success.
"The blame game should stop. Sports Minister M S Gill, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit, the Games top brass including Suresh Kalmadi and others should all work in unison to see that the Games are a big success and whatever negative things have been talked about become history,"he added.

Australia happy with Games Village facilities

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Australia Chef de Mission Steve Monoghetti today expressed satisfaction over the facilities being provided to the athletes and delegates of his country in the Commonwealth Games Village here.
"We are working very hard. We have brought the largest team from Australia. We are enjoying a comfortable life in the Village,"Monoghetti told Australian media.
Australian athletes too appreciated the food, transport and security being provided to them by organisers here.
"It has been pretty good. The dining hall is fantastic, it is same as Melbourne. And the security is top notch out here. I feel completely safe and secured,"said lawn bawl player Lynsey Armitage.
Elated over her first of its kind experience in the country, Lynsey said,"Being in India is a life-time opportunity."
The facilities also impressed Australia&aposs Press Attache, John Gartfield.
"We are really very happy with the facilities. The Commonwealth Games village is superb. Dining area, practice venues, residential complexes are really better. Our athletes are not facing any problem here,"said Gartfield.
He said about 100 athletes have already arrived checked in at the Village and about 250 more would be descending in the Capital in the next three-four days.

Lifter Soniya aims good show in CWG to boost Asiad chances

New Delhi, Sep 28 (India Report)
Tipped to win a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games, top Indian woman weightlifter Soniya Chanu today said a good show in the mega event here will be a confidence booster for the Asian Games in China.
"Our preparation is good and I am hopeful of a medal in the Commonwealth Games. Our coach Harnam Singh has motivated us enough to bring glory to the nation and is trying to prove his efforts right,"Chanu, who is competing in 48kg, said.
"The Asian Games are tougher than the Commonwealth Games and a good performance here is important for the Asian Games in November in China,"she said.
"I am enjoying my stay at the Games Village and the training facilities are very good here,"she added.
Harnam said he expects 10-12 medals from her wards and picked Malaysia as India&aposs will main rival in weightlifting.
"We are hoping to win 10-12 medals. Our training is going fine and the lifters are very much happy with the Games Village as the training arena is situated near our residential block. Malaysia is our strong competitor as they have some good weightlifters in every category,"he said.

British tennis player Bloomfield to skip CWG due to injury

London (28 September ,2010),(India Report). England tennis player Richard Bloomfield is the latest to join the growing list of players pulling out of the crisis-hit Commonwealth Games after failing to recover from a back injury.
Bloomfield, rated as England&aposs fifth-best tennis player, opted out of the quadrennial event yesterday, after failing to regain full fitness from a long-term back problem which he aggravated during a tournament in France earlier this month.
Josh Goodall will replace the 302nd ranked Bloomfield in the Delhi-bound England tennis squad, which also has Sarah Borwell, Ross Hutchins, Katie O&aposBrien, Ken Skupski, Anna Smith and James Ward.
"I&aposm so disappointed to miss out on the Commonwealth Games. I was really looking forward to representing my country, particularly given this is the first time tennis has been part of the Games.
"But I&aposve been advised that my back injury will take another two or three weeks to heal, so the event has unfortunately come just that bit too soon,"Bloomfield said in a British Lawn Tennis Association statement.
After his inclusion, Goodall, said"I&aposm so excited to have been selected. It&aposs always the greatest honor to represent your country and I can&apost wait to get out there.
"The Commonwealth Games are such a huge deal within world sport and to have the opportunity to compete at a major multi-sport event and be in the company of some of the biggest names in sport is a fantastic opportunity for me."
England&aposs Commonwealth Games tennis team captain, Paul Hutchins, said inspite of leading a depleted squad, he was hopeful of a good performance in the October 3-14 Delhi Games.
"I know how excited Richard (Bloomfield) was about taking part in the Commonwealth Games, but he has to listen to medical advice. We still have a strong team and we are all looking forward to what I hope will be a successful tournament, and a memorable experience,"he said.
Bloomfield is the eighth British athlete to have pulled out of the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
Earlier, world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu, 1,500m defending champion Lisa Dobriskey and Christine Ohuruogu opted out of the Games for varied reasons.