Olympic Newsdesk - Safety Guarantee for Commonwealth Games; Henin Eyes London Olympics

2010 Commonwealth chair Suresh Kalmadi says a safe and secure environment is a top priority. (Getty Images)Problem Free Commonwealth Games?

Indian government officials say the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi will be without a security incident.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken reiterated that the government is fully committed to making the games a success on Wednesday at the two-day international security conference. The Indian government has established several committees to ensure coordination between ministries, he said.

The security conference was organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Organizing Committee for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Delegates representing 71 Commonwealth countries and territories attended.

Organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi told the delegates that security is a top concern.

"The formation of the International Security Liaison Group by [the] government is a major step towards ensuring coordination and communications among the security personnel of the nations and territories of the Commonwealth Games family,” Kalmadi said. “We have been working on the security aspects from as early as November 2005 when the first workshop on security was held.”

Kalmadi and Indian officials are trying to change security perceptions of their country. Recently, teams have pulled out international competitions including a Davis Cup match in Chennai and the World Badminton Championship in Hyderabad because of security concerns. Kalmadi told the delegates that perception is just as important as facts on the ground.

The Commonwealth Games will take place Oct. 3 - 14.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said games were a matter of national pride at a meeting on Tuesday.

Henin Eyes 2012 Games

Belgian tennis star Justine Henin hopes her "second career" lasts through the London 2012 Games.

Henin held a press conference on Wednesday to formally announce she was coming out of retirement after 16 months. On her Web site, Henin describes it as the start to a "second career", rather than a comeback, that she hopes continues until the 2012 Olympics.

Justine Hennin said she wants her “second career” to last until the 2012 Olympics in London. (Getty Images)

"I want to keep going at least until then," she said about competing at the 2012 Games.

"These past 15 months were difficult at times, but it was very rewarding," Henin said in a note to her fans. "I learned new things, and discovered more things about myself. These moments gave me an opportunity to focus only on myself, and it helped me realize that I still had many things yet to achieve. I need to push the limits higher, and explore new challenges."

Henin won gold in singles at the 2004 Athens Games and has seven Grand Slam Titles. The only Grand Slam missing one her resume is Wimbledon, also the venue for the London Olympic tournament, which she hopes to win by 2012 when she will be 30.

She announced her retirement in May 2008 when she was world's top-ranked player. She spent more than two years in the top spot.

Henin will make her competitive return at the Australian Open after playing in exhibitions in Charleroi, Belgium, and Dubai.

Paralympics Update

President of the International Paralympic Committee Phillip Craven says the London 2012 Paralympics can follow up on the success of the 2008 Games.

"We had no idea of the success Beijing would have before the Games. I think we have that same drive with three years to go in making sure the Games are about athletes and spectator," Craven told British media outlets.

Craven said he is excited about the Paralympics “coming home to Britain”.

"They started in Stoke Mandeville near Aylesbury on a little piece of land which created this great Paralympic spirit,” he said.

The European Paralympic Committee elected a new president and executive board to four year terms at its 8th General Assembly in Vienna, Austria over the weekend.

John Petersson of Denmark was elected to president and Italian Luca Pancalli was elected secretary general. Craig Carscadden from the Cerebral Palsy International Sports & Recreation Association was elected treasurer and Samuel Rosko from Slovakia was elected technical officer. Members at Large include Petra Huber (Austria), Vytautas Kvietkauskas (Lithuania), Mikhail Terentiev (Russia), and Denis Jaeken (Belgium).

Briefs

…Sujit Jasani was appointed as a Senior Consultant at international sport business consultancy VERO. Jasani will specialize in sports communications and sponsorship. His previous experience includes Olympic and Paralympic Games and the IRB Rugby World Cup...

Written by Sam Steinberg.

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