On the Scene in Delhi -- Commonwealth Games Look Behind, Ahead As Competition Nears End

(ATR) Delhi 2010 closes Thursday, less than a month after worries these Commonwealth Games would never start.

"What has happened here demonstrates quite clearly there is a very strong future for the Games," CWG Federation president Mike Fennell said Wednesday.

"Prior to a few weeks leading up to the Games there were a number of people asking about cancelation. We have now seen that the Games have been celebrated in very fine style."

In late September, the Commonwealth Village was unfinished, uninhabitable and unsanitary. A footbridge to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium collapsed, seriously injuring several workers. Worries of terrorism mean there are tens of thousands of police and soldiers mobilized inside and outside venues. Many officers carry rifles and wear bulletproof vests.

More than 60 miles of lanes around the capital were closed to regular traffic so that Games-related vehicles could navigate the chaos. Penalties for disobeying range from $45 fines to jail.

Some Indians have told Around the Ringsthe transportation plan has made getting around the capital easier. At transit stations, people have begun to queue instead of piling into buses and trains.

Taxi drivers aren’t allowed in the lanes and some are reporting declines in business. Far fewer than the 100,000 tourists estimated for the Games actually came. Except for several field hockey matches, boxing, aquatics, wrestling and athletics, many Games venues have been mostly empty, despite the organizing committee claiming all tickets were distributed.

All competitions have happened as scheduled, and that is the biggest victory for the 19th edition of the CWG, Fennell said.

While several big names opted not to come -- most notably world's fastest man Usain Bolt of Jamaica -- other big names came or became big in Delhi by virtue of their performances. More than 6,000 athletes from 71 nations and territories is a record for the Commonwealth movement.

"Obviously we have to address some of the concerns and to see how we can improve the product as we move along, and we continue to make improvements to the product based on our experience here and other factors that keep changing as far as the world of sport is concerned," Fennell said.

"We have solid plans for Glasgow (2014) and those games have every indication they are going to be excellent."

India spent around $150 million preparing its athletes for the Games. The host nation is poised for a top-three finish. This bodes well for London 2012 and perhaps a bid for an Olympics.

Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, also Delhi 2010’s chairman, wouldn’t speculate on a 2020 bid. He would only say that India is now a multi-sport country, known for more than just cricket.

But there will be several challenges over the coming months. India’s comptroller general, auditor general and Central Vigilance Commission have separate probes into construction cost overruns and allegations of corruption surrounding the Games.

"Whatever corruption charges are there, it needs to be investigated as soon as the Games are over," Delhi 2010 director general Lalil Bhanot said.

The other victory is that these CWG were organized amid the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression.

CGF CEO Mike Hooper said broadcast and sponsorship revenue exceeded projections despite turmoil.

He said British broadcast agent Fast Track exceeded projections by $20 million while Australian Sports Marketing and Management raised a record $85 million in sponsorship.

SMAM was fired in August by Delhi 2010, while Fast Track was named in one of the government corruption probes. Both companies claim they fulfilled their duties and dispute claims of wrongdoing.

"Clearly there are issues between the agency they appointed -- Sports Marketingand Management -- and the organizing committee that will be worked out in the fullness of time," Hooper said.

The Games have a dozen rights-holding broadcasters. Indian national broadcaster Doordarshan is the host broadcaster. The 11-company roster of sponsors is headed by Indian Railways. Indian auto giant Tata Motors is the official vehicle provider and Air India the official airline. Notable international companies Coca-Cola and Reebok are on the fourth tier.

Despite the global audience, Hooper said the Commonwealth model gives the organizing committee all marketing rights unlike the IOC, which brings its stable of long-term, global sponsors to each Games while organizing committees sign national and regional partners.

Delhi won the right to host the Games over runner-up Hamilton, Canada, which hosted the first Games in 1930 under the British Empire banner.

Will Delhi 2010 strengthen the brand?

"One thing you can say for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, it's got a lot of publicity!" Hooper said.

Closed Lips About Closing Ceremony

Few details have emerged about the closing ceremony, but athletes apparently won’t have to wait as long to enter the stadium, according to Fennell. Many athletes complained of a lengthy, hot wait for the opening ceremony on Oct. 3.

As for the creative production, Bhanot’s lips were sealed.

"It is a confidential matter, but you can be there to witness it," he said.

More Delhi Doping

A third Commonwealth Games athlete has tested positive for a banned substance.

This time it’s a female racewalker from the host country who is accused of taking a steroid.

Commonwealth Games Federation officials announced Wednesday afternoon that Rani Yadav of India tested positive for norandrosterone, an anabolic steroid banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. She was automatically suspended pending a Wednesday afternoon hearing.

Yadav was sixth in the women’s 20km race walk on Saturday.

Two Nigerian sprinters earlier tested positive for a stimulant. Women’s 100m gold medallist Oludamola Osayomi and sixth-place 110m men’s hurdler Samuel Okon allegedly took methylhexaneamine. Their punishment has not been announced.

"To have three doping cases out of 1,300 tests is not a bad record, two of those have concluded for substances that are considered by many to be not in the serious area of doping activity, which is stimulants," Fennell said.

"All involved in sports would like to have a zero factor when it comes to doping matters, but we have to live with reality."

To the Taj

Nearly 1,700 athletes have taken up the offer of a free day-trip to Agra for a tour of the Taj Mahal. The Indian Railways sponsored promotion is also open to Games family, including media.

The Taj Express train is part of Indian Railways’ sponsorship and includes meals on and off the train and a secured tour of the monument 200km from Delhi. The 11-car express passes through the Indian countryside and exposes some of the poverty that officials in Delhi have tried to conceal with look of the Games banners.

Seat Sale

Delhi 2010 is wasting no time in disposing of its assets. The sale begins Friday and officials hope to be done by Oct. 25.

Most of the 2,000 paid workers, from government departments, will return to their jobs later this month, according to the Hindustan Times.

Reported on the scene in Delhi by Bob Mackin.