The event has been slammed for its unhygienic preparations for Western athletes and unacceptably high risk of terrorism in the country.
Venues
Competition venues
Existing and new stadiums in New Delhi that will be used during the Games:The opening and closing ceremonies will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi.Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi – Athletics, lawn bowls, weightlifting
Dhyan Chand National Stadium – Hockey
Indira Gandhi Arena – Archery, cycling, gymnastics, wrestling
Delhi University sports complex – Rugby sevens
Thyagaraj Stadium – Netball
Siri Fort Sports Complex – Badminton, Squash
Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range – Shooting
Talkatora Stadium – Boxing
SPM Swimming Pool Complex – Aquatics
R.K. Khanna Tennis Complex – Tennis
Yamuna Sports Complex – Table tennis
Noida Expressway - Cycling
CRPF shooting Range
The opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, lawn bowls, and weightlifting will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi, which will have a capacity of 75,000 spectators after renovation for the games.
Archery, cycling, gymnastics, and wrestling will take place at the Indira Gandhi Arena, the largest indoor sports arena in India and the second-largest in Asia, which seats 25,000 people. Located at the Indraprastha Estate in the eastern region of New Delhi, the arena will be connected to other venues via dedicated bus lanes and mass transportation. The arena will be renovated for the Games.
There are 26 new stadiums which will be utilised for the Commonwealth Games. Some older ones will be upgraded and some new will be constructed.
Non-competition venues
OC CWG Delhi 2010 Headquarters
Main Media Centre
Green Games
Logo for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games being recognised as the first ever "Green Commonwealth Games"The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme to show the intention to host a "sustainable games" and to take the environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. Thyagaraj Stadium is intended to be a key example of environmentally-considered construction.
In opposition to this intention, a number of environmental controversies arose and the adverse ecological impact of various aspects of the games have been protested by city residents.[20][21] City residents filed a public interest petition to the Supreme Court of India against the felling of 'heritage' trees in the Siri Fort area to make way for Games facilities. The court appointed architect Charles Correa to assess the impact and he severely criticised the designs on ecological grounds. In spite of this, in April 2009 the Supreme Court allowed the construction on the grounds that "much time had been lost" and "the damage already caused to the environment could not be undone".
The Commonwealth Games village, located on the flood plains of the Yamuna, has also been the subject of controversies about the flouting of ecological norms.[25] After a prolonged legal battle between city residents and the state, construction was permitted to continue on the basis of an order of the Supreme Court of India in July 2009, which held that the government had satisfied the requirements of "due process of the law" by issuing public notice of its intention to begin construction work in September 1999 (a date four years prior to the acceptance of Delhi's bid for the games).
Further information: List of 2010 Commonwealth Games broadcasters
Other preparationIn preparation for an influx of English-speaking tourists for the Games, the Delhi government is implementing a program to teach English, and the necessary skills for serving tourists, to key workers – such as cab drivers, security workers, waiters, porters, and service staff. In the two years prior to the Games 2,000 drivers were taught English. The program aims to teach 1,000 people English per month in the hope of reaching all key workers by March 2010. In addition to Delhi, the Indian Government plans to expand the program to teach people in local tourist destinations in other parts of India.
To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the Games and to end chronic power cuts in Delhi, the government is undertaking a large power-production initiative to increase power production to 7,000 MW (from the current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi, and construct new power plants. In fact, the government has promised that by the end of 2010, Delhi will have a surplus of power.
In addition to physical preparation, India will offer free accommodation for all athletes at the Games Village, as well as free transport and other benefits, such as a free trip to the famed Taj Mahal and a reserved lane for participants on selected highways. The Games Village will house over 8,000 athletes and officials for the Games. Indian states will train state police forces to handle tourist-related issues and deploy them prior to the Games.
A massive construction and "beautification" project has resulted in the demolition of hundreds of homes and the displacement of city dwellers – at least 100,000 of New Delhi’s 160,000 homeless people have removed from shelters, some of which have been demolished.Bamboo screens have been erected around city slums to separate visitors from the sights of the slums, a practice which human rights campaigners have deemed dishonest and immoral.
The Delhi High Court is set to implement a series of "mobile courts" to be dispatched throughout Delhi to relocate migrant beggars from Delhi streets. The mobile courts would consider each beggar on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the beggar should be sent back to his/her state of residence, or be permitted to remain in government-shelters.
Shera, the mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth GamesMain article: Shera (mascot)
The official mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth Games was Shera, an anthropomorphised tiger. His name came from "Sher", a Hindi word meaning lion ("Bagh" means tiger. However, Sher is colloquially used for both lion and tiger). The logo and the look for the games were designed by Idiom Design and Consulting.
Official song
Main article: Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto
The official song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games "Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto" was composed and performed by the Indian musician A. R. Rahman. The song's title is based on the slogan of the games, "Come out and play". The song is penned by Mehboob in Hindi with a sprinkling of English words. It was released on 28 August 2010.
Queen's Baton relay
The Queen's Baton Relay began when the baton, which contains Queen Elizabeth II's message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009. The baton will arrive at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 70 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games.The baton arrived in India on the 25th June 2010 through the Wagah Border crossing from Pakistan.The baton was designed by Michael Foley, a graduate of the National Institute of Design. It is a triangular section of aluminium twisted into a helix shape and then coated with coloured soils collected from all the regions of India. The coloured soils are a first for the styling of a Queen's Baton. A jewel-encrusted box was used to house the Queen's message, which was laser-engraved onto a miniature 18 carat gold leaf – representative of the ancient Indian 'patras. The Queen's baton is ergonomically contoured for ease of use. It is 664 millimetres high, 34 millimetres wide at the base, and 86 millimetres wide at the top and weighs 1,900 grams.
The Queen's baton has a number of technological features including:
The ability to capture images and sound
Global positioning system (GPS) technology so the baton's location can be tracked
Embedded light emitting diodes (LEDs) which will change into the colours of a country’s flag whilst in that country
A text messaging capability so that people can send messages of congratulations and encouragement to the baton bearers throughout the relay
