India vows successful Games but ghosts of 2010 haunt preparations

Organizers are confident they can avoid the disasters of the last time India hosted the Commonwealth Games, but challenges abound for a country that also has Olympic aspirations.

Ahmedabad, in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state of Gujarat, was confirmed on Wednesday as the venue for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

It is seen in India as a stepping stone towards its goal of hosting the 2036 Olympics, and authorities hope it will establish the world’s most populous nation as a sports destination.

A successful Commonwealth Games will also help erase the memories of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, which were marred by allegations of corruption and construction delays.

Ahmedabad already has the world’s largest cricket stadium, a 130,000-seater arena named after Modi, which will likely hold the opening and closing ceremonies.

But beyond that, huge investments in roads, metro lines and sports facilities are needed to reshape the city of more than seven million people.

Barely five years until the competition is a relatively short time to do it all.

Ashwani Kumar, a senior Gujarat sports official, said Ahmedabad’s existing venues were capable of hosting the Games “with some modifications”.

New arenas will also be built by “late 2028 or early 2029.”

“We are very confident and have done a good job as a team,” Kumar told reporters, adding that the budget has already been drawn up, without giving details.

Manpower issue

Apart from the venues, India will need to boost infrastructure for the thousands of athletes, spectators and officials who flood the city.

Hotels are expected to add thousands of new rooms while the local airport will begin construction on a new terminal next year.

“Five years is long enough to develop our potential,” said Narendra Somani, president of the Gujarat Hotel and Restaurant Association.

“Also, we expect the government to adopt some industry-friendly policies that would further boost the outlook.”

Somani admitted to staff challenges.

“We have a shortage of skilled workers in the hotel industry in Gujarat. We will have to hire workers from other states like Assam and Punjab,” he told AFP on Friday.

Bad memories

The specter of the 2010 Commonwealth Games looms large.

At the time the Games were intended to showcase India’s status as an emerging world power, but the headlines were for delays, poor construction and budget overruns.

English and Australian swimmers blamed the Delhi pool for contracting a stomach virus, while some athletes complained of finding a cobra in the Games Village accommodation.

India’s national auditor has accused the Delhi government of wasting at least $29 million in spending during its “ill-conceived and ill-conceived” program to beautify the city ahead of the Games.

A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General also listed several examples of alleged rigged bids for lucrative contracts to supply timing equipment, glitzy opening ceremony lighting and catering services.

Auditors faulted the organizing committee for inflating projected revenue from the Games to an astronomical 17.8 billion rupees.

“In reality, the total revenue earmarked was only 6.8 billion rupees,” the report said.

‘Well prepared’

Gujarat government official Kumar admitted there were “certain challenges” in 2010, but said this time was different.

“We are all well prepared. We are very confident of delivering Games to remember in the years to come,” said Kumar.

But he also added a note of caution: “We don’t want to commit to anything and would prefer to learn from previous editions of the Games in other parts of the world.”