Games organisers, sports ministry vie for credits

The sports ministry and the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) do not seem to be on the same wavelength, with both on ego trips of their own when it comes to opening of venues for the 2010 Games.

In the last one week the Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the wrestling arena and the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range were ready to be inaugurated and union Sports Minister M.S.Gill and CGOC chiarman and IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi seem to be carrying on with their shadowboxing with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit trying to keep herself out of it.

Last Sunday, Gill dedicated the renovated National Stadium to the nation and this Sunday he was there at the shooting range doing the same. But, conspicuously missing at both the functions were the IOA officials and the officials of the national sports federations.

IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh was present at the range Sunday but was quick to say that he came to the function as a shooter and he directed the media to check with Kalmadi as to why no IOA official was present at government functions.

"I am here as a former shooter," said Randhir Singh when asked by the media whether the members of the OC were invited for the function.

"The stadium has been constructed by the CPWD and the SAI and it is their prerogative whom they want to invite," he said.

Hockey India (HI) officials said they had no invitation for the National Stadium function and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) officials said they, too, had not been invited for the shooting ranges opening ceremony.

"We did not get any invite. So I thought I am not needed there," Bajit Singh Sethi told IANS.

Kalmadi was seen at the inauguration of the wrestling arena at Ludlow Castle by the Delhi chief minister Friday. When she was asked why she was not present at the National Stadium function, she laughed it off, saying "these are small things."

Though IOA president Kalmadi was diplomatic in saying Sunday that he was away in Pune and thus could not attend the shooting range function.

"I am happy at the opening of the Karni Singh Shooting Range in time for the Commonwealth Games. It is a world class sporting infrastructure," Kalmadi said in a statement Sunday.

"I was at the opening of the Ludlow Castle training centre for wrestling the other day. I must say that the facilities on offer to the athletes are excellent," he said in the statement.

Delhi's opposition leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra, who was chairman of the SIA during NDA regime was surprised at not being invited for the SAI function at the national stadium.

Malhotra told IANS this "ego issues" are getting petty.

Gill solely taking credit for the completion of the venues did not go well with members of the OC and other agencies involved in the works.

"India got the 2010 Games in 2003 and I do not want to look back and say what happened in five years till 2008. But since I have taken over, I have had meetings with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the engineers and made regular inspection to the venues to ensure that they get completed on time," Gill said at both the functions.

Last updated on Jan 31^st, 2010 at 20:16 pm IST--IANS