India’s incredible draw lures huge squads from Australia and England

NEW DELHI, 30 April 2010: I knew instinctively that the world has started seeing the larger picture of the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi when in one of my recent interviews, an overseas journalist asked me about the importance of the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi in India’s emergence as a soft power. With 155 days to go for the start of the Games, there is growing awareness about India and its incredible draw.

Perhaps that is the reason we continue to hear some good news from countries as far-flung as Australia and England. In the past week, Australian Commonwealth Games Association CEO Mr. Perry Crosswhite and Commonwealth Games England Chairman Sir Andrew Foster have reassured their athletes that Delhi will be safe and secure for their athletes and have said they will both bring the biggest contingents to a Commonwealth Games outside their home nations. Between these two teams, I guess they will account for nearly 1200 participants in the Games.

From a sporting perspective, I was delighted to hear that Australia has named a preliminary squad of 69 track and field athletes including world pole vault champion Steve Hooker. Australia has also announced a 48-member swimming contingent including 2008 Olympic champion Stephanie Rice and former world record holder Eamon Sullivan. Olympic silver medallist Geoff Huegill, who has lost 45kg in a year and a half, is also in the squad. Double Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington and world champions Liam Tancock and Gemma Spofforth will spearhead England’s challenge in the swimming competitions.

I was also pleased when I heard that England’s Bradley Wiggins, who had three Olympic gold medals and five world championship titles against his name, has decided to focus on competing in the Commonwealth Games ahead of the World Championship to be held in Australia in September 2010. And, in Adelaide, World and Olympic champion Anna Meares, who is expected to compete in three events in Delhi, has said all the Australian riders were looking forward to locking horns with their British rivals and the strong New Zealand team at the Games.

Indeed, when the Queen’s Baton 2010 Delhi was in Sydney, Melbourne and Gold Coast earlier this month, we saw how sport can be a marvellous bridge between societies. Sport is a balm that soothes surging emotions and, at the same time, is a fuel that drives intense passion among the people to watch competition. Friendship through Sport is one of our key themes and we will see this emerge in a big way when the baton reaches India from the Wagah Border on June 25, 2010.

Back home, as we prepare to host the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Co-ordination Commission next month, we are very confident that we are on course to organising a great Games that will leave an impact in the minds of all concerned – athletes, technical officials, sponsors, broadcasters and other media, volunteers, spectators and, above all, the citizens of Delhi. We have got a tremendous response for our volunteer programme Delhi United, inspiring confidence that the city’s young and old alike have started taking ownership of the Games. Besides, I can see a growing awareness about Olympic sport in this country and that is really heart-warming.

Let me leave you to mull over a statement by Australia’s Chef de Mission. A wonderful marathon runner in his time and Mayor of the Games Village in 2006, Steve Moneghetti told the media on the sidelines of the Queen’s Baton Relay 2010 in Melbourne that he is really looking forward to returning to Delhi in October. “It's such a cosmopolitan place and a place you really fall in love with,” he said. I am sure that each visiting athlete will say the same when the Games are complete. Yes, indeed, it is time for everyone to discover what a beautiful city Delhi is and what a wonderful country India is.

The article first appeared in the Hindustan Times newspaper dated 30 April 2010

England will send biggest squad to a Games outside Britain: Sir Andrew

NEW DELHI, 28 april 2010: Commonwealth Games England Chairman Sir Andrew Foster has said that the England team for the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi will be the biggest team it has sent for an overseas Games to date, with a team size that is likely to be more than 550, including nearly 400 athletes.

“England's intention is to compete at the Games and we are currently making arrangements to create the best possible environment for success in Delhi,” Sir Andrew told the BBC. “Security is something we and the Delhi 2010 organising committee take very seriously. We have taken, and will continue to take, expert advice on the situation.”

CGE is set to write to all its sports governing bodies informing them that the team will go to India, putting to rest speculation that the English team would pull out of the Games because of security fears raised after bomb blasts injured 15 persons before an Indian Premier League cricket match in Bangalore on April 17.

CGE, which has been receiving regular security updates from Delhi, believes the assessment that it will be safe to travel. It is confident that athletes will be safe in India, given that Delhi recently hosted the FIH World Cup and a slew of other test events without any security problems.

Olympic and world champions among first lot of 29 England swimmers for Delhi 2010

Date:
Thu, 22 Apr 2010

NEW DELHI, 22 April 2010: Double Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington and world champions Liam Tancock and Gemma Spofforth will spearhead England’s challenge in the swimming competitions at the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi in October this year.

Commonwealth Games England has named them among 29 swimmers selected
to represent England at the Games, which start on 3 October. A further 13 swimmers will be added to the list after the European Championships (4 to 15 August, Budapest) and the National Championships (18 21 August, Sunderland).

The swimmers named in team achieved qualification standards at the British Swimming Championships, which took place in Sheffield just over two weeks ago. The team also includes Simon Burnett and Ross Davenport, who return to the Commonwealth Games action after winning a brace of gold medals each in Melbourne four years ago.

Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, 16, has earned a call-up after switching her nationality from Kenya. Ajulu-Bushell impressed at the trials where she won the women's 50 m and 100 m breaststroke double. She represented Kenya in the 2009 World Championships but decided to switch nationalities soon afterwards. The teenager, who was born in
Manchester to an English mother and Kenyan father, moved to Africa as a child before returning in September 2007.

England team Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said “I'd like to welcome our first group of swimmers to the England team for Delhi and wish them the very best in their continuing preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.”

England swimming team Team Leader for Delhi John Atkinson, said: "The swimmers selected for the England team can now begin their preparations for Delhi in earnest. For the others that didn't meet the qualification criteria there are still 13 places available on the team.”

“Having early trials will give the selected swimmers the chance to have a longer preparations and the later trials gives those swimmers that are hitting form later in the year a chance to make the team," he added. “I look forward to seeing the performances at our later trials as the athletes try to qualify for the Games.”

England's swimmers finished runners-up to Australia in the swimming medals table at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games with eight gold medals, 11 silvers and four bronzes. England finished second to Australia on the overall medal table at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games with 36 gold, 40 silver and 34 bronze medals.

Swimmers selected are:

Men: Robert Bale, Adam Brown, Simon Burnett, Ross Davenport, Daniel Fogg, James Goddard, Thomas Parris, Roberto Pavoni, Michael Rock, Joseph Roebuck, Liam Tancock, Grant Turner, Christopher Walker-Hebborn and Richard Webb

Women: Rebecca Adlington, Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, Ellen Gandy, Francesca Halsal, Joanne Jackson, Sasha Matthews, Keri-Anne Payne, Elizabeth Simmonds, Amy Smith, Gemma Spofforth, Jessica Sylvester, Stacey Tadd, Rebecca Turner, Aimee Willmott, Katherine Wyld and Nova Centurion