Suresh Kalmadi accepts blame for Commonwealth mess

Facing the heat for shoddy preparations, the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee (OC) chairman Suresh Kalmadi tactfully accepted the responsibility for the mess around the mega sporting event. But he also sought to deflect part of the blame on to government departments, accusing them of delay in providing the infrastructure and handing over the venues.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell did not mince words while explaining the scene at the Games venues. “The mess has damaged India’s image, but at the same time, all the stakeholders have to share the blame and responsibility,” he observed.

Kalmadi maintained that the organising committee’s job was to conduct the Games and they were not involved in construction work. “Construction is not my responsibility. I am the organising committee chairman and I take the responsibility. But venues were handed to us late,” Kalmadi told reporters at a press conference where he answered questions alongside Fennell and CGF CEO Mike Hooper.     

He also parried queries about the condition of the Games village, saying that not everything was great at previous editions of the Games. “In Manchester in 2002, athletes stayed at a university but never complained. You have seen the venues here. They are world class, they are as good as Melbourne,” he said. While admitting that there were some issues with the Games village (the residential area), he claimed that the international zone, food and the kitchen were good.

Asked further about the delay in readying the village, he defended the organising committee, saying that they had completed the work in 18 residential towers which had been handed over to them earlier, but the last 18 towers had been handed over to the OC just a few days ago, he said. “I wish all the venues had been handed over to me earlier. We would have done a better job.”

The OC chairman also admitted that the CGOC’s secretary general and spokesperson Lalit Bhanot’s comments regarding hygiene standards of Indians and other could have been avoided. Fennell, on the other hand, said the comment was “unacceptable”. Rubbishing Bhanot’s view, he said, “Hygiene has no nationality. It’s the same all over the world.”

Fennell also lauded the village’s international zone and said, “Many aspects of the village are very good, the international zone is of a high quality, and the dining room has a wide range of appealing foods for all cultures.” Fennell said the CGF has emphasised that all countries must have a consistent standard of accommodation throughout the Village.

“We will continue to monitor progress and keep pressure on the organising committee and the other responsible parties looking to ensure that all problems are resolved. While we appreciate what has been done in the past few days, there is still a considerable amount of work to be done, which must be sustained throughout the Games,” he added.

He also elaborated on his meeting with the cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, where officials from central and Delhi government were also present. “I outlined to them that some of the key concerns of the CGF and our member countries: fire evacuation plans, the installation of rate card items, transportation operations, and the communication infrastructure, particularly an effective WiFi system,” Fennell said.