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Commonwealth 2010 in Delhi: the uncommon dividends

  •A complete infrastructure of stadiums covering most sports: Nehru Stad...

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The sporting merits may still be up for debate, but there are few doubts that the Commonwealth Games 2010, to be held in Delhi, could mean a radical makeover for the national capital. And anyone who has seen Delhi before the 1982 Asiad will say amen to that. Here’s a sample:

WHAT APPU BROUGHT IN:
•A complete infrastructure of stadiums covering most sports: Nehru Stadium, Talkatora pool, IG Indoor, DLTA…
•The Asiad Village, which now houses the city’s affluent middle-class
•Other events, once the world recognised that India could host a major do. The NAM conference followed the next year, CHOGM a year after that .
• The first set of flyovers, marking a revolution in the city’s traffic system
• Colour TV, so everyone can remember the games opening ceremony

WHAT’S BEEN PROMISED FOR 2010:

NEW STADIUMS: The Yamuna Sports Complex will have two arenas, each seating 7,000, for boxing and weightlifting
BETTER OLD STADIUMS: All the existing stadiums will be upgraded. And, as this paper highlighted recently, what’s needed is not so much a facelift as reconstructive surgery
ANOTHER GAMES VILLAGE: Near the Swaminarayan Temple complex in East Delhi, it will house 8,500 athletes and officials and will also eventually be sold to the public

MORE OF THE METRO: The best news, if you live across the river: the capital’s newest pride will be extended up to the Games Village to give athletes easy access to the venues
SMOOTH SURFACE: The bid documents are short on specifics but long on wider roads, more flyovers, a mass transit system, better pavements

— R Ramachandran.

 
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