Kalmadi still not lost on India hosting Olympics

Despite fiasco on the Commonwealth Games, Kalmadi's mood remains upbeat.

trithesh

Trithesh Nandan | September 30, 2010



Suresh Kalmadi has not lost hope and appetite for getting India to host big sporting event. Despite criticisms from all nook and cranny on the shoddy preparations for the Commonwealth Games, Kalmadi the chairman, organising committee-CWG 2010 Delhi hoped to bring the world biggest event - Olympics - to India.

It seemed like Kalmadi was on a curative course for the CWG after having lambasted by the media. He seemed to move away from poor infrastructural readiness, snakes found in the games village, stains on the walls and all that has earned him and his team jeers from all quarters.

Bringing Olympics to India is his goal now. “The biggest legacy (of CWG) is Olympics. Cricket is the most popular sport in our country but it is played by just 10 countries. Olympics has all sports. We have to ensure that Olympics come up. This is our opportunity and CWG will help,” he said.   

Kalmadi spoke at the 2nd global sports summit “Turf 2010” organised by FICCI in New Delhi on Thursday.

Refuting all allegations about the disarray that the CWG village preparations have been in, he said the nfrastructure there was world class. According to Kalmadi, “All the infrastructure that has been put up is world class; the Games village is the finest anywhere. All the athletes that have arrived to date have moved in to the village and all the Commonwealth countries are participating in CWG 2010.”

The Games, he said, have given a great legacy to the people of Delhi. "The city has gone ahead by 10 years. The challenge, post the Games, would be to utilise optimally the infrastructure that has been created,” Kalmadi added.

Kalmadi has been a focal point of scrutiny from every side in the last few months many alleging him to have brought shame upon the country. Recently, he was mocked by four young men when he was dining at the south Delhi restaurant. “The young men said that he (Kalmadi) had ordered food from taxpayers' money which he stole,” Mid-day reported on Thursday.

“The Organising Committee had only Rs 1600 crore budget for running of the Games. It was responsible for the travel of the athletes, their security, hospitality and the organisation of the various games,”

"I am ready for any inquiry, post the Games. In fact, an inquiry must be held, to get to the bottom of the truth,” he said in response to the allegations of corruptions.

But while he was very candid for any future inquiry, he did not reply to any questions that the media was eager to have him answer.

Also, he did not have an answer to international think-tank Moody talking of the beaten image of India with the extensive media coverage of the inadequate preparations for the Games.

From the third floor of FICCI to his car at the ground, media kept on asking questions. But he only maintained Narasimha Rao’s famous dignified silence.

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