Commonwealth Games committee joins hands with FICCI

October 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. M S Gill on Monday said he will ask the government to release more funds for the Commonwealth Games.

October 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The meeting of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly commenced here today. The meeting is being attended by Vice Patron of the CGF, Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.

October 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amid skepticism over New Delhi's preparedness for holding the Commonwealth Games next year, Vice Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Prince Edward- the Earl of Wessex, visited various sites here to assess the preparations on Sunday. Prince Edward, who was escorted by officials of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, visited the games village, the National Stadium and Commonwealth Games Headquarters to assess progress ahead of the mega event to be held in October 2010.

October 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Commonwealth Games Organising Committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot has said that the visiting CGF delegation was confident that all infrastructure in New Delhi would be put in place before the deadline. Delegates from all the 71 member nations of the CGF are presently in New Delhi ahead of the CGF General Assembly on October 12.

October 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amid mounting concern over New Delhi's slow preparation for the Commonwealth Games next year, a team of the games' committee on Thursday visited the Thyagraj Stadium, which is expected to open at the end of December. Led by Mike Fennell, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the team also visited the games village to assess the progress there.

October 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Secretary general of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Lalit Bhanot said Thursday that India will support Fiji's membership to be retained for the 2010 Games here. "India is supporting Fiji's membership.

October 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Air India on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Commonwealth Organising Committee for being the official carrier of the Commonwealth Games 2010. The 2010 Commonwealth Games will be held between 3 and 14 of October in New Delhi, and will be India's first major international sports event after the 1982 Asian Games.

October 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The countdown for the Commonwealth Games, to be hosted by India in 2010, is marked by the unveiling of a Commonwealth clock. The 12-day event, which starts from October 3, 2010, at the 75,000-capacity Jawaharal Nehru Stadium in the heart of New Delhi, will be India's first major international sports event after the 1982 Asian Games.

September 25th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Chairman of 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) Suresh Kalmadi Friday said the various sub-committees will have to work towards a succcesful conduct of the Games. We have to go in full speed to ensure the Commonwealth Games next year are the best, Kalmadi told chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the 23 sub-committees formed to help conduct the Games.

September 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Calling it a matter of pride for the nation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said his government would spare no effort to ensure that the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be hosted here are successfully conducted. "The government is fully aware that national prestige is at stake, and it would provide complete support to the Organising Committee," Manmohan Singh said during a meeting with Commonwealth Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, according to a statement issued by the committee.

September 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday rebutted criticism of her government's efforts on preparations for the Commonwealth Games to be held in the national capitalext year. Reacting to Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell's concerns about the organizing committee's ability to deliver, Dikshit said that she had not received or read Fennell's letter to Suresh Kalmadi, but was confident that the games preparations are going as per schedule.

September 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A four-month old Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report seems to have alarmed Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell so much that he shot off a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to seek the intervention of the Prime Minister in the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. A top official of the organising committee told IANS that the CAG report had details of last year's preparation but development work including construction of venues and organisation have improved rapidly in the last few month.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A major chunk of the Rs.2,264 crore ($453 million) allotted for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in this year's union budget will be spent to renovate stadiums. About Rs.1,385 crore will be spent for renovation of Sports Authority of India (SAI) stadiums while Rs.180 crore will be utilised in preparing athletes for the games that will be held here Oct 3-14 next year.

June 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The organising committee of the 2010 Commonwealth Games launched a green games initiative on World Environment day here Friday. Jasmine saplings on behalf of 71 participating nations were planted in the "Commonwealth Garden of 71".

May 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Chairman of the organising Committee of Commonwealth Games, Suresh Kalmadi has said that India is ahead of the deadline in the completion of the all facilities to host the Commonwealth Games at New Delhi in 2010. Addressing a press conference after visiting a couple of sites here on Friday, Kalmadi said, "As the Chairman of the managing committee of the Commonwealth Games, I'm telling you that the things are on track and everything is on schedule and some things are ahead of schedule." As far as the security is concerned, he mentioned that India is well prepared and none of the participating nations need to worry on this aspect.