“Incredible India” is in danger of not delivering the 2010 Commonwealth Games, according to the unbalanced reports in the western media. The Games are due to open on Sunday Oct 3.  

The sensational reports  by the western media  kept bombarding readers and viewers with reports of unliveable conditions in the Games Village, doubts over security, dirty toilets, and intruding snakes and monkeys. The Games village is situated along the Yamuna river and close to parks and has access to high-speed broadband connection.

Twenty-four-hour TV channels repeatedly showed what they claimed as unhygienic conditions that may cause diseases and injuries to 7,000 athletes and officials from the 71 countries of the former British Empire, particularly I suppose to those who are used to clinically sterile conditions and genetically modified food.  

Several award-winning athletes like triple jump champion Philip Idowu of the UK have pulled out from the games for reasons of security, fear of infections and diseases due to unliveable conditions, according to media reports. Athletes are supposed to be made of sterner stuff. One role of sport is to promote international relations. A great opportunity is lost for building better international understanding by those boycotting the Games.

queen elizabeth The Queen, the Head of the Commonwealth, will not be opening the games. She will be represented by Prince Charles. But shouldn’t Pratibha Patil, President of India, be opening the games? The Empire still rules? The Queen ( right ) has not missed the Games since 1966.  

To add to the woes, a pedestrian bridge collapsed last week, injuring 27 people. This made headline news again. India responded  - an inquiry has been ordered, the firm that built the bridge has been blacklisted and the army has been called in for its expertise.

 

The engineers in the Indian army will be able to build the bridge in three days, said the editor of the Times of India in a BBC programme on Sunday Sept 24. The might, strength and expertise of the Indian army is not to be underestimated.

Not wanting in expertise

India is not wanting in its expertise and capabilities. Indian engineers are in demand globally. Some of the world’s architectural wonders are in India - the Taj Mahal, the Ajanta and Ellora cave shrines, and the Golden Temple, to name a few.

Journalists and broadcasters working in the western media have predicted that “for Delhi’s Games, catastrophe could be imminent”. Indian media have shown no sympathy either. The organisers of the Games have been mauled and there has been no let-up on the Indian government or the politicians.  

Allegations of corruption, mistreatment of construction workers and budget overruns have dominated the news on the Delhi Games. Press freedom is most admirable in democratic India unlike in totalitarian China.  

In the last week, Indian media have turned up the heat on Mike Hooper, the CEO of the Commonwealth Games who has lived in India since 2008, in the lead up to the games. Hooper is from New Zealand. The Times of India , in raising issues of accountability related to Hooper, has claimed that he has been living it up royally even as the games preparations were floundering. Ultimately, India is responsible for the Delhi Games.

Last week the Games Village where the athletes will be staying was described as “unliveable” but today it is being called “world class”. Athletes from Kenya, New Zealand, the UK and Canada have moved into the village and are happy with the conditions.  

England’s chef-de-mission, Craig Hunter, told the media that the village was better than the one at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. “It is spectacular,”, he was reported as saying last week. He added that India has given a challenge for the London Olympics in 2012.

Despite the worst monsoon rains in 20 years that have delayed the construction work, India has created  stadiums and other venues for the Games. However, TV cameras have turned their attention to stones, debris and puddles which are being cleaned up.

 

But there are those who are positive, brushing off the western media’s criticism of the Commonwealth Games 2010 as plunging into a crisis. The preparations for the Games are being brought into perspective - that it’s like an Indian wedding. Chaos rules but there will certainly be a happy ending.

Athletes will arrive at India’s new Terminal Three which some commentators state “is better than Heathrow”. The airport was opened on time and constructed within the allocated budget. Credit for this has gone to E. Sreedharan, an honest public official. He gives away his RM2,500 monthly salary to charity and lives on his pension.  

Little attention to positive aspects

While allegations of corruption and mismanagement have been blamed for the delays in the preparations of the Games, scant attention has been accorded to the positive aspects.

 

But there are many Indians like Gopichand Hinduja, the British Indian billionaire, as well as foreigners, who believe that the Games will turn out well.

India, as they say, is unstoppable. It is the world’s second fastest growing economy. India has a strong 170 million middle class, half of the population of the US. Their demand for branded consumer products, luxury vehicles and glass-domed shopping malls is growing astronomically. I was in Gurgoan, one of Delhi’s major satellite cities in May this year. The shopping malls in Gurgaon displayed  more international brands than Indian goods!

The road works go on 24 hours, impressive offices of multinationals dot the skylines... But there is another India too - the poor. They will be not be seen during the games. Many countries including Malaysia have hidden the not so beautiful sights of poverty when they host major events that attract foreign visitors.

NONE But with sustained economic growth for years to come, India offers many opportunities. The middle class is expected to grow, poverty reduced and a mass market for consumer products is in the making. Last July, British Premier David Cameron ( left ) brought his cabinet to India. President Obama will visit the country this year.

These western leaders know India will continue to grow as a superpower. India is not a failed state. The will and spirit of the Indians will deliver  a successful 2010 Commonwealth Games.  Athletes and visitors will love New Delhi, the garden city, but expect some sand from the Thar desert.

JOSIE M FERNANDEZ is currently an Asian Public Intellectual Fellow, director of Philanthropy Asia,  and researcher. Working on sustainability, philanthropy and anti-corruption actions are some of her current passions, besides writing.