Allaying concerns on the slow pace of infrastructure development for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Suresh Kalmadi on Wednesday said all the construction work for the mega event would be completed by December 2009. Kalmadi, also the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman, reiterated that the preparations are on schedule. "We are bang on schedule and all the infrastructure development would be over by December 2009," Kalmadi told reporters in New Delhi. The IOA chief also oozed confidence on India winning the bid to host the 2020 Olympics. "The bid will be decided in 2013 and I think we are well on course to showcasing ourselves as a good venue to host the Olympics," he said. Kalmadi said the first step towards showcasing India as a world-class venue was the Commonwealth Youth Games scheduled from October 12 to 18 in Pune. "The Youth Games are a build-up to CWG 2010 which are just 800 days away. This will be the third edition of the Youth Games but it is for the first time that all the Commonwealth countries have confirmed participation," he said. The previous two editions of the Youth Games were held in England and Australia and not even half of the Commonwealth nations participated in them.
