Opinion Get your Games on
The opening ceremony tends to be etched in public memory.
With the rain gods finally letting up and the sun shining down on the upcoming Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games,attention has moved to the Games themselves. And while public perception remains largely negative,dont be surprised if the Games end up exceeding expectations,both on and off the field. It depends on whether the CWG 2010 Organising Committee,the National Capital Region (NCR) and its machinery and the country as a whole come together and channel the energy and buzz in a positive direction towards the on-field competitive quality,the uniqueness of many of the disciplines on display,and of course,the spanking new stadiums that have been refurbished to almost unrecognisable levels of aesthetics and sophistication.
The opening and closing ceremonies of such global events often set the tone for whats to follow,and etch their way into everyones impression of how the event itself was conducted. Although with the Olympics,the FIFA World Cup,and other events where the competition is top-notch,a poor opening or closing ceremony can often be overcome by a scintillating performance ( like the gold medal ice hockey game between the US and Canada at the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010),for the most part,a gaffe or a blooper can irreversibly damage the reputation of an event. While the CWG,over the years,have neither the budgets nor the global audience needed to justify expenditure to the tune of a billion dollars,they manage nonetheless to put on a good show.
One hopes that Delhi 2010s opening ceremony will also showcase the NCR and the countrys 5000-year-old culture and tradition in a befitting manner. One should note that a dazzling display of opulence and animatronics at the Beijing Olympics served a different purpose: an emphatic announcement that China was the economic superpower of the world,and could afford to spend the rumoured $58.5 billion as a carte blanche marketing expense,never mind the speculation that the infrastructure created and developed for the Olympics is now in a state of neglect and disarray. CWG Delhi 2010 has no such luxury,especially now that each expense by the OC is subjected to intense scrutiny and widespread debate. However,Delhi should take heart from two of its predecessors: Kuala Lumpur (CWG 1998),and Manchester (CWG 2002). While Kuala Lumpur used the CWG to catapult itself into the upper echelons of sports nations,Manchester took on the CWG to repair its torn image and economy and to develop/ refurbish sports infrastructure,and also to show the world that it was ready to host the CWG. Both were successful within these parameters,and hopefully Delhi will be too.
On October 3,2010,the Queens Baton Relay (QBR) will conclude its journey across the 70 Commonwealth nations. As of now,it is planned that Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra will carry the baton into the national stadium,and hand it over to Prince Charles (as the Queens nominee) for him to officially open CWG 2010. The QBR itself has an intriguing history. It was first introduced at the 1958 CWG,the baton containing a message from the Queen to the participating athletes. Until the 1998 Kuala Lumpur games,the QBR would only visit the host nation and the United Kingdom prior to the Queens message being read at the opening ceremonies to officially declare the Games open. Since the Kuala Lumpur games,however,the QBR now traipses through all 70 Commonwealth nations,passing through the hands of numerous dignitaries,celebrities,athletes,and others. This is similar in many ways to the Olympic torch relay,although the historical significance of the latter is somewhat better documented and understood. The QBR for the Delhi 2010 Games commenced on October 29,2009 at the Buckingham Palace,and entered India via Pakistan at the Wagah border on June 25,2010. Its timing unfortunately,coincided with the public outbreak of unhappiness,and so the relay itself has jogged under the radar. It has been an extremely well-organised national segment,and surprisingly popular at the local and regional levels,due perhaps to the absence of negative publicity.
CWG 2010 has until now been considered the nations folly and the consensus has been the country is simply not ready to host an event of this magnitude. All of this will change,however,if October 3 imprints itself upon the perception of India and the world. If it conveys to all those who watch,critique or applaud Welcome to CWG 2010. Ready at last,set to soar,and finally a force to be reckoned with in the world of sports. Swagatham.
The writer is a Delhi-based sports attorney. Views are personal
express@expressindia.com
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