Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

[Guest]

......and somewhere with a decent bridge.

How fucked up is this whole Commonwealth Games shit? Looking at the TV pictures, there looks to be no way in this world they'll have everything ready. What a palaver.

[ursus arctos]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

It does look increasingly dire.

When the Kiwis are the first to complain, you know things are bad, and the bridge collapse certainly hasn't helped (not to mention the tourists getting shot outside the mosque).

[Sean of the Shed]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Apparrently Phillips Idowu pulled out for security reasons. He was obviously freaked out by terrorist attacks, religious conflict, petty crime, extreme poverty and random acts of mindless violence.
God knows what he'll make of Glasgow in four years time.

[gt3]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

"How fucked up is this whole Commonwealth Games shit?"

Not very much apparently. Only 25% of the accomodation is needing a deep clean, which means 75% isn't. Let's not forget that they've just had the monsoon rains so things are bound to be a bit damp.

The rest of it is a media firestorm which will become a self fulfilling prophecy. Any one who's been to Delhi recently will know that the place is gearing up nicely.

[The Exploding Vole]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

You might want to tell that to the weightlifters.

[gt3]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Fair enough TEV, but again, it's only a few glitches - a few tiles fell off. Big deal. I reckon if that's all that is wrong come 2012 then we'll be doing well.

[blameless]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/9025907.stm

While the beeb has doubtless chosen photographs that show the worst-affected parts of the village, that's still absolutely shocking.

The place looks like one of these abandoned apartment buildings you see in Chernobyl documentaries.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

The Dehli underground's been extended efficiently, hasn't it? So it's embarrassing to get the Olympic Village wrong but the more long terms stuff is shaping up OK.

[gt3]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Absolutely Tubby. I doubt any of this would have been news but for the fact that we live in a 24/7 news era,and they needed something to fill the air space. Anyone with any first hand experience of Indian newspapers and tv news will know how sensationalist the tabloid media is.

And as for the Aussies saying that India should never have been awarded the Games...What, so it should only go to Western countries where you can stay in your comfort zone of expectations? Isn't one of the great things about the CG that they take place in all sorts of different places, and for many athletes it becomes an opportunity to experirnce different cultures?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

It looks from this like 83 new stations are being built. That's impressive. I'd have taken some shit in the Olympic Village in return for that.

http://www.delhimetrorail.com/project_updates.aspx

[gt3]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Man, the Delhi metro is incredible.

[Duncan Gardner]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

I'm looking forward to a strong Ultonia showing in the rowing (maybe our guys can offer lifts if the metro's fcuked), crown green bowling and er, small bore shooting. An improvement on 2006 is expected.

According to Five Live this morning, there are more crown green bowlers than gays in Norn Iron.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

What are the security concerns? Anything specific to now, or looking back to Mumbai? Or a convenient excuse?

[WOM]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

gt3 wrote:

And as for the Aussies saying that India should never have been awarded the Games...What, so it should only go to Western countries where you can stay in your comfort zone of expectations? Isn't one of the great things about the CG that they take place in all sorts of different places, and for many athletes it becomes an opportunity to experirnce different cultures?

I'm against any sort of games being held in countries that can ill afford them, but feel compelled ruin their own finances to host the rich relatives from abroad. See: Greece et al.

[Tactical Genius]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

GT3, I know the wester media would need little excuse to to print, "Darkies can't organise piss up in a brewery" stories, but not only are the pictures quite worrying, but the laid back attitude and comments from the Indian organisers is a massive surprise.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Orientals make good workers though. Did you see how efficient Bejing was?

The fact it cost $33bn dollars is nothing to do with it. It's that they know how to take orders.

[Bored Of Education]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

According to Five Live this morning, there are more crown green bowlers than gays in Norn Iron.

Is being gay an event now? I missed that memo

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

I was listening to a journalist from india on the radio and he was discussing this disaster, and basically the games has a minor corruption problem that boris yeltsin would be a bit embarrassed about.

[gt3]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

"...this disaster..."

Get a sense of perspective please.

The best articles I've read about all of this are Barney Ronay's in The Guardian on Saturday - here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2010/sep/25/commonwealth-games-phillips-idowu

and yesterday in The Observer this piece - http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/sep/25/commonwealth-games-delhi-planet-sport

[WOM]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Or perhaps, when it's a choice between sport and your health, sport just isn't really that important.

[wingco]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Yep. Barney Ronay has it right, I reckon. These games have been indisputably poorly managed and it's as well that the worldwide media response that shamed the organisers into a rapid response which appears to be just about doing the trick. But there has been a vulture-like glee with which media outlets have effectively disparaged third world workers for not bringing conditions up to first world scratch, a standard many of them could only dream of attaining for themselves. I also have a feeling that these games will turn out fine once they get going and a lot of the stars who have pulled out might well have cause to feel that they've missed out through over-caution.

[Eggchaser]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11433539

Pray for Mojo!

[Gerontophile]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

I would suggest, that if you are not actually there, you wont know what is true and what is not.

The Commonwealth games are usually shitty (in calibre of contestant), generally, but there are some seriously good events, possible (Womens 100 hurdles for one), and if you want to win stuff, you go anywhere.

Good luck to Delhi.

And, fucking hell, Glasgow is going to seem 4th world in comparison.

[trimster]

Wanted:- Big Stadium, lots of beds.........

Well, the good old Commonwealth Games certainly proved to be a popular talking point... nearly over now.

The media finally stopped talking about India's crapness in the last week or so, now that India has won thirty three gold medals...more than England!