Organisers of this year's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi have promised tight security during the October event after bomb blasts in Bangalore at the weekend raised safety concerns. At least 10 people were wounded when two bombs exploded on Saturday outside a packed cricket stadium in Bangalore, increasing fears about further terrorist attacks in the country.
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Amid apprehensions about the quality of the venues and preparedness of sporting facilities, the Commonwealth Games organisers declared that all venues for the mega-event are ready and the Games would be a huge success.
India scrambled against the clock to save the Commonwealth Games after big ticket athletes quit the showcase event and nations threatened to stay home unless authorities cleaned venues 'unfit for human habitation'.
Fiji will lodge an appeal against their exclusion from the 2010 Commonwealth Games with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Athletes from the Pacific Island nation have been banned from competing at next year's Games in India after Commonwealth leaders, meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, upheld an earlier decision to exlude Fiji. The Commonwealth suspended Fiji in September after the nation failed to meet a deadline for opening talks on a return to democracy.
Home advantage notwithstanding, Indian boxers will have their task cut out when they take the ring in this year's Commonwealth Games as a record 304 international pugilists are set to participate in the October 3 to 14 megaevent.
While Australia stamped their mark at the Commonweath Games, India not only won hearts but also finished second in the medals tally. Our Correspondent Harish Kotian reviews the Commonwealth Games.
The 19th edition of the Commonwealth Games kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi, on Sunday.
India unveiled a refurbished hockey stadium, the first venue to be completed for this year's Commonwealth Games and promised all other facilities would be ready in time for the October 3-14 event in New Delhi. India came under severe criticism after construction of several venues, including the athletes' village, fell behind schedule, forcing the postponement or shifting of many international meets planned as test events.
Cricket's last appearance at the Games was at Kuala Lumpur in 1998, when a South African team featuring Jacques Kallis won the men's 50-over competition.
The IOA will push for tennis, archery, rowing, canoeing and kayaking, basketball and judo at the general body meeting of the federation in Melbourne next month.
No Indian function is complete without a sumptuous spread of food. Fortunately, the controversy-ridden Commonwealth Games Organising Committee will maintain that tradition when guests descend in New Delhi for the October 3-14 extravaganza.
Canada's sporting legends and upcoming prospects were in attendance when this year's Commonwealth Games' Queen's Baton arrived in Toronto last week.
The star pull-outs from this year's Commonwealth Games continue with French Open finalist Samantha Stosur becoming the latest to decide against competing in the Delhi event to focus on top WTA tournaments. The Australian tennis ace joins the country's top male tennis player Lleyton Hewitt in pulling out of the Games, according to an Australian Associated Press report.
Olympic and World champion sprinter Usain Bolt said the final call on his participation in the Delhi event would be taken by his coach next summer.
Images from the XIX Commonwealth Games baton handing over ceremony outside Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday.
Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters carrying combat commandos armed with snipers and assault rifles are likely to be roped in to keep a hawk-eye vigil over Delhi during the next year's Commonwealth Games. The Home Ministry has approached the Defence Ministry to provide at least seven to eight helicopters for surveillance of the Delhi sky during the fortnight-long sporting event.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games should remain in India despite growing concerns about security in the country and neighbouring Pakistan, a top Australian sports official said on Wednesday. Speculation about the Games, which are due to be held in New Delhi from October 3-14, 2010, has intensified since last year's attacks on Mumbai and Tuesday's bloody ambush of the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan.
The NRI industrialist said New Delhi has excellent infrastructure and had successfully hosted the Asian Games in 1982.
Jharkhand, led by Commonwealth Games gold medalists Lovely Choubey and Rupa Tirkey, dominated the lawn bowls competition at the National Games in Dehradun, winning three gold medals. The state's women's fours team defeated West Bengal in the final, while Jharkhand also secured gold in the men's pairs and women's U-25 singles events.
The airline signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday with the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee to be the official carrier during the Games, which is scheduled to be held between October 3 and 14, 2010.
Former World No 1 doubles shuttler Chirag Shetty termed the exclusion of badminton from the 2026 Commonwealth Games curriculum a wrong decision.
Jamaican sprint great Usain Bolt has no plans to extend his career beyond this year's world championships in London and has ruled out a return to Australia for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
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Athletes to watch at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games:
The 33-year-old midfielder from Punjab, a place synonymous with Indian hockey folklore, now stands as the second-highest capped Indian men's player of all time, behind only former Captain and current Hockey India President Dr. Dilip Tirkey (412 caps).
Schedule of Indian athletes in the 20th Commonwealth Games on Monday (July 29).
A makeover for the national capital is something that is no longer just an idea. With less than four years left for the Commonwealth Games, the state government hopes to give it a completely new look by then.
Cricket has been the driving force behind change in the sporting ecosystem in India but women's participation in other sports in the country still needs more support and platforms for exposure.
Rediff.com's Norma Godinho and Laxmi Negi glance at the athletes and disciplines likely to win medals for India at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games have been a happy hunting ground for Indian athletes, who shine in the absence of world-class competition. Some young Indians can once again relish the opportunity to go for gold, feels Dhruv Munjal.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya presented the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award to badminton stars Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
Cricket's absence from Commonwealth Games will continue at least until the 2018 Games in Australia after the International Cricket Council (ICC) turned down an invitation from the governing body of the multi-sport event.
Photos from the 20th Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
B Sumeeth Reddy, a member of the 2022 Commonwealth Games mixed team silver medal-winning squad, has announced his retirement as an active badminton player to focus entirely on coaching.
The opening ceremony of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, on October 3, will have a spiritual touch. Azaan, Vedic and Buddhist chants will be played in the background as performers, wearing costumes depicting different aspects of the pluralist character of India, present the theme song Swagatan in different Indian languages.
The Athletics Federation of India announced a 25-member contingent.
Rani Rampal will captain an 18-strong Indian women's team, while experienced goalkeeper Savita will shoulder the duties of vice-captain at next month's Commonwealth Games
