The Queen's Baton Relay for next month's Commonwealth Games on Friday arrived at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai amid much fanfare.
Uncertainty loomed large over Delhi hosting the Queen's Baton Relay for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as the Indian Olympic Association has sought the deferment of the event from October 12-13 because of security issues.
Starting the 100-day countdown to this year's Commonwealth Games, the Queen's Baton Relay arrived in India from Pakistan through the historic Wagah Border in Amristar, on Friday. Chairman of the CWG Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi, received the baton from Pakistan Olympic Association president Lt Gen Syed Arif Hassan at the international border, where the Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell was also present.
The Queen's Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games on Monday entered Jammu and Kashmir from Punjab after it was received by state's Sports Minister R S Chib at Lakhanpur -- 90 kms from Jammu.
The Queen's Baton Relay for 2010 Commonwealth Games would pass through Kurukshetra, Rohtak and Hisar in Haryana between September 26 and September 30 before reaching its final destination Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar's Indian roots have earned him the honour of being a part of the October 29 Queen's Baton Relay to launch next year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Despite the presence of legendary sprinter Milkha Singh, cricketer Kapil Dev and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, the Queen's Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games received a cold response in Chandigarh, on Saturday.
The Baton, which will stay in India for two days on October 12 and 13, will not, however, be taken in a relay by sportspersons, as is done normally, following IOA's decision to curtail the events here as there will not be adeqaute security arrangements in view of the Dussehra festival.
The Queen's Baton might have traversed 170,000 Km across the globe without raising a speck of dust, but a barely 24 hour halt in Lucknow propelled the prestigious Commonwealth Games symbol into the thick of a controversy with none other than the Sahara India group in the eye of the storm.
Athletes, politicians and students carried the Queen's Baton past major Delhi landmarks on Friday as the symbolic relay neared the end of a global journey two days ahead of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
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The Queen's Baton of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games was taken at the historic India Gate by the country's top sportspersons in a low-key event on the first day of its India stop on Saturday.
Images from the XIX Commonwealth Games baton handing over ceremony outside Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday.
Canada's sporting legends and upcoming prospects were in attendance when this year's Commonwealth Games' Queen's Baton arrived in Toronto last week.
As the Queen's Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games continues its 100-day journey through the country, Olympic bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh on Wednesday demanded that it should also make a stopover in his hometown Bhiwani.
Indian sportspersons will be deprived of a chance to hold the Queen's Baton of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and run in the relay on October 12-13 in a solemn ceremony as Indian Olympic Association on Thursday decided to make the ceremony a low-key affair due to lack of security arrangements.
CBI on Monday registered two cases in connection with alleged irregularities during the Queen's Batons Relay in London and carried out searches at CWG Organising Committee's office and at residences of some of the Games' former officials.
Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi, who is under the scanner of the CBI, on Thursday refused to talk about the Queen's Baton Relay controversy and said he has not been summoned by the CBI back home in India.
India's Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra will receive the Commonwealth Games baton from Queen Elizabeth II with President Pratibha Devisingh Patil in attendance at Buckingham Palace on October 29.
Four-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand will be among the few sportspersons who will welcome the Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) for the Delhi Commonwealth Games when it reaches Chennai on Friday.
Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal, shooter Gagan Narang and India cricketer VVS Laxman were among several sportspersons who were the part of the Queen's Baton Relay that arrived in Hyderabad on Saturday.
In a bid to clear his name from any possible corruption taint, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi wrote a letter to Congress MPs ahead of the debate in Parliament, denying any financial irregularities in conducting the Queen's Baton Relay.
The Central Bureau of Investigation, on Tuesday said that it has collected concrete documentary evidence against the CWG organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
India has a large contingent of 619 athletes for the Commonwealth Games, comprising 379 male athletes and 240 female athletes.
'Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi would like to state that we have followed due diligence in making all payments, getting the clearances from the Executive Board and from Reserve Bank of India for incurring the expenditure in foreign currency. All remittances happened against this clearance,' OC spokesperson Lalit Bhanot said in a statement.
Senior officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation looking into the financial irregularities of the Commonwealth Games told rediff.com that they had enough evidence to prosecute Suresh Kalmadi, the sacked chairman of the Commonwealth Organising Committee.
Commonwealth Games Organising Committee official M Jayachandran, arrested for alleged financial bungling in holding the Queen Baton's Relay (QBR) in London in 2009, was granted bail by the Delhi high court on Wednesday. Justice Hima Kohli granted bail to Jayachandran, a key aide of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi following the CBI's failure to wind up the probe and file the charge sheet in the case within the stipulated 60-day period.
Commonwealth Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalamdi was on Wednesday questioned by the CBI in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the conduct of the sports event.
The CBI on Monday stepped into the Commonwealth Games corruption muddle and arrested two sacked senior officials of the Games Organising Committee on charges of forgery and cheating relating to the Queen's Baton Relay in London last year.
The mystery surrounding the Indian high commission e-mail, which triggered the corruption storm that has engulfed the Commonwealth Games, is getting more intriguing as the official who originally received it has refused to confirm or deny its authenticity.The e-mail, sent by an IHC protocol official Raju Sebastian, recommended various service providers for the London launch of the Queen's Baton Relay. It was made public by CWG Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi.
Suspended Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) Joint Director General T S Darbari will appear before the Enforcement Directorate at 11.30 a.m. on Monday and is expected to be quizzed over the financial irregularities case pertaining to the 2010 Games.
Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Mike Hooper has termed the controversy over preparations as "unfortunate" and said focus should be on delivering "great Games" next year.
CWG organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi's close aide Sanjay Mahendroo, who had been arrested for alleged bunglings in the Queen's Baton relay in London in 2009, was released here on bail on Saturday evening following a court order.
Widening its probe into alleged violations of the country's forex laws in the run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the Enforcement Directorate may now summon Secretary General of Organising Committee Lalit Bhanot.
Denying any role in the alleged money trail during the Queen's Baton Relay (QBR) launch in London last year, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) Director General VK Verma on Thursday held sacked officials T S Darbari and Sanjay Mohindroo responsible for all the deals at that time.
T S Darbari, the Commonwealth Games' Joint-Director General, who was sacked in the wake of the corruption scandal that has hit October's extravaganza in Delhi, sought to clear himself any wrongdoing on Wednesday, saying he was not involved in any dealing with A M Films and is being made a 'scapegoat'.
Acting on the persistent plea of the Sports Ministry, the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on Monday terminated the services of its tainted Joint Director General T S Darbari in the wake of the corruption scandal that has rocked the event.
Suspended Organising Committee Joint Director General T S Darbari claims he is not involved in the Queen's Baton Relay financial irregularities case and has become a victim of media campaign.
India has reversed its decision to pull out its hockey teams from next year's Birmingham Commonwealth Games and will compete in the multi-sport quadrennial event 'if they qualify', a Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) official said on Saturday.
Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Monday said the Indian Olympic Association would be asked to elect a new president in case incumbent Suresh Kalmadi is arrested by the CBI and threatened intervention by the Ministry if the IOA fails to act.
Sacked Chairman of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Suresh Kalmadi is likely to be questioned by CBI on Wednesday in connection with Queen's Baton Relay scam after the agency received fresh papers from the UK.
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