ABSTRACT
Before the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Delhi CWG in India, the newspapers around the world were filled with negative stories about the organizational capability and readiness of the organizing committee. Before the Games, there were issues with leaking roofs, a col lapsed bridge, and faeces in the athletes’ village. There were even rumours that delegations would pull out. Some athletes did choose not to attend the Games; but in the end, all dele gations went. It seemed so bad that the president of India got personally involved; and with the president of the CGF, Mr Michael Fennel, they pooled their collective resources and political weight to get India “ready” for the opening ceremonies. By the opening ceremo nies, all seemed somewhat in place, at least from a building perspective. The opening ceremonies were found to be highly colourful and quite beautiful, display ing the culture of India in all its splendour. When he spoke, the organizing committee president was booed by the crowd because of seemingly giving India a bad name – there were sponsorship and bribing/favouritism allegations linked to him and key members of his staff. But the president of India was wildly cheered for her efforts when she took to the podium. During the closing ceremonies, the crowd (composed of residents, dignitaries, the media, and delegations) were in a good mood. They often cheered. There was a sense that this was just the beginning for India. The highly popular Games mascot, Shera the Tiger, was even given an emotional farewell as the mascot toured the stadium during the closing ceremonies.
