With the Parliament repeatedly rocked in the course of the week over issues of corruption surrounding the Commonwealth Games, questions are now being asked the world over whether Delhi will be the worst Games ever. Will India miserably fail the Commonwealth test, a failure that will serve as a death blow to India?s sports power ambitions? Where did it all go wrong and are there major lessons to be learnt from this dream gone sour? Is the Indian athlete the biggest loser in all of this? What can be done in the remaining 50-odd days to counter the growing sense of negativity?
First and most importantly, this piece aims to offer a corrective. It is written with the clearest intention that the Games per se aren?t bad at all. The Games are, indeed, capable of showcasing India before the world and it is ridiculous to blame the Games for the mess we find ourselves in. It is like saying cricket is ?bad? because some unscrupulous actors had decided to fix matches. Coming from this premise, I wish to suggest that the first and most important charge that stands to threaten the games is the charge of financial mismanagement. If the common man on the street is convinced that his hard-earned money is being swindled or wrongly spent, it is impossible for him to feel any enthusiasm for the Games.
In such circumstances, it is the responsibility of the Government of India, more than anyone else, to step in and salvage the situation. The immediate appointment of a committee comprising men of impeccable integrity like the finance secretary, the cabinet secretary, two of our younger ministers like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot and a leading figure from the opposition with sports administrative credentials like Arun Jaitley should be the starting point. It is impossible to point fingers at the figures mentioned here and they should be empowered to scrutinise spends from here on. Once spends have the sanction of this committee, there will be little doubt that such spends are necessary and legitimate.
Also, it is only the Government of India led by the Prime Minister that can appoint such a committee. And it can surely be conjectured that with a request coming from the PMO in as serious a national cause as this, there will be none who will refuse to accede to the request. In fact, to put it on record, I have already sounded out a few people mentioned above on the issue and all of them have expressed keenness to step up to the task if asked to do so. India, not the OC, it needs to be understood, is being shamed in front of the world. National interest, more than anything else, is at stake and correctives are an urgent necessity.
The other key point is the timing. There is, frankly, no more time to waste. With the Games village all set to become functional on September 14 and with international athletes coming into India from September 16, we have only a month left to set our house in order. A day wasted means the Games lose that much more credibility. CWG 2010 is a patient, which needs emergency treatment and the government of India is the only qualified doctor available. Before any of the major participating nations decide to raise a hue and cry and decide to boycott Delhi, citing the issues confronting the Games, revamping needs to be set in motion.
It is time to demonstrate to the world that we are committed to the Games and are determined not to let go of this opportunity.
Finally, it is important we come to terms with three important things: first, the world is watching us. We will only play into the hands of Western critics if we allow Delhi 2010 to drift further. Calls that we Indians aren?t capable of handling our new-found economic clout will then gather strength. Secondly, the dream of having a sports culture of our own will die a premature death if CWG 2010 is a disaster. And, finally, it is time to tell the world that we can surely set our house in order. Yes, things were allowed to drift,; but India is more than capable of pulling things back. A good Games and all of this negativity will appear a crazy dream that haunted us for a while.
?The writer is a cricket historian