London/New Delhi: The English badminton team's pull out from the World Championships got Home Minister P Chidambaram so angry that he showed up without security on the final day of the championships.
The message was clear: India is safe.
Now Suresh Kalmadi is taking that message to England.
"The Delhi Games are going to be the best ever Commonwealth Games so far. The budget we have been allocated is more than the budget for the entire sports ministry. In fact, our Games Village will be better than the one for the Beijing Olympics. I'm sure the athletes are going to love it,” Kalmadi told a group of British businessmen and investors at a meeting Wednesday.
Some of the best athletes in the world will be seen at the Games in Delhi but they need safety assurances before embarking on the journey to India..
“In Berlin, the mood was positive. Athletes want to go to Delhi but want assurances,” said President, Commonwealth Games Federation, Michael Fennel.
The other big question is if the venues will be ready in time. Reports suggest work is dangerously behind schedule but Kalmadi isn't worried confident that work will be complete in time.
“The venues will be ready by December, all of them by March, ten before testing between March and June,” says Kalmadi.
The Commonwealth Games baton will be handed over to India on the October 29 in London and will travel almost 200,000 km across all the Commonwealth countries before reaching Delhi for the opening ceremony.
(Inputs from Mendra Dorjey)
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