2010 Commonwealth Games were nineteenth Commonwealth Games, and the ninth to be held under that name. 2010 Commonwealth Games were held in Delhi from 3rd to 14th October 2010. The games were considered to be the largest multi-sport event conducted in India, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. The opening ceremony as well as the closing ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games took place at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which was also the main venue for the entire event. It was for the first time that Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time the event was held in Asia (after 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).
Bidding for 2010 Commonwealth Games
The two principal bids for the 2010 Commonwealth Games were from Delhi, India and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. A ballot of members was held in November 2003 at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Delhi bid won by a margin of 46 votes to 22, confirming India`s first successful bid for the Games, while marking Canada`s to host its fifth games.
Organising Committee for 2010 Commonwealth Games
The main objective of the Organising Committee for 2010 Commonwealth Games was to infuse sports consciousness and culture in every Indian. Jarnail Singh, a former Secretary of the Government of India, was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi was appointed as head of the committee.
Venues for 2010 Commonwealth Games
Existing and new stadiums in Delhi were being used for the 2010 Commonwealth Games including
* Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - Athletics, lawn bowls, weightlifting
* Dhyan Chand National Stadium - Hockey
* Indira Gandhi Arena - Archery, cycling, gymnastics, wrestling
* Delhi University sports complex - Rugby sevens
* Thyagaraj Stadium - Netball
* Siri Fort Sports Complex - Badminton, Squash
* Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range - Shooting
* Talkatora Stadium - Boxing
* SPM Swimming Pool Complex - Aquatics
* RK Khanna Tennis Complex - Tennis
* Yamuna Sports Complex - Table tennis
Opening Ceremony of 2010 Commonwealth Games
Opening ceremony of 2010 Commonwealth Games was held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The ceremony began at 7:00 PM on 3rd of October 2010 and it ended at 11:00 PM. The colourful opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games displayed the diversified culture of India. Prince Charles and President of India Pratibha Patil officially declared the opening of the Games. The opening ceremony was also attended by the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. Official song of 2010 Commonwealth Games titled "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto" was composed by renowned Indian musician A.R. Rahman. The title of the song is based on game`s slogan, `Come out and play`. It was written by Mehboob in Hindi language and it also includes some English words.
Green Games
Logo for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games was being recognised as the first ever "Green Commonwealth Games". The organisers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Environment Programme to show the intention to host a `sustainable games` and to take the environment into consideration when constructing and renovating venues. Thyagaraj Stadium was intended to be a key example of environmentally-considered construction.
The Commonwealth Games village, located on the flood plains of the Yamuna River, has also been the subject of controversies about the flouting of ecological norms. After a prolonged legal battle between city residents and the state, construction was permitted to continue on the basis of an order of the Supreme Court of India in July 2009, which held that the government had satisfied the requirements of `due process of the law` by issuing public notice of its intention to begin construction work in September 1999 (a date four years prior to the acceptance of Delhi`s bid for the games). An anthropomorphic tiger called Shera was the mascot of 2010 Commonwealth Games. This name has been derived from the Hindi word Sher - meaning tiger. The logo and the look for the games were designed by Idiom Design and Consulting.
Queen`s Baton Relay
The Queen`s Baton relay began when the baton, which contains the message of Queen Elizabeth II message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29th of October 2009. The baton arrived at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on 3rd of October 2010, after visiting the other 70 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games.
Participating Nations of 2010 Commonwealth Games
There were 71 nations participating at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth Games and thus it did not participate in the Games. For the first time Rwanda also fielded a team for 2010 Commonwealth Games after becoming a member in the year 2009.
Sports of 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi featured 17 sports and these
were -
* Aquatics
* Archery
* Athletics
* Boxing
* Cycling (Road and Track)
* Gymnastics
* Lawn Bowls
* Netball
* Rugby Sevens
* Squash
* Table Tennis
* Tennis
* Wrestling
Medals Won by India in 2010 Commonwealth Games
In the 2010 Commonwealth Games India won 38 Gold medals, 27 Silver medals and 36 Bronze medals. With a total of 101 medals, India has secured the second position next to Australia that won a total of 177 medals.
Closing Ceremony of 2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games ended on 14th of October with a splendid and colourful closing ceremony. The closing ceremony of 2010 Commonwealth Games was much appreciated. The closing ceremony of the games featured both Indian as well as Scottish performers. The flag of Commonwealth Games was handed over to the representatives of Glasgow, Scotland that will host the next XX Commonwealth Games in the year 2014.