Commonwealth Games

Satisfied and excited about CWG: Kalmadi

Under attack from all quarters but defiant nonetheless, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Sunday said his enthusiasm for the event remains intact and he can’t wait for it to get started come October 3.

“I am a satisfied man. I am excited about the Games and can’t wait for it to start rolling,” Kalmadi said as he took a tour of the Village to oversee the last-minute work going on in the campus spread over 63.5 hectares.

Asked about the negative publicity that the Village got after foreign delegates complained about lack of hygiene and cleanliness, he said, “My job is to deliver the Games. The construction of venues was not done by me. I only wish if they were handed over to us much earlier and then we could have finished the overlaying works by now.”

“Look at the training area and great swimming pool. It took years to get all things done but I am satisfied with the way things have come about.”

Showing off the eight-lane 400-metre synthetic running track in the Village, Kalmadi said, “I have aimed to give the best facilities to the athletes. The Games will be a great affair.”

Asked about the last minute cleaning process that is going on at the residential towers in the Village, he said, “It will be completed soon. As far as water logging in some areas is concerned, it was because of the rains. Now that the sun has come out, water has receded and the rest has been pumped out.”