2010 Commonwealth Games

The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the nineteenth edition of the Commonwealth Games, and the ninth to be held under that name. The Games are scheduled to be held in New Delhi, India between 3 October and 14 October 2010. The games will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in New Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Dehli. It will also be the first time the Commonwealth Games will be held in India and the second time the event has been held in Asia (after 1998).
In addition to the Commonwealth Games, the city of Pune, India hosted the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games between October 12 and 18, 2008. The Youth Games offered nine sports: athletics, badminton, boxing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling.

XIX Commonwealth Games
Logo of 2010 Commonwealth Games
Host city	New Delhi, India
Motto	COME OUT AND PLAY
Nations participating	72 Commonwealth Teams
Athletes participating	TBA
Events	17 disciplines
Opening ceremony	3 October
Closing ceremony	14 October
Officially opened by	President of India
Queen's Baton Final Runner	TBA
Main Stadium	Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
Website	www.cwgdelhi2010.org

Games Preparation

In January 2005, the Commonwealth Games Federation vice-president Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was behind schedule in forming an organising committee. On 18 January 2008, however, the Commonwealth Games Federation expressed its approval of Delhi's progress.^[2]
On 15 October 2009, Jarnail Singh, a former Secretary of the Government of India was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Organising Committee.^[3]
India's Sports Minister will head the apex committee for conducting the games while the Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi will head the organising committee. The Games will be held from the 3rd to 14 October 2010.
The total budget estimated for hosting the 19th Commonwealth is US$ 1.6 billion and this amount excludes non sports related infrastructure development in the city like airports,roads and other structures. This makes the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever (compared to Manchester 2002 - approx. US$420 million, and Melbourne 2006 - approx. US$ 1.1 billion).

Energy consumption

To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the Games and to end chronic power cuts in Delhi, the government is undertaking a large power-production initiative to increase power production to 7,000 MW (from the current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi, and construct new power plants. In fact, the government has promised that by 2010, Delhi will have a surplus of power

Mascot - Shera

Shera, mascot of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, is the most visible face of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. His name comes from the Hindi word Sher – meaning tiger. Shera truly represents the modern Indian. He is an achiever with a positive attitude, a global citizen but justifiably proud of his nation’s ancient heritage, a fierce competitor but with integrity and honesty. Shera is also a ‘large-hearted gentleman’ who loves making friends and enthusing people to ‘come out and play’.
In Indian mythology, the tiger is associated with Goddess Durga, the embodiment of Shakti (or female power) and the vanquisher of evil. She rides her powerful vehicle – the tiger – into combat, especially in her epic and victorious battle against Mahishasur, a dreaded demon.
Shera embodies values that the nation is proud of: majesty, power, charisma, intelligence and grace. His athletic prowess, courage and speed on the field are legendary. He is also a reminder of the fragile environment he lives in and our responsibility towards the protection of his ecosystem.

Participating nations

There are currently 71 nations planning to field teams at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In alphabetical order, these nations are:

Anguilla  Antigua and Barbuda  Australia  Bahamas  Bangladesh  Barbados  Belize  Bermuda  Botswana  British Virgin Islands  Brunei  Cameroon  Canada  Cayman Islands  Cook Islands  Cyprus  Dominica  England

Falkland Islands  Gambia  Ghana  Gibraltar  Grenada  Guernsey  Guyana  India  Isle of Man  Jamaica  Jersey  Kenya  Kiribati  Lesotho  Malawi  Malaysia  Maldives

Malta  Mauritius  Montserrat  Mozambique  Namibia  Nauru  New Zealand  Nigeria  Niue  Norfolk Island  Northern Ireland  Pakistan  Papua New Guinea  Saint Helena  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa

Scotland  Seychelles  Sierra Leone  Singapore  Solomon Islands  South Africa  Sri Lanka  Swaziland  Tanzania  Tokelau  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Turks and Caicos Islands  Tuvalu  Uganda  Vanuatu  Wales  Zambia

Sports

There are 17 disciplines planned for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Aquatics Archery Athletics (track and field) Badminton Boxing Cycling

Gymnastics Hockey Lawn Bowls Netball Rugby sevens Shooting

Squash Table Tennis Tennis Weightlifting Wrestling

Venues

Existing and new stadia will be used to house the following sports: Archery, Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) Events, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby sevens, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling. Specific venues for 2010 games^[18] in Delhi are following:

• Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium - Opening and Closing ceremonies, Athletics, Lawn bowls, Weightlifting
• Dhyan Chand National Stadium - Hockey
• Indira Gandhi Arena - Archery, Cycling, Gymnastics, Wrestling
• Delhi University sports complex - Rugby sevens
• Tyagaraj Sports Complex - 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