India, Fiji, under Commonwealth fire
Updated
The president of the Commonwealth Games Federation has warned New Delhi it can't afford any more delays if it wants to be ready to host next year's Commonwealth Games. The Federation has also announced that Fijian athletes will be excluded from the 2010 Games after Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth in September.
Presenter: Joanna McCarthy
Speakers: Michael Fenell, president, Commonwealth Games Federation; Michael Hooper, chief executive officer, Commonwealth Games Federation; Richard Cashman, director, Australian Centre for Olympic Studies, UTS; Brian Miniken, Oceania National Olympic Committee
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MCCARTHY: There'll be 6,000 athletes, 71 nations and eleven days of sport. But with just a year to go, many are wondering whether the host city is ready to take its marks.
FENNELL: When two years ago to Delhi Games, I said time was not their friend.
MCCARTHY: Michael Fenell is the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
FENNELL: With one year to go I now say that time is your enemy, but together we can defeat it.
MCCARTHY: And work together they will. After delays in construction and poor coordination of everything from ticketing to accommodation to transport, the Federation is stepping in.
HOOPER: We're not happy. Lot of work to be done. Time to refocus and get that work delivered.
MCCARTHY: Michael Hooper is the chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation. He's set up a special independent review panel to oversee the city's progress.
HOOPER: The main feature of it is to bring in some external expertise that can advise the organising committee specifically to these particular areas, so expertise and technology and transportation and transport in a games context. I am not saying they don't have transport exports down here in India, and a games context on how that needs to work to ensure a successful delivery of the games.
MCCARTHY: We know from a leaked letter from Mike Fennell, that he was keen to brief Manmohan Singh personally. The prime minister has not had the time to meet with the Federation. Is that disappointing?
HOOPER: I am sure Mr Fennell would have liked to have met the prime minister. He said it in that letter, but then as there were many other pressing things happening in India. There was state elections that he was busy with as well. But the prime minister instructed the minister of sport to meet with Mr Fennell and that indeed happened on two occasions. Mr Fennell, no sorry, Mr Gill, the minister, actually came to our General Assembly yesterday and told members whatever is needed, the government of India will provide it and will make it happen.
MCCARTHY: And the stakes are high for the Indian government. It's said the Games will promote the new, modern India, after a decade of rapid economic growth.
Richard Cashman is the director of the Australian Centre for Olympic Studies, University of Technology Sydney.
CASHMAN: It is intensely important for India, because not only coming out its party, but India has ambitions to host a future Olympic Games. They don't have a strong sports culture, apart from cricket and hockey and a few other games. They don't have a tradition of hosting a big multi-sport event like the Olympics. So if they fall at this hurdle, it will be extremely embarrassing for them. It's a wake up call and they still have 12 months.
MCCARTHY: There's also bad news for Fiji. The Federation says it can't compete in the Games due to its suspension from the Commonwealth last month over the government's refusal to hold democratic elections. Federation President Michael Fennell says he plans to lobby the Commonwealth Secretary General on the athletes behalf. He wants to see sport dropped from the sanctions imposed on Fiji.
Federation chief executive, Michael Hooper.
HOOPER: Everybody unanimously is frustrated sport is often used as a tool, where it does not seem to extend to a trade in other areas. But that aside, the Commonwealth and the governments of the Commonwealth through CMAG suspended Fiji and a consequence of applying that to our own constitution, the executive board took the decision that Fiji is also suspended from the Commonwealth Games Federation. Having said that, we are going to do whatever we can. Mr Fennell is going to lead a delegation to see the Commonwealth Secretary-General and if possible speak further to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad, in November to see what, if anything can be done to change the situation. Perhaps get sport removed as a sanctionable item when we have these things, because it is the athletes of Fiji who are suffering, nobody else.
MCCARTHY: Brian Miniken is the manager for regional sport development for Oceania National Olympic Committee. He says he's disappointed by Fiji's exclusion.
MINIKEN: From a sport development point of view, of course our stand is very clear, that we don't support sporting boycotts. We don't boycott Olympic Games, we don't boycott the Commonwealth Games, and therefore I think the stand of most international sports organisations is that we would not expect those organisations to in-turn boycott any of their members. But it is sad, it is sad that athletes that have been training for an event in that country actually has close ethnic ties to Fiji are going to be denied the opportunity to see where a lot of their brothers and sisters that live in Fiji come from, or came from originally.
