Kalmadi lashes out at media

Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman, Organising Committee of Commonwealth Games, addressing the special plenary session of Commonwealth Games in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

Buoyed by positive response to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi on Monday lashed out at the media for trying to portray a negative image by using pictures which are three months old.

“There were lots of stories about the Games all over the Commonwealth countries and the world. But one-by-one all the theories are losing weight,” he said referring to the negative publicity over the Games village.

In the run up to the Games, the Village had attracted attention when

BBC showed pictures of water-logged basement, dirty bathroom and mattress with pugmarks of dogs.

“The Games Village was much in focus. The same photographs, which were taken three months back are still being shown in important channels, including the

BBC ,” Mr. Kalmadi said.

He insisted the buildings shown in pictures by the BBC were used by workers. “It was different matter. Once the Games Village came to us and we started working on that.”

Claiming that all the athletes and delegates are now praising the village, he said: “It is the best Games Village anywhere, better than the Beijing Olympics Games village.”

Mr. Kalmadi also said no athlete or delegate was staying in hotels anymore and all of them are now staying in the Village.

“As of now not one person is staying in any hotel. They are loving the Village,” he said at a CII and FICCI event here.

Talking about the infrastructure he said: “Everybody is saying that this is one of the best. The President of the Hockey World Federation has said that the National Stadium for hockey is the best stadium in the world.”