The Hindu : Front Page : Delhi has a date with the Commonwealth Games

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Thursday, Sep 15, 2005

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Delhi has a date with the Commonwealth Games

Sports Reporter

2010 AND COUNTING: Ace shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore with the mascot of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games at the finish of the Queen's Baton Relay in the Capital on Wednesday. PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

NEW DELHI: The Queen's Baton, one of the world's longest relays, arrived at the National Stadium here, the venue of the inaugural Asian Games, on Wednesday. With a capacity crowd cheering on, Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore received the baton from Mahesh Bhupathi before carrying it on to the centre-stage. The baton was finally placed in the hand of the yet-to-be-named "tiger cub", the mascot of the upcoming 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games.

"It is very important to create such an atmosphere to evoke people's interest in sports," said Rathore. "It is specially important since we are hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games and possibly the 2014 Asian Games," he added.

The baton started its India run earlier in the day from the historic Red Fort with the legendary Milkha Singh running the opening leg. The baton passed through famous local landmarks including Delhi Gate, Connaught Place, Vijay Chowk and India Gate before reaching its destination, the National Stadium.

Long jumper Anju Bobby George, who received the baton from hurdler Gurbachan Singh Randhawa of the Tokyo Olympics fame, carried it into the National Stadium before handing it over to Bhupathi.

As tennis is not a part of the Commonwealth Games, Bhupathi used the occasion and the stage to speak up for his sport. "Let's try and make tennis a part of the Commonwealth Games," Bhupathi said.

Rathore was more inspiring. "It was an honour for me to run the last leg of the baton relay for the country. I hope one day some of you will carry the hopes of the country, especially in sports," he said.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) surprised the shooter, presenting him a cheque for Rs.10 lakhs. The IOA had announced the cash award soon after he won the Olympic silver medal in Athens.

Anju Bobby George, who won the silver medal last week in the World Athletics Final in Monaco, said that taking part in the baton relay was a great moment for her. "One has to keep trying and trying to achieve the goals," she said of her latest achievement.

The other prominent sportspersons who ran the baton relay included hockey players Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal, M. P. Ganesh, Aslam Sher Khan and V. Baskaran, athletes Sriram Singh, Suresh Babu, Shiny Willson, M. D. Valsamma, Bahadur Prasad and Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, hoopster Ajmer Singh, wrestlers Chandgi Ram and Satpal, archer Limba Ram, badminton players Dinesh Kumar and Madhumita Bisht, cricketer Kirti Azad and swimmer Khajan Singh.

The Queen's baton will continue its India run on Thursday. It will travel to Agra and reach Taj Mahal before heading to Kolkata, the final stop in India. It then leaves for Dhaka.

The global baton relay, which began on March 14 at Buckingham Palace in London, will travel through all 71 Commonwealth countries before reaching Melbourne, the host of the 2006 Games, exactly after one year.

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