BJP attacks CWG Organising comm, Govt for withdrawal of stars

With several star athletes pulling out of the Commonwealth Games, BJP today took a dig at the Organising Committee, Union Sports Ministry and Delhi Government for the withdrawal.

With several star athletes pulling out of the Commonwealth Games, BJP today took a dig at the Organising Committee, Union Sports Ministry and Delhi Government for the withdrawal.

HT Image

"Why so many star players have withdrawn from the Games. This is a serious issue. Will Sports Minister M S Gill, Suresh Kalmadi and the Chief Minister run on the track?," Delhi BJP Chief Vijender Gupta said.

Scottish cycling star Chris Hoy is the latest Olympic champion to withdraw from the Games after Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser decided to give a miss to the October 3-14 Games.

Taking a strong exception to pullout of some of the star athletes, Gill had yesterday asked CGF President Mike Fennell to bring those champions to New Delhi instead of an army of officials.

Gill said the Games would lose "sheen, interest and its very objective" if star players would not turn up.

Beijing Olympic gold medallist Hoy, who also won gold medals in 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, informed Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) on Friday that he is no longer available for selection for the Delhi Games.

"Just 76 days are left for the event and some of the key projects are running behind schedule. The entire city has been dug up as part of the street-scapping projects. I don't think Government will be able to complete the projects ahead of the event," he said.

Gupta said the BJP will soon publish a 'white paper' on status of all the projects being implemented by the city government to let people know about the actual progress of work.