India’s showpiece Games all set to start today

Delhi has finally got its game face on, after weeks of uncertainty, talk of pullouts, pictures of filthy toilets and the threat of terror and deadly mosquitoes. HT Correspondent reports. See special | All about CWG | Graphics: It's show time

Delhi has finally got its game face on, after weeks of uncertainty, talk of pullouts, pictures of filthy toilets and
the threat of terror and deadly mosquitoes.

HT Image

More than 7,000 men, women and children will perform at the spanking new, beautifully-lit Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, led from the front by Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.

Starting at 7pm, a two-hour long show of India’s cultural heritage will thrill the audience in the stadium and watching at home on television.

Keeping an eye on the 7,000 performers, the 17,000-odd athletes, officials, the President of India and Prince Charles will be close to 50,000 police and paramilitary men and women, armed and alert for any sign of a threat.

With most of the tickets sold out, a packed stadium of 65,000 spectators will watch the President and the prince open the games.

Delhi Police Commissioner YS Dadwal on Saturday assured all security measures are in place. “The security arrangement has been laid down after considerable thought and examination and preventing all sorts of loopholes,” he said.

"We have a higher security matrix for the Games compared to other events held in the city," Dadwal added. Around 28,387 Delhi Police personnel have been deployed at the Games venues, besides 195 companies (around 20,000 men) of paramilitary personnel.