2010 Commonwealth Games

The 2010 Commonwealth Games are the nineteenth Commonwealth Games , and the ninth to be held under that name. The Games are scheduled to be held in Delhi, India between 3 October and 14 October 2010. The games will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in Delhi and India generally, which has previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. The opening ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. It will also be the first time the Commonwealth Games will be held in India and the second time the event has been held in Asia (after 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Cost The total budget estimated for hosting the Games is US$ 1.6 billion and this amount excludes non-sports-related infrastructure development in the city like airports, roads and other structures. This will likely make the 2010 Commonwealth Games the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever, being larger than the previous games in Melbourne 2006 (approx. US$ 1.1 billion). Delhi metro Delhi proposed a four-lane, 2.2 km underground stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna, linking the Games Village to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and reducing travelling time between the village and the Stadium to six minutes. In response to concerns over the large number of trains that pass by the Delhi metropolitan region daily, construction of road under-bridges and over-bridges along railway lines has been started. To expand road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges have been planned to improve links for the Games and city in general. To support its commitment to mass transport, nine corridors have been identified and are being constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for example, one from Ambedkar Nagar to Red Fort). Six of these corridors are expected to be operational in 2010. Additionally, The Delhi Metro will be expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transport during the 2010 games. At 420 km long, it will be one of the world's longest networks and it will extend to Gurgaon and the Noida area. For this exponential increase of the network, Delhi Metro will deploy 14 tunnel boring machines. Indira Gandhi International Airport is being modernised, expanded, and upgraded. Costing nearly US$ 1.95 billion, Terminal 3 has improved airport passenger capacity to more than 37 million passengers a year by 2010. A new runway is being constructed, allowing for over 75 flights an hour and – at over 4400 metres long – it will be one of Asia's longest. Competition venues Existing and new stadiums in Delhi will be used to house the sports during the Games. The opening and closing ceremonies will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi. • Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi – Athletics, lawn bowls, weightlifting • Dhyan Chand National Stadium – Hockey • Indira Gandhi Arena – Archery, cycling, gymnastics, wrestling • Delhi University sports complex – Rugby sevens • Thyagaraj Stadium – Netball • Siri Fort Sports Complex – Badminton, Squash • Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range – Shooting • Talkatora Stadium – Boxing • SPM Swimming Pool Complex – Aquatics • RK Khanna Tennis Complex – Tennis • Yamuna Sports Complex – Table tennis Mascot The official mascot for the 2010 Commonwealth Games is Shera, an anthropomorphised tiger. His name came from "Sher", a Hindi word meaning lion. The mascot truly represents the modern Indian, proud of his nation’s ancient heritage and a fierce competitor but with integrity and honesty. The logo and the look for the games were designed by Idiom Design and Consulting. Official song The official song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games "Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto" was composed and performed by the Indian musician A. R. Rahman The song's title is based on the slogan of the games, "Come out and play". The song is penned by Mehboob in Hindi with a sprinkling of English words. It was released on 28 August 2010. Sports There are 17 disciplines planned for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. • Aquatics o  Diving o  Swimming o  Synchronised swimming •  Archery •  Athletics •  Badminton •  Boxing • Cycling o  Road o  Track • Gymnastics o  Artistic gymnastics o  Rhythmic gymnastics •  Hockey •  Lawn bowls •  Netball •  Rugby sevens •  Shooting •  Squash •  Table tennis •  Tennis •  Weightlifting •  Wrestling Participating nations •   Anguilla •   Antigua and Barbuda •   Australia •   Bahamas •   Bangladesh •   Barbados •   Belize •   Bermuda •   Botswana •   British Virgin Islands •   Brunei •   Cameroon •   Canada •   Cayman Islands •   Cook Islands •   Cyprus •   Dominica •   England •   Falkland Islands •   Gambia •   Ghana •   Gibraltar •   Grenada •   Guernsey •   Guyana •   India •   Isle of Man •   Jamaica •   Jersey •   Kenya •   Kiribati •   Lesotho •   Malawi •   Malaysia •   Maldives •   Malta •   Mauritius •   Montserrat •   Mozambique •   Namibia •   Nauru •   New Zealand •   Nigeria •   Niue •   Norfolk Island •   Northern Ireland •   Pakistan •   Papua New Guinea •   Rwanda •   Saint Helena •   Saint Kitts and Nevis •   Saint Lucia •   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines •   Samoa •   Scotland •   Seychelles •   Sierra Leone •   Singapore •   Solomon Islands •   South Africa •   Sri Lanka •   Swaziland •   Tanzania •   Tokelau •   Tonga •   Trinidad and Tobago •   Turks and Caicos Islands •   Tuvalu •   Uganda •   Vanuatu •   Wales •   Zambia