Commonwealth Games under massive critique

Judged from a narrow sports perspective, the host country’s achievements in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi last year were a success; with 101 medals India was the second best nation, on top of the fact that the Games were carried out without any major problems.

On the other hand, the preparation and organisation of the Games before the opening ceremony on 3 October 2010 look like a handbook of how preparations for a mega-event can derail.

In a more than 700-page long report, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) delivers scathing criticism of poor budget management, poor planning and reasonable suspicion of corruption, from when Delhi was awarded the bid in 2003 until the Games opened.

Among other things, the report states that the event turned out to cost far more than budgeted. With a total expenditure of 4.1 billion USD, the cost of the Games largely exceeded the expected 270 million USD, while the Games’ net revenues turned out to be approx. 38 million USD. This was partly caused by sponsorship revenues only amounting to one third of the budget, the majority of which were public sponsorships.

Delays, poor workmanship and corruption

According to the report, unrealistic budgets and delays in preparation are the main reasons for the Games’ significantly higher event costs.

The report points out that the organising committee was too slow to initiate the planning, letting the period from 2003 to 2006 fritter away. The consequences were that many contracts to construct facilities and stadiums and to upgrade infrastructure were rushed through, and that many contracts did not get through the required bidding rounds.

These factors contributed to the increasing costs. A combination of time constraints and contracts with contractors that did not have the necessary expertise resulted in many of the facilities having large gaps and being poorly constructed. This includes the swimming facilities, whose poor quality of work execution is pointed out in the report.

The report also focuses on the lack of transparency in awarding contracts and the fact that many tenders have been associated with nepotism and favouritism of certain companies. This has already had some consequences. To list one, the head of the Games, Suresh Kalmadi, was arrested and accused of corruption in April this year.

Discussions in parliament

The release of the report has raised political furore in India.

According to the contract for the Games, the Government of India is responsible for any economic losses, and in Delhi’s local parliament the opposition is now attacking the local government for its involvement in organising the Commonwealth Games and demands the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s departure.