Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Amid loud boos from the packed crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, a much-maligned Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi Thursday said the event could not have been held without the support of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“The sporting extravaganza is coming to an end, and Delhi 2010 has captured the imagination of the world. It has been a life changing experience for the athletes. This is a new era of Indian sport,” he said in a winding speech during which the crowd keep jeering at him.

“This would not have been possible without Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. I want to thank him for allocating Rs.670 crore (150 million dollars) for the training of athletes,” he said.

While Kalmadi thanked virtually everyone in the Indian political establishment for the success of the Games, the spectators interrupted him repeatedly, forcing him to rush through his speech.

But the people graciously applauded each time Kalmadi mentioned the achievements of Indian athletes, who for the first time finished second in the Commonwealth Games medals tally.

“I thank Soniaji and Rahul Gandhi for sitting in the general stands and boosting the morale of the athletes,” he said, and even quoted Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.

The crowd showed its evident displeasure when Kalmadi thanked his colleagues in the organising committee, which has been blamed for the many delays in the preparations to the Games that gave India a bad name.

The loudest boos were reserved for Lalit Bhanot, secretary general of the organising committee and its unpopular spokesman.

Kalmadi also thanked Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, Sports Minister M.S Gill, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.