Commonwealth and Yog

Commonwealth games are still three more month away but India media is made sure that event is well publicized with news from ' Kalmadi wealth'. I wonder what effect would it have on business managers that would be working round the clock to match the deadlines. In most countries, such an expose would have been covered till the conclusion of an event and later would have taken the culprit on task. But democracy in India never stops throbbing so Auditor or comptroller , who so ever he is took upon him to do the task leaving media blazing with all guns. Organizing committe instead of worrying about functioning of games now must be thinking how to defend their decisions. I only hope no fatal disaster happens when games are in full swing. Almost 32 years ago, India hosted Asian Games to the perfection. It took New Delhi infrastructure at a new level but it also coined a brand ' Asiad' from housing complex to Mumbai Pune Bus service. What would be the legacy of this year's commonwealth games?

The above story is in contrast to first ever ' Youth Olympic Games (YOG) by Singapore. Everything over here was low key till the start of grand opening ceremony. Even then, I could hardly find a mention of YOG in any international media. But that's what exactly Singapore Govt had hoped and planned for. They wanted to present their showcase money spinner ' Marina Sands' to all the prospective global clientele and they achieved in style. Everything about the show was under wraps, no one had inkling what to expect except that it was to be performed on a stage that would be floating. It turned out to be spectacular, fascinating and entertaining. Clever use of water, fire on stage with a theme of youthful aspiration of immigrants that flocked to this island in boats. Container - most visible symbol of modern Singapore was used to build the architectural framework of the stage and also to house various musicians and performers. Dazzling fireworks interspersed with shows in between ensured that skyline had enough time to clear of smoke and also gave enough time for stage organizers to change the setting. Normally, in Olympic parade, athlete are paraded at the end of the event , here they moved at leisurely pace like in closing ceremony but at the beginning of the event and became part of the audience. Event coordination, crowd management and punctuality were perfect. It's almost a week at YOG, medal distribution pattern reflects similar to the world Olympics. India is yet to see any medal. Singapore has already bragged three bronze and can hope for bright future.