A high-level committee - headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General V. K. Shunglu - has been appointed and will report back to the Government within three months.

Suresh Kalmadi, the chairman of the Organising Committee, who is expected to be at the centre of the investigation, claimed that he welcomed the scrutiny.

"The Honourable Prime Minister has appointed a committee to probe into all matters relating to the Commonwealth Games," he said in a statement.

"We welcome the initiative and hope that it will be comprehensive, covering all aspects.

"The Organising Committee will be happy to provide all support to the panel."

The build-up to the Games and the early stages were bedeviled by a series of problems, including fears that the facilities would not be ready in time and allegations of corruption involving the Organising Committee.

But Games were declared a success at the Closing Ceremony by Mike Fennell, the President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) last Thursday (October 14) and Kalmadi believes that history will judge them well.

"The grand Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the actual conduct of the sporting competition have received widespread acclaim and praise, including from athletes and team officials as well as from media at home and overseas," said Kalmadi (pictured).

"2010 Delhi would like to thank everyone concerned, especially the people of Delhi, for helping it live up to its promise of a great Games.

"The people of Delhi and India have done themselves proud as they have successfully hosted Delhi 2010, overcoming all challenges, and demonstrated to the world that the have the capacity and commitment to host major international events.

"The Indian Olympic Association was responsible for winning the bid to host the Games in Delhi.

"And the Organising Committee was given the task of delivering the opening and closing ceremonies and the sporting competitions.

"We have delivered the task of conducting the Games really well.

"During the run up to the Games, many concerns were expressed about India's ability to conduct the Games and ensure the security and safety of the athletes and guests.

"All these were cleared and the athletes and officials have left Delhi very satisfied.

"The Organising Committee wishes to acknowledge the contributions by all those involved in the preparations and delivery of the Games, especially all stakeholders.

"We owe special gratitude to the thousands of security personnel who ensured fool-proof and incident-free security arrangements, foiling any attempts to disrupt the ceremonies and the competitions."

Home Minister P. Chidambaram also promised his department would cooperate fully with investigators, providing information related to ticketing and accreditation for event.

"If we are asked about what went wrong by the appropriate inquiring authorities, certainly Delhi police and the [Ministry] will provide inputs," he said.

Mike Hooper, the CGF chief executive, has, meanwhile, has hit back at claims he should step down after the Games.

"That is a silly question," he said to the Herald on Sunday in New Zealand.

"It is my job and I've done it well, despite what others might think. It was my role to point out and highlight things [that needed improvement] and I did it consistently.

"I'm pleased with how it panned out ... we got the Village, catering and transport right for them [athletes].

"You'd have to say the venues got there in the end too.

"It was reassuring to see so many happy smiling faces at the closing ceremony."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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