Commonwealth Games Federation chairman Mike Fennell’s letter brought into focus preparations for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. With just over a year to go for the event, Sobhana K & Daksh Panwar check in on the 23 sub-committees put in place to run the Games and find that there might be reason to be worried

Days after the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) head Mike Fennell warned in a letter that “unless there is a significant change in the management culture and operation of the Organising Committee the Games will fail from an operational perspective”, IOA president Suresh Kalmadi tried to play down the controversy by announcing that India would host the “best Games ever”.

But when The Indian Express contacted the heads of the 23 all-important sub-committees appointed to plan and manage the Games — they’re the lifeblood of the event, in charge of basic issues such as accommodation, transport, volunteers, training and doping — some did not even know about their appointment while a majority of them conceded that there was little interaction with the members of their committees, and none with the heads of other committees.

“I have no idea whether I am on a sub-committee or not,” said Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit, the chairman of the City Services & Coordination committee, while JP Aggarwal, head of the Delhi Congress party, who is chairman of the Volunteer committee, said: “I had received a letter from the Organising Committee a few months back informing me that I’ve been appointed as the head of a sub-committee...I do not yet know my role.”

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