`Don`t compare Commonwealth Games with Olympics`

Q&A: Mike Hooper

While Beijing is host to the current Olympics, Delhi will hold the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Will it be a pale shadow of the Chinese show? The two cannot be compared, Mike Hooper, the chief executive officer of the London-based Commonwealth Games Federation, tells Vandana Gombar.

Olympics and Commonwealth Games– how do you compare the two…?

You should not compare the two. Certainly, they are both multi-sport events, but that is where the comparison ends. The Commonwealth Games are very much of and for the Commonwealth, a celebration of its common bonds, its common language and heritage.

Look at the Commonwealth Games programme — it is very much the games that are predominant and strong in the Commonwealth. For example, in Olympics, you don’t see rugby, netball and cricket. You don’t see squash and these are strong Commonwealth sports.

In terms of scale — is it 1:3?

We are probably comparable with the winter Olympics in terms of number of athletes and officials. We are the second largest multi-sport event encompassing all the regions of the world. We are happy that the Commonwealth Games feed very nicely in some of the sports into the Olympics, but we are not the Olympics.

Why is there no cricket in the Delhi Commonwealth Games?

Cricket has been in the Commonwealth Games. It is not there this time as a consequence of the decision taken by the BCCI. Sharad Pawar was concerned about cluttered calendars and players getting too much play.

In effect, the BCCI exercised a veto — that is my word — that was handed by the ICC. It is a Commonwealth sport. It has Olympic aspirations but how can it achieve Olympic aspirations if it isn’t even included in the Commonwealth Games. It is a bit of an enigma.

Is time and cost over-runs common in these games, because we are seeing some of that in Delhi…?

Absolutely. I have never ever seen a games where this has not been the case. Look at London (cost is up three times)

Is the commonwealth Games Federation a rich body?

Oh! I wish. It is not at all. The Commonwealth Games Federation is small and no comparison in size and wealth to BCCI or IOC. Our revenue streams are totally different. We don’t take a percentage of revenue generated but a set fee.