Postpone the Games!

If Nehru could do it, why not Manmohan?

The cup of woe of the Commonwealth Games seems to be metaphorically and literally spilling over with unrelenting and heavy monsoon rains. Incomplete event venues, widespread corruption, serial stadium malfunction, leaks, dengue and malaria fears and general mayhem, including theft of imported fittings at the Games Village, have all added to a sense of gloom and doom. An already alienated middle class public opinion now anticipates some sort of Games-related disaster that will shame India globally. Even the ever-popular A R Rahman does not seem to have made a difference. Perhaps for the first time in his career, he is facing criticism for the Games theme song. Mike Hooper, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation, said last week that some Games events may be cancelled for lack of timely safety certificates for various stadiums and the Games Village from the organising committee. “Things are surely going down to the wire,” he told reporters bluntly. Hooper’s comments come not only a little over a month before the Games are scheduled to start but just a week before the first batch of 5,000 athletes are scheduled to arrive and take up residence in the Games Village. Are three weeks enough to recover lost ground? If not, what should the government do? A practical option may be to postpone the Games, by five months, to March 2011. Spring in Delhi is better than late monsoon — no dengue, no mosquitoes, no pot-holed roads! The solution may sound radical, but consider the arguments in favour of a postponement. One, there is a precedent — and it has been set by none other than Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru when he opted to postpone the 1st Asian Games of 1950, due to be held in Delhi, by a year to March 1951, for lack of preparation! True, the world expects more from India 60 years later. India was then newly independent, today it is an aspiring global power. Still, if a personality as towering in global politics at the time could summon the courage to admit to a problem, it should not be difficult for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to do the same. If Mr Nehru could postpone by 12 months, Dr Singh need not shy away from a five-month postponement!

Countries host international sporting events as a means of showcasing their abilities and sending a message to the international investing community. By hosting an Olympic Spectacular in 2008, Beijing effectively bolstered an established global reputation. South Africa — a country with an economy a quarter the size of India — surprised the world by pulling off a hugely successful month-long World Cup football tournament. As far as the Commonwealth Games are concerned, India’s reputation has already taken a beating. It is true that a postponement might create practical problems such as rescheduling a crowded sporting calendar and so on. But it would also demonstrate a sobre, realistic assessment of our capabilities that will do less harm than hosting a poorly organised global event.