Danny Jordaan, the South African most responsible for pulling off a secure World Cup, offers proof that his country hosted the perfect games.
'I have just been all over the world,' he says. 'And whether it was 10 Downing Street or the White House or the Kremlin... the first line was, 'This was the best World Cup ever'.'
Sep 25, 2010
Administrators to blame for Games fiasco
By Rob Hughes, In Good Conscience
CALL me naive, but did Singapore miss a trick this week?
As one of the 54 member nations of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Singapore was in a unique position to rescue that crumbling, sorry organisation this week.
To the horror of athletes, the shame of India, the Games went to the brink of being called off. The filth and squalor, the collapsed bridge and stadium roof, the threat of terrorism, and the fear that Delhi is no fit place for a massive celebration of sports is a terrible indictment on the organisation.
We called these the 'Friendly Games', and I have attended enough to know that was once true.
But what has this to do with Singapore?
Your country has just hosted the Youth Olympic Games, taking care of 3,500 budding Olympians. Facilities prepared for a one-off event stand handsome, but largely idle.
It may have needed great diplomacy but, when the Britons, the Aussies, the Kiwis and others threatened to pull out of Delhi, did nobody think that of all the member nations, Singapore is in perfect shape to rescue the Commonwealth Games from dire mismanagement?
I don't suggest that thousands of participants suddenly divert from India to Singapore. But by, say, next spring, it could surely have happened.
By rescuing a damaged, if not dying, ideal, Singapore would have gained monumental international prestige.
By showcasing its cleanliness, order, safety and organisational powers, Singapore could have furthered its aim to be a hub of global attention. Sport would be the catalyst, but Singapore would benefit in so many ways.
Facilities for the Youth Olympics - lamentably largely ignored in the international media - would be used a second time.
Like every nation hosting major events, Singapore's costs spiralled threefold. As he was bound to do, Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan defended the US$285 million (S$378 million) spent on the YOG.
Just weeks ago, he declared: 'I have no doubt we will recoup our investment, both on the tangible side and intangible side of the ledger.'
The larger game plan, Dr Balakrishnan said, is 're-positioning Singapore... We now want to be one of the most exciting, happening, dynamic, vibrant places that cater to all needs.'
For all I know, your government did quietly offer to save the Commonwealth Games. It would have taken care not to be seen as opportunistic or taking advantage of a fellow nation's calamity.
But it is not going to happen.
We Commonwealth countries are all in this together. From my side of the argument, Britain has enough on its plate trying to prepare for the 2012 Olympics in London.
The former British Empire Games are, like the empire itself, a fading concept.
Through sports, we sometimes see the state of nations, and the old colonial notion of nation-building on the playing fields is in a sorry state.
If you followed the England-Pakistan cricket summer, you will know what I mean. Contaminated by alleged fixing, again close to being abandoned, the value of sport withered.
England's tabloids are still bashing anything and everything to do with Pakistan. They are calling for the Delhi Games to be abandoned before a race is run or a shot fired (in the sporting sense).
Games meant to build bridges threaten to bring them down, literally and politically.
The real focus in all this should be on sports administrators.
It is their duty, their purpose, to choose sound venues for their ever-growing jamborees. Once chosen, the administrations surely must sit on the local organisers every step of the way to ensure that the bridges, the infrastructure, the security hold up.
How did we get to within one week of the opening ceremony in Delhi before the press exposed the infirmity of India's readiness?
How many of us believed this week's rewriting of the World Cup by its organiser, Fifa?
Fifa tells us that South Africa was perfect, and sets the benchmark for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, and beyond.
It glosses over the dearth of goals, and dearth of great football.
It thinks we have forgotten that in chasing its US$3 billion profit, it clamped down on individual freedom. A youth who stole a mobile phone was jailed for 15 years. Girls dressed in orange were removed from the stadium.
They were accused of 'ambush marketing', a crime that does not exist except in Fifa's mind when protecting its profit from selected brands - in this case Budweiser beer.
Danny Jordaan, the South African most responsible for pulling off a secure World Cup, offers proof that his country hosted the perfect games.
'I have just been all over the world,' he says. 'And whether it was 10 Downing Street or the White House or the Kremlin... the first line was, 'This was the best World Cup ever'.'
No doubt it was. Jordaan is a member of Fifa's inspection team that has toured the nine lands bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
The bidders will say anything to gain votes. No doubt the Indian government also made persuasive promises to the Commonwealth Games Federation.
stsports@sph.com.sg
How did we get to
within one week of the opening ceremony in Delhi before the press exposed the infirmity of India's readiness?
