Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events.
It was the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982.
The opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event.
It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time it was held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998.
The official mascot of the Games was Shera and the official song of the Games, “Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto”, was composed by celebrated Indian musician A.R. Rahman.
The song’s title is based on the slogan of the games, “Come out and play”. The song is penned by Mehboob in Hindi with a sprinkling of English words.
Initially, several concerns and controversies surfaced before the start of the Games. Despite these concerns, all member nations of the Commonwealth of Nations participated in the event, except Fiji, which is suspended from the Commonwealth, and Tokelau, which didn’t send a team.
A widely-praised opening ceremony helped improve the image of the Games.The concerns raised during the buildup to the Games proved largely unfounded as most events progressed smoothly.
The day after the conclusion of the Games, the Indian Government announced the formation of a special investigation committee to probe the allegations of corruption and mismanagement that had marred the buildup to the Games.
The Queen’s Baton Relay began when the baton, which contains Queen Elizabeth II’s message to the athletes, left Buckingham Palace on 29 October 2009.
The baton arrived at the 2010 Games opening ceremony on 3 October 2010, after visiting the other 54 nations of the Commonwealth and travelling throughout India, reaching millions of people to join in the celebrations for the Games. The baton arrived in India on 25 June 2010.
The opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main stadium of the event, in New Delhi, India.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (representing Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth) and President of India Pratibha Patil officially declared the Games open. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of the host nation, India, attended the opening ceremony as well.
There were events ill 21 disciplines across 17 sports for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
The final medal tally was led by Australia. The host nation India gave its strongest performance yet to emerge second, while England placed third.
The games closed on 14th October 2010 in a colourful closing ceremony featuring both Indian and Scottish performers.
