Aiyar claims hosting of CWG didn`t help Indian athletes

New York, Oct 16 (PTI) Former Indian Sports Minister Mani
Shankar Aiyar, arguably the most ardent critic of the
just-concluded Commonwealth Games, still thinks India should
not have hosted them, claiming that instead of offering more
facilities to athletes, sports bodies were focusing on
organising events.
"My criticism is never ever with the Indian athletes.
Instead I believe if this Commonwealth Games was to be held
anywhere else we still would have won all the medals," the
Congress party leader said.
"In this game they have won (medals) not because they are
provided with special facilities as a home team. They won
in spite of the fact that the facilities which any home team
expects from the games were denied to them owing to the
incompetence of our sports officials and others connected with
the organising committee," he told CNN-IBN channel.
Aiyar said the expenditure on the mega sporting event had
gone up by four times than the annual budget of the rural
health mission.
"We are in a country where 47 per cent of the children
under five years of age suffer from malnutrition because nine
out of 10 pregnant women are suffering from anaemia. We have
one of the highest infant mortality rates," he said.
"Instead of making the nation of sports persons, we are
converting ourselves into an organiser of the sports events,"
Aiyar said.
He said that India should never host games of this
magnitude until it reaches a stage where sporting facilities
and training and adequate nutrition for the bulk of children
could be provided.
When asked about the role of chairman of the CWG
Organising Committee, Suresh Kalmadi, Aiyar said "I have never
said anything against Mr Kalmadi. I am not going to say any
word against Mr Kalmadi.
"I want the investigation promised by the PM to take place
with all deliberate speed and outcome and those who are held
guilty by investigations should be given strong punishment by
the PM." PTI