International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge provided a late lift to Delhi Commonwealth Games when he dashed to the city to attend the opening ceremony. Amid his packed schedule, he found time for an exclusive interview with Boria Majumdar. Excerpts:
You've been a major supporter of India. What do you now think of Delhi? Are we ready for the Games?
I think everything will be fine. I mean, of course, you can only judge the organisation at the moment of the closing ceremony, but I think things are going well. The fundamentals are in place. We have very experienced and motivated people, so I think you will have a very good Games.
From what you've seen, do you think we have the potential to mount an Olympic bid?
That is something I can only give an opinion on if I see the full bid because there is still a difference between Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. The size of Olympics is bigger; there are more athletes, more sports. The organization is more complicated. If the Commonwealth Games are a success, which I believe they will be, that will be a very good foundation to think about a possible candidature for the traditional games. A successful Commonwealth Games will definitely make India proud. There's no doubt about that. It'll be a major achievement. It is something you can show to the rest of the world and say, 'We can organise a great event.' And I believe that will be the case. My message to India would be practice sport. Let the young people practice as many sports as possible. Because sport is education, sport is health, sport is joy. The most important people in the games are not the organizers or the spectators, they are the athletes who have trained so hard to get to peak condition. They all come with a lot of expectations so they must be happy. If at the end of the Games the athletes are happy, then that is really a success. There was a lot of criticism about India. All of us were very anxious whether this country has the potential and whether we'd be able to stage the show.
You were here in Pune for the Youth Games. And now you are here for the Delhi Games. From what you've seen, are you satisfied?
I think you've worked hard. Again, the final judgment can only be rendered at the closing ceremony. But I think its going to be a success because you've worked hard and the fundamentals seem to be in good shape. So I remain optimistic.
One of the major questions debated by the world was security. From the airport to the hotel, you have been around. Are you satisfied with the security preparation?
I don't know the security preparations in detail but from what I've seen, there's definitely good security. With a lot of discipline and very well applied. It's also kind, not oppressive or intrusive. And you know that these personnel are working for our security, so I feel very sympathetic to them. In India these games can really set the stage to have a sporting culture, and the Olympic movement can take off.
Are you really keen that the developing world actually gets into the frame of the Olympic movement like the way the west has done?
Yes, definitely. I think it would be fantastic if India could improve its sporting performance. You have great athletes and you have one overriding sport, which is cricket. But we need more gold medals from the second most populous country in the world. So I say India should and can and will make major progress in the Olympics.
TOI
You've been a major supporter of India. What do you now think of Delhi? Are we ready for the Games?
I think everything will be fine. I mean, of course, you can only judge the organisation at the moment of the closing ceremony, but I think things are going well. The fundamentals are in place. We have very experienced and motivated people, so I think you will have a very good Games.
From what you've seen, do you think we have the potential to mount an Olympic bid?
That is something I can only give an opinion on if I see the full bid because there is still a difference between Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. The size of Olympics is bigger; there are more athletes, more sports. The organization is more complicated. If the Commonwealth Games are a success, which I believe they will be, that will be a very good foundation to think about a possible candidature for the traditional games. A successful Commonwealth Games will definitely make India proud. There's no doubt about that. It'll be a major achievement. It is something you can show to the rest of the world and say, 'We can organise a great event.' And I believe that will be the case. My message to India would be practice sport. Let the young people practice as many sports as possible. Because sport is education, sport is health, sport is joy. The most important people in the games are not the organizers or the spectators, they are the athletes who have trained so hard to get to peak condition. They all come with a lot of expectations so they must be happy. If at the end of the Games the athletes are happy, then that is really a success. There was a lot of criticism about India. All of us were very anxious whether this country has the potential and whether we'd be able to stage the show.
You were here in Pune for the Youth Games. And now you are here for the Delhi Games. From what you've seen, are you satisfied?
I think you've worked hard. Again, the final judgment can only be rendered at the closing ceremony. But I think its going to be a success because you've worked hard and the fundamentals seem to be in good shape. So I remain optimistic.
One of the major questions debated by the world was security. From the airport to the hotel, you have been around. Are you satisfied with the security preparation?
I don't know the security preparations in detail but from what I've seen, there's definitely good security. With a lot of discipline and very well applied. It's also kind, not oppressive or intrusive. And you know that these personnel are working for our security, so I feel very sympathetic to them. In India these games can really set the stage to have a sporting culture, and the Olympic movement can take off.
Are you really keen that the developing world actually gets into the frame of the Olympic movement like the way the west has done?
Yes, definitely. I think it would be fantastic if India could improve its sporting performance. You have great athletes and you have one overriding sport, which is cricket. But we need more gold medals from the second most populous country in the world. So I say India should and can and will make major progress in the Olympics.
TOI
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