Commonwealth Games a nightmare: S Y Quraishi

NEW DELHI: Terming the 2010 Commonwealth Games a "nightmare", Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi today said the event is being remembered more for its controversies, which denied the nation the pride it got from the performance of its athletes.

"What a nightmare it was, something we should have been proud of, that pride was denied to the nation... Unfortunately we did not get any time to bask in the glory of its success. Few days after the games, raids and inquiries were ordered," he said after releasing a book on preparation for the mega event.

Authored by former Deputy Director General of Organising Committee (OC) H P Singh Rishi, "Sports Scare - The Ghost that Haunted CWG Delhi" narrates his 15-month stint with the organisation.

Applauding the performance of Indian athletes who won 101 medals in various sporting events, he said, "Fortunately our sportspersons brought the glory. The bitterness was, I would not say was entirely erased from our memory, but it was compensated by the excellent performance by sportsmen."

Quraishi was the Secretary in the Union Sports Ministry for a brief period during 2005-06.

"I was the Sports Secretary in 2005-06, fortunately for few months only, the organisers would come and tell me how it is going to be a profitable venture. I had told them if it is a profitable venture why are you breaking your heads with bureaucrats and why don't you go to a bank," he said.

Over delay in completion of various CWG projects, he said, "The alarm bells were already ringing, proposals were signed in 2003 and even in 2006 the things were very very slow."

Quraishi also expressed his doubt over involvement of people with vested interested who knowingly delayed the projects.