NEW DELHI (AP) -- Competition at the troubled Commonwealth Games ended Thursday when the final 16 of 272 gold medals were presented and the closing ceremony was held at Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium amid the tightest security of the 10-day games.
While gold medals were handed out Thursday - Kenyan marathon runners John Ekiru Kelai and Irene Kosgei won the men's and women's events, and Australia won the men's field hockey gold over India -- organizers gave their final briefing and basically awarded themselves a gold medal.
Australia led the gold-medal count with 74, followed by India with 38 and England at 37. The host country pulled ahead with a late gold by Saina Nehwal in the women's badminton final.
Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell said despite the late completion of the athletes' village and venues, and ticketing and transport problems, the games were a success because the athletes enjoyed them.
The athletes' village was in a terrible state just a week before the games started on Oct. 3, with several teams forced into hotels or delaying their arrivals because of filthy and unfinished conditions.
When Fennell was asked who was most responsible for getting the last-minute problems fixed, he said it was "teamwork."
"You can't describe success to any one individual," Fennell said. "When it was recognized that there were a few things that were not going right, the Delhi government at various levels and the national government put in a lot of resources to help correct the situation.
"People have seen an extremely positive image of the games right across the world. People have had to deal with issues, there's no denying that, but the end result has been good."
The closing ceremony celebrated martial arts from several provinces of India and showcased the culture of Scotland, which will host the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.
Jason Wilson and Luke Doerner scored two goals each as world champion Australia beat India 8-0 to win its fourth straight Commonwealth Games men's field hockey gold.
In badminton, top-ranked Lee Chong Wei defended his men's singles title with a 21-10, 21-8 win over Rajiv Ouseph of England in 30 minutes. A hard-fought women's singles final ended with Nehwal, ranked third in the world, beating Wong Mew Chew of Malaysia 19-21, 23-21, 21-13.
In the netball final, New Zealand beat traditional rival Australia 66-64 in extra time, while England took the bronze with a 70-47 win over Jamaica. Chrystalleni Trikomiti of Cyprus won gold medals in the rope and ribbon and bronze in the hoop and ball at rhythmic gymnastics.
Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the local organizing committee, reiterated Fennell's comments about the success of the games.
"There were apprehensions before the games began," Kalmadi said, "but all aspects surrounding the athletes -- the conduct of the event, the overall set-up, the games village, the entertainment and food -- have been really enjoyed by them and they all return home with a great appreciation of India."
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
View the Original article
No comments:
Post a Comment