Swanky Games Village ready to welcome athletes

NEW DELHI - A swanky Games Village, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, awaits athletes for the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.

The Village had a soft launch Thursday when the media was taken on a tour of the place where athletes and officials of 71 participating teams will reside.

The Village has 1,168 apartments - 4,000 bedrooms - spread across 34 towers, with four million square feet of constructed area. The apartments, ranging from two to five bedroom units (1,400 sq ft to 3,500 sq ft) will house more than 7,000 athletes and officials.

The flats are well equipped with LCD TVs in the living room, refrigrators, washing machines and other gadgets. There are two single beds in each bedroom while the kitchen is spacious and well-furnished.

The huge dinning area will serve 36,000 meals and can serve 2,300 people at a time. A workforce of 2,500, which includes 250 chefs, is working round the clock to make a variety of delicacies.

“We are serving six different cusines — American, Asian, African, Oceanian, Indian and Continental. There are 120 items on the menu that will be changed in a cycle of six days,” Rick Aylett, Director, Delaware North that is responsible for the catering, said.

The first meal at the Games kitchen was cooked Tuesday.

“We are going to slowly build up from 50 meals and reach a peak of 36,000 meals during the Games.”

He also said that all requirements of food hygiene are being observed.

“We have food safety teams to check the quality and hygiene. The food samples are being set to labs so that we can meet international standards,” Aylett said.

The general team manager of the Wales team, Ron Davies said that the dinning area was excellent.

“The dinning area is similar to the Melbourne Games. The food is excellent. We are enjoying our stay. The facilities are really of international standards,” Davies told IANS.

The training area includes an athletic track with a sitting capacity of more than 1,000. Besides it has a practice arena for weightlifters and wrestlers and a modern gymnasium. The swimming pools in the middle of the Village add to the attraction.

The international centre has a general store, a saloon, an ice-cream parlour, and other facilities.

The surroundings, too, look lush green and spic-and-span.

Tight security arrangements have been made at various levels.

“As you can see, the international centre, the training area and the accomodation is all ready and the Village will be fully operational from Sep 23 when the athletes arrive. They will come as friends and go back as family. The training area is wonderful and of high standard. There have never been such facilities at any Games Village,” Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said.

He said security and other issues had been discussed at the meeting of the chefs de mission.

“Security is our top priority. The safety of the athletes would be one of the best in the Games Village,” Kalmadi said.

Asked about the athletes’ concerns on dengue fever rampant in the city, Kalmadi said: “Fogging is on. Various government agencies are taking all steps for the safety of the athletes.”

“Also, it will be the first time that the athletes will watch the opening ceremony,” he added.