Handsome Vijender basks in fans’ adoration (Games Sidelights)

NEW DELHI - He has got the looks and, of course, the punches. Vijender Singh, who hit the headlines winning a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has a huge fan-following at the Commonwealth Games Village and, obviously, he is not complaining.

“I am thrilled to see so many youngsters thronging me, asking for autographs and wanting to click photographs with me. It shows there are so many people who love me and pray for my win. It is a very good feeling that I cannot express in words,” Singh told IANS.

Besides his hard punches inside the ring, Singh also remained in the news because of his good looks that have landed him various modelling assignments.

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Now, a mouse story at games !

After snakes and stray dogs, it was a mouse which made a few foreign athletes almost jump out of their skins at the Games Village.

The Gibraltar contingent had just entered the foreign exchange office when a mouse made two female athletes scurry out of the room after it whizzed past them.

Such was the panic that it took some time for the volunteers to restore calm and convince the ladies to return to their places.

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Too much heat!

It looks like the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee officials are really working hard. Otherwise, why would they pick fights with scribes.

A senior official dealing with press not only misbehaved with television journalists from the regional press, but also threatened to call security guards to remove them from the venue.

In fact, she said their accreditation cards will be cancelled. As things heated up, other officials had to intervene.

So much for courtesy !

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English, and their whining ways.

Two of the British crew members at the grocery shop went on a ceaseless tirade about their four months in the Indian capital claiming their squad has been hit by dengue as well as swine flu.

An athlete from Northern Ireland could not but laugh when asked whether he felt the same: “It’s nothing surprising. English are known to create needless fuss!”

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A ‘divine retreat’

It’s a ‘divine retreat’ on offer which is attracting huge crowd. Operating in the International Zone since Sep 30, the ‘Visit Akshardham’ shop is arranging guided tours to the famous Swaminarayan Akshardham temple — right next door.

“The response has been good and the rush and queries are increasing gradually as more teams come in the village. We have already taken athletes from Wales, Canada and Kenya to the temple,” Narottam Patnaik, a volunteer at the shop, told IANS.

Interestingly, the English contingent started off their journey to Delhi by visiting the Akshardham temple in London, said Patnaik. The trip is free of cost. Athletes have to pay only when they are visiting the temple exhibition hall, taking a boat ride or watching theatre shows.

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Loo and behold!

Fervent pleas followed by hapless cries for help from the ladies toilet created a stir in the Commonwealth Games Village late Friday. Even as help was sought, it was found that a volunteer had accidentally locked herself inside the toilet!

The student volunteer who had gone to use the toilet in the international zone in the village was stuck inside for a good 20 minutes before help arrived.

When directions to turn and twist the lock were of no use, the other volunteers finally had to get a bunch of spare keys to let the much “relieved” girl out!