Horses, vintage cars lead CWG baton relay (Afternoon Lead Games)

NEW DELHI - White horses, vintage and classic cars, nagada (kettle drum) players and Nihang warriors Saturday led the Queen’s Baton Relay which is on its home stretch in the capital ahead of Sunday’s opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

The colourful procession beggan after the Baton was received at the Rakabgunj Sahib gurdwara in central Delhi by Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit. The Baton will pass through various localities of the national capital before its last lap into the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for Sunday’s opening ceremony.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has also reached Delhi to attend Sunday’s ceremony where President Pratibha Patil and Prince Charles will jointly declare the Games open. The Games, being held in India for the first time, end Oct 14.

Accolades for the facilities at the Games Village and the venues continued to pour in from athletes and officials.

Welsh chef de mission Chris Jenkins said Saturday: “I am really quite impressed with the transition. I had come here two weeks ago and things were really quite chaotic. But the athletes who came here three days ago are absolutely delighted with the residential wings and also the training facilities. The food is also quite good.”

“The venues are outstanding and we are really looking forward to competing there,” he added.

The Welsh contingent has about 150 athletes who will participate in archery, badminton, lawn bowls, wrestling, womens hockey, shooting and table tennis.

Ahead of the Games opener, David Howman, director general of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said around 1,500 dope tests would be conducted during the Games.

Athletes who finish on the podium will of course be tested. Besides there will be target testing,” he told reporters here.

There could be athletes who could get away during the Games. It does happen. However, science is improving and so are the methods for the dope cheats, Howman added.

“Most athletes will have someone in the entourage who knows that he or she is cheating, he said.