No CWG accreditation for langurs! (Games Sidelights)

NEW DELHI - Ramu doesn’t need accreditation and can pass through any area in the Games Village without being frisked, even though many VIPs don’t have this privilege. For, Ramu is on a mission.

It is one of the many big langurs deployed at Games venues to scare away monkeys who could otherwise create trouble. And Ramu has become the talk of the town with athletes and delegates, who never miss an opportunity to click his pictures.

Many policemen deployed at security checkpoints in the Village have been enquiring for the simian’s accreditation card. “Does it (langur) have a photo identity card and is he being frisked?” asked a security personnel at the checkpoint.

But Ramu’s owner Ramesh is quick to reply: “He is on CWG duty and doesn’t need any accreditation.”

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Cycling to empty stands!

Champion cyclist Anna Meares won a gold and broke her own Commonwealth Games record at the Cycling Velodrome Tuesday. It all happened in front of near empty stands, but the champion rider said she was used to it.

“Even in the Sydney World Cup and Beijing Olympics where I won medals, there were hardly 20-30 people to watch,” she said as a matter of fact at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.

“But I hope more people will come along here. It is a beautiful stadium and the atmosphere would be great if there were more people around,” said the three-time world champion and Athens Olympic gold medallist.

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Few takers for shuttle service

Looks like spectators are not taking the shuttle service to Games venues as most of these buses are running empty.

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is running shuttle services from the nearest bus stops to all Games venues at a regular interval of 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

“We are almost running empty as people are not taking the shuttle service. Throughout Monday we hardly ferried 10 people,” said a conductor between S.P. Mukherjee Stadium to R.K. Ashram Marg Metro Station.

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Indian lifters get home support

Weightlifting is emerging as a major crowd-puller in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the event is taking place sees a far better audience compared to other venues.

Many come just to cheer the Indian participants. Whenever it is the turn of Indian lifters, fans can be heard shouting in support.

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A family reunion

Although Canadian lifter Jasvir Singh, who is of Indian origin, failed to finish successfully in the men’s 62 kg weightlifting category here, it was a good chance for him to catch up with relatives in the city.

Singh failed in all the three attempts in the clean and jerk category. However, immediately after the match, he came out to meet his relatives and family friends who had been waiting patiently.

It was a touching family reunion.

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Who’s reading Village News?

No one seems to be reading Village News - the newspaper published in the Games Village — with several copies of the Sunday’s edition lying in one corner at the media centre.

When asked about the latest edition, the volunteers said Monday’s issue was yet to come!