Games were wonderful, says South African chef de mission

NEW DELHI - Patience Shikwambana, South Africa’s chef de mission, knows that Indians are last minute organisers, so she was not too worried about the Commonwealth Games running well.

Indians are last minute people. I’ve been told that most of the people in India never reach a place on time. This is also what was going on in the media before the Games, but we hoped that everything would turn out to be great and that is what happened, Shikwambana told IANS.

It didn’t start very promisingly for her — 150 athletes and 230 officials from her country had to first check into a five-star hotel as their rooms in the Village were not ready.

But, now at the end of the 12-day sporting event, Shikwambana has learnt that Indians may finish their job at the very last moment but they do it well.

I have learnt two Hindi phrases ‘acha hain’ and ‘theek hain’, and I follow these words in whatever I am doing these days.

Even while the media bashing of the Games was taking place, the chef de mission urged her players to focus on sports and nothing else.

Such things (criticism) tend to disturb many athletes and can divert their attention. But I am grateful to my athletes that they stayed away from all the negative publicity surrounding the Games.

“Moreover, such things happen in major events, and water and electrical issues happen all the time in our own homes. The important thing is that whatever we asked them was taken care of immediately. We got everything here,” she added.

Supporting South African President Jacob Zuma’s statement in which he had asked India to prove its detractors wrong, Shikwambana said: India has achieved its goal. The Games were wonderful.”

“This was the best Games Village I’ve ever seen with facilities like a swimming pool, gymnasium and a track for athletes right next door. Even the competition venues were great and I would give them nine on ten.

Regarding the controversy where a South African swimmer called a spectator ‘monkey’ as he was furious with his incessant shouting, the chef de mission said: Spectators are people you have to deal with carefully. After all, they have paid to watch the event and they are no hooligans.

Shikwambana said she has seen “worst cases” where the spectators indulged in violence and pelted stones. Indian spectators never did this, they have a unique way of rooting for the ones whom they like and hooting those they dislike, she said.

During the FIFA World Cup in her country, the teams were staying in hotels, “and here it is a Games Village. So, we can’t compare the two events”.

“But the organisation here was one of the best I’ve come across,” she added.

The South African chef de mission loved the food of Delhi.

I loved the butter chicken and tandoori prawn in Defence Colony. They were so good that inspite of the busy schedule I am planning a trip there Friday night.

But she was sad that she did not get the time to explore the city and the rest of the country more. Since the Games started on Oct 3, I was very busy. Still, I went to see India Gate, Red Fort and Old Fort. which are all beautiful places, she said.

I would have loved to visit the rest of the country, especially Taj Mahal, but I’ve been away from home for too long now and I am missing my family a lot, she added.

The chef de mission had just one criticism of the city - the traffic situation, which she described as ‘poor’. Traffic situation in Delhi is chaotic, thank god we had a dedicated lane, she said.