CWG closing ceremony at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi

2014-08-12 17

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Delhi, India, is a multipurpose sports arena hosting football and other sporting events, as well as large-scale entertainment events. It is named after the first Prime Minister of India. The all-seater facility seats 60,000 spectators, and up to 100,000 for concerts. In terms of seating capacity, it is the fourth largest multipurpose stadium in India and the 51st largest in the world. The stadium houses the headquarters of the Indian Olympic Association. The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was constructed by the Government of India to host the 9th Asian Games in 1982, following which it hosted the 1989 Asian Championships in Athletics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In preparation for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the stadium reduced its capacity from 78,000 to 60,000 spectators.

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was the main venue for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics events for the Delhi Games. The stadium underwent massive redesign and reconstruction for the biggest multi-sport event hosted by India to that date. It was opened to the general public on 27 July 2010. The stadium played host to Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! Benefit Concert on 30 September 1988. The show was headlined by Sting and Peter Gabriel, and also featured Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Tracy Chapman, Youssou N'Dour, and Ravi Shankar. The project was led and managed by Mr. Ramji Lal from CPWD.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games to date. It was also the largest international multi-sport event to be staged in Delhi and India, eclipsing the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982. It was the first time that the Commonwealth Games were held in India and the second time it was held in Asia after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1998. The official mascot of the Games was Shera and the official song of the Games, "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto", was composed by celebrated Indian musician A.R. Rahman. The internationally acclaimed opening ceremony improved the image of the Games, and dispelled negative notions surrounding them, with many observers remarking that they began on an apprehensive note, but was an exceptional experience with a largely positive ending. The final medal tally was led by Australia. The host nation India had its best performance ever to finish second.

The initial total budget estimated by the Indian Olympic Association in 2003 for hosting the Games was INR1, 620 crore (US$294.84 million). In 2010, however, the official total budget soon escalated to an estimated INR11, 500 crore (US$2.09 billion), a figure which excluded non-sports-related infrastructure development. Business Today magazine estimated that the Games cost INR60, 000 crore (US$10.92 billion). The 2010 Commonwealth Games are reportedly the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever. A four-lane flyway, 2.2 km stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna, linking the Games Village to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was constructed which reduced the travelling time between the village and the Stadium to six minutes. To facilitate hassle-free sightseeing in Delhi, Delhi Tourism undertook the launch of India's very first Hop On Hop Off bus known as HOHO DELHI, modelled on popular concept of transport facilities in Western countries. The bus, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies like digital video screens and GPS systems, also had trained guides who were responsible for giving information about the sites.

Source: Wikipedia

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