Introduction
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The Commonwealth Games is the world’s second largest international
multiple sporting event that is conducted once in every four years with the
participation of athletes from the Commonwealth Nations.
The Commonwealth of Nations or Commonwealth is a voluntary organization
of 54 independent sovereign nations formed in 1949. The members of the
Commonwealth of Nations, except Mozambique and Rwanda were the formerly
under the British colonial empire that existed from the 16th century till the end of 20th
century.
The members of the Commonwealth have spanned across 6 continents from
Africa to Asia and from the Pacific to the Caribbean. The total population of these
nations being two billion people constitutes 30% of the world’s inhabitants from
different faiths, races, languages, cultures and traditions.
The Commonwealth of Nations are generally referred as Commonwealth that
work together to support each other’s common goals in democracy and development,
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Head of the Commonwealth and Kamalesh Sharma
is the current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
(http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/191086/191247 /the_commonwealth/ )
The Following are the list of members from Commonwealth of Nations as of
August 31st 2009. Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize,
Botswana, Brunei, Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji Island,
The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho,
Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra, Leone, Swaziland, Singapore,
Solomon Island, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu,
Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu, Zambia.
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The representatives of the Commonwealth Games, then known as the British
Empire Games in a meeting in Los Angeles on 7th August 1932 decided to form the
British Empire Games Association.
The Commonwealth Games are overseen and controlled by
the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). The host city for the Commonwealth
Games is selected via a ballot election by the Commonwealth Games Federation.
The President of the Commonwealth Games Federation elected in a General
Assembly of the Commonwealth Games Associations is responsible for chairing the
Executive Board meetings and the General Assembly; he also responsible for inviting
the Head of the Commonwealth to declare the Commonwealth Games open and
closed.
The membership of the Commonwealth Games Federation is open only to the
member countries of the Commonwealth Games Association, therefore it necessary
that even the participant must the either the citizen or subject of the Commonwealth
affiliated nation. (http://www.weareengland.org/page.asp?section=77§ion Title=
Chronology)
1.1 HISTORY OF COMMONWEALTH GAMES
The idea of hosting the first Commonwealth Games then known as the British
Empire Games, was proposed by Reverend Ashley Cooper in July 1891 in an
magazine by name "Greater Britain" and later on October 31 in "The Times" that
suggested a “Pan-Britannic-Pan-Anglican sporting event” for every four years to
increase good will and relationship among the British Empire.
However it took another 40 years to conceptualize this idea, in the year 1928,
when a Canadian athlete, Bobby Robinson by name was entrusted with organizing the
first ever Commonwealth Games, then known as the British Empire Games at
Hamilton Canada in 1930.
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The City of Hamilton provided a sum of $30,000 to help cover travelling costs
of 11 countries with about 400 athletes in 6 sports and 59 events including athletics,
boxing, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming and diving and wrestling costing up to
$97,973.00. The participant nations in these games were Australia, Bermuda, British
Guyana, Canada, England, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Scotland,
South Africa and Wales.
Commonwealth Games ever since then has been organized with exception to
the year from 1942 and 1946, due to 2nd World War. Though initially from 1930 to
1950, these games were called as the British Empire Games, it was rechristened
several times including British Empire and Commonwealth Games from 1954 to 1966
and British Commonwealth Games 1966.
However to reflect the actual the membership of the Commonwealth Nations
on 27th January 1974 the General Assembly decided to change the name to
Commonwealth Games backed by an international body called The Commonwealth
Games Federation. (http://www.thecgf.com/games/story.asp.)
The chronological timeline of the Commonwealth Games as follows:
Hamilton, Canada, 1930 London, United Kingdom 1934, Sydney, Australia, 1938,
Auckland New Zealand 1950, Vancouver Canada, 1954, Cardiff United Kingdom,
1958, Perth Australia, 1962, Jamaica West Indies, 1966, Edinburgh United Kingdom,
1970, Christchurch New Zealand 1974, Edmonton Canada 1978, Brisbane Australia
1982, Edinburgh United Kingdom 1986, Auckland New Zealand 1990, Victoria
Canada 1994, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 1998, Manchester United Kingdom, 2002,
Melbourne Australia 2006, New Delhi India 2010. The New Delhi games would be
followed by the Glasgow games in 2014 Scotland.
1.2 ABOUT COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2010 - NEW DELHI
With a margin of 46 votes to 22 votes in a ballot voting approval from the
members of the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly in Montego
Bay, Jamaica held on November 2003, India won the bid to host the 19th edition of
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Commonwealth Games 2010 at Delhi with a the bid motto “New Frontiers and
Friendships”.
Further India promised to pay a sum of US$100,000 to each participating
country along with their travel and accommodation and thereby won the bid attempt
against Canada's to host the Commonwealth Games for the fifth time. Hence it
became the second country to host the Commonwealth Games in Asia after the 1998
Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur.
Accordingly the Organizing Committee for the 19th Commonwealth Games
was constituted on 10 February 2005 under Societies Registration Act 1860 to
organize and host Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi.
The Organising Committee had to prepare, promote, organize, advice, decide
and conduct the Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi in the National Capital Region of
Delhi with Suresh Kalmadi as the chairman of organising committee.
In the 2010 edition of the Commonwealth Games altogether 20 sporting
events are hosted including Aquatics diving, Aquatics swimming, Archery, Athletics,
Badminton, Boxing, Cycling road, Cycling tack, Gymnastics artistic, Gymnastics
rhythmic, Hockey, Lawn bowls, Netball, Rugby sevens, Shooting, Squash,
Synchronized swimming, Table tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling from October 3 to
October 14, 2010.(http://results.cwgdelhi2010.org/en/Root.mvc/)
1.3 NATIONALISM
A nation may be defined as a group of people sharing same origin,
community, territory, ethnicity, language, race, descent, history:
Nationalism on the other hand can be understood as a strong feeling of
identification of an individual or a group towards their nation. It is a
concept that involves a strong identification of group of individuals
with a political entity with reference to a nation “Nationalism
emphasizes collective identity - a 'people' must be autonomous, united,
and express a single national culture. (Benedict, 1991:1)
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According to Ernest Gellner and John Breuilly’s definition Nationalism can be
defined as the belief that the one’s state is primary or naturally superior to all the
others. Some time due to strong provocation factor Nationalism can turn reactionary
i.e. the country may have to undertake a revolution or a mass movement in the interest
of protecting the nation hood:
Nationalism is sometimes reactionary, calling for a return to a national
past, and sometimes for the expulsion of foreigners. Other forms of
nationalism are revolutionary, calling for the establishment of an
independent state as a homeland for an ethnic underclass. (Gellner,
1983:2)
A territorial nationalism on the other hand secures the feeling of nationality to
the individuals on the basis of their birth or adoption of a country. Peter Duignan and
L.H. Gann define territorial nationalism as:
A sacred quality is sought in the nation and in the popular memories it
evokes. Citizenship is idealised by territorial nationalist a criterion of a
territorial nationalism is the establishment of a mass, public culture
based on common values and traditions of the population. (Duignan,
1983:2)
1.4 THE HINDU
The Hindu is an Indian English daily newspaper that started publishing in the
year 1878 as a weekly, led by G. Subramania Aiyer along with five other members of
Triplicane Literary Society, it became a daily edition in 1889.
The newspaper has its major base in terms of circulation in South India and is
headquarters at Chennai. According to the Indian Readership Survey 2010 it became
the third most-widely read English newspaper in India with a circulation of 1.46
million copies. (http://www.newswatch.in/newsblog/7983)
In the 1987 and 88, The Hindu’s expose on Bofors arms deal that broke out a
major allegation of corruption involving Swedish arms manufacturing company along
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with Government of India made headlines and embarrassment to the then Congress
government led by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
However there are several tags that the newspaper carries along with it being
India’s daily read, according to the World press magazine, The Joint director of the
Hindu in 2003 N. Murli claimed that The Hindu is politically left leaning newspaper.
The media analyst Hoot criticizing The Hindu report on the 17th September
2009 for editorialising its article saying:
The Hindu’s surprising foray into investigative journalism is welcome.
It ran a story on September 17 on what Rahul Gandhi’s three day
Southern trip will cost the Youth Congress, given that he did not take
any commercial flight. Upwards of Rs 1 crore, for planes and
helicopters used, ground handling charges, etc. The paper could not
resist editorializing either, on Rahul Gandhi’s recent statements made
in Tamil Nadu, on austerity. (http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/search
detail.php?sid=4093&bg=1)
This reference by the “Hoot” was in reference to The Hindu’s coverage on 17th
September 2009 front page news report on Rahul Gandhi, where instead of
commenting on the purpose of his visit, the newspaper in a critical tone elaborated the
expenditure incurred due to his visit.
1.5 THE TIMES OF INDIA
The Times of India is a daily Indian English newspaper owned and managed
by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd that is owned by the Sahu Jain family in India.
According to the Indian Readership Survey in 2010, The Times of India newspaper
is regarded as the most widely read English newspaper in India 70.35 lakhs
readership. (http://www.newswatch.in/newsblog/7983)
The Times of India was established in Mumbai on November 3, 1838, and
then known as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.
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Initially the newspaper operated as a weekly edition followed by a biweekly
format, it was only in 1850 that it transformed into a daily and in 1861 renamed itself
as The Times of India.
The founder of the newspaper Robert Knight was also its first editor, the
Times group came under prominence for it severe criticisms against the British
administration after the first war of Indian Independence. Robert Knight’s assertions
on the British policies on annexation, taxes and disregard to the Indian customs
though made his quite unpopular among the Pro-British; the shareholders of the
newspaper made him the permanent editor. (Hirschman, 2008:1)
It promoted British interests prior to Independence of India; however the
ownership of the paper passed on to the Indian business group Dalmiya that was taken
over by the Sahu Jain group of Uttar Pradesh. (http://www.televisionpoint.com/news20
06 newsfullstory.php?id=1146042260)
The Times of India today is published by the media group Bennett, Coleman
& Co. Ltd along with seven other groups in different languages.
1.6 SUMMARY
This chapter gives a brief history of Commonwealth Games, About
Commonwealth Games New Delhi, concept of Nationalism, The Times of India and
The Hindu
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