Gill:Need stars, public won’t pay to see me run
Miffed at the pullout of top foreign athletes from the Delhi Commonwealth Games, sports minister M.S. Gill on Sunday had stern words for Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell.
“Star athletes have slowly drifted away from the Games. It’s not at all good. I want to tell Mr Fennell that don’t bring your officials here but bring stars like Bolt, Fraser, Hoy and others with you. They are the main attraction for the people of this country,” Mr Gill said on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Swimming Complex here on Sunday.
Quadruple Olympic gold medallist cyclist Chris Hoy of Scotland was the latest to withdraw his name from the October 3 to 14 Games after Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Shelly Ann Fraser.
Mr Gill felt the mega-event would lose sheen, interest and its very objective if top athletes don’t turn up.
“The Commonwealth Games is a sporting event, not a meeting of officials. These athletes drifting away doesn’t please me or the organising committee. This is not done,” the minister said, adding that he would bring up the issue at a meeting the sports ministers of the 71 participating countries on October 4.
“I’ll raise this issue before them definitely. If these stars fail to turn up, then all our efforts stand wasted. People will say that if only you and Suresh (Kalmadi) were to run, then why have you spent so much,” he said.
Comments
Gill Saheb, get your act
abe
20 Jul 2010 - 08:07
Gill Saheb, get your act together! Let the estwhile jameendhars of the sports arena take over. I think they are good at doing the shoddy business of attracting big stars, brokering shady deals etc..
Post new comment