Live India, Love Football

 Last week I discussed the good, the bad & the ugly of my 2010 Commonwealth Games experience. This week was a 180 degree turnaround. I attended diving, field hockey, athletics and the closing ceremonies. In addition, I had the treat of going on a private tour of the Athletes Village which culminated in an entertaining concert by Punjabi musician, Daler Mehendi. It was truly one of the best spectator sports weeks I’ve ever had AND one of the best cultural weeks I’ve ever had. I genuinely believe that whether you are a fan of sports or not, watching sporting events in the countries you travel to provide an entertaining and interesting look at the culture of that specific area. This week I will focus on the positives of my 2010 Commonwealth Games experience with the Good & the Great. The Good 1. Getting into Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in 15 minutes for athletics opposed to the 45 minutes it took to get into the opening ceremonies last week 2. Watching the Indian 4x100 m...

 Over the past few months in Delhi, the one subject discussed more than the extreme weather has been the infamous Commonwealth Games. Unfortunately most of what is being talked about is negative which continues to be fueled by the media's decision stick it to Organizing Committee Head, Suresh Kalmadi and his staff.   As someone who has been involved in sports administration for the past 8 years, I must say that this has been one of the most interesting real life case studies I could have ever imagined being a part of. A dance/fight between the Indian government, Indian Olympic Association, the Indian media, the international media, the Commonwealth Games Federation, the athletes, the sponsors and, most importantly, the Indian public whose tax money funded this Indian soap opera. To the surprise of many, the 19th Commonwealth Games did actually begin on October 3rd and events have been taking place for the past week. I've been able t...