The 2010 Commonwealth Games are going to be held in Delhi, India. The city has a population of over 15 million, compared to (2006 games hosts) Melbourne's 3.7 million and Greater Manchester's 2.5 million population at the 2002 games.
In Jamaica on November 13, 2003 Delhi received 46 votes compared with 22 for Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in a vote of the Commonwealth Games Federation.
This will be the biggest multi-sport event conducted in the city. Delhi has previously played host to the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982.
In January 2005, the Commonwealth Games Federation vice-president Randhir Singh said that Delhi was behind schedule in forming an organising committee. "This inordinate delay by the Sports Ministry could cost India the games", he said.
India will be only the third developing country to host the event after Jamaica in 1966 and Malaysia in 1998. This is only the second time the event will be held in Asia.
New Delhi has been chosen to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games and becomes only the second Asian host in the Games' 80-year history. New Delhi secured 46 votes, while rivals Hamilton (Canada) clinched 22, in a secret ballot during the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The Indian delegation comprising Suresh Kalmadi (president of Indian Olympic Association), Randhir Singh (secretary of Indian Olympic Association), Vikram Verma (sports minister), Vijai Kapoor (Governor of Delhi), Sunil Gavaskar (legendary cricketer), Anjali Bhagwat (ace shooter) and Michael Ferreira (former world billiards champion) addressed the members before the voting started, while Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered a video message.
The sentimental note expressed in their presentations, that India had not hosted the Games in 50 years while Canada had done so four times, won the bid for India.
"We are very, very happy. People in CGF realised there had been injustice with India and the big margin is a testimony of that Fifty per cent of the Commonwealth stays in India. We are a billion-strong people and it can be regarded as a victory for the Commonwealth movement," Suresh Kalmadi said after the Commonwealth Games Federation's congress vote.
With a projected Games budget of $420 million, it will also be a major boost for the sprawling Indian capital of almost 14 million people.
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