Date: 3-14 OCTOBER
Host: India
Countries: 17
Events: 272
Athletes: 4352
The vibrant city of New Delhi, home to 14 million people, hosted the Commonwealth Games in October 2010. This was the first time India has hosted the Games and only the second time the event has been held in Asia (Kuala Lumpur in 1998 was the first).
Delhi is the capital city of India and is rich in culture and history. It stands on the western end of the Gangetic Plain and is bordered by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. There are two main districts of the city, Old Delhi the capital of Muslim India between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries with its historic sites, mosques, and monuments, and New Delhi, the imperial city created by the British Raj with its imposing government buildings and tree-lined avenues.
Delhi won the right to host the 2010 Games by defeating the Canadian city of Hamilton by 46 votes to 22 at the CGF General Assembly held in Montego Bay in November 2003.
The dates for the Games were 3 - 14 October 2010, inclusive of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The Games saw the participation of 71 Commonwealth Games Associations representing one-third of the world’s population. 6,572 athletes and team officials competed in the 17 sports and four Para Sports including: Archery, Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Powerlifting, Rugby Sevens, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
At the end of the Games a total of two new world records (Powerlifting & Athletics) and 108 new Commonwealth records were created.
The Delhi Games Village was a low-rise medium development on a 40-acre site in the heart of the capital which housed 6,500 athletes and officials.
There were challenges in the lead-up across some of the planning and execution endeavors that went into holding the largest multi-sport event that India has ever hosted. However, as the sporting competition started, the athletes and their spectators enjoyed 12 days of glorious competition, capturing the human spirit that drives the ethos of the Games.