From rxpgnews.com
'Go for New Delhi' slogan as India bids for 2014 Asiad
By S.A.H. Rizvi, IANS,
Apr 15, 2007 - 1:57:10 PM
Kuwait, April 15 - 'Go for New Delhi' is the catch slogan with which the Indian Olympic Association - is highlighting the Indian capital as the venue for the 2014 Asian Games for which voting takes place Tuesday at the Olympic Council of Asia - meet.
Several banners, placards and other insignia with the inscription 'Go for New Delhi' and the logo for the 2014 games were unveiled at the press conference hosted at the Indian embassy here.
Justifying that New Delhi was the right choice for the Asian Games, both Indian Minister for Women and Child Welfare Renuka Chowdhary and IOA Chief Suresh Kalmadi said the venue was deliberately chosen as the city was the venue for the first Asiad in 1951 and all necessary infrastructures would be in place after the Commonwealth Games in the city in 2010.
'Delhi is the birth place for the Asian Games and it is but appropriate to host the games in the Indian capital if it returns after a long gap of 32 years. Besides, Delhi would have the necessary infrastructures after the Commonwealth games,' Kalmadi added.
Kalmadi said the Indian delegation would focus on several aspects of Delhi. Rahul Bajaj of the Confederation of Indian Industry would highlight the business and industrial aspect besides tourism. Renuka Chowdhary, who is a former tourism minister, said Delhi, with its vast history, had other plus points too.
'Delhi is the greenest capital in the world - eco friendly and boasts of the largest fleet of clean fuel operated public transport system. We are unmatched in all sectors,' Kalmadi boasted.
South Korea, which is also making a strong bid for the games by projecting Incheon as a games venue, has scoffed at India's claims, saying India must look beyond Delhi in hosting international sporting events of this magnitude.
The Indian delegation clarified that other venues for the promotion of sports wee consistently picked as shown by the hosting of the National Games and South Asian Federation Games in different parts of the country.
'We are taking a pan India approach to promote sports,' Kalmadi said, adding that things were looking up with the good performance of the Indian contingent at the Doha Asiad.
'It is for this reason that we are keen that Asian Games return to Delhi to give the boost to the sports at the Olympic level,' he said.
The OCA begins its two-day session from Monday and the voting by the 45 members would take place Tuesday and the winner would be chosen by a simple majority.
Incheon is in strong contender and making concerted attempts to take the games to South Korea's third major city.
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