And now, it’s time for the Commonwealth inquisition

The resounding success of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) which concluded in New Delhi last week must be attributed largely to the superb show put on by our athletes. That is, of course, what such a sporting extravaganza is all about. Unfortunately, we got embroiled in a lot of controversies in the run-up to the games.

Lady Luck, however, decided to lend us a hand. From the spectacular opening ceremony onwards, and right through the games, the bad news just disappeared. Our sportspersons rose to the challenge by ensuring our largest ever haul of gold medals at the CWG.

But how much credit should be given to the last-ditch efforts made by the various agencies involved to convert a possible debacle into victory? Here is where the problem lies. While India’s sportspersons did us proud, the same cannot be said about the organisers and officials, who came close to putting us all to shame. They must now face the nation for the various sins and mistakes they have committed. We need a transparent clean up and the prime minister did promise us “severe and exemplary” punishment for the guilty. This is what we expect and what wrongdoers deserve. We have to bring to book those who caused the delays and those who helped themselves to public funds using the crisis as an excuse. The CWG budget spiralled from an initial Rs300 crore to an astounding Rs70,000 crore, suggesting that most of it went into wrong pockets.

While we have shown the world that we can pull off such an event, before the cries to bid for the next Olympics begin, we need to ask ourselves this: at what cost? If our athletes have performed this well with minimal government help, what could we have not achieved if we had spent the bulk of the CWG money in providing better facilities and training programmes for sportspersons all over India?

It is time to not just rescue sport from the stranglehold of inefficiency and corruption but also ourselves. The middle class is usually exercised about how corruption is ruining this country and it should not now relax because the Games were a success. In a sense, the days before the Commonwealth Games exemplified everything that could go wrong when we give people power without accountability. We now have the opportunity to try and correct some of that. We should not let it slip out of our hands.