Fennell encourages Commonwealth Games participation

With just a few months to go before the opening ceremony, Mike Fennell, the man responsible for overseeing the execution of plans around the 19th staging of the Commonwealth Games in New Dehli, India, stressed the relevance of the October 3-14 event.

With a congested international sporting calendar and less glamour than some of the more glorified tournaments across the globe, the Commonwealth Games have not been met with the same levels of excitement by some of the world's top performers, particularly track and field stars, who continue to dodge the event.

"The importance to athletes is that they can record good times there, which will put them in good stead and good demand for other meets and events," reasoned Fennell.

"In terms of the other sports as well, the Commonwealth Games is an important tournament for them to record good performances because it is used for ranking, it's used for qualifications, and the credibility of the performances at the Commonwealth Games is taken into consideration by all sports."

The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) president expressed confidence in the preparation in the Indian city, amid signs of nervousness among the international community. He did, however, concede that work on the tournament - that brings together mainly former colonies of the British Empire - is far from complete.

"Things are progressing positively but there is still a lot to be done. A few days ago, there was a meeting and what they reported is that since the last visit, they recognisedconsiderable progress that has been made, yet there is still far more things that need to be done which they are working on," Fennell pointed out. "We are, however, very impressed with the rate of work, work ethic and the way they (Indian organisers) are getting things in place, so there is still quite a bit to be done, but they are working quite well."

Though calm, the highly respected administrator admitted to being a little nervous about the tournament but labelled this as a regular feeling ahead of major championships, while pointing to the heightened excitement levels among Indian locals as a major bonus.

"I won't be satisfied until the Games are opened. At this stage, you are always going to be a little nervous, but we will be testing the systems at various venues over the coming months to ensure that everything is in place," said Fennell. "The excitement level is building up tremendously, there is no question about that, and we are all looking forward to the tournament."

- André Lowe