Shera, mascot of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi, is the most visible face of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi. His name comes from the Hindi word Sher – meaning tiger.

Shera truly represents the modern Indian. He is an achiever with a positive attitude, a global citizen but justifiably proud of his nation’s ancient heritage, a fierce competitor but with integrity and honesty. Shera is also a ‘large-hearted gentleman’ who loves making friends and enthusing people to ‘come out and play’.

In Indian mythology, the tiger is associated with Goddess Durga, the embodiment of Shakti (or female power) and the vanquisher of evil. She rides her powerful vehicle – the tiger – into combat, especially in her epic and victorious battle against Mahishasur, a dreaded demon.

Shera embodies values that the nation is proud of: majesty, power, charisma, intelligence and grace. His athletic prowess, courage and speed on the field are legendary. He is also a reminder of the fragile environment he lives in and our responsibility towards the protection of his ecosystem.

London 2012 Olympic Games

JESSICA CULLEN

AP writer

The Olympic flame will make a 70-day journey across Britain ahead of the 2012 London Games, with more than 8,000 people taking part in a youth-dominated torch relay that organisers say will “inspire the country.”

The flame will arrive in Britain from Greece on 18 May, 2012, and the relay route will take the torch to within an hour’s distance of 95 per cent of the population, organisers said.

Sports and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson said the torch relay will get people across the country behind the games.

“It has enormous power to inspire the country,” he said.

Robertson said at least 50 per cent of the spots in the relay will go to people under the age of 24. Organisers are working on a system for selecting the torch bearers, which will include a nomination process.

Sebastian Coe, head of the London organising committee, said the aim is to find torch bearers who “inspire young people.”

After the nationwide relay, the flame will arrive in London the weekend before the cauldron is lit at the opening ceremony on 27 July, 2012.

Details of the relay route will be announced next year.

After the international torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was marred by protests by human rights activists in London, Paris, San Francisco and other sites, officials decided to keep future relays to within the host nations, apart from the lighting in Greece.

Coe said the torch relay should be a national event that can be used to energise the host country.

“We can use the torch to shine light on great things in the country,” he said.

Security around the torch will be easier to control because it is a national event, Robertson said.

“I cannot guarantee that on the day there will be no pressure groups at all who will try to interrupt events but I hope they will not ruin an opportunity for people,” Robertson said. “They will be inspired by it.”

The torch relay will be sponsored by Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung.

Robertson and Coe reiterated that Olympic preparations will not be threatened by the £27 million in spending cuts announced recently by Britain’s new coalition government.

The cut represents only two per cent of the overall budget of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the body responsible for building the venues for the games.

“We have to deliver on projects that were promised and we’ll make savings that don’t (affect) the final Olympic Games,” Robertson said.

India’s projection as a sporting nation

The Government of India sees the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi as an excellent opportunity to herald the country’s emergence as a significant sporting nation and showcase its organisational capacity to host such major events

In its report to the nation presented by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh last Tuesday, the government said apart from highlighting the important role of sports, promoting closer ties between the people of the Commonwealth countries and promoting tourism, this Commonwealth Games will provide the nation with state-of-art, international standard sports infrastructure.

The report said government had approved a budget of nearly Rs. 11,494 crore for the successful conduct of the Games through various ministries. (Of this, the budget for the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi to conduct the Games is Rs. 1620 crore). The Commonwealth Games will also result in the upgrade of city infrastructure on an unprecedented scale, it said.

The new terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport will be fully operational soon, well in time for the Commonwealth Games. It has been designed to cater to 100 million passengers per annum by 2036, the report said.

It also said that 45.83 km was added to the Delhi Metro network. Of course, it will expand to 185 km during the Games, spanning the IGI Airport to Connaught Place, to the Games Village in Akhshardham to all venues.

Delhi games logo

The logo of the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi is inspired by the Chakra, the national symbol of freedom, unity and power. Spiralling upwards, it depicts the growth of India into a proud, vibrant nation.

Her billion people coming together to fulfil their true destinies. India’s journey from tradition to modernity, her economic transformation into a super power… reaching out to the world and leading the way, even as she enthusiastically embraces all the 71 CGA nations and territories of the Commonwealth to become one and host the best ever Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Come Out and Play: 

The logo tagline is an invitation to every person across all divides – Indian and Commonwealth – to let go of themselves and participate in the Games to the best of their abilities, in the true sprit of the Games. It is an exhortation to them to set new records, to outperform, and to raise the bar by scaling new peaks of achievement. It is also a call to the people of India, especially Delhi, to come out in support of the Games and play the perfect hosts at the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi.

Coventry City

stadium to host Olympic matches 

Coventry City’s Ricoh Arena will host some of the group stage matches for the football tournament at the 2012 London Olympics.

The stadium was chosen last week as the Midlands venue in central England after Birmingham’s Villa Park was ruled out due to planned construction work.

The announcement means all sports venues for the Olympics have now been finalised.

The 32,500-seat Coventry stadium will temporarily be renamed the City of Coventry Stadium for the games and all branding will be removed in line with Olympic policy of “clean” venues. Coventry City plays in the Championship, the division below the Premier League.

The schedule of matches to be played in Coventry has yet to be confirmed.

The other 2012 football venues are Hampden Park in Glasgow, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Old Trafford in Manchester, St James’ Park in Newcastle and London’s Wembley Stadium.

London scraps plans for Olympic Park wind turbine 

London 2012 organisers have scrapped plans to build a wind turbine on the Olympic Park site.

The turbine had been intended to help deliver 20 per cent of the park’s energy needs after the games, starting in 2014.

The Olympic Delivery Authority, which is in charge of building the venues and infrastructure for the games, said last week the plan is “no longer feasible.”

The proposed turbine supplier pulled out of the project and there was little commercial interest elsewhere.

Ukraine plans bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics 

Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych says his country is considering a bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Bukovnya in the Carpathian Mountains.

Speaking in the western visit of Lviv, Yanukovych said there was much work to do, but “we have enough time ahead.”

Talk of a potential bid comes after Ukraine has dragged its feet on preparations for co-hosting football’s 2012 European Championship with Poland. The delays have prompted warnings from UEFA that Germany or Hungary could be asked to stage some games if Ukraine isn’t ready.

Ukraine’s National Olympic committee expressed support for a Winter Games bid. “It will give a chance to attract sizable additional investments and speed up the country’s development,” the committee said in a statement on Friday.

The International Olympic Committee will select the 2022 host city in 2015.

Paraguay’s Olympic head escapes armed attack

The president of the Paraguay Olympic Committee has survived an armed attack in which an unknown gunman fired five shots at him from close range last week.

Ramon Zubizarreta (pictured) said the attack took place when he was parking his vehicle outside his office in Asuncion.

“It’s a miracle I am alive,” he said.

He said an armed man jumped off a motorcycle and fired five shots at him. But Zubizarreta was not struck.

Zubizarreta said in an interview with The Associated Press that he did not know the reason for the attack and said he had no known enemies.

“I don’t know why the attack,” he said. “When I arrived in the parking area I saw a person walking toward me and another on the motorcycle. When I stopped the vehicle, and before I could open the door and get out, I heard this blast and thought my tyre had a puncture. But it was the car’s window glass exploding from the gunshots.”

Alfredo Mino, the top police official in the area where the attack took place, also described Zubizarreta’s survival as a “miracle.” He said police found five bullet marks on Zubizarreta’s light truck. Police earlier said six bullet marks had been found. Mino said one had been counted twice.

Such attacks have become more frequent in recent years in the South American country where kidnapping and extortion are often the motives.

In April, Paraguay senator Roberto Acevedo survived a shootout when his vehicle was attacked near the Paraguay-Brazil border, where drug-trafficking gangs are responsible for murder and insecurity.

Russian security chief warns of Sochi threat

Russia’s security chief warned last week that terrorists intend to disrupt preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service, said the games face the same kinds of threats that led to the cancellation of the 2008 Paris-Dakar motor rally.

“We can clearly hear the intentions of various gang leaders to stage a similar scenario in the run-up to the Winter Olympics in 2014,” Bortnikov was quoted as saying by the state news agency Itar-Tass.

The Black Sea resort of Sochi is relatively close to Russia’s restive North Caucasus region, from where officials say the country’s chief terrorist threat emanates.

Russia has endured a spate of terrorist strikes this year, including the double suicide bombing of the Moscow subway system in March that killed 40 and injured 120. Officials said the attacks were staged by Islamist militants based in the North Caucasus.

Despite the attacks, government officials have given firm security guarantees to the International Olympic Committee.

“We continue to have full confidence in the Russian authorities and their ability to handle the security situation in Sochi,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The 2008 Paris-Dakar rally was cancelled for the first time in its 30-year history because of a threat of a terrorist attack. Eight of the 15 stages were to have been in Mauritania, where al-Qaida-linked militants had recently killed a family of French tourists.

The race was moved to South America in 2009.