Commonwealth Games

Canada was the first country to be created by legislation.

The British North America Act united Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the pre-Confederation Province of Canada into a federation, called Canada. The pre-Confederation Province of Canada was then severed into the provinces of Ontario and Québec.

The British North America Act was proclaimed on March 29, 1867, and the date of July 1, 1867, was set for the Act to take effect.

In the terminology of the United States insular areas, a Commonwealth is a type of organized but unincorporated dependent territory.

There are currently two United States insular areas classified with the status of commonwealth, the Northern Mariana stateand Puerto Rico.

The Commonwealth of Nations currently has 54 member nations, one of which is currently suspended following a military coup.

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belize
• Botswana
• Brunei
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Cyprus
• Dominica
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Guyana
• India
• Jamaica
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Papua New Guinea
• Rwanda
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Fiji (suspended)

In January 2005, the Commonwealth Games Federation vice-president Raja Randhir Singh expressed concern that Delhi was behind schedule in forming an organising committee. On 18 January 2008, however, the Commonwealth Games Federation expressed its approval of Delhi's progress.

On 15 October 2009, Jarnail Singh, a former Secretary of the Government of India was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Organising Committee.

India's Sports Minister will head the apex committee for conducting the games while the Indian Olympic Association presidentSuresh Kalmadi will head the organising committee. The Games will be held from the 3rd to 14 October 2010.

The total budget estimated for hosting the 19th Commonwealth is US$ 1.6 billion and this amount excludes non sports related infrastructure development in the city like airports,roads and other structures. This makes the 2010 Commonwealth Games as the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever (compared to Manchester 2002 - approx. US$420 million, and Melbourne 2006 - approx. US$ 1.1 billion).

Delhi already has many international features of a modern and well-planned city. However, to get ready for the huge influx of tourists visiting Delhi during the Games, the Government of India has taken many steps to improve the city. This includes city beautification, transportation development, upgrading of many old structures etc.

Delhi proposed a four-lane, 2.2 km underground stretch from Lodhi Road to trans-Yamuna, linking the Games Village to theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium and reducing traveling time for athletes traveling between the Village and the Stadium by six minutes.

In response to concerns over the large number of trains that pass by the Delhi metropolitan region daily, construction of road under-bridges and over-bridges along railway lines has been started.

To expand road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges have been planned to provide connectivity to the Games Village, to sports venues, to hospitals, and for intra-city connectivity. Road-widening projects have been under process, with an emphasis being placed on expanding national highways. To improve traffic flow on existing road, plans are underway to make both the inner and outer Ring roads signal free.

To support its commitment to mass transport, nine corridors have been identified and are being constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for example, one from Ambedkar Nagar to Red Fort). Six of these corridors are expected to be operational in 2010.

Additionally, the Delhi Metro will be expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transport during the 2010 games. By then it will have the second longest network in the world and later the longest, which will be more than 420 km. To achieve this exponential increase in the network's length, the Delhi Metro has deployed 14 tunnel boring machines (TBMs). The Delhi Metro reports that no country in Asia has ever put to work so many TBMs at the same time.

To further support air travel, the Indira Gandhi International Airport is being modernized, expanded, and upgraded. By the 2010 games, a new terminal (Terminal 3) will have been constructed at a cost of nearly US$ 1.94 billion, with the capability to cater to more than 37 million passengers a year by 2010 and the planned expansion program will increase its capacity to handle 100 million passengers by 2030. Terminal 3 will be a two tier building, with the bottom floor being the arrivals area, and the top being a departures area. This terminal will have over 130 check in counters, 55 aerobridges, 30 parking bays, 72 immigration counters, 15 X-ray screening areas, duty free shops, and much more. The airport will also have a new runway to cater more than 75 plus flights an hour; the runway will be more than 4400 meters long and one of Asia's longest. The entire airport will be connected to the city via a 6 lane highway (National Highway 8) and the Delhi Metro.

To prepare for the energy-usage spike during the Games and to end chronic power cuts in Delhi, the government is undertaking a large power-production initiative to increase power production to 7,000 MW (from the current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi, and construct new power plants. In fact, the government has promised that by 2010, Delhi will have a surplus of power.

In preparation for the Games and to promote security at major tourist destinations, Indian states will be deploying a force of "tourist police" far before the Games begin. These tourism police are regular state police forces, but will be trained to handle tourist-related aspects. A number of states have already implemented this program; other states are expected to emulate this model within the end of the year.

India is expected to use the Games to provide a major boost to tourism in India. According to official estimates, two million foreign tourists and 3.5 million domestic tourists are likely to arrive in Delhi in 2010 as a result of the Games. To prepare for this influx, the government is providing tax incentives for hotel rooms to be constructed in India, with a focus on tourist regions of Agra & Jaipur.

Additionally, the government has extended a five-year tax rebate to the tourism industry to create jobs and increase development.

In September 2009, Commonwealth Games federation chief Mike Fennell reported that the games were at risk of falling behind schedule and that it was "reasonable to conclude that the current situation poses a serious risk to the Commonwealth Games in 2010". A report by the Indian Government released several months prior found that construction work on 13 out of the 19 sports venues was behind schedule. The Chief of the Indian Olympic Association Randhir Singh has also called expressed his concerns regarding the current state of affairs. Singh has called for the revamp of the games' organizing committees commenting that India now has to "retrieve the games". Other Indian officials have also expressed dismay at the ongoing delays but they have stated that they are confident that India will succesfully host the games and do so on time..

In addition to physical preparation, India and Delhi will be offering a myriad of amenities to all athletes. These include traditionalCommonwealth Games services, such as free accommodation for all athletes, a modern, comfortable Games Village, cutting-edge health facilities, security, a pollution-free environment, entertainment for non-competition times, transportation, and other, unique amenities as well. Delhi will also be offering all athletes a free trip to the famed Taj Mahal and will provide a reserved lane for participants on selected highways.

The Delhi High Court is also set to implement a series of "mobile courts" to be dispatched throughout Delhi to relocate migrant beggars from Delhi streets. The mobile courts would consider each beggar on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the beggar should be sent back to his/her state of residence, or be permitted to remain in government-shelters.

In preparation for a rush of English-speaking tourists for the Games, the Delhi government is implementing a program to teach English to low-income individuals who will have a high-frequency of contact with tourists. This subset includes city cab drivers, waiters, gatemen, and service staff. Over the past two years, the city has successfully taught 2,000 drivers English, and is continuing the program to reach as many as possible before the Games. The city plans to teach 1,000 people English per month, and hopes to reach everyone necessary by March 2009. In addition to Delhi, the Indian Government plans to expand the program to teach people in local tourist destinations, including Agra and Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Bhopal and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh,Gaya in Bihar and Puri in Orissa.