KL gears up to host its biggest ever sporting bash<\/p>\n
By Gwen Benjamin<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): With less than two weeks to go, Kuala
\nLumpur is frenziedly sprucing itself up to play host to
\nMalaysia's biggest-ever sporting bash -- the 16th Commonwealth
\nGames.<\/p>\n
Potholes are being paved over, palm trees are springing up
\nalong highways, grimy buildings have been painted and clogged
\ndrains are being cleaned out.<\/p>\n
Surely taxi drivers are being told to watch their behavior,
\npolicemen are learning English, and flat dwellers are being
\nadvised not to hang unsightly laundry from their balconies during
\nthe games.<\/p>\n
Banners of the games' orangutan mascot, \"Wira\", which means
\n\"warrior\" in Malay, are fluttering throughout the city, while the
\ntheme song \"Let's Make It Great\" is blared daily on television.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth Games will be staged in Kuala Lumpur from
\nSep. 11 to Sep. 21, and 6,000 athletes and officials from 70
\nmember nations and British territories have promised to come.<\/p>\n
With an estimated 500 million worldwide television viewership,
\nMalaysia, which has never hosted a sporting event of such
\nmagnitude, is anxious for the games to run smoothly so that
\nnational pride is upheld.<\/p>\n
\"God willing, if the games are a success, the whole world will
\nlook up to us,\" said Youth and Sports Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.<\/p>\n
Malaysia is the first Asian country to host the quadrennial
\ngames of Britain and her ex-colonies. Begun in 1930, the event is
\nknown more as a friendly sporting meet than for shattering world
\nrecords.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth Federation, headed by Britain's Queen
\nElizabeth, comprises 53 sovereign nations, with the rest being
\nBritish dependencies and territories.<\/p>\n
The Kuala Lumpur Games will see a record number of competitors
\ntaking part in 15 events: athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling,
\ngymnastics, lawn bowls, bowling, shooting, swimming and weight-
\nlifting, while hockey, squash, cricket, netball and rugby will be
\nplayed for the first time.<\/p>\n
Unlike previous games, Queen Elizabeth will not be opening the
\ngames on the night of Sep. 11 at the 100,000-seat National Sports
\nStadium in Bukit Jalil.<\/p>\n
It will be opened by Malaysia's own king, Ja'afar Abdul
\nRahman, while the queen, who will visit Malaysia from Sep. 20 to
\nSep. 23, will close the games.<\/p>\n
About 800 million ringgit (US$190.9 million) has been spent to
\nbuild and upgrade facilities for the 15 events, but the bulk of
\nexpenditure has been borne by private companies. This includes
\nthe 561 million ringgit Bukit Jalil main stadium and aquatics
\ncenter which was built by a local firm in exchange for prime
\nstate land.<\/p>\n
Athletes will stay in three, 30-story tower blocks of fully
\nair-conditioned apartments in the nearby Games Village. The flats
\nwill be sold to locals after the games.<\/p>\n
The facilities have been built, but rushed jobs by contractors
\nhave caused problems such as leaky roofs and poor lighting in
\nsome venues. A cricket ground was rejected for not meeting
\ninternational standards, while cyclists complain about the track
\nat the velodrome.<\/p>\n
Malaysia's current economic crisis has also bitten into the
\ngames' budget. \"The events will be staged according to the
\noriginal plan, but it may not be held on a grand scale especially
\nthe opening ceremony,\" said minister Muhyiddin.<\/p>\n
Sukom, the Malaysian organizing committee, trimmed costs by
\nslashing its 310 million ringgit budget to 263.5 million ringgit.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has urged Malaysians to flock
\nto the games and ignore the economic crisis while the games are
\non.<\/p>\n
\"Forget the economic crisis that keeps bothering the prime
\nminister. Leave that to me. You concentrate on making the
\nCommonwealth Games a success,\" he told Malaysian at a recent
\nsports carnival.<\/p>",
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