和
我們一起看看有關新德里將於10月份舉行的第十九屆英聯邦運動會的新聞﹐再把它們與關於廣州11月份舉行的第十六屆亞運會的報導作個比較。現在距新德里的英聯邦運動會開幕還有46天。成員國確定參賽的運動員人數越來越多。但有關貪污和腐敗的指責也在滿天飛。
AFP/Getty Images
隨著將於11月舉行的亞運會進入倒計時﹐主辦城市廣州的各個體育場館都已準備就緒。
現在的情況好像是嫌印度總理不夠忙似的﹐他已經不得不委任一些高級別的部長去負責監管運動會的籌備工作﹐並將在本月底親自視察運動場館。
從印度向東大約3500公里就是中國南部城市廣州﹐第十六屆亞運會將於11月12日在這裡舉行。在它的網站上你能看到一段時長一小時的倒計時慶祝活動視頻﹐不僅有載歌載舞的畫面﹐還有精心編排的武術表演。
大約七十幅亞運場館的圖片向人們展示﹐他們已經準備好迎接運動員。這其中的許多場館早在北京開始籌辦2008年奧運會時可能就已建成﹐或者至少已經開工。據其亞運網站﹐組織者7月下旬時帶領記者參觀了已經竣工的場館。對中國來說﹐"竣工"意味著可以啟用﹐而不是像新德里的18座場館那樣還有待諸如清理垃圾、粉刷等收尾工作。
既然廣州已經完成了場館、住宿等主要項目﹐他們將注意力轉到了成就一項真正成功的賽事所需要的細小環節上。你能買到亞運會吉祥物這樣的紀念品。在網站上﹐你能看到賽會組織者在場館內對餐飲、交通和環境衛生管理人員舉行的培訓。
組委會7月底還舉行了記者自助餐廳的試嘗活動。照片上的菜肴十分精緻﹐葷素搭配﹐蔬菜還被弄成了花朵般的造型。伙食承包人的姓名被清楚地列在了亞運會網站上。就連自助餐的價格也能得知：每頓50元（約7.35美元）。
與此同時﹐德里還在對伙食承包商進行招標﹐不過有一個好消息：它已經選定一首賽會主題歌曲來迎接運動員﹐由拉曼(A.R. Rahman)譜曲。
廣東方面有一則招致抗議的消息。當地政府要求一些使用粵語的電視節目改為使用普通話﹐這引起了廣東人的擔心。這一舉措表面上是為了迎合來廣州看亞運會的普通話遊客。廣東政府堅持說這個提議的目的不是為了消除粵語或是粵語文化。
再來看看德里﹐安保問題又一次湧現。據法新社(Agence France-Presse)的一則報導﹐新西蘭當局預料英聯邦運動會開始前恐怖分子將對德里的一處"軟目標"發動襲擊。
而比關於可能延期的報導和任何其他報導都要糟糕許多的是一則來自場館工地的悲劇性消息：一名兩歲的女孩在主體育場尼赫魯體育場的入口處附近被卡車撞倒後身亡。警方向報社說﹐女孩的父母為了在這個工地上工作來到德里﹐過去六個月一直在這裡幹活。當時女孩正在工地上和其他孩子玩耍﹐外來勞動者的子女經常如此。據《印度時報》報導﹐駕駛員逃離了現場﹐卡車已被扣留。
Emily Veach
Consider with us a few headlines about the upcoming 19th Commonwealth Games in October in New Delhi, and compare them to what has been reported about the 16th Asian Games that will take place in November in Guangzhou, China.
We're now 46 days away from the opening ceremonies of Delhi's Games. Member nations are confirming more and more athletes on their rosters. But accusations of graft and corruption are also flying freely.
At the Games Village, health officials have reported heavy mosquito breeding in the Games Village, raising possible dengue fears. Mosquitoes are usually pretty prevalent this time of year because of monsoon rains, but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi still called the sanitation of the area 'pathetic,' and said the basement of one building of flats was waterlogged, the Times of India report said.
As if the prime minister weren't busy enough, he's had to put his top ministers in charge of overseeing the Games preparations and will personally check the sites at the end of month.
Travel east about 3,500 kilometers and you'll find the site of the Asian Games in Guangzhou in southern China, which will kick off on Nov. 12. On the website you can watch an hour-long video of the countdown ceremony, full of singing and dancing, with choreographed martial-arts moves galore.
The photos of the 70 or so Games venues, many of which were possibly erected or at least started when Beijing began preparations to host the 2008 Olympics, show them ready for athletes. In late July, the organizers took journalists around to show off the finished venues, according to the website. In the Chinese case, 'finished' means ready for action, not ready for further finishing touches, such as clearing debris, painting and so forth, as in the case of Delhi's 18 venues.
Now that Guangzhou has completed the major projects like venues and housing, they've moved on to the little things that make for a truly successful event. You can buy Asian Games mascot figurines, among other merchandise. On the site you can read about the organizing committee's training session for management staff at venues responsible for catering, transport and environmental sanitation.
Also in late July, the organizing committee held a sample tasting event for the reporters' cafeteria. There are photos of intricate spreads of meats and flower-cut vegetables. Caterers are clearly named on the Asian Games website. Even the price of a self-service meal is available: 50 yuan, or $7.35.
Delhi, meanwhile, is still taking bids from caterers. On the positive side: It's chosen a song to greet Games athletes and A.R. Rahman is composing it.
There was one piece of protest-inducing news from Guangdong, the manufacturing province where Guangzhou city is located. Residents in the province became concerned when the government asked to switch the language spoken in a number of TV programs to Mandarin from Cantonese. The move was ostensibly aimed at catering to visitors arriving for the Asian Games who speak Mandarin. The government has insisted the proposal wasn't aimed at doing away with the language or culture.
Back in Delhi, security issues are once again coming to the fore. New Zealand authorities are anticipating a terrorist attack on a 'soft target' in the city ahead of the Games, according to a report from Agence France-Presse.
And much worse than any of the expected reports about delays and reports was this tragic news from the construction of venues, a two-year-old girl was killed when a truck hit her near the entrance to the main Games venue, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Her parents came to Delhi to work at the site, and have been working there for the past six months, police told the newspaper. Their daughter was playing with other children at the construction site itself, which is common for migrant laborers' children. The driver fled the scene and the truck was impounded, the Times of India reported.
Emily Veach
We're now 46 days away from the opening ceremonies of Delhi's Games. Member nations are confirming more and more athletes on their rosters. But accusations of graft and corruption are also flying freely.
At the Games Village, health officials have reported heavy mosquito breeding in the Games Village, raising possible dengue fears. Mosquitoes are usually pretty prevalent this time of year because of monsoon rains, but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi still called the sanitation of the area 'pathetic,' and said the basement of one building of flats was waterlogged, the Times of India report said.
As if the prime minister weren't busy enough, he's had to put his top ministers in charge of overseeing the Games preparations and will personally check the sites at the end of month.
Travel east about 3,500 kilometers and you'll find the site of the Asian Games in Guangzhou in southern China, which will kick off on Nov. 12. On the website you can watch an hour-long video of the countdown ceremony, full of singing and dancing, with choreographed martial-arts moves galore.
The photos of the 70 or so Games venues, many of which were possibly erected or at least started when Beijing began preparations to host the 2008 Olympics, show them ready for athletes. In late July, the organizers took journalists around to show off the finished venues, according to the website. In the Chinese case, 'finished' means ready for action, not ready for further finishing touches, such as clearing debris, painting and so forth, as in the case of Delhi's 18 venues.
Now that Guangzhou has completed the major projects like venues and housing, they've moved on to the little things that make for a truly successful event. You can buy Asian Games mascot figurines, among other merchandise. On the site you can read about the organizing committee's training session for management staff at venues responsible for catering, transport and environmental sanitation.
Also in late July, the organizing committee held a sample tasting event for the reporters' cafeteria. There are photos of intricate spreads of meats and flower-cut vegetables. Caterers are clearly named on the Asian Games website. Even the price of a self-service meal is available: 50 yuan, or $7.35.
Delhi, meanwhile, is still taking bids from caterers. On the positive side: It's chosen a song to greet Games athletes and A.R. Rahman is composing it.
There was one piece of protest-inducing news from Guangdong, the manufacturing province where Guangzhou city is located. Residents in the province became concerned when the government asked to switch the language spoken in a number of TV programs to Mandarin from Cantonese. The move was ostensibly aimed at catering to visitors arriving for the Asian Games who speak Mandarin. The government has insisted the proposal wasn't aimed at doing away with the language or culture.
Back in Delhi, security issues are once again coming to the fore. New Zealand authorities are anticipating a terrorist attack on a 'soft target' in the city ahead of the Games, according to a report from Agence France-Presse.
And much worse than any of the expected reports about delays and reports was this tragic news from the construction of venues, a two-year-old girl was killed when a truck hit her near the entrance to the main Games venue, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Her parents came to Delhi to work at the site, and have been working there for the past six months, police told the newspaper. Their daughter was playing with other children at the construction site itself, which is common for migrant laborers' children. The driver fled the scene and the truck was impounded, the Times of India reported.
Emily Veach
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