There are two ways to enjoy a sport. You either watch it or participate in it. Depending upon your preference, Delhi’s sports scene offers you the best of both the choices.
The most popular sport in India as well as in Delhi is cricket which is played in every nook and corner of the city. Whenever an international cricket match is played in Delhi, it attracts hordes of spectators to Feroz Shaha Kotla stadium. The Kotla stadium has witnessed some of the greatest cricket matches in India. The latest in the series was the one where Anil Kumble, the present captain of the Indian Cricket team, took 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan.
Other sports that are played and avidly watched in Delhi are tennis, soccer and high profile games of golf, polo and car races. These games attract both the commoners and the celebrities among their spectators.
Apart from this, Delhi hosts regular tournaments in badminton, hockey, football, snooker and so on. To its credit Delhi has one of the best sporting infrastructures India has to offer. It’s all together another thing that we fail to produce champions on a regular basis. Delhi, which hosted the Asian Games in 1982, built several big stadiums such as Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Indra Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Ambedkar Stadium, to name a few. These stadiums continue to host prestigious sporting events even today. The local newspapers publish the list of the sporting events that take place across the city every day.
Delhi offers a plenty of choices for the sports enthusiasts. They can watch and play any sport they like-- golf, rock climbing, hang-gliding, canoeing, riding, bowling, ballooning and so on.
The first sporting event that Delhi hosted in the new millennium was the Inaugural Afro- Asian Games which were held in 2001.
Delhi can legitimately boast of rich expertise and experience in hosting both national and international sporting events.
The movement for the Asian games was started from the historic city of Delhi when the first Asian Games were held here in the year 1951 and again in 1982. In the year 1989, Delhi was host to the Asian track and field Championships. In Feb., 2000, Delhi hosted the Thomas and Uber Cup – one of the most prestigious badminton tournaments. Apart from this, international and national competitions in other disciplines keep happening in Delhi regularly.
New Delhi has also served as a host to many national and international sporting events such as the Commonwealth and Asian Archery Championships, World Cup Badminton, Asian Cycling Championship, World Billiards and Snooker Championships, Asia Cup Hockey Championships, SAARC Badminton and Gymnastics Championships, SAF Games and the International Volleyball Tournaments, to name a few.
Once again Delhi is in the limelight in the sporting arena as it is going to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The biggest International event in the history of the city shall be held from Oct 3 to Oct 14, 2010.