Teams arriving at the Commonwealth Games have started scouting for hotels to stay in

Games, gold, glory. And Goons

Teams arriving at the Commonwealth Games have started scouting for hotels to stay in. Lalit Bhanot's lame explanation for toilets not working and excrement "in places it shouldn't be" at the CWG apartments: "The complaints could be due to cultural differences. Everyone has different standards about cleanliness. The Westerners have different standards, we have different standards." Sure dude! Our low standards make it really ok to have crap in the living room.

Forget Western countries: Even Lesotho is questioning our standards, Mr Bhanot. Lesotho!

Our terribly low standards ensure that we turn a blind eye to all the money that has gone into yours and Kalmadi's pockets. Over-priced treadmills, cheap sinks priced for thrice their value, and teflon that's inflatable ufffd in function and price ufffd are all part of the tacky games that have come to be expected from people of your ilk to play.

But making a public embarrassment of our country is below even our inured-to-everything, low-slung belts, Mr Bhanot.u00a0

Sample various Facebook statuses from this morning: "Don't steal, con, lie, embezzle or reward stupidity. Not because it's wrong, but because the Members of the Organising Committee of the CWG don't like competition." or "Man in charge of CWG tried to hang himself. But the ceiling collapsed."

At this point, I only wish the thick skinned boors had shame enough to try hanging themselves. But chances are, they walk away with crores in their Swiss Bank accounts, grins on their pock-marked faces and many stories to recount over their evening drinks with like-minded cronies, of ways to skim a country of the last vestiges of its pride.
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Soiled apartments are the least of the dirt that the Games have become. Kalmadi and crew clearly mistook the concept of sportsmanship for playing around with national honour. Running faster than champion athletes with money that belongs to the country isn't really going to get the national anthem playing at the medals podium.u00a0
Everyone from Sheila Dikshit down to cross-eyed Kallu needs to take responsibility for this debacle. You simply can't shame India in the eyes of the world, and get away with it. This time, there is not going to be a philosophical shrug and an "adjust karo."

If there's a bright side, at least at these Games, we're sure of winning one medal for the country: for the relay races as officials pass the baton ufffd and the buck ufffd faster than a blink of the eye.

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