Athletes, politicians and students carried the Queen's Baton past major Delhi landmarks Friday as the symbolic relay neared the end of a global journey two days ahead of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony. Having travelled around 190,000 km through 70 Commonwealth nations and territories, the baton arrived in the Indian capital Thursday as organizers worked franticly to ensure the Games would enjoy a smooth start after a tumultuous lead up. The $6 billion event, intended to showcase India's growing financial clout to rival China's spectacular hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has been hit hard by one setback after another. On Friday, Games organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and India's Olympic silver medalist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore received the baton at the historic India Gate in the presence of jubilant students and military personnel. Corruption charges swirled around the London leg of the baton's relay, leading to the sacking of three senior organizing committee officials, and Kalmadi has been widely criticized for overseeing the event's poor preparations. While some athletes have withdrawn due to security concerns, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram ruled out any specific threat to the Games. “There is no basis to that ... Kindly give your attention to the Games and enjoy yourself,” he said on Friday. The Indian capital has been converted into a fortress for the Oct. 3-14 Games with 100,000 security personnel, including commandos, snipers and police, taking over the city. England's chef-de-mission Craig Hunter said the focus has now shifted to sports. “Our journey to the starting line here in Delhi has been challenging but the mood in the village now is of commitment and energy. Competition is scheduled to start Monday in a variety of sports, including swimming. There are 17 sports in total at this year's Commonwealth Games, and 272 gold medals to be won through Oct. 14 - 143 for the men, 123 for the women and six in mixed or open competitions.
