Athletes rated Delhi Games Village better than London: Maken

Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken tweeted on Tuesday that according to the Indian athletes and coaches in London that he had spoken to, the Commonwealth Games Village in New Delhi was better than the one in Stratford.

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The Commonwealth Games were held in New Delhi in 2010 and every measure was put into place to ensure that the athletes were provided with world class facilities. Although some defects were highlighted, athletes from India and elsewhere had largely appreciated the effort. "Interacted w/athletes & coaches at London Olympic Village. Surprisingly everyone rated Delhi CWG Games village better than London!!!" is what Maken had to share with his followers on the micro-blogging site.

The London Games Village is located in the Olympic Park and is walking distance from some of the competition venues. It however is far from All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon which forced several tennis players including Roger Federer moving to posh residential locations around Church Road. The Village however has 3,300 apartments while the CWG Games Village had 1168 apartments and 34 residential towers.

The Delhi Games Village also had internal village shuttles and a 24-hour bus transport system. Located on the banks of river Yamuna, it had five major areas: residential zone, international zone, training zone, main dining area and operational zone. It was constructed keeping the 'Green Games' principles in mind, something that London organisers have also claimed to have kept as an objective.