New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) British Prime Minister David Cameron was impressed by the refurbished National Stadium here Thursday, terming it a ‘world class’ facility and wished the Commonwealth Games ‘every success’.
He also took up the willow and played a few shots with former India captain Kapil Dev bowling to him at the stadium and interacted with scores of children waiting to meet him.
Cameron had gone for a visit to view Commonwealth Games facilities in the afternoon. The National Stadium was venue of the World Hockey Cup in February this year and will hold the hockey matches of the Commonwealth Games.
Kapil Dev, who captained India’s World Cup winning team in 1983 in London, was part of a delegation of Indian sportspersons who were present there. The others included cricketer Bishan Singh Bedi, Olympian runner Milkha Singh and sprint queen P.T. Usha.
A British sports delegation was also in attendance. The members included Sebastian Coe, head of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, Kelly Holmes, president of Commonwealth Games England, Olympian Sir Steve Redgrave and Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the English Premier League.
On Thursday in Bangalore, Cameron had said he had grown up admiring Kapil Dev as he did Ian Botham.
‘Many of you in this room would have grown up revering Kapil Dev. I did the same with Ian Botham,’ he said to a beaming audience at the Infosys campus.
Cameron and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs William Hague arrived together at the stadium, where he was greeted by Indian Sports Minister M.S. Gill and Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of CWG Organizing Committee.
Cameron was given a briefing on the security preparations for the Games. Delhi Police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal and other senior police officers were present at the meeting.
The British side included by Assistant Chief Constable Fiona Taylor of Strathclyde Police, and Chief Superintendent Jim Busby of Metropolitan Police.
During the meeting, both sides mentioned the ‘excellent cooperation’ between Metropolitan Police and Delhi Police in preparing for the Games.
‘The prime minister highlighted the importance for the UK of continuing this relationship in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games,’ said a press release issued by the British High Commission.
The Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi Oct 3-14.
