New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) It won’t be all work and no play for the athletes staying at the Games Village. They have a discotheque, functioning since late Thursday, where they can let their hair down.
Free for the athletes and officials, the disco is open from 8 p.m.-11 p.m and accommodates 100 people at a time. A professional Disc Jockey takes care of mix and match.
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‘Twilight Cinema’ to motivate spirits
The Village residents are in for some 360-degree entertainment. If shopping and cultural programmes were not enough, they will now have late night movie screenings under the moonlit sky.
Called ‘Twilight Cinema’, the visitors can watch small duration ‘sports motivational movies’ like ‘Chak De! India’ and ‘The Longest Yard’ to name a few, via a projector on a LED screen in the open amphi-theatre. It can seat 500 people.
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Detergents, beverages – first priority!
The sportspersons and officials seem to be washing a lot of dirty laundry in their flats and consuming carbonated water to make up for their lost sweat in India’s tropical climate — the first thing they are picking at the Village store is detergent powder and beverages.
Players have been provided with pouches of detergent powder in their flats which is probably not enough, so they are buying one kg pack of the same. ‘We have sold around 60 kg detergent so far,’ a supervisor in the store said.
‘They are also buying a lot of beverages, slush and ginger beer, not to forget the mosquito repellants. There is a huge demand for these three,’ the supervisor added.
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No bees for these flowers!
Daisy, carnations, roses, dahlia – you name it, you have it all in the Village. But in a secluded corner of the buzzing international zone at the Games Village, there is a flower shop that is still waiting for a customer or two, if not for a beeline of buyers.
‘Players are coming to check out and only ask rates but nobody is really buying. Whatever we have sold is just a couple of wild lily bunches,’ said Manoj, the supervisor of the shop.
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Big promise, little help from DTC helpline
Just when you thought that unlike the usually ineffective helpline numbers of some government departments this one will be different, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has disappointed again.
The DTC tollfree helpline number for information on the special bus service during the opening (Oct 3) and the closing (Oct 14) ceremony of the Games is of little or no help at all.
Most of the time the person answering the call either has sketchy information on the service or directs you to call another number!
The DTC Friday announced free transport services to and fro the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Oct 3 and 14 from 31 locations across Delhi and neighbouring parts for those holding tickets for the two ceremonies.
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Watch only Doordarshan at Games Village media centre, for now
It is only Doordarshan or DD Sports at the media centre at the Games Village, for now.
When asked why no other channel is available, an official at the media centre said that ‘it’s a display screen and as of now we have just allowed DD and when the Games start we will start other channels also.’
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A Games room in the Games Village
In the midst of strenuous training sessions, workout regimens and the ever mounting pressure for winning a medal for their country, there is one place in the Games Village providing much deserved solace to the athletes from around the world – the Games Room.
Located in the International zone of the Village, it houses three pool tables, two tables of ice-hockey and football each, two dart boards and plenty of board games like chess, chinese checkers and othello.
The room was abuzz with chatter and laughter as athletes from different backgrounds gathered in the room and and indulged in friendly matches on the pool or the ice-hockey tables.
‘I like to come here after a heavy workout or training schedule as it relaxes my mind and have fun with friends from my own country as well as around the world,’ said Elias Nashivela, a boxer in the 75 kg weight category from Namibia.
‘Just yesterday I stayed here for around four hours in the evening and played game after game of pool,’ he added.