CWG 2010: Pakistani squad hit by controversy over leadership

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CWG 2010: Pakistani squad hit by controversy over leadership

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04 October,2010 12:40 am

Pakistani squad has been hit by a controversy over leadership of the squad during the march-past at the opening ceremony of Commonwealth Games 2010.Gold Medalist weightlifter Shuja ud Din Malik was to lead the squad but at the last moment Chief de Mission Dr. Mohammad Ali Shah took the flag and pushed Shuja ud Din backwards. Name of Shuja ud Din Malik was also displayed as the leader of the contingent during live broadcast of the ceremony.Shuja ud Din Malik told Dunya News that Dr. Shah threatened to send the weightlifting squad back home.Pakistan's Chief de Mission and Provincial Sports Minister, Dr. Mohammad Ali Shah while talking to Dunya news said that no one from Pakistan Sports Board told who is to hold the flag. He said he saw other Chef de Missions leading their squads, so he made his own decision.Earlier, India produced a dazzling opening ceremony for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games as organizers defied prediction that the event might have to be called off and the chaos of preparations was left behind.In front of a 65,000 audience that included the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Earl of Wessex, 7,000 dancers, drummers and acrobats came together to showcase India's vibrant cultural heritage.But the celebratory atmosphere inside the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was tempered by the news that potentially lethal dengue fever has broken out in the athletes' village. An Indian lawn bowling official, Ruptu Gogoi, is the first person inside the complex to contract the mosquito-borne disease, which has affected 3,500 people in New Delhi this year and claimed seven lives.Security around the venue was so tight that ticket holders typically took three hours to get through 19 concentric checkpoints in the ring of steel surrounding the main Games venue.But once inside the stadium, the crowd was treated to a once in a lifetime performance that started on time and went without a hitch. The centrepiece of the evening was a 5.5 million helium balloon that rose into the sky to ecstatic cheers after a countdown beaten out on giant drums.Earlier in the day The Duchess of Cornwall sweltered in 34C heat as she compared the sticky, humid conditions in New Delhi to a sauna when she and the Prince visited the athletes' village.