Chairman of the Commonwealth Organising Committee and Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi on Monday claimed credit for the spectacular three-hour opening ceremony on Sunday.
"We had a good beginning with the opening ceremony. Perhaps the best I have ever attended. Many more world records will be broken in the next 12 days," Kalmadi said during an event in Delhi.
"Some athletes have withdrawn from the Games not because of dengue fever or security reasons, but because they were not physically fit to be in included in the contingents of their respective nations," he added.
He thanked his support staff for making the opening ceremony a success, saying, "The team slogged for more then 16 hours a day to make the staging of the Commonwealth Games opening a resounding success."
Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell, who was critical of the Organising Committee, too was impressed with the show.
"The opening ceremony was simply magnificent. It brought out the culture of India. I would say the whole show was spectacular. The transport system worked, the security cover worked. I am pleased with the show. But the show is not over yet. There are eleven more days to go," Fennell said.
However, there were some senior officials who weren't impressed by Kalmadi blowing his own trumpet.
"Ask him (Kalmadi), when he was telling lies at the opening ceremony even a bee did not like to hear him and kept on troubling him. He even referred the former President of India as Dr Abdul Kalam Azad. The spectators did the right thing by booing him.
"He deserves a place elsewhere with a white pyjama and kurta to look after the garden. He is more like Shakespeare's man Iago, who was known for what the bard says: 'One can smile and smile and still can be a villain'. No wonder the prime minister keeps him out of the meetings," the official charged.
Other senior Games' officials too weren't happy with Kalmadi's attitude.
"With a good ceremony behind him he is now busying blowing his own trumpet," said a woman associated with the Games.
