Delhi ready to welcome Olymic flame tomorrow

NEW DELHI, June 9 (Agencies) : The Olympic flame, with all its glory and history, will return to the country for the first time in four decades when it arrives here tomorrow for its sixth stop in a remarkable global journey.

Unprecedented hype has marked the build-up to the arrival of the flame which will be carried in special olive-leaf-shaped torches across the capital by sportspersons, Bollywood stars, and individuals who have excelled in different walks of life in a special relay.

The hype is justified for an occasion that is certain to give a boost to India's will and capacity to host mega international events.

As the host of 2010 Commonwealth Games and aspiring to host the Olympics in 2016, India will be closely watched by the international sports community, with comparisons to Asian rivals China inevitable.

And, co-incidentally, the flame comes after a stop in China, hosts of the next edition of the Olympics in 2008.

Keen to match the spectacle and grandeur of the torch relay in China, Indian Olympic officials have gone the extra mile to ensure a reception at par if not better for the flame.

Delhi's date with the flame begins in the morning when it touches down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in a special 747 Boeing aircraft named 'Zeus' and dabbed in Olympic colours.

Once formally received by IOA chief Suresh Kalmadi, the flame, ignited by sun rays in the ancient Greek city of Olympia from where it began its journey, would be taken to Qutub Minar.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit will flag off the relay after a cultural programme on the premises of the historical monument.

Kalmadi will run the first leg of the nearly 40-km relay followed by IOA Secretary Randhir Singh.

The caravan would then roll on to the city, touching important historical and modern-day sites.

While Bollywood stars _ Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee, Bipasha Basu, Aamir Khan and Vivek Oberoi would contribute oomph and glamour, 'differently-abled' athletes like Aslam Amin would serve a reminder to profound issues that affect mankind.

Ace shooter Anjali Bhagwat would run the final lap of the relay and bring the flame to the Nation Stadium _ where the inaugural edition of the Asian Games were held in 1951.

Here, the flame would be used to light a cauldron before as many as 5,000 children and guests followed by a two-hour musical extravaganza.

But what reads like a near-perfect script has been marred by an unsavoury controversy over who all should carry the torch.

Even as mystery still shrouds the inclusion of legendary Indian sprinter P T Usha in the list of torchbearers, former badminton great Prakash Padukone and veteran broadcaster Jasdev Singh have criticised the decision to ignore deserving sportspersons for the relay.

"It is a pity that the IOA has bowed down to pressures from the sponsors and ignored several notable sportspersons.

It is a shame that those who brought glory for the country have been overlooked in favour of Bollywood stars," said Jasdev Singh, the only commentator to have been awarded the Olympic Order but not invited for the function.