Sports and Outdoors in Delhi

For a sports loving person, Delhi is an ideal place to live in and have your sports hobbies fulfilled. Delhi has good facilities in sports like tennis, cricket, hockey and football. There are training academies, clubs and district teams that get maximum exposure to compete with world standards.


Sports in Delhi can not be said to be of world standards but it definitely has facilities that are helping young talents to groom. Sports facilities in Delhi include stadium and training academies for popular sports in India like Cricket, Golf, Tennis, Soccer, basketball, Badminton, Swimming, etc. Delhi has had the privilege and honour of hosting the first and the ninth Asian Games in 1851 and 1982 respectively. It has once again got the chance to host the mega sports event, the Commonwealth games 2010. This will be the first time when Indian is hosting such a big event after Asian games. Commonwealth games 2010 would the second occasion when the event is taking place in Asia. Delhi won the right to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games by defeating the Canadian city of Hamilton by 46 votes to 22 at the CGF General Assembly held in Montego Bay in November 2003.

Commonwealth Games 2010

Commonwealth Games Delhi

Commonwealth games in 2010 have brought a lot of goods to Delhi. Indeed, it has changed the face and fate of Delhi as Delhi is witnessing a lot of developmental activities in the past few months and more to come up till the time when Commonwealth games start. The process of development, improvement in infrastructure and revamping Delhi is under progress. But what about the sports facilities that is the most important aspect of the event. Well, the government has long list of plans at its disposal, which is being implemented and worked on. Commonwealth games village is being constructed on a 40-acre site near the heart of the city. The proposed village would have the capacity of around 8,500 athletes and officials. The new and existing stadiums in Delhi would be used to host games like Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, EAD Events, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.

Delhi has a number of sports complexes in and around Delhi which is being run and maintained by DDA. Sports facilities in Delhi include golf, tennis, soccer, basketball, cricket, swimming and many others. Siri Fort sport complex offers the best of facilities. Other new stadiums are coming up in Delhi which will be used in the Commonwealth games 2010. There are other clubs and sports complexes in different parts of the city whose membership varies from corporate membership to temporary membership.

While talking of sports in India, if we are leaving behind cricket then we are not doing justice to the sentiments of millions of people in India. Also, cricket deserves the accreditation it receives because the game has given India a lot of pride and fame. Also, cricket is being treated as a religion in India with major corporate brands depending on cricket icons for their advertising campaigns. The popularity of the sport can be judged by the very fact that you get up early in the morning and find children playing at every possible space available. The so called maidans in the city are filled with grooming talents trying their hands in the much loved sport of India.

Delhi’s only international venue, Firoz Shah Kotla has been the host of many historic clashes between top cricket playing nations of the world. It has had the privilege of hosting the first ever test match in the post independent India when the touring West Indies under John Goddyard visited India in 1948. The stadium also has to its name the honour of hosting the historic clash between India and Pakistan where Anil Kumble made a world record by taking all ten wickets of Pakistan.

There is no denying the fact that cricket is the most popular game in India but there other sports as well, including soccer, tennis, golf, badminton, swimming, kart racing, weightlifting and table tennis that are becoming more popular day by day.