Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014: Games begin today, Sachin to play special role

The unprecedented success achieved in the last edition would be hard to replicate this time but a 215-member Indian contingent would nonetheless seek a top-five finish at the 20th Commonwealth Games which begin in Glasgow on Wednesday.

India finished second behind Australia with a record 101 medal haul in New Delhi.

The Games will have superstar sprinter Usain Bolt of Jamaica and middle and long distance king Mo Farah of England as highlights of the sporting extravaganza.

India will be hit hard by the scrapping of archery and tennis and the reduction in the number of medal events in shooting and wrestling.

India's medal tally is expected to reduce drastically from the 101 (38 gold, 27 silver, 36 bronze) in 2010 and anything above 60 can be considered an achievement.

India and Canada, who have sent a 265-member team to Glasgow, are expected to fight for third place behind Australia and England.

India has returned with nearly 30 medallists from the last Games with the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt, Krishna Poonia, Ashish Kumar and Achanta Sharath Kamal set to prove their mettle once again.

Shooting is still expected to contribute a major chunk of medals for India despite 18 events being dropped since the last edition. Wrestling could get win at least 10 medals.

The men's and women's hockey teams are also expected to finish on the podium.

India is also set to lose out in athletics, which yielded 12 medals, including two gold, in Delhi. With lack of preparation ahead of the Games and most athletes struggling for form, not much is expected. The country may expect four or five medals with Krishna Poonia and Vikas Gowda (discus throw) and Arpinder Singh (triple jump) among contenders. The women's 4x400m relay quartet has an outside chance for a medal.

In badminton, despite the absence of Saina Nehwal, India is expected to do well with PV Sindhu top seeded shuttler in women's singles.

The Games will officially be opened by Queen Elizabeth II at Celtic Park.

Sachin at opening

Sachin Tendulkar is all set to play a special part in Wednesday's opening ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth Games.

Tendulkar will make his presence felt during the ceremony as the Global Goodwill Ambassador of the UNICEF, which has partnered with the Glasgow
CWG organisers and the Commonwealth Games Federation in a first-of-its-kind initiative to spread awareness about the childrens' problems.

Organisers are however tightlipped about the details of Tendulkar's role during the ceremony.

"There will be something special from Tendulkar, wait and watch tomorrow, Lord David Puttnam," UNICEF UK Ambassador, said after a programme on the partnership.

Indian coaches now allowed at ringside

Indian boxers at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games will now be assisted by their coaches at ringside during their bouts.

Kishen Narsi, India's representative at the International Boxing Association (AIBA), informed that the world body has reversed its earlier decision by
allowing Indian coaches to assist pugilists.

"The Indian boxers are relieved and excited that Indian coaches will be allowed to second our boxers and be at ringside as per the information communicated by AIBA secretary," read the mail.

AIBA had earlier banned India coaches from ringside without giving any specific reason, but it was learnt that it resulted from confusion after the Indian federation's exclusion from AIBA's member list.

But the world body seems to have realised that though the Indian federation is not a full member, it has provisional membership and has the right to take coaches to a tournament.

The AIBA had already allowed Indian boxers to wear the national jersey, use the Tri-colour and play the national anthem in case one of them wins a gold medal during the CWG. Till then, the boxers were fighting under the AIBA banner ever since the Indian federation was suspended in December 2012. But AIBA had stated that coaches can't be at ringside, a decision they reversed on Tuesday.

The relaxation is only for the CWG as the AIBA has recently directed Boxing India, the provisional group to run the sport, to conduct an election by
August 15 otherwise the boxers and coaches will face a ban from all AIBA-sanctioned tournaments.

Eight men and three women Indian boxers are participating in Glasgow. The boxing competition starts on Friday but the pugilists have reached well in
advance to acclimatise. The men's team has two practice sessions a day. Women boxers are excited since the discipline is making its debut at the CWG. However, their participation is limited to only - 51kg, 60kg and 75kg. At 2010 CWG, Indian boxers won three gold and four bronze medals.