Panaji, Sep 27 (IANS): Postponement of the Lusofonia Games, from November this year to January next year, is a "blessing in disguise" for Goa, chief executive officer of the event Keshav Chandra said Friday.
The rescheduling would now allow time for comprehensive completion of the infrastructure required for the event and would also ensure sufficient breathing space even for test games before the mega event, as against rushing through it, he further said.
"Of course, the rescheduling is a blessing in disguise. The additional two months that we have got has enthused our team. Now we will be able to comprehensively complete the necessary infrastructure for the event and we will also have test games at the venues," said Chandra.
Chandra, an IAS officer attached to the Goa government, has been now posted as the CEO for the Portuguese Commonwealth Games.
The Lusofonia Games were originally scheduled to be held in Goa in November, but the new dates for the Games which have been finalized by ACOLOP are now Jan 18-29.
The decision to postpone the Games were taken at the meeting of the Associacao dos Comites Olimpicos de Lingua Oficial Portuguesa (ACOLOP), the organising committee for the Lusofonia Games, at Macao last week.
One of the key reason for the postponement of the Games was the inability of the host state to build the necessary infrastructure to international standards for the event.
Chandra also said that all nearly 1,000 athletes as well as 400 support staff from over 12 countries, all Portuguese speaking and former Luso colonies, are expected to attend the event which will have nine sporting disciplines namely Athletics, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Football, Judo, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball and Wushu.
"The countries will be granted temporary landing facility (visa on arrival) for the Games," Chandra said.
The official also said that the general assembly of the ACOLOP would meet next in Goa in December this year to take stock of the state government's readiness to host the Games.
Among the countries participating in the 2013 in Goa are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Macau (China), Mozambique, Portugal and Sao Tome and Principe. Equatorial Guinea, India and Sri Lanka are associate members of the Games.
Goa was one of the earliest Portuguese colonies in Asia and was under the Luso colonial yoke for nearly 450 years.