India unveils first Commonwealth Games venue

India unveiled a refurbished hockey stadium, the first venue to be completed for this year's Commonwealth Games and promised all other facilities would be ready in time for the October 3-14 event in New Delhi.

India came under severe criticism after construction of several venues, including the athletes' village, fell behind schedule, forcing the postponement or shifting of many international meets planned as test events.

"A beginning has been made and you will now see the 10 remaining competition venues being completed one after another," sports minister Manohar Singh Gill said at the inauguration of the Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium at the weekend.

"I am confident everything will be in place in time. Yes, we could have finished the work a year in advance to get the facilities tested, but at least we can ensure that the venues will come up well before the games start," Gill told reporters.

Named after hockey player Dhyan Chand, the venue staged hockey during the 1951 and 1982 Asian Games and the 20,000-seater stadium will host the men's hockey World Cup starting in the Indian capital next month.