World chess champion Viswanathan Anand does not want to become part of the chaos and controversy surrounding the Commonwealth Games and only wants to focus on the number of medals India can win in the October 3-14 event.
"I really don't want to become a part of all this (mess). I don't wish to comment on what's going on. At the moment, I am just hoping that we (India) win lots of medals. I am concerned about our medal tally.
"I would keenly follow India's progress in the track and field events. If athletes win medals, it will a great boost to the sport as many of them were waiting for this event to happen," Anand said in Delhi on Thursday.
The first multi-sport international event being held in India since the 1982 Asian Games threatens to become a national embarrassment, what with several star international athletes already pulling out and some more adopting a wait-and-watch policy before taking a final call.
Anand was in Delhi to launch a certificate programme in Chess as 'Mind Booster' to enable development of young minds through the game.
The initiative has been launched by NIIT, in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), world's largest Open University.
Asked about the future of chess in India, Anand sounded optimistic.
"Future of chess is very bright in India. They are many youngsters who are taking up chess. Through this programme, we aim to encourage young students to play Chess which would enable young minds to develop, and subsequently help them to think logically and improve their life skills," he said.
"The reasons behind launching this initiative are manifold. Firstly, chess helps you in the academics as people benefit learning the game and second you will also get people to take the game seriously. The aim is to teach as many people as possible.
"It's very exciting as millions of kids are learning everyday. We will identify some talents through this initiative," he added.
