INDIA: Commonwealth Games athletes facilities are substandard and still not ready as the games organisers face mounting criticism

Record ID: 1376242

  • Title: INDIA: Commonwealth Games athletes facilities are substandard and still not ready as the games organisers face mounting criticism
  • Date: 22nd September 2010
  • Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (SEPTEMBER 21, 2010) (ANI - NO ACCESS BBC) DAVE CURRIE, NEW ZEALAND'S CHEF DE MISSION, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE CURRIE AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVE CURRIE, NEW ZEALAND'S CHEF DE MISSION, SAYING: "If they (organisers) look back now, they would hope that they had finished the construction before the monsoons started. I think that the
  • Embargoed: 7th October 2010 01:16
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Sport
  • Reuters ID: LVAEATDVXGCAZ3F4IFIU3DRS081A
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: The parlous state of athletes' accommodation for next month's Commonwealth Games in Delhi has shocked visiting teams and prompted the Games federation chief to demand authorities urgently fix a raft of problems.
    Complaints from team officials ranging from cleanliness to Internet access at the athletes' village have further embarrassed organisers of the Oct. 3-14 Games, amid blown construction deadlines, corruption scandals and security concerns following a tourist shooting on Sunday.
    Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell had written to the Indian government to demand the problems be fixed and would soon arrive in Delhi to give teams a "frank" assessment of the situation on the ground, the Australian Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
    New Zealand's team said the Games' security was acceptable but had shifted their athletes to another building after finding their accommodation substandard.
    New Zealand's chef de mission Dave Currie said in a statement: "While cleanliness had been a concern for us, further inspection revealed some issues with plumbing, wiring, internet access and mobile phone coverage. We will now be advising sports that the accommodation is less than expected."
    Speaking in Delhi on Tuesday, Currie said work should have started earlier and been finished before the disruption caused by the annual monsoon rains.
    "There are some significant challenges that must be overcome. We are working with the Organising Committee to try and rectify them and we hope we can reach a stage where we can rectify them. We are not saying we are not coming. What we are saying is that the Organising Committee has some serious challenges that are to be overcome," he added.
    "We are only 12 days away from the opening ceremony and the village is delayed as it is. We are impressed with the dining hall and the recreation zones around the village. They are very impressive. But the residential areas being as significantly behind as they are is a real concern."
    The athletes' village was undergoing a phased lockdown and would be handed over to their organising committee on Thursday, Currie added.
    Athletes were due to begin arriving in New Delhi from Saturday. The NZOC board would meet on Friday to discuss the preparedness of the city to host a safe and secure Games.
    Perennial fears about the safety of athletes at the Delhi Games were raised again on Sunday after two gunmen opened fire at a tourist bus at the historic Jama Masjid mosque before absconding.
    Two Taiwanese nationals were wounded in the attack which happened minutes before a car burst into flames near the mosque's gate.
    India's interior ministry said the two incidents could be linked and had ordered further tightening of security across the city.
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