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Commonwealth Games at risk with under 2 weeks left
Source: Agencies |
September 22, 2010, Wednesday
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ONE of the world's biggest sports events is in jeopardy as organizers struggle to cope with unfinished buildings, an athletes' village described as "unfit for human habitation," a bridge collapse, concerns over security and corruption, and an outbreak of dengue fever.
The October 3-14 Commonwealth Games, which bring together more than 7,000 athletes from the 71 countries and territories every four years, was supposed to showcase the emerging power of India - just as the 2008 Beijing Olympics did for China.
Instead, the New Delhi Games are highlighting the problems in the developing nation of more than 1 billion people that is still plagued by vast areas of poverty.
The frenzied, last-minute preparations are in such disarray with less than two weeks before the opener that some officials are speculating that a few teams could withdraw or the event could be called off.
The latest blow came yesterday, with the collapse of a footbridge being built to connect the main stadium to a parking lot. Police said 23 construction workers were injured, five seriously.
Hours earlier, the Commonwealth Games Federation urged the Indian government to finish work on the athletes' village, which is due to open tomorrow. In addition to shoddy conditions inside and outside the buildings, there also are problems with plumbing, wiring, furnishings, Internet access and cell phone coverage.
"We have to continue to push our concerns at the highest level and you can't get higher than the Cabinet office of the country and the prime minister," Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper said. "They have to come up with a clear plan to meet the needs of athletes and show they can provide consistent standards."
Swimming New Zealand's high-performance manager Jan Cameron said in a radio interview that swimming federations had already discussed the prospect of the games being canceled and were prepared to act quickly to stage an international meet.
The games have historically been dominated by England, Australia and Canada, and all three have voiced concerns about the conditions in India.
"It's hard to cancel an event of this magnitude, but we are close to the wire, and teams may start to take things into their own hands," England chef de mission Craig Hunter told Britain's Press Association. "Athletes will start getting on planes soon and decisions will have to be made. We need new levels of reassurance."
Australian discus world champion Dani Samuels and England's triple jump world champion Phillips Odowu both withdrew from the games Tuesday, citing concerns over health and security.
Australia's federal sports minister Mark Arbib, who is due to travel to New Delhi next week, told Sky News today that "there could be a number more who made that decision," to follow Samuels' lead and withdraw from the games.
Scotland said its team's living area was "unsafe and unfit for human habitation." Australia's chef de mission, retired marathon runner Steve Moneghetti, said Indian organizers "have got two days to do what's probably going to take about two weeks."
Commonwealth Games Canada director of sport Scott Stevenson said housing facilities were not "anything like what was promised."
Although no one has said they will pull out, New Zealand team manager Dave Currie had some of the strongest words for organizers.
"If the village is not ready and athletes can't come, obviously the implications of that are that (the event) is not going to happen," Currie told New Zealand radio network newstalkZB.
The chaos has severely dented India's hopes of using the games as a springboard for a bid to host the Olympics in 2020 or 2024.
The International Olympic Committee carries out more rigorous and frequent inspections of host cities to make sure that construction deadlines are met. The process has been tightened further since the delays that dogged preparations for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The games in India are only the third to be staged outside Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Kingston, Jamaica held the 1966 edition, then known as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was the only Asian city to host the event in 1998.
New Delhi, India's capital and home to more than 12 million people, was chosen to host the 19th edition of the Commonwealth Games in November 2003, beating out Hamilton, Ontario. Between then and 2008, the country did little to prepare.
Organizing committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot said the situation at the village was normal.
"All games face such problems and they will be resolved before the athletes come in," Bhanot said. "These are not going to affect the games in any way as all venues are ready to host the games."
The October 3-14 Commonwealth Games, which bring together more than 7,000 athletes from the 71 countries and territories every four years, was supposed to showcase the emerging power of India - just as the 2008 Beijing Olympics did for China.
Instead, the New Delhi Games are highlighting the problems in the developing nation of more than 1 billion people that is still plagued by vast areas of poverty.
The frenzied, last-minute preparations are in such disarray with less than two weeks before the opener that some officials are speculating that a few teams could withdraw or the event could be called off.
The latest blow came yesterday, with the collapse of a footbridge being built to connect the main stadium to a parking lot. Police said 23 construction workers were injured, five seriously.
Hours earlier, the Commonwealth Games Federation urged the Indian government to finish work on the athletes' village, which is due to open tomorrow. In addition to shoddy conditions inside and outside the buildings, there also are problems with plumbing, wiring, furnishings, Internet access and cell phone coverage.
"We have to continue to push our concerns at the highest level and you can't get higher than the Cabinet office of the country and the prime minister," Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper said. "They have to come up with a clear plan to meet the needs of athletes and show they can provide consistent standards."
Swimming New Zealand's high-performance manager Jan Cameron said in a radio interview that swimming federations had already discussed the prospect of the games being canceled and were prepared to act quickly to stage an international meet.
The games have historically been dominated by England, Australia and Canada, and all three have voiced concerns about the conditions in India.
"It's hard to cancel an event of this magnitude, but we are close to the wire, and teams may start to take things into their own hands," England chef de mission Craig Hunter told Britain's Press Association. "Athletes will start getting on planes soon and decisions will have to be made. We need new levels of reassurance."
Australian discus world champion Dani Samuels and England's triple jump world champion Phillips Odowu both withdrew from the games Tuesday, citing concerns over health and security.
Australia's federal sports minister Mark Arbib, who is due to travel to New Delhi next week, told Sky News today that "there could be a number more who made that decision," to follow Samuels' lead and withdraw from the games.
Scotland said its team's living area was "unsafe and unfit for human habitation." Australia's chef de mission, retired marathon runner Steve Moneghetti, said Indian organizers "have got two days to do what's probably going to take about two weeks."
Commonwealth Games Canada director of sport Scott Stevenson said housing facilities were not "anything like what was promised."
Although no one has said they will pull out, New Zealand team manager Dave Currie had some of the strongest words for organizers.
"If the village is not ready and athletes can't come, obviously the implications of that are that (the event) is not going to happen," Currie told New Zealand radio network newstalkZB.
The chaos has severely dented India's hopes of using the games as a springboard for a bid to host the Olympics in 2020 or 2024.
The International Olympic Committee carries out more rigorous and frequent inspections of host cities to make sure that construction deadlines are met. The process has been tightened further since the delays that dogged preparations for the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The games in India are only the third to be staged outside Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Kingston, Jamaica held the 1966 edition, then known as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was the only Asian city to host the event in 1998.
New Delhi, India's capital and home to more than 12 million people, was chosen to host the 19th edition of the Commonwealth Games in November 2003, beating out Hamilton, Ontario. Between then and 2008, the country did little to prepare.
Organizing committee secretary general Lalit Bhanot said the situation at the village was normal.
"All games face such problems and they will be resolved before the athletes come in," Bhanot said. "These are not going to affect the games in any way as all venues are ready to host the games."
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