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India vows to clean up Games mess
Source: Agencies |
September 28, 2010, Tuesday
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INDIA promised to completely clean up the athletes' housing for the Commonwealth Games by tomorrow, as authorities scrambled to fix one of the biggest hurdles facing the beleaguered event just days before it opens.
The Games were supposed to enhance India's image as a rising power, but a last-minute rush to complete work, shoddy construction, dirty housing and security fears raised governance and accountability issues in Asia's third largest economy.
Nearly all the 1,500 athletes who had arrived in Delhi by yesterday, were staying at the Games Village, the last major unfinished venue.
Many members of the more than 20 teams in Delhi have praised their facilities as spacious and spotless, but several other delegations have run into problems, including the Scotland team, whose chief said "standards were just not good enough".
A snake was found in the room of a South African athlete and about 150 flats are still unhygienic, despite the weekend efforts by an army of workers.
The opening ceremony for the two-week sporting event, held every four years for former British colonies, is on October 3 and the Games Federation said all 71 nations will participate.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the Village, where 8,000 athletes will stay, would be ready on Wednesday. "We inherited a very difficult situation but its improving almost by the hour," she said. "Everybody has been told to work double time and we will do it."
South Africa's Olympic committee president defended New Delhi's right to host the Games. SASCOC President Gideon Sam said there would be no complaints from the South Africans.
"As developing nations we must stand together," Sam said. "We cannot allow developed countries to go out there and take the last seat in the hall.
"We had the same problems with these countries who complained before the FIFA World Cup, and I won't even mention them because we know who they are," he said. "We also want to host events like this, and it is unfair if they are hosted only by countries like England, Canada and Australia."
Sam said his athletes would not use the conditions as an excuse.
"If they (the athletes) are unhappy with their rooms because they have not been swept, they must take off their jackets and sweep them themselves. We will not complain," Sam said. "And when I get there on Friday, if a toilet is not clean, I will clean it myself.
The Games were supposed to enhance India's image as a rising power, but a last-minute rush to complete work, shoddy construction, dirty housing and security fears raised governance and accountability issues in Asia's third largest economy.
Nearly all the 1,500 athletes who had arrived in Delhi by yesterday, were staying at the Games Village, the last major unfinished venue.
Many members of the more than 20 teams in Delhi have praised their facilities as spacious and spotless, but several other delegations have run into problems, including the Scotland team, whose chief said "standards were just not good enough".
A snake was found in the room of a South African athlete and about 150 flats are still unhygienic, despite the weekend efforts by an army of workers.
The opening ceremony for the two-week sporting event, held every four years for former British colonies, is on October 3 and the Games Federation said all 71 nations will participate.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said the Village, where 8,000 athletes will stay, would be ready on Wednesday. "We inherited a very difficult situation but its improving almost by the hour," she said. "Everybody has been told to work double time and we will do it."
South Africa's Olympic committee president defended New Delhi's right to host the Games. SASCOC President Gideon Sam said there would be no complaints from the South Africans.
"As developing nations we must stand together," Sam said. "We cannot allow developed countries to go out there and take the last seat in the hall.
"We had the same problems with these countries who complained before the FIFA World Cup, and I won't even mention them because we know who they are," he said. "We also want to host events like this, and it is unfair if they are hosted only by countries like England, Canada and Australia."
Sam said his athletes would not use the conditions as an excuse.
"If they (the athletes) are unhappy with their rooms because they have not been swept, they must take off their jackets and sweep them themselves. We will not complain," Sam said. "And when I get there on Friday, if a toilet is not clean, I will clean it myself.
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