Currie: CWG could be called off

[Areesh]

Games chief flies in for emergency talks

The head of the Commonwealth Games rushed to New Delhi for emergency talks today as a ceiling collapsed in one of the venues.

There has been widespread anger over India's last-minute preparations for the event, due to start in little more than a week.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell has requested a meeting with Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Mr Fennell's arrival comes as organisers struggle to cope with unfinished buildings, a ****** athletes' village - where excrement was found in some rooms - a bridge collapse, an outbreak of dengue fever and numerous other problems.

Today, part of a ceiling inside the weightlifting venue collapsed.

The Games, which bring together more than 7,000 athletes from the 71 countries and territories from the former British empire every four years, was supposed to showcase India as an emerging power in the international community. Instead, it has become a major embarrassment.

Athletes were due to begin arriving tomorrow in the games village, which international sports officials have called unfinished, dirty, hobbled by numerous infrastructure problems and even "unsafe and unfit for human habitation".

Scotland's team announced today that it would delay its travel to New Delhi.

Federation chief executive Mike Hooper said: "It's just ******. It hasn't been cleaned."

He said the problems had prompted Mr Fennell to travel to New Delhi far earlier than he had to previous games.

His emergency trip "emphasises that this is an important issue and we obviously need to engage at the highest level to get it fixed", said Mr Hooper.

New Delhi has been a frenzy of activity in recent weeks, as the city struggles to ready itself for the Games, which begin on October 3. The city has had seven years to prepare, though very little work was done until 2008.

Yesterday, hours after games officials criticised the organisers for the condition of the athletes' village, a 90-yard pedestrian bridge leading from a car park to the games' main stadium collapsed, injuring 27 construction workers, five critically.

Mr Hooper said of the last-minute preparations: "I've never come across this before. It's very frustrating to see the delays and the fact that we've had to come right down to the wire.

"We've been complaining about the delivery of the venues for nearly two years, and the constant delays."

The Indian media attacked officials for the turmoil. "C'wealth Games India's Shame," The Times of India newspaper said in a front-page headline.

But officials continued to play the problems down, a position that international sports officials say defies reality.

Cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar said today: "We are absolutely prepared."

Speaking of the state of the athletes' village, urban development minister Jaipal Reddy said: "Athletes and guests should not bother about such small matters."

He insisted it would be immaculate when the events begin.

Referring to the collapsed pedestrian bridge, New Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said: "The accident is not as big as being made out to be. We are giving adequate compensation to those injured."

The athletes' village is due to open tomorrow, when the first competitors are to arrive in preparation for the Games.

In addition to shoddy conditions inside and outside the buildings, there are also problems with plumbing, wiring, furnishings, internet access and mobile phone coverage.

Mr Hooper also confirmed reports of excrement found in the village.

The games have historically been dominated by England, Australia and Canada, and all three have voiced concerns about the conditions in India.

England chef de mission Craig Hunter said: "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.

"Athletes will start getting on planes soon and decisions will have to be made. We need new levels of reassurance."

Scotland's team delayed its departure for the games, saying it wants to give organisers time to prepare accommodation and solve the growing number of problems.

Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Michael Cavanagh said travel would be put off for "a few days".

Australian discus world champion Dani Samuels and England's world champion triple jumper Phillips Idowu both withdrew from the games yesterday, citing concerns over health and security.

Although no team has said it will pull out, New Zealand team manager Dave Currie had some of the strongest words for organisers.

"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," Mr Currie said.

Security has been increased after gunmen wounded two tourists outside one of the city's top tourist attractions on Sunday. An Islamic militant group took responsibility for the shooting.

Games chief flies in for emergency talks

 

[Dash]

whatever way your boat sails whatever way your boat sails

I hope that I have conveyed my messege

 

[JonAsad]

England 'could pull out of Games'
(UKPA) – 32 minutes ago

England's participation in the Commonwealth Games has been thrown into doubt after a stadium bridge collapsed, two top athletes withdrew from the competition and a third threatened to pull out.

With just 11 days until the start of the Delhi Games, the head of England's team demanded guarantees of safety for competitors after 27 workers were injured, five of them seriously, when a major walkway connecting a stadium to a car park in New Delhi collapsed on Tuesday.

The departure of Scotland's athletes to the Commonwealth Games has been delayed after fears over the readiness of the accommodation. Team Scotland's first party of 41 athletes and staff, including boxing, rugby 7s and wrestling, were due to fly out on Thursday but the travel plans have been postponed.

Olympic 400 metres champion Christine Ohuruogu announced she would not be competing for England after suffering from cramp at a training session last weekend. Lisa Dobriskey, who won the 1,500m title at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, also chose to quit the Games after suffering from injuries throughout the season.

Meanwhile, Phillips Idowu looked set to become the third high-profile English athlete to pull out. The world triple jump champion wrote on his Twitter account that he was too concerned about safety at the site to take part. However, his agent Ricky Simms said on Tuesday night that a firm decision had not yet been made and that he advised his client to sleep on it.

Head of the England team Craig Hunter, who has also highlighted concerns about the athletes' village, is demanding reassurances from organisers and warned that "time is beginning to run out" before the Games begin.

There are fears some teams could pull out of the Indian Games due to substandard accommodation, with 60 of the 260 rooms set aside for English athletes not watertight, and a major cleaning programme needed throughout.

Mr Hunter said the team remains "committed to participating", but added: "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. Athletes will start getting on planes soon and decisions will have to be made. We need new levels of reassurance."

Sir Andrew Foster, chairman of Commonwealth Games England, said he is "very concerned" about the preparations being made for the event.

A decision about England's participation will be made on Wednesday or Thursday as the safety and security of the site is assessed.

Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

The Press Association: England 'could pull out of Games'

 

[amigo]

no country will pull off, games will held as per schedule no matter what ppl think or say

 

[Spring Onion]

no country will pull off, games will held as per schedule no matter what ppl think or say

tHE PEOPLE who are thinking to pull out are the same foreign delegates not Pakistan so relax

 

[amigo]

tHE PEOPLE who are thinking to pull out are the same foreign delegates not Pakistan so relax

i m relaxing so are many indians but pakistanis don't seem so.......

 

[Spring Onion]

i m relaxing so are many indians but pakistanis don't seem so.......:

i can see how much bhartis are relaxed hehehe so keep relaxing i am enjoying the joke

---------- Post added at 03:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:08 PM ----------


CWG like 'a bad joke', says Canadian media



TORONTO: The Canadian media tore India apart on Tuesday, describing its Commonwealth Games preparations as "a bad joke" on the world and said India was frittering away what could have been its "showcase moment".

"Monsoon rains, a dengue fever epidemic, car bombs, a collapsing pedestrian bridge, corrupt construction rackets, traffic Armageddon, indifferent politicians and a ****** athletes' village that does not even have proper plumbing yet. Or wiring. Or paint on the walls," the National Post wrote.

The paper said, "India's showcase moment is at hand. The entire world is watching. But what the entire world is seeing - at least so far - looks more like the travails of a First World wannabe nation still struggling with its lingering Third World problems."

But amid all this, the paper said, "the good news is, the Indians don't seem to be too worried.

"The organisers have responded to the international outcry with a mere head-scratching, saying that standards of `cleanliness' might differ from other standards of `cleanliness'," the paper said.

Despite all this, it said, India's Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy sounds gung-ho when he tells reporters, "I am not worried at all. I am as confident and as cool as ever about our organising of the Commonwealth Games in a very successful, comfortable way. These are all minor hiccups."

Canada is sending 255 athletes, 51 coaches and 52 support staff for the Games that begin in New Delhi October 3.

Narrating how India is failing whereas China and South Africa used the recent mega-sporting events to convey a political message to the world, the paper said, "China's Summer Olympic turn in 2008 flashed an Asian industrial tiger's might while soccer's World Cup cast an incandescent glow over South Africa, revealing a nation packed with human potential too often overlooked or underestimated by the West.

"Now along comes India, another would-be beast of the Far East and suddenly everybody is gnawing on their fingernails wondering if they can actually pull this thing off.

"Ask around and veteran Canadian athletes with experience competing in the country will whisper about the organisational hijinks that, in their experience, typically attend an Indian-run event."

Making fun of India's assurances to provide fool-proof security, the paper described how an Australian journalist managed to get past security with a bomb detonation kit.

"Mike Duffy managed to go past...poured additional gasoline on an already combustible situation by sidling past Delhi police and into the main Commonwealth stadium this week with an oversized suitcase. Inside was a bomb detonation kit."


Read more: CWG like 'a bad joke', says Canadian media - The Times of India CWG like 'a bad joke', says Canadian media - The Times of India

 

[silent hill]

the kind of reception pakistan sports is getting from the indian sports, its not too late to bycott the CWG, it will another blow to dreaming bharatis who think of bharat as some superior being in this region SA.

 

[Spring Onion]

Btw if pakistan also in commonwealth games ? ? New to me because they were suspended from it and also from saarc isn't ? ? Or i must be halucinating

another solace searching or what ?

 

[Hafizzz]

S. Africa says :

S.Africa fears dengue fever at Delhi games
S.Africa fears dengue fever at Delhi games - Hindustan Times

South Africa's top sports administrator said on Wednesday he feared his athletes could contract dengue fever at the Commonwealth Games as he gave a withering assessment on the athletes' village. Tubby Reddy, head of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, should receive a report from a team of safety inspectors later on Wednesday who will recommend whether the team should travel to New Delhi.

But Reddy's initial verdict added further pressure on the organisers of the troubled tournament, which is due to begin in the Indian capital on October 3.

"We've been concerned for a while now," Reddy told AFP.

"The athlete's village is not adequately ready and there are questions about sanitation. The general area is full of sludge, rubble and water due to monsoon rains, and we are worried about mosquito-related dengue fever."

Reddy said he was now awaiting the full verdict of his fact-finding team before his organisation would make its own recommendations on whether to travel although a final decision would be left to the South African government.

"We sent in an inspection team last week and are due to get that final report today," he said.

"Once we have the report today, we'll report back and the government of our country will decide."

Some British and Australian athletes have already pulled out of the competition, with the collapse of a footbridge near the main venue on Tuesday adding to question marks over security after a gun attack on tourists.

 

[SpArK]

Tennis

International ATP events like chennai happening every year.

F1

First of it among south asia in 2011

Cricket

Number of cups including this years worldcup in India.
Club world championships like IPL.

Carrom

2 world championships held in India.


Track events

Asian games, Asian athletic championships held in India.

Table tennis

World Table Tennis Championships in 1952 ,1975,1987.

Hockey

Number of international events like the recent world cup in this year.

Squash

Number of international championships including next years world cup in 2011

Boxing

World Amateur Boxing Championship 2006 in delhi.

Wrestling

Wrestling World Championships in 1967.

Billiards

World championships including this year's in 2010 in pune.


Snooker

World snooker championship held in 1987 and last year in India.


Kabbadi


One and only worldcup here in India.

Basket ball

Asian basketball championships held in calcutta

Football

International event like Nehru cup which has participation from teams like Uruguay, Russia, Hungary,Yugoslavia etc.







I can find more of these on requests.


And not to say the successful conducting of other world and Asian events and championships (excluding world cups) year after .

And the huge number of conferences and world meets happened and happening every year.



Now tell me "tujho ko mirchi lagi to mein kya karuu"

After all conducting "something" is better than conducting " nothing" at all.

 

[hecj]

they should have chosen different location other than delhi.when games will start then more problems will be created,and rest of the problem are given by organizers.

 

[Spring Onion]

lolzzz Benny you too fall into face saving . hmmmmmm not a good idea lolzz

A sane person does not hide the faults

 

[SpArK]

lolzzz Benny you too fall into face saving . hmmmmmm not a good idea lolzz

A sane person does not hide the faults

No face saving act this is.

We are happy with the conduct of things over here.

Even the home matches are conducted in "home" venues here.

So its just a post of sympathy.. whose cause is seeing the jealousy here .

 

[Spring Onion]

they should have chosen different location other than delhi.when games will start then more problems will be created,and rest of the problem are given by organizers.

Which city do you think would have been better