England, Scotland threaten pull out, Scotland delay arrival

New Delhi/London, Sep 22 (PTI) Embarrased by construction
delays and missed deadlines, Comomonwealth Games organisers
came under more pressure on Wednesday with England and Wales
setting a 24-hour deadline to sort out the mess while Scotland
delayed their arrival for the event which has seen four more
star athetes pulling out.
With more participating countries expressing concern over
Delhi's preparedness for the October 3-14 mega-event which has
generated negative publicity, the collapse of a false ceiling
at the weightlifting arena at the showpiece Nehru stadium only
compounded the misery for the embattled organisers.
The deadline by England and Wales and the star pull outs
came on the eve of Commonwealth Games Federation chief Michael
Fennell's stock-taking visit to Delhi.
England admitted their participation is "on a knife-edge"
while Scotland athletes delayed their departure to Delhi and
Wales also set a deadline of Thursday evening for the
organisers to certify all venues and Games Village are safe
and secured.
The foreign athletes' apprehension came in the wake of a
footbridge collapse near the main venue of the Games, the
Jawarhar Lal Nehru stadium on Tuesday, which injured 27
people, and the unhygenic state of the Athletes' Village --
described by many participating countries as "unfit for human
habitation".
In the wake of the shoddy preparations, Commonwealth
Games England chairman Sir Andrew Foster admitted that they
will have to make a quick decision -- within 24 to 48 hours --
on whether to take part in the Games.
"I think the next 24 to 48 hours is the critical time
which will tell us whether the Village -- which is where the
main problem is now -- has got enough accommodation for
everybody to come into it. I think we're at an absolutely
vital time (regarding) whether the major teams go," Foster
said.
"Our staff have been round all 17 sports venues and they
are in good order, so the key remaining feature which there's
a problem with is the village. The other problems have been
resolved. It's a situation that hangs on a knife-edge. It is
not certain and we will not be sending our team unless we are
confident," he said.
Foster, however, was still hopeful that the Indian
government and the organising committee would be able to save
the Games.
"The village still has a lot of remedial work needing to
be done. But it is the case in India, when building projects
are coming to a conclusion, that that is a typical way that
things happen and that is quite a big cultural difference.
"The safety of the athletes has to be our primary
concern. But equally, we cannot just respond to that alone, we
have to evaluate the whole thing together and that is what we
are doing." More PTI Team
KAB


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