This Article is From Sep 23, 2010

Australian PM cautions athletes about security in Delhi

Australian PM cautions athletes about security in Delhi
Canberra: The Australian government said on Thursday it was sending experts to assess hygiene conditions in the Commonwealth Games village in India after claims that athletes' accommodation is un-inhabitable.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in Canberra that Australia's travel advice to its citizens has been upgraded to alert tourists to possible construction "deficiencies" after a bridge collapsed and the ceiling at a games venue caved in.

The Australian Prime Minister has left the decision to participate in the games on the athletes but has cautioned them about the high risk of terror attack in Delhi.

"The decision on whether to attend the games is obviously a matter for individuals just like any decision to travel is a matter for individuals. But as the government, we seek to provide people with the best possible travel advice. And I do remind Australians that for a considerable period of time, our travel advice in relation to India, has asked Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in India. Our travel advice has made clear that there is a high risk of terrorism in New Delhi and our travel advice has made clear that since 2000 there have been at least 14 major terrorist attacks in New Delhi," said the Prime Minister.

Australian media outlets reported that Federal Police officers would travel with the team as extra security, although Gillard confirmed only that "we have boosted the number of officials we have in New Delhi and we have others on standby."

Australian Sports Minister, Mark Arbib, added to Gillard's comments by saying that the Australian team would have strict travel restrictions in place for the athletes for their own safety.

With barely a week to go before the games begin, frantic last-minute preparations in New Delhi were reported on Thursday to be verging on chaos, with international sports officials furious and the games becoming an international embarrassment to the hosts which could even threaten plans for major sporting events in other developing nations.

Scotland and Canada said on Wednesday they would delay their departures to New Delhi because of the unfinished athletes' village, and New Zealand followed their lead on Thursday.

Earlier, an official with the New Zealand swimming team said international swimming federations could quickly stage an alternative meeting if the games were cancelled.

So far, four athletes, including three world champions, have said they won't attend because of health or safety concerns.

Games organisers have faced a series of setbacks, including heavy rains, a citywide outbreak of dengue fever, fears over security after the shooting of two Taiwanese tourists near one of the city's top attractions, and the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at the main stadium, injuring 27 construction workers, five critically.

Part of a drop ceiling at the weightlifting venue collapsed Wednesday, officials said.

The athletes' village, symbolic heart of the games, was still unfinished on Wednesday, the eve of its scheduled opening.

The temporary home for more than 7,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories has been called "unfit for human habitation."

Andrew Foster, head of Commonwealth Games England, said on Wednesday "the next 24 to 48 hours is the critical time" to determine if the standards of the athletes' village can be raised.

The economic impact of staging major global sports events can weigh heavily on host cities and countries.

The Indian government initially pegged the cost of the Commonwealth Games at less than 100 (m) million US dollars in 2003, but latest estimates put the figure at between three and ten (b) billion US dollars.

Unlike the Olympics or football's World Cup, the Commonwealth Games do not attract major international sponsors or television rights fees.

New Delhi, chosen over the Canadian city of Hamilton, Ontario, as host, has had seven years to prepare, though little was done until 2008.

Armies of workers have been deployed across the city in recent weeks to get it ready.

Indian officials have long dismissed international worries over the slow preparations, even though they were more than a year behind schedule.

 
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