CWG finally on track as athletes arrive

Delhi Commonwealth Games finally on track as athletes begin arriving at the Village

Delhi Commonwealth Games finally on track as athletes begin arriving at the Village

The controversy-hit 19th Commonwealth Games here Oct 3-14 are finally on the home stretch, despite some more pullouts by star athletes, and Australia, which hosted the previous edition, even questioning why the Games are being held in

India.

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Lights, camera, action! The Jawaharlal Stadium lit up for the
Commonwealth Games, which kicks-off on October 3, in New Delhi yesterday.
Pic/AFP

After days marked by doubts and uncertainty, England's first batch of 47 officials and athletes, including the hockey and lawn bowls teams, arrived here yesterday. The full contingent of 551 athletes will arrive in the next few days, officials said.

For the Organising Committee, there was much to cheer as Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell said Friday he was pleased with the confirmations of Australia, England and Wales to participate in the Games.

"I am certainly pleased to arrive in Delhi with the news that Australia has moved into the Village to get ready for the arrival of their athletes, and with the confirmation late yesterday that England and Wales will be on their way to Delhi shortly," said Fennell, who came here on Thursday to review the progress.

"Already so many athletes from around the Commonwealth have started their journey to Delhi," said Fennell, who is taking stock of the Games Village Saturday.

On Friday, Fennell also met Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekhar, who is in overall charge of the preparations for the Games. He had sought an appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but this was declined.
Fennell said he has learned considerable progress was made in the Games Village, where conditions had earlier in the week been described as "filthy and unlivable".

"The briefing I received from my CEO, Mike Hooper, last night, was that considerable improvements have been made within the Village, with further significant resources deployed by Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Dikshit, to make good what was a concerning situation," Fennell said.

Cleaning up
As part of the clean-up operations, around 100 stray dogs have been rounded up from the Village and other Games venues by the capital's civic authority in coordination with an NGO, an official said Friday.
According to Fennell, "we must ensure that a suitable environment is provided to ensure the welfare of the athletes and their support staff.

"It is vital that all remedial work that has already started continues with the greatest urgency".
Even so, the England team was lodged in a five-star hotel and not in the Games Village. As frenetic efforts were on to clean up the village, England chef de mission Craig Hunter said they would wait until it was ready.
"We will set up our athletes in local hotels," Hunter was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

"We do not want to move them in one day and then have to move them out again. We want them to get over their jet lag and then move in when it (the Village) is ready."