South African envoy claims the reptile was found in an athlete's room in the Games Village

Snake sighting poisons CWG

South African envoy claims the reptile was found in an athlete's room in the Games Village

Despite the stinking toilets and the messy preparations, no one would have imagined this in their wildest dreams. On Sunday a snake was allegedly found in a South African athlete's room at the Games Village. Incidentally, a cobra was reportedly recovered from the R K Khanna Tennis Stadium the same afternoon.

"It was a threat to the lives of our athletes. Very disappointing. I don't know whether it was an Indian snake. But it was there in one of our rooms," said South African high commissioner Harris Mbulelo Mejeke. He also pointed to other problems at the Village.

Although South Africa is not planning to withdraw, the latest embarrassment comes just after the Indian hockey team complained that there was no water in their loos. Boxer Akhil Kumar, who won gold for India in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, reported that his bed collapsed.

Rattled, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar inspected the Village, but without Suresh Kalmadi.

And then came an announcement that all work will be completed by Wednesday. That's two days away from now and three days before the Games begin.

Withdrawals

Elena Baltacha, a tennis player picked to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in India, said she has pulled out of the event because conditions in New Delhi constitute a health risk for her. "After a lot of thought and discussion, I have taken the heartbreaking decision to withdraw from the Games," she said.

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