Concerns have been expressed by team leaders from England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada about the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, after it has become clear that much of the infrastructure for the event is badly behind schedule.
The president of the Commonwealth Games Federation has also gone on record as saying that he is dismayed by the situation, which comes less than two weeks before the Games begin in Delhi, India, on October 3rd.
“Many nations that have already sent their advanced parties to set up within the village have made it abundantly clear that, as of the afternoon of 20 September, the Commonwealth Games village is seriously compromised. Significant operational matters remain unaddressed.” He also said that the conditions had, “shocked the majority.”
Police have also reported that a pedestrian bridge leading to one of the entrances of the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium has collapsed, hurting over a dozen people. “We have reports of 19 people injured after the entire bridge near gate number three of the stadium collapsed,” a police spokesman said, according to Reuters.
Scottish officials recently visited the site and said that their team's accommodation as "unsafe and unfit for human habitation."
A Commonwealth Games Scotland statement read: "On arrival in Delhi on Thursday last week, Team Scotland officials found that building works had fallen seriously behind schedule and that its allocated accommodation
blocks were far from finished and in their view, unsafe and unfit for human habitation."
Other federations have expressed concerns, with New Zealand team manager Dave Currie even suggesting on national radio that the Games could be cancelled.
“In the time frame that is left, unless there is tremendous effort and energy and problem-solving ability to get it done, it's going to be extremely hard to get across the line,” he said. “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.”
He said that New Zealand would speak to other countries and decide then whether or not to take part. “That's not a decision that we'll make (alone), but there are some realities,” he said.
Commonwealth Games England has demanded ‘urgent’ work, citing ‘plumbing, electrical and other operational details.’ The athletes’ accommodation has been described as dirty and unsafe, with rubble, exposed electrical wiring and other issues evident throughout. The Games have also been hindered by corruption scandals, poor worker safety and fears of terrorism.
The Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council released a statement this morning, saying that it too was concerned. “Two senior members of team management travel to Delhi today (Tuesday 21st September) ahead of the main team leaving on Monday 27th September.
“They will assess the facilities at first hand in the village as well as the various competition venues and prepare a report which will be presented to the Chef de Mission Robert McVeigh.
“Only when full facts have been ascertained will any decision be made. This will be done in conjunction with other home nations and statutory bodies.”
Athletes are due to begin arriving in Delhi this week. While the Games does not attract a lot of attention in many countries, it is hugely important to those within the Commonwealth. A future participant recently described the competiton as a ‘mini Olympic Games’ to VeloNation, saying that it gave cyclists and other athletes the chance to experience major competition plus the experience of staying with athletes of other sports. He felt that this was a big aid in helping competitors prepare for the Olympic experience in two year’s time.
In addition, for Commonwealth countries, funding awards are made on the basis of results in competitions such as the Games. This makes them even more important and significant to the nations’ programmes.
Road and track cycling events will be held during the two-week competition. Britain, rivals Australia and other countries will go head to head in the velodrome and on the roads in and around Delhi.
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Delhi 2010 will feature 14 track cycling events, (eight for men and six for women) and two road events each (road race and TT) for men and women.
Men
* 4000 m Individual Pursuit
* 1 km Time Trial
* 40 km Point Race
* Keirin
* Sprint
* 4000 m Team Pursuit
* 20 km Scratch Race
* Team Sprint
Women
* 500 m Time Trial
* 25 km Women’s Point Race
* Sprint
* Individual Pursuit
* Team Sprint
* 10 km Scratch Race
Road Events
* Mass Start event at Vijay Chowk on 10 October.
* Time Trial event at Noida Express Highway on 13 October 2010.
Men
* 40 km Individual Time Trial
* 167 km Road Race
Women
* 29 km Individual Time Trial
* 100 km Road Race