England, Scotland threaten to pull out of CWG-22/09/2010

22/09/2010

England, Scotland threaten to pull out of CWG

(I AM SURE IT WON'T HAPPEN,ITS JUST A PRESSURE TACTICS TO GET WORK AND FINISHING TOUCH DONE IN A FASTER PACE. I AM SURE PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND HOW RAIN GOD HAS DIFFERENT MOOD.FIRST OF ALL WE'LL WILL PRAY THAT NOW IT STOPSSSSS PLZ PLZ PLZ GOD!!! AND THEN AUTHORITIES,WORKERS AND WE GENERAL JANTA WILL DO ALL EFFORT TO MAKE IT A SUCCESS!!!) GOOD WISHES TO ALL OF US- EXCEPT CORRUPT PEOPLE AND THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IRREGULARITIES AND MISMANAGEMENT THERE.THEY NEED TO BE PUNISHED SEVEIRLY!!!WHY WE KEPT WORK PENDING TILL THE END??? AFTER ALL ITS A VERY BIG EVENT FOR OUR COUNTRY AND WAS DECIDED MANY YEARS BACK,'DON'T THEY KNOW 'KAL HO NA HO!!! AFTER ALL SO MUCH MONEY-BIG AMOUNT IS INVOLVED IN IT SO AS THE NATIONAL PRESTIGE,POOR TAXPAYERS MONEY DOESN'T MATTER FOR ANYONE???..VIBHA)

(GOOD TO SEE THAT RAIN STOPS AND GOOD SUNLIGHT ALL OVER OUR HOME...SO AS EVERYWHERE,WILL MUST REDUCE FLOOD ALSO. AND ENGLAND TEAM HAS ARRIVED...AND JUST SAW NEWS, ITS GOOD TO KNOW...BEST WISHES FOR 'CWG' AND OUR COUNTRY... VIBHA 25/9/10)

New Delhi/London: Embarrassed by construction delays and missed deadlines, the Commonwealth Games organisers came under more pressure 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 given 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's athletes delayed their departure to Delhi and Wales also set a deadline of tomorrow 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 yesterday, 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."

Source: PTI



African nations reconsidering sending full-strength teams

After big Commonwealth nations, now the smaller ones are starting to express their reservations about the CWG 2010. African diplomats are alleging they have still not been taken for field visits despite several promises by Organising Committee, which is why they are now considering whether to send full-strength teams or not

New Delhi: After the turn of the major Commonwealth powers, it is the turn of the smaller nations from Africa to express their resentment at the Organizing Committee. These countries are worried that they still have not been able to visit the venues, with only eleven days left for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and have warned that "full strength" teams may not be able to come for the Games.

Out of the 53 nations in the Commonwealth, there are 19 countries from the African continent, all of whom are participating in the games from Oct 3 to 14.

Last week, the external affairs ministry had organized a presentation for the heads of missions from Commonwealth countries. But that has not been enough to satisfy the diplomats.

"The information given to us was a cut and paste job. It does not meet the realities on the ground," Shabeer Hussain Peerbhai, Lesotho's high commissioner, told IANS.



Full-strength or pick/choose?

"For months and months, we were told that there will be visits by the African heads of mission. We had as a group spoken to the ministers, the sport ministry and OC, and last week, the foreign secretary (about the site visit). But these are only promises and promises ," said Peerbhai, who said he was speaking for the Commonwealth African envoys here in India.

With the recent problems about the pedestrian bridge collapse and other incidents, Peerbhai said that there was question mark on whether the "full strength" team from the African countries will be sent for the Commonwealth games.

"There is a certain timeline in which teams have to arrive and adapt to the conditions. The issue is not about delay, but rather about the strength of the teams - whether they will come with full strength or pick and choose," he said.

The Lesotho envoy said that the missions here are providing information to their sports federation on the status of the venues. "Of course, the sport federations are being told about the situation here," he said.

Besides Lesotha, Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda and Zambia are participating in the Games.

The major Commonwealth countries like Australia, Canada and New Zealand have been vocal in their concerns about various aspects of preparations from the games, from the security aspects to the living quarters for athletes and sanitation.

Source: IANS



Commonwealth Games not collapsing, says Sheila Dikshit

Under mounting attack over preparations for the Commonwealth Games, particularly after collapse of a foot overbridge near the main venue, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday admitted to facing "problems" but rejected the criticism that the event was collapsing.

"I would like you tell very categorically that these minor glitches and hitches do come around... but to make out as the whole thing is collapsing -- I am sorry, we do not agree with that," Dikshit told reporters.

"There will be some problems. There are some problems. But they are not insurmountable. If there is any concern or there is any problem, they will be addressed to," she said.

Asking people to remain "positive", she said national pride is involved with the event and every effort is being made to make it a success.

"This is not my Games, this is not your Games. This an event of the whole country. We will address all the concerns and drawbacks. There is no reason to worry...we should look at it as an opportunity. Please become positive," she said.

A small portion of a false ceiling at the main Commonwealth Games venue of Jawaharlal Nehru stadium complex here today fell, causing more embarrassment to the organisers and the government a day after the collapse of an under-construction foot overbridge.

Delhi Government's Public Works Department had given the contract to a private firm to construct the overbridge. The city government has,now, blacklisted the company and ordered a probe into the incident.

Delhi High Court today directed the city government to pay Rs 3 lakh to the labourers who were seriously injured footbridge collapse. The court asked the government to pay Rs 1 lakh to those who suffered fracture injuries in the incident. 27 labourers were injured, five of them seriously, when the under-construction foot overbridge caved in yesterday.

Only a day earlier, Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy had said that cleanliness at Commonwealth Games village was not an important issue.

Unfazed by questions over cleanliness and maintenance at Commonwealth Games Village, government said these are "not major" issues and insisted that the image of the country has not been affected by such questions raised by the Games Federation.



He claimed that the Games next month would be "absolutely world class" and no opinion should be formed before that.

"There are complaints about cleanliness and maintenance but these complaints are being addressed. More labourers and officials have been pressed into service," Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy said.

"It is not a major issue," said Reddy, who is head of the Group of Ministers on the Commonwealth Games.

He was responding when referred to Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive Mike Hooper's criticism of the cleanliness of the Games village, saying it was "filthy and uninhabitable" but hoped that the mess would be sorted out in the next two days.

"I will ask not to form any judgement before the Games.India's image has not been affected. Please do not form any opinion before the Games. Image of the Games will be known by the way we conduct the conduct the Games," Reddy said.

He expressed confidence that the Games will be held successfully. "I am 100 per cent sure and I have no doubt about the success of the event," the Minister said.

Asked whether there is any plan for the government to take over control of the organisation of the Games from CWG Organising Committee headed by Suresh Kalmadi, Reddy ruled it out, saying "no one will change the horse midstream".



Even as CWG struggles to get ready, China's Asian Games ahead of schedule

This is one news the CWG organisers would hate to hear in the current circumstances. The Asian Games are scheduled to be held in China's Guangzhou city in November and the Games Village (Town) there has been handed over to the Organising Committee 2 months in advance.

Beijing: As India works feverishly to prepare for the Commonwealth Games that begin Oct 3, Asian Games Town with 8,000 apartments in China's Guangzhou city is complete and has been handed over to the organising committee nearly two months ahead of the sporting event.

Asian Games Town, which took more than two years to construct, has been formally handed over to the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, China Daily reported Wednesday.

The town is ready to accommodate an estimated 40,000 athletes, coaches, technical officials and members of the media from around the world. It has been built on the banks of Pearl River tributaries and is spread over 2.73 sq km.

The 16th Asian Games are from Nov 12 to 27. Besides an athletes' village with 13 apartment buildings, the town has a media village, technical officials' village, international broadcast center and a main press center.



Xu Ruisheng, vice-mayor of Guangzhou and executive deputy secretary-general of the organizing committee, said: "The coming Asian Games will serve as a showcase for China's Lingnan culture that thrives in Guangdong and other parts of south China."

Yuko Arakida, a former Japanese Olympian, heaped praise on the Games Town after she visited it. "I think the facilities for the athletes at the Asian Games are much better than at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games. There is lots of green and it is a very good environment for the athletes," Arakida was quoted as saying.

Over 63 percent of the town has been covered in greenery and tropical trees and fruit plants are now being planted.

The Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi Oct 3-14 has come in for criticism for lack of preparedness. Hygiene issues have dogged the Games Village which is to house the athletes.



No morning-after pill. CWG faces pull-out threats

Looks like nothing is going right for the CWG 2010. Barely 24 hours after the foot overbridge collapsed near the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, a false ceiling has collapsed near the weightlifting arena inside the main stadium. Luckily, no one has been injured in the mishap.

This is the 2nd such incident in less than a day and puts serious question marks on the quality of infrastructure that has been put up for the prestigious Games, the biggest ever in Independent India.

It adds to an already-horrific day for the CWG. 3 high profile English athletes have pulled out, one of the biggest Commonwealth nations Canada has threatened to pull out while the Canadian media has hit out at the Games calling it a 'bad joke'. It doesn't end there. The New Zealand Prime Minister has come out in full support of all the Kiwi athletes who want to pull out.

The Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi from Oct 3, has suffered another blow after three of England's high profile athletes - Phillips Idowu, Christine Ohuruogu and Lisa Dobriskey - withdrew citing security and injury concerns.

British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that Idowu's agent Ricky Simms had earlier insisted that no official decision had been made, but the 31-year-old Idowu used his Twitter account to say: "Sorry people, but I have children to think about. My safety is more important to them than a medal."

"I understand people will be disappointed that I will not be competing. I am disappointed. If you know me as an athlete you will know these games mean a lot (sic) to me. It's the champs in which I won my 1st medal.

"And four years ago won my 1st gold, which kicked off the success I have in my career to date.



Olympic Champion too pulls out

Christine Ohuruogu, the Olympic 400 metres champion, and world 1,500m silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey, both of whom won their first international gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne four years ago, cited injury problems.

"I had already picked up my team kit and was getting ready to go to the preparation camp in Doha. Instead, I will have a short break now and resume winter training in October to get ready for the 2011 season," Ohuruogu was quoted as saying by the daily.

Dobriskey, who had hoped to double up in the 800 and 1,500m, was insistent that her withdrawal had nothing to do with the adverse reports emerging from New Delhi about the Commonwealth Games. She said her decision to pull out was because of an upper ligament injury picked up in Zurich a month ago when she had to swerve sharply to avoid a final-bend pile-up.

"I love multi-sport events and have never been bothered by the other issues surrounding the Games," she said. "I would love to have had the chance to defend my title and have been looking forward to it since the Europeans."

Earlier, Australia's women's world discus champion, Dani Samuels had pulled out of the Games after admitting that she was terrified about the security threat.

"At the end of the day, this is sport," she said. "It's not worth risking your life."




Canadian media slams CWG

Toronto: The Canadian media tore India apart Tuesday, describing its Commonwealth Games preparations as "a bad joke" on the world and said India was frittering away what could have been its "showcase moment".

"Monsoon rains, a dengue fever epidemic, car bombs, a collapsing pedestrian bridge, corrupt construction rackets, traffic Armageddon, indifferent politicians and a filthy athletes' village that does not even have proper plumbing yet. Or wiring. Or paint on the walls," the National Post wrote Tuesday.

The paper said, "India's showcase moment is at hand. The entire world is watching. But what the entire world is seeing - at least so far - looks more like the travails of a First World wannabe nation still struggling with its lingering Third World problems.''

But amid all this, the paper said, " the good news is, the Indians don't seem to be too worried. The organisers have responded to the international outcry with a mere head-scratching, saying that standards of `cleanliness' might differ from other standards of `cleanliness'," the paper said.



Foolproof security is a joke

Canada is sending 255 athletes, 51 coaches and 52 support staff for the Games that begin in New Delhi Oct 3. Narrating how India is failing whereas China and South Africa used the recent mega-sporting events to convey a political message to the world, the paper said, "China's Summer Olympic turn in 2008 flashed an Asian industrial tiger's might while soccer's World Cup cast an incandescent glow over South Africa, revealing a nation packed with human potential too often overlooked or underestimated by the West.

"Now along comes India, another would-be beast of the Far East and suddenly everybody is gnawing on their fingernails wondering if they can actually pull this thing off. Ask around and veteran Canadian athletes with experience competing in the country will whisper about the organisational hijinks that, in their experience, typically attend an Indian-run event."

Making fun of India's assurances to provide fool-proof security, the paper described how an Australian journalist managed to get past security with a bomb detonation kit.

"Mike Duffy managed to go past...poured additional gasoline on an already combustible situation by sidling past Delhi police and into the main Commonwealth stadium this week with an oversized suitcase. Inside was a bomb detonation kit."




Canada threatens to pull out

Canada hinted that it is ready to pull out of the Commonwealth Games if India quickly fails to fix the problems - lack of preparedness at venues and fears about security. The Canadian contingent was to start arriving in the Indian capital from Friday for the Games which start Oct 3.

Taking Indian organizers to task, Canadian officials strongly hinted that if all the problems are not fixed before the arrival date of their athletes, the country might pull out of the Games.

Apart from issues of security and site preparedness, what has heightened Canadian anxiety is the collapse of a pedestrian bridge near Jawaharlal Stadium - the main venue - injuring 23 people Tuesday, the shooting of two Taiwanese nationals by suspected terrorists and rising dengue cases in Delhi.

In a teleconference with Canada's advance team of sport and security officials in Delhi, Commonwealth Games Canada president Andrew Pipe said, "This would have been an opportunity for India to shine. Instead, I think, it risks considerable international embarrassment unless some of these deficiencies can be addressed.

"It is not as if the Indian government has been unaware of these problems - and that is, I think, the source of so much frustration on the part of many of us.''

In an angry tone, he said, "Personally, I am deeply disappointed with the reactions of the Indian government and the organizing committee. They reflect, it seems to me, a certain level of indifference that borders at times on the intransigent - and they have been glacial in responding to the concerns that have been raised by colleagues and I for weeks and, indeed, months leading up to these Games.

"We're addressing an extremely challenging situation and monitoring developments very closely."

Expressing his "serious concern" over safety, security and site preparedness, Canadians Sports Minister Gary Lunn also said, "It's going to take a lot of work (by India) to rectify" these problems."




New Zealand PM in favour of pull-out

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said that he would support any athlete who decides not to participate in the Commonwealth Games and added: "they have to make their own decision on whether they feel comfortable or not with the risks involved".

Key was briefed Tuesday night over the preparation for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi Oct 3-14. The Prime Minister said that it was up to the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) to decide whether or not to send a team.

"I would love to see the Games go ahead, but if they are to go ahead, from New Zealand's perspective, the conditions have to be safe and sound for our people," stuff.co.nz quoted Key as saying.

He made it clear that he would support any individual athlete who decides not to go.

"I think in the end, they have to make their own decision on whether they feel comfortable or not with the risks involved," he said, adding "we're trying to give our people the best assessment that we can".

Sounding a word of caution, Key said: "If the Commonwealth Games did not go ahead that would have significant implications for the future of the Commonwealth Games and that's not something we'd like to see and it also wouldn't be good for India."

Some 7,000 participants and officials from 71 countries and territories are expected to attend the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games, India's biggest sporting event after the 1982 Asian Games it hosted in New Delhi.




Too short a time even for PM's magic

New Delhi: Amid mounting concerns over New Delhi's preparations for the Commonwealth Games that are just 12 days away, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh once again intervened and ordered a slew of measures in a bid to save India's image internationally.

Manmohan Singh stepped in again after the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell said parts of the Games Village were still not fit for accommodation. Concerns were also raised by contingents from Canada, New Zealand and Scotland about the state of the Village.

The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement late on Tuesday detailing measures taken by various agencies to rectify "certain deficiencies in the residential zone".

The statement said that status of preparedness at the Commonwealth Games Village was reviewed Tuesday morning by Khanna at a meeting attended by the principal secretary to the prime minister, the cabinet secretary, the chief secretary of Delhi and vice-chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).
Referring to the decisions taken at the meeting, the statement said that DDA's chief engineer (electrical), assisted by other representatives of the agency and Delhi government and representatives of the BSES will be in full charge of ensuring uninterrupted supply of power in the village comprising residential and international zones.




Last-minute effort to save Games

The statement said that one officer from the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Civil Service will be put in charge of each tower to ensure complete coordination in all operations such as maintenance and cleaning.

A command and control centre, consisting of special officers appointed by government, venue administrator, venue security commander, representatives of the Organizing Committee and the developer will coordinate all activities in all the areas.

Any additional manpower and resources required will be provided on top priority by the Delhi government, DDA and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The developer will immediately ensure that all maintenance and repair work, as may be required in each tower, will be carried out promptly and on a 24x7 basis. In view of heavy rains, any requirements of draining out water from the area will be promptly carried out by the developer with assistance from MCD.

The statement said that certain deficiencies in the residential zone, particularly pertaining to cleanliness, had been pointed out by some delegates of Commonwealth Games Associations, which had been promptly attended to.

It may be recalled that Mike Fennell, who wrote a stern letter to Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrashekar, the government's top pointsperson for the Games preparations, said parts of the Village needed "urgent attention". Hygiene concerns were also raised by New Zealand, Scotland, England and Canada among others.

Fennell gave the Organising Committee (OC) just 24 hours to take "quick action" and set things right before the athletes start arriving Thursday. The Village has 1,168 apartments spread across 34 towers that will house over 7,000 athletes and officials.

Source: Agencies