Fresh doubts over Delhi Games as accommodation is slammed 21/09/2010 |
|
| |
| |
Commonwealth Games Scotland has revealed that the accommodation allocated to its athletes in the Games village in Delhi was "unsafe and unfit for human habitation”.
Team Scotland was reallocated finished accommodation after complaining to the Games organising committee but even the new apartments required "serious cleaning and maintenance" to bring them up to Games-ready standards.
Team Scotland is currently still planning to take part in the Games but has warned it "will not compromise on issues of health, safety and security".
A Commonwealth Games Scotland statement read: "The athletes' village is not only at the heart of any Commonwealth Games, but is fundamental to the staging of the event.
"The specification for the village set by Delhi 2010 promised to be of the highest standard, surpassing anything that had gone before.
"However, on arrival in Delhi on Thursday last week [September 16], 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.
"Scotland is one of six countries that has arrived in Delhi at the earliest opportunity to set up its Team HQ along with England, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
"During the last few days, despite repeated promises, only slow progress has been made, to the extent that there are now grave concerns as to whether the village as a whole will meet the health and safety standards required to host all 71 CGAs and their 6,500 team members, which are due to start arriving on September 23.
"Yesterday in Delhi, Team Scotland chef de mission Jon Doig met jointly with his counterparts and the High Commissioners of their respective countries to try and bring pressure to bear on the Delhi 2010 organising committee through the Indian Government, to respond immediately to address the issues.
"Representation was also made to the Commonwealth Games Federation to make a realistic decision as to at what point and under what conditions they would determine whether the Games will be able to go ahead should the village issues not be resolved.”
Concern over the athletes' accommodation has also been expressed by the Commonwealth Games Federation and the England and New Zealand teams.
The Games start on October 3 and there are suggestions they could be postponed or even cancelled.
A statement from Commonwealth Games England on Tuesday (September 21) called for "urgent" work before their athletes begin arriving on Friday (September 24) amid worries over "plumbing, electrical and other operational details".
And a CGE statement read: "Commonwealth Games England remains optimistic that England's participation at the Games can go ahead.
"However, there is a lot still to be done in the village and this needs to be done with some urgency so that it is ready for the arrival of our first athletes on Friday.”
Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell described the village as "seriously compromised".
Fennell has written to the Indian Cabinet Secretary expressing his doubts and stating that countries who had sent advance parties to Delhi ahead of their athletes had found matters with the accommodation were unresolved.
|
| Back |
| |
| |
|
|
 |
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
