Team Scotland postpones Commonwealth Games departure amid Dehli troubles

Published on Wednesday 22 September 2010 12:42

THE departure of Scotland's athletes to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi was delayed today after fears over the readiness of the accommodation.

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Team Scotland's first party of 41 athletes and staff, including boxing, rugby 7s and wrestling, were due to fly out tomorrow but the travel plans have been postponed.

The decision to delay the trip follows a meeting last night to discuss conditions at the athlete's village.

Michael Cavanagh, chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said there are concerns about the lack of progress being made by Indian organisers.

A further meeting will be held tonight when a decision could be made on athletes' flights scheduled for the weekend.

Mr Cavanagh said: "By delaying the arrival of our athletes by a few days, we hope to give the Delhi 2010 Organising Committee the necessary time to address the concerns that have been raised by both the Commonwealth Games Federation and the countries which arrived early.

"We have discussed this with the sports involved and are in agreement that this is the best course of action under the circumstances.

"Whilst this is an untimely alteration to their plans, it will ultimately cause less disruption to their final training and preparation than if they were to arrive in the Games Village which is not yet fit for purpose and fully functional.

"Our team on the ground will continue to monitor the situation, however we will not compromise on areas of athlete health, safety and security.

"We need urgent action from the Commonwealth Games Federation and the Delhi Organising Committee to address these crucial issues."

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Concerns were raised earlier this week by Team Scotland chef de mission Jon Doig that a significant part of the athletes' village residential zone was not finished.

Athletes were moved from their original accommodation after they complained about the facility and then had to clean their new rooms.

The Games are due to begin on October 3.

Conditions in the athletes' village have prompted warnings the event may be called off after team leaders from England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada expressed "grave concerns" over the accommodation for 6,500 team members.

Mr Cavanagh told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: "The situation in Delhi is pretty serious and we still don't have any confidence that enough work has been done to make sure the village is a safe and secure environment for our athletes, and that's paramount for us."

He said: "The accommodation we were moved into, which we cleaned ourselves, is in itself okay. It's not quite what we'd expect, but it is okay. The issue here is about the rest of the village.

"The accommodation which we were moved out of still has hardly been touched.

"It is still filthy, there are still maintenance issues and our concern is not simply about Team Scotland. Our concern is about the fact that 6,500 athletes from 71 countries are due to descend there within the next seven days and we have real concerns about the ability of the village to cope with that."

Scotland was one of six countries that arrived in Delhi at the earliest opportunity to set up its team headquarters, along with England, Wales, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

Glasgow is set to host the Commonwealth Games in four years' time and organisers will play an observational role in Delhi ahead of the official handover ceremony.

A Glasgow 2014 spokeswoman said: "It is not appropriate for one organising committee to pass judgement on another - particularly before their Games has even taken place.

"Each Games is different, they take place in different countries with different cultures and different ways of working.

"It is not uncommon for major Games to have teething problems in the run-up to the opening ceremony."

With 70% of venues in the city already in place, Glasgow 2014 are confident of delivering a successful competition.

The spokeswoman said: "We are a little under four years out from our opening ceremony and have a lot to do, but we believe we are on track to achieve our ambition - which is to deliver an outstanding, athlete-centred and sport-focused Games that will be celebrated across the Commonwealth, generate enormous pride in Glasgow and Scotland, and leave a lasting legacy.

"If we achieve this, I'm sure we'll pass on the Commonwealth Games brand in good shape to the next host city."