Collapse in confidence threatens Delhi Games

• Indian workers gather after a footbridge collapsed at the Jawaharlal Stadium in New Delhi. Pic: AFP/Getty

The chances of the Delhi Games going ahead as planned on 3 October are hanging in the balance after team leaders from Scotland and other countries declared their athletes' living quarters unfit for habitation.

Meanwhile, preparations for the Games were thrown into jeopardy after 27 workers were injured, five of them seriously, when a major walkway connecting a stadium to a car park in New Delhi collapsed.

The first wave of Scotland's 192-strong team is scheduled to fly from Glasgow to Delhi tomorrow, but their departure was still in doubt overnight.

Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Michael Cavanagh and other colleagues still in this country are discussing the situation with Scotland chef de mission Jon Doig, who has been in Delhi since last week and first raised concerns about the state of the athletes' village.

An announcement is expected today on the planned departure from Glasgow. If the athletes do fly out, whether they will have events in which to compete will hinge on last-minute efforts by the Delhi organisers, who will have to persuade the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) that the city is fit to host the four-yearly event.

"The Games are under threat, because the organising committee have failed to keep their promises," said Mr Cavanagh, reflecting a growing frustration with Indian officials' insistence that nothing is amiss.

Mr Doig and the heads of other national teams yesterday expressed grave doubt that facilities would be ready on time, with the village, consisting of a series of tower blocks, being the focus of their concern.

"In our tower, the standard of rooms was not up to expectations," Mr Doig said. "Some rooms were not finished – people were still working there.

"Cleanliness was a major issue for us, and so were the fittings in the rooms. There were structural issues, too, particularly with the rain coming in."

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Scotland were allowed to move to a different block after their complaints, but seven members of team management then had to take part in cleaning the new accommodation, along with local workers, in a bid to have it habitable on time.

Mr Doig, one of the first team bosses to arrive in Delhi, insisted his complaints were not designed to secure the best accommodation for his athletes, explaining that he believed all competitors deserved the improvements for which he was asking.

"There are 71 countries due to be in the village, and other countries must be able to have accommodation of the same standard as our own," he said. "All Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) have found similar problems in the village, and we have taken these collectively and separately to the Games organisers.

"You can't operate a Games without a village. It's the hub of everything. Unless these things are resolved, the CGF has some hard decisions to make. Whilst we are a considerable way down the track to resolving our own specific accommodation issues, moving those arriving first has simply pushed the problems further down the line.

"The other countries will be arriving soon and the organisers will simply be overwhelmed by the volume of the problems they face unless they take action now.

"We will continue to monitor the situation before determining our next response. At this point, we are planning for full participation in the Games and sincerely hope that the outstanding issues can be resolved.

However, we will not compromise on issues of health, safety and security."

Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and Wales joined Scotland in expressing their concerns to the CGF, who have written to the Indian cabinet secretary to request immediate action.

Craig Hunter, England's chef de mission, last night expressed concern over the facilities.

"A significant number of bedrooms are not watertight and have been flooded, while the monsoon and the security lockdown of the village means there have been significant delays to what we thought was a relative straightforward process," he said.

"Later this afternoon, we heard the tragic news of the bridge collapsing and workers injured. We are now pressing the organising committee and the CGF to give us real guarantees that the venues are safe."

New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie warned that the team could pull out. He said: "The way things are looking, it's not up to scratch. The reality is that if the village is not ready and athletes can't come, the implications are that it's not going to happen."

CGF president Mike Fennell agreed that conditions in the village were "seriously compromised".

His colleague, chief executive Mike Hooper, offered a blunter verdict. "The word filthy is almost generous," he said of the village.

The bridge which collapsed yesterday was close to the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, the principal venue for the Games.

It was said by local officials to have fallen as labourers were applying a concrete layer to the structure. Despite that accident and concerns over the village, Indian government officials sought to reassure an increasingly sceptical public, both in India and beyond, that all necessary work would be completed on time.

"Concerns about cleanliness and maintenance will be addressed urgently and properly," urban development minister Jaipal Reddy said. "You have nothing to worry about."

Those athletes due to travel to India in the coming days now face an anxious wait before learning if they can compete. Susan Egelstaff, who has won bronze medals in badminton for Scotland at the last two Games, said she and her team-mates would rely on the advice from their team management.

"As long as the team management say it is safe to go, I trust their judgment," she said. "It's certainly a worry, but they are the ones who are in India."

Last night, however, UK sports minister Hugh Robertson said he was confident the Games would go ahead. "It would be an utter tragedy if anything went wrong at the last moment, but I have had no indication that this will not go ahead."