Scots team excused from Delhi Commonwealth Games ceremony

SCOTLAND's athletes have been told they do not have to attend the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games today because of fears they will be penned in holding areas for hours at a time.

• The first members of Team Scotland flew to Delhi earlier this week

As Prince Charles flew into Delhi yesterday for the extravagant curtain-call for the event, local dancers complained they had been held for long periods without food and water during rehearsals. Some collapsed in the heat.

But although Scottish team bosses appear confident that competitors will not face undue delays, last night they were still awaiting answers about precise timings for the event before delivering a definitive briefing to their athletes.

Although athletes competing on day one of events tomorrow are already banned from attending the ceremony, there are also concerns about those involved in events over the next few days.

"There were some questions raised this morning in terms of the timings: when the athletes leave, get to the ceremony, then get back again," Team Scotland chef de mission Jon Doig said.

"We have a policy that athletes competing on day one (Monday) do not go to the ceremony. It's quite a physically and emotionally demanding occasion at any Games. We will go back to our team leaders with the final timings, and athletes will make their individual decisions whether to go or not."

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Complaints from Scotland and other teams about the state of the Games village have been dealt with, and the mood in the city is more optimistic than it was. Even so, organisational problems remain.

Tight security is the reason for some delays. There is airport-type screening on the way into every venue, and Delhi's 80,000-strong police force has been augmented by 17,000 troopers - but other hold-ups are down to lack of a clear command structure.

Yesterday, Jamie Murray and other members of the tennis team had to abandon a planned live appearance on a Radio Scotland show after two and a half hours. Their first car failed to turn up, then a second took them to the wrong location.

Doig and his fellow team bosses are hoping that such minor mishaps are not replicated on a grand scale at this evening's ceremony, and that their athletes will then be able to concentrate on their events. "It's about making sure that athletes are treated well - fed, watered and taken through on time and back on time. Our responsibility is to the athletes.