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More nations delayed their teams’ arrivals for the Commonwealth
Games in India as organisers raced against time to address security and health
concerns that have already led several top athletes to pull out.

New Zealand joined Canada and Scotland in delaying its arrival
in New Delhi due to poor accommodation for athletes, compounded by heavy
monsoon rains and a dengue epidemic.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard highlighted security
fears surrounding the Games and said athletes should decide for themselves
whether or not to attend. Two foreign visitors were shot and wounded by
suspected militants in the city on Sunday.

“There is obviously widespread concern about the Commonwealth
Games,” Gillard told reporters in Canberra.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell has
asked for an emergency meeting, expected this evening, with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh to evaluate the Games in what is being seen as last ditch
attempt to avoid national withdrawals.

The Games, held every four years for members of the organisation
of mostly former British colonies, are estimated to have cost $3-6 billion.
India had hoped to use them to display its growing global economic and
political clout, rivalling China.

Instead, they have snowballed into a major embarrassment for the
government, having to fend off criticism of shoddy construction, inadequate
security and unfit accommodation.

In a sign of desperation, the federal government ordered the
organising committee to hand over management of the Games Village, which will
house 6,500 athletes, to the government.

In contrast, preparations for the Asian Games in China in
November are on track, with organisers in Guangzhou handing the athletes’
village over to the Asian Games authorities for sign-off earlier this week.

Pre-games glitches

Many sporting events have suffered glitches in the run-up to the
opening ceremony, such as the 2004 Athens Olympics, and some infrastructure
projects, like a new metro and international airport in Delhi, are widely
praised.

But polls in the Times of India and Hindustan Times newspapers
showed that a vast majority of Indians were ashamed by the state of the Games.

Leading personalities have also criticised the government and
labelled organisers “buffoons” who had sullied India’s image abroad as the
country gains respectability on the world stage.

Singh has been accused of being out-of-touch and failing to
recognise that events like the Games carry huge international prestige. Much of
the Congress-led government remains focused on its rural vote, which has little
interest in the Games.

“I genuinely feel sorry for what has happened and would like to
apologise not only on my behalf and on behalf of the organising committee, but
for everyone connected,” A.K. Mattoo, Organising Committee Secretary General,
told NDTV broadcaster.

“This is a collective failure,” Mattoo said, in a rare admission
of failure by the organisers.

The government and organisers have promised a prompt clean up.
Teams start arriving this weekend for the October 3 official start and so far
no one has said the Games will be cancelled or delayed.

Athletes pull out World discus champion Dani Samuels of
Australia has pulled out of the Games because of security and health concerns,
as did England’s world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu. Four other
champions have quit due to various reasons, including injuries.

Skipping the event

Triple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica is the
highest profile athlete to skip the event.

A dengue epidemic has spread through the Indian capital, sending
thousands of people to hospital.

“They (athletes who compete in numerous competitions) may not be
able to sustain their performance so they find out some reason or other why
they are not participating, but these things happen in every game, every
competition,” Lalit Bhanot, secretary general of the Delhi organising
committee, told CNN Scotland and Canada had already announced they were
delaying sending athletes to New Delhi and Wales said it had sought guarantees
that venues and athletes’ accommodation were safe. Other nations have also
threatened to stay home On Thursday, the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC)
told their athletes to delay their arrival until at least next Tuesday, just 5
days before the showpiece event is due to open.

New Zealand’s lawn bowls, hockey and badminton teams, and
officials from cycling and athletics, were all scheduled to begin arriving in
Delhi from Saturday.

However, after an inspection by NZOC President Mike Stanley and
Secretary General Barry Maister on Wednesday, they pushed back their arrival
dates.

“It is tremendously disappointing,” Stanley said in a statement.
“The long list of outstanding issues has made it clear the village will now not
be ready for New Zealand athletes to move in as planned.”

Images of stray dogs, stagnant water, workers urinating in
public and human faeces found at the unfinished athletes’ village in central
Delhi have overshadowed the successes of the Games – the main stadium and other
sporting venues.

A portion of false ceiling in the weightlifting venue caved in
on Wednesday, a day after the collapse of a footbridge by the main stadium,
injuring 27 workers.

“People from my place are not coming here for the Games. It is
for Delhi and the people here,” said Mohammad Tahir, working at the stadium but
from Azamgath in the poor Uttar Pradesh state.

The event has also been plagued by security concerns.

Two foreign tourists were shot and wounded at the weekend by unknown
assailants in Delhi and Australian TV broadcast how a reporter bought
bomb-making devices to smuggle through security points. Indian police have
denied he ever crossed a checkpoint.