Delhi C'Wealth Games may be called off: New Zealand chef de mission

New Zealand chef de mission for the Delhi Commonwealth Games, Dave Currie, today said the event may be called off if the concerns regarding the Games Village are not addressed at the earliest.

Currie, who is in Delhi as part of an advanced party, raised serious concerns regarding the residential zone of the Games Village, saying the October 3-14 mega-event faces the risk of cancellation if the living conditions are not improved before the arrival of the first batch of athletes on Thursday.

"There are some realities, I guess, that if the village is not ready and athletes can't come then obviously the implications of that are it is not going to happen. If the village isn't ready, the athletes can't arrive," Currie was quoted as saying by the New Zealand media.

"It's not our decision. We're not saying we're not coming or the country's not coming. What we're saying is they've got a real challenge with the village and they need to take urgent attention to address it," he added.

The ill-preparedness of the Games Village has even irked the Commonwealth Games Federation with its president Michael Fennell shooting off a letter to Indian cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar, asking him to take immediate steps to address the issue.

The Kiwi Chef de Mission said it was "extremely disappointing" to see the condition of the Village's residential zone, which was was still under construction.

"The opening ceremony is on October 3 and the games are due on the 4th so there is a bit of time between now and then. But what it requires is a concentration of mind and energy to get it ready," Currie said.

"It's pretty grim really and certainly disappointing when you consider the amount of time they've had to get the village ready for athletes to arrive," he added.

The buildup to the Delhi Games has been marred by corruption controversies and problems related to construction and security concerns.

He said it would be very hard for the athletes to concentrate on their events with uncertainty looming large over the Games.

"It is unacceptable from the organising committee that they have put athletes through this," Currie said.

New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) chairman Mike Stanley, who left for Delhi today, said they are working closely with other participating nations in assessing the preparation of the sporting extravaganza.

"What they are frustrated by is not enough action, not enough quick action, to see that, between the time we have now and the athletes coming into the village, or even the opening of the Games, things are going to be ready," Stanley said.

"As the clock ticks down, that becomes more critical," he added.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he was aware of concerns raised by Currie but hoped the organisers would be able to sort out the problems quickly.

"I've seen the comments by Dave Currie but I think he was just reflecting the frustrations we had expressed to us overnight," Key said.

"I wouldn't say that means the Commonwealth Games would be off. I think it means they're trying very hard to resolve those issues but of course, in the end that's the call that the Olympic Committee needs to make," he said.

He said the athletes accommodation and security remained New Zealand's major concern ahead of the Delhi Games.

"The areas (of concern) aren't insurmountable although there are real concerns about whether they can be achieved in the time-frame.

"They're really malfunctioning buildings and the like, so whether those things can be fixed up is what the New Zealand (officials) will look at," Key said.