ORGANISERS OF the Commonwealth Games are scrambling frenetically to finish facilities a week before their inauguration in New Delhi.
In desperation they have called on the Indian army to erect a footbridge in place of the one that collapsed last week near the main venue as it was vital to the smooth running of the games.
The 270-ft Bailey Bridge, used by the army to transport men and materials in wartime and on manoeuvres, will connect the parking area of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies and the main track and field events will be held.
It is expected to be operational in five days.
Meanwhile Northern Ireland’s Commonwealth Games team leaves for Delhi today after confirming participation in the troubled games at the weekend.
The team’s governing council had sent two inspectors to assess accommodation at the venue and to advise on its suitability for its 81 athletes.
“There are ongoing concerns regarding the condition of some of the infrastructure, but it is acknowledged that progress has been made over the last few days,” a spokeswoman said.
Team manager Stewart Tosh, who visited Delhi last week and reported back on preparations for the NI team, said: “The main problems here have already been highlighted ... but we were able to manage those and get to a position today where we are satisfied with what is being provided.”
However, participants arriving at the athletes’ village were greeted by a massive clean-up operation as hundreds of extra staff tackled incomplete and dirty apartments.
The games organising committee faced more embarrassment at the weekend after an Indian boxer’s bed collapsed when he sat on it after moving into the athletes’ village, where many of the 34 residential blocks were still not ready for occupation.
Yesterday afternoon the Times Now television news channel reported finding a snake in one of the athlete’s rooms. Given that heavy monsoon rains had flooded holes in the ground that the reptiles normally inhabit, the organisers had deployed snake charmers at the village to deal with such an emergency. It was unclear whether a charmer was employed to lure away the snake.
Federation president Mike Fennell, on an emergency trip to India, told reporters at the weekend that although significant work had been done in recent days, a lot more remained.
“It’s not over yet,” he said, adding that concerns included water-logging in the basement of the athletes’ village, making it a breeding ground for mosquitoes and likely to cause transportation and technology difficulties.
Issues with security and fire safety were among the other shortcomings that needed addressing, but Mr Fennell said some of the stadiums were “world class”.
Federation chief executive Mike Hooper pinned the blame for the incomplete facilities squarely on Indian officials. “Renewed deadlines came and went. New reasons for delays kept coming up – absolutely exasperating from our perspective,” Mr Hooper told Television New Zealand.
All 71 competing nations had been kept aware of the issues but his “constant cajoling” had brought few results. But, he said, the focus should now be on getting as much done as possible ahead of the October 3rd inauguration.
In the latest withdrawals, however, two Australian athletes cited health concerns and the risk of a militant attack. Cyclist Travis Meyer and table tennis player Stephanie Sang joined high-profile withdrawals on similar grounds by English Olympic 400m gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu, world triple-jump champion Phillips Idowu and Australian world discus champion Dani Samuels.