Nations consider opting out of Delhi

Nations were considering withdrawing from the Delhi Commonwealth Games while concern
and embarrassment surrounding the event mounted when the weightlifting venue ceiling
collapsed on Wednesday.
The ceiling failure occurred a day after a pedestrian bridge under construction
outside the main stadium collapsed, injuring 23 labourers.
It came as a former Australian deputy high commissioner to India called for the
troubled October 3-14 Games to be postponed until next year.
Rakesh Ahuja said "the worst ever Games are in the offing" in Delhi.
Ahuja, who was Australia's deputy high commissioner to India in the 1990s, said the
hapless organisation of the Games revealed a "systemic, nationwide malaise".
"Given the organisational disaster, a vortex of mishaps and glitches is inevitable,"
Ahuja wrote in a Times of India newspaper column on Wednesday.
"The objective of showcasing an emerging Asian power on the world stage is set to
self-destruct."
Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell flew to Delhi on Wednesday
seeking a crisis meeting with India's prime minister.
The Scotland team delayed its departure for Delhi on Wednesday to give organisers
more time to fix problems at the athletes village but some nations were considering
pulling out altogether.
"They should not have left themselves in this position, there is a possibility that
we will pull out," Guernsey team chef de mission David Harry said.
Alan Cross, secretary of the Jersey Commonwealth Games Association, said his nation
would decide within 24 hours whether to take part.
"There is a risk we will not," Cross said.
"If the first big team pulls out, then others may follow."
Scotland officials said their accommodation at the athletes village was filthy,
while Australia described their apartments as "acceptable" but have hired their own
cleaners.
"Scotland is hugely committed to the Commonwealth Games," Commonwealth Games
Scotland chairman Michael Cavanagh said.
"However, we will not compromise on areas of athlete health, safety and security."
India's chief anti-corruption body found a host of problems with building work of
Games venues in a July investigation, including dubious contracts and the use of
poor quality materials.
The false ceiling at the weightlifting venue at the Jawaharwal Nehru Stadium
collapsed on Wednesday afternoon local time.
Indian cabinet secretary KM Chandreshekhar said the false ceiling collapsed under
weight of data network cables.
The collapse happened as Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief executive
Perry Crosswhite attended a daily chefs de mission briefing in Delhi.
Australia's world champion discus thrower Dani Samuels cited security and health
concerns for her withdrawal from the Games, a decision which officials conceded
could trigger other athletes to abandon the event.
Crosswhite on Wednesday spoke to Australian officials from each of the 17 competing
sports, and none knew of any other athletes intending to pull out of the Games, an
association spokesman said.
The Australian government said it won't advise athletes on whether to attend the Games.
"The decision on whether to travel to India for the Commonwealth Games is one for
individuals to make," federal Sport Minister Mark Arbib told reporters in Sydney.
"The government cannot tell people not to compete. It can't tell parents not to
attend."
Instead, people considering travel to New Delhi should consult the government's
travel advisory for India and a linked bulletin on the Games in Delhi.
"Australians in New Delhi should be aware that the Commonwealth Games will be held
in a security environment where there is a high risk of terrorism," the advisory
said.
The bulletin was updated following Sunday's shooting of two Taiwanese nationals on a
tourist bus at a Delhi mosque.
Radical Islamist group, the Indian Mujahideen, claimed responsibility for the attack
and warned of further strikes during the Games.
There has also been an outbreak of dengue fever in the Indian capital.