Dawn Fraser urges Australian athletes to skip CWG, fears for security

August 19, 2010 01:21 pm | Updated November 05, 2016 06:47 am IST - Melbourne

Fearing a Munich Olympics like terror attack in India, legendary Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser called on the athletes of her country to consider boycotting the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Winner of eight Olympic medals and holder of several world records, the 73-year-old Fraser said she does not believe India's security promises.

"The Indians are telling us that security will be right.

But they've also been telling us for months that their stadiums are ready to go too and quite obviously they're not," Fraser told ' Courier Mail'

"I know Australia has never boycotted a Commonwealth or Olympic Games, but we're simply being told too many lies. There are now too many question marks for our officials not to consider it.

"I would hate to see another Munich but, with things getting worse and worse, I have grave concerns. I know the Australian Commonwealth Games Association is doing everything it can with security, but what's at the other end of the tunnel?" she asked.

During the 1972 Munich Olympics, 11 Israeli athletes, coaches and officials were taken hostage and killed by Palestinian terrorists.

Fraser said it is hard to believe the assurances given by the Indian organisers in the wake of repeatedly missed deadlines on venue completion.

"So they can't get a hockey venue right, yet they're still expecting everyone to trust them and turn up when they say it's all going to be OK," Fraser said.

Athletics stalwart Raelene Boyle, who won two Olympic silvers in Munich, went a step further and said Delhi should not have been awarded the Games.

"That's the bottom line. Regarding security, it certainly provides a precarious situation so it's really up to individuals whether they go," Boyle said.

"But they're young athletes who wait their whole lives for this - they'll go."

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.