Even as New Zealand, Canada and Scotland delayed their departure for the Commonwealth Games, there was encouraging news when England confirmed its first batch would reach here on Friday.
The first two Canadian batches, apart from some athletes from Jersey and Gibraltar, are expected on Friday, while New Zealand, Scotland, Isle of Man and Guyana will start arriving in batches from Saturday.
Optimistic
Team England's Chef-de-Mission Craig Hunter, quoted by BBC, said he was optimistic problems would be solved at the last minute “like an Indian wedding.”
Hunter's views found an echo in World champion diver Tom Daley who said, “I really want to compete in the Commonwealth Games.”
Two Canadian shooters, Patricia Boulay and Alan Markewicz, also expressed their keenness to participate even as the team leader Susan Verdier conveyed the athletes' excitement to compete.
The Edmonton Journal quoted Commonwealth Games Canada director of sports Scott Stevenson, “most competition venues and adjacent training facilities were spectacular… beyond our expectations. The decision to delay departures is part of our contingency planning.”
The Journal also carried an anecdote by Pierre LaFontaine, Swimming Canada CEO and head coach.
“Lots of games have issues. I remember in Montreal (at the 1976 Olympics), my dad was an architect and in charge of all the landscaping outside the village and outside the stadium.
“They rolled the grass (sod) the day before the opening ceremony. And he had a team of people that would paint the grass at night, because the grass would die. So he had a team of people who would paint the grass green.”
Even as the Australian government issued a travel advisory to its citizens coming to Delhi, the country's shot put stars Scott Martin and Dale Stevenson are set to travel to Delhi with their parents and partners unless they receive last-minute advice from organisers, said the Sydney Morning Herald .
Concerned
“We are definitely concerned and keeping our ear out but we live and breathe athletics, and it is very hard to turn your back on such a big event,'' Martin told the paper.
“Those sort of stories [the roof collapse] don't help … at this stage we're still committed to going.''
Stevenson said: “It comes down to the individual. I'm trying not to take my cues from the media. We get advised accordingly through the Australian Commonwealth Games Association. Dani said no gold medal is worth your life, and I know all athletes agree with that. It's up to the athlete to evaluate if the situation is what it's pumped up to be.''
Meanwhile, the list of athletes withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games continued to grow with two Canadian male archers in compound — Dietmar Trillus (World No. 9) and Kevin Tataryn (World No. 50) — deciding to stay away on account of security fears.
