More improvements, more teams arrive

NEW DELHI (AP):

With athletes trickling into New Delhi yesterday and cleaning crews rushing to scour their rooms, Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell said India was working hard to ensure it is prepared to host the beleaguered sporting event - though much remains to be done.

The talk of postponing or cancelling the Games that emerged this week after a footbridge collapsed, two tourists were shot and the athletes' village was found to be filthy, dissipated after the government poured enormous resources into urgently addressing the problems before the opening ceremonies on October 3.

Commonwealth Games Federation president, Mike Fennell, on an emergency trip here to address the problems, told reporters that significant work had been done in recent days.

"There's still a lot of work to be done, to do the final touches and there's more work in the village. It's not over yet," he said.

Among the ongoing concerns was the water remaining in the basements in the athletes' village, transportation and technology difficulties, and issues with security and fire safety, he said.

Last-minute work

The multi-sport Games, held every four years, bring together competitors from across the former British empire. In an effort to dispel worries about the New Delhi's readiness to host nearly 7,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories, organisers took ambassadors and journalists on a tour of the Games Village, where workers were cleaning the area and painters provided last-minute touch-ups.

The tour included a huge international area housing a dining room with African, Asian, Chinese and continental cuisine, a practice wrestling hall, a practice weightlifting hall, an elaborate gymnasium that can accommodate 120 athletes at a time, a swimming pool and a track and field area.

The rooms and bathrooms shown to reporters were clean and stray dogs that were reportedly roaming the grounds last week were not in sight. The back of the complex and a huge basement reportedly filled with water were not part of the tour.

Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia, riding around in a golf cart, said the mosquito-borne dengue virus remained a concern, but "we have things in control".

Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese, however, did not appear to be too impressed with the Village.

"Obviously, you have to keep at it to make the Village good enough to receive athletes," he said.

Despite the problems, athletes and team officials continued to arrive in the city yesterday, with the delegation from Trinidad and Tobago and athletes from the Isle of Man and Guyana joining a group of English athletes, who had arrived the day before.

Several teams that had delayed their trips here - including Scotland and New Zealand - have confirmed their athletes will be attending.

"I am very happy that today we are recording that there will be full participation in the Games," Fennell said.