Australian athletes told not to leave Commonwealth Games village
• By Mike Hurst
• From: The Daily Telegraph
• August 04, 2010 12:00AM
AUSTRALIAN athletes have been warned they risk being sent home from Delhi if they leave the Commonwealth Games village to take in the sights of the host city.
The unprecedented decision - made after officials received a security briefing on Delhi - has reduced the so-called Friendly Games to a virtual lockdown.
Members of the track and field team have been told they can only leave the compound to compete.
They have been assured the village will be so vast and well-resourced that they won’t need to risk venturing outside the security fortress.
“Yes, we were told at a Comm Games ‘potential’ team management meeting in Melbourne on June 8 that it would be highly likely that a strong recommendation would be made to the athletes along those lines,” said Sharon Hannan, the coach of Olympic hurdles medallist Sally Pearson (formerly McLellan).
Athletics Australia’s high-performance manager and team head coach Eric Hollingsworth has told track and field competitors his paramount consideration is their safety.
“There’s not going to be athletes coming and going as they please like at previous Games,” Hollingsworth said. "We won’t be having any of that. Not a chance.
"We have no choice. They won’t be allowed to run amok in Delhi.
“If they do need to leave the village, they’ll have the nearest thing to an MI5 tracking device on them.”
Jokes aside, ACGA chief Perry Crosswhite said athletes who wished to venture beyond the heavily guarded village would need to stipulate their precise destination, mode of travel and time of return.
“If they haven’t gone through the proper process to depart the village, they could be sent home,” Hollingsworth said.
“Besides, we have to remember the competitors will have everything they need inside the Delhi village. The training track is a walk from the dormitories in one direction and the weights room is a walk in the other. There is no reason to leave.”
Crosswhite confirmed there would be athlete “whereabouts” guidelines “because it’s the nature of the destination” but he insisted all team members would be permitted to visit relatives at the Australian team’s Blue Roo social club in downtown Delhi.
"It’s best to err on the side of caution but the Delhi village is not going to be like a prison _ that’s not the case at all. We want athletes to have a good experience at the same time as being safe.
“As far as I’m concerned security is on track and I’m happy with the level of it so let’s get on with it.”