Naive to believe Delhi Games chiefs
Nicole Jeffery and Amanda Hodge From: The Australian August 03, 2010 12:00AM I
THE Commonwealth Games Federation is “very naive” if it continues to believe the Delhi games organisers’ assurances.
National hockey coach Ric Charlesworth yesterday cast the latest doubts over games venues and accommodation being ready for the October event.
“Forget about the venues, we have to live in the village. And my experience (in India) says that it won’t be finished,” Charlesworth said.
“My concern is that we will get there and have people stuck on the 15th floor with no working lifts, no air-conditioning, electricity going on and off, no water in the taps and poor sewerage.”
A litany of examples of shoddy workmanship at the games venues have been exposed in recent days, from collapsing and leaking roofs to faulty tiling, uncompleted stairways and inadequate facilities.
But CGF executive director Mike Hooper said he believed most of the problems were superficial and could be addressed in time for the games.
He said the CGF would insist that remedial work required to bring the venues up to standard for the October games be completed before they are handed over to the Delhi organising committee later this month.
Hooper said he was aware of corruption allegations made against the games organisers, but was primarily focused on “delivering for the athletes” by ensuring the venues, athletes’ village, transport and security were adequate.
“They have 60 days to rectify what needs to be rectified, but these are not substantive construction things of great concern,” he said.
“They are the finishing touches, but they have to be done and they have two months to do it.”
Hooper said he and CGF president Mike Fennell would personally tour all venues and the village from August 17-19 to ensure they were up to standard.
“We will form our own opinions on the level of preparedness and we will look at the issues that have been raised in the last week,” he said.
Both Hooper and Australian Commonwealth Games boss Perry Crosswhite said they believed reports of the building defects were inflamed by internal political wrangling in India.
“Some of the finishing will not be of the standard we have normally, but we always knew it would be that way and we have told our athletes to expect that,” Crosswhite said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators crowded central Delhi yesterday to protest over the separate allegations of widespread corruption in the games preparation.
An independent audit of 15 games projects released last week has found widespread evidence of structural and electrical problems, as well as forgery of quality assurance certificates to conceal poor workmanship.
India’s Central Vigilance Committee, the country’s primary corruption watchdog which conducted the tests, announced on Sunday it would widen its investigation to include all Games-related projects.
Organising Committee chairman, Suresh Kalmadi, has been drawn into a scandal over the alleged transfer of $430,000 to British firm, AM Films, for services during the Queens Baton Relay through Britain.
The Games has become a target of rising public anger in recent months as budget blow-outs have forced belt-tightening in the capital and major construction works have caused months of inconvenience and even multiple deaths.
The Delhi state government yesterday missed the first of its self-imposed deadlines for the completion of all infrastructure projects related to the Games, with at least nine major roadworks still to be finished.
Sports Minister MS Gill and Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy officially opened the weightlifting stadium on Sunday, but the event backfired on the government when pictures from the venue revealed a leaky roof and flooding.
Meanwhile, the ACGA has announced a 10-member boxing team for Delhi, including only the third set of twins to represent Australia at the games, brothers Andrew and Jason Moloney.