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Athletes Set To Arrive As Things Look Up For Games
NEW DELHI - New Delhi's beleaguered Commonwealth Games was set to welcome its first athletes Friday after receiving a much-needed boost when Team England said they would definitely be participating.
The announcement came after the Commonwealth Games Federation signalled Delhi was succeeding in fixing the problems that have brought the event to the brink of disaster.
However, the news was not all good, as high profile athletes continued to announce their withdrawals.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a crisis meeting with senior ministers late on Thursday and Delhi's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit oversaw the deployment of hundreds of staff to clean the athletes' village.
"There has been progress and there is more to do," Mike Hooper, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), said, adding that there had been a "significant" influx of additional resources.
"We're concentrating on fixing the problems. My attitude is that the Games are on. We are working at the highest levels of government," he said.
A source in the CGF, which went public with complaints about the "filthy" and "seriously compromised" village on Tuesday, said that the mood was more upbeat and that the risk of cancellation was now small.
Several teams have delayed their athletes' departure for the Indian capital amid demands for better conditions in the village, but the first contingents were scheduled to arrive on Friday.
Organizers were given a much-needed reason to celebrate when English officials announced they would definitely be taking part in the Games.
"Commonwealth Games England (CGE) and its 17 member sports today unanimously agreed that they will go to the Delhi Games," an organization statement said Thursday.
"(We) are now seeing the improved levels of resourcing which are required to resolve the significant operational issues, but we will continue to monitor the situation daily to ensure the village and stadium are safe and fit for purpose."
However, the statement added: "The board continues to press the organizing committee of the Commonwealth Games Federation for assurances on both the stadium and the accommodation as well as liaising with the British Government. At all times the safety and security of our team is paramount."
AFP
