-No cause for concern – GOA; Local athletes prepare for departure to India this weekend
The lead-up to the XIX Commonwealth Games event in New Delhi, India has been plagued by a number of setbacks, raising widespread concerns among foreign delegations, with the latest blow being the collapsing of a footbridge that injured 27 people on Tuesday.
There have also been reports about the shooting of two foreign visitors by suspected militants in Delhi on Sunday, a dengue fever epidemic, heavy monsoon rains, construction delays, and traffic problems.
Further, Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Michael Fennell in a Reuters article yesterday said the event was compromised by conditions at the Games village that have “shocked the majority”.
Some athletes have already pulled out of participating at the Games, which will run from October 3-14 in New Delhi, India, while some countries have decided to delay arrival in the country, citing conditions at the Games village.
However, some sports officials in Guyana have played down these occurrences by stating that there is no cause for major concerns at this time as local athletes prepare for departure to India this weekend. President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Juman Yassin, Chef de Mission for Guyana’s contingent Garfield Wiltshire and Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) president Steve Ninvalle told Stabroek Sport yesterday that all major games have hiccups in the interim but these problems were ironed out before commencement.
Yassin revealed yesterday that the GOA was in communication with organizers of the Games, which is estimated to cost in the region of US$6 billion, and there was no word from Fennell for Guyana not to participate at the Games.
According to Yassin, Guyana’s contingent, which numbers 42, will be proceeding to the Games unless told otherwise by the organizers.
Wiltshire, who will depart Guyana over the weekend, pointed out that there are no major concerns at this time, adding that there are always hiccups in the interim for all major events. He reiterated that when he visited the Games village back in March the facilities he was shown were satisfactory but he was also told that there were sections that were incomplete.
Wiltshire is also hopeful that the problems will be eradicated by the time the Games commence. As it is at the moment Wiltshire said that athletes from Guyana will be leaving on September 29 while overseas athletes will be travelling on September 27 and 28 from Trinidad & Tobago and the USA.
Ninvalle said that while the wellbeing of the nation’s athletes is paramount he believes that no major event is without its share of problems. Acknowledging that other countries are delaying their arrival in India, and in some cases world class athletes are pulling out from participating at the Games, Ninvalle said that they have not yet seen the facilities and therefore cannot comment.
On the other hand though, Ninvalle, who will be the manager of the boxing team, is optimistic that the organizers will be able to pull off the event successfully. At this point, he reiterated that there are no major concerns for his team as it prepares for departure.
Neil Kumar, Director of Sport, said that he was concerned about some of the reports that were coming out of India but he too is hoping that the Games go well.
Second Vice President of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF) Cheryl Thompson stated that while she has some concerns about what is happening in India she will not be saying much on the issue until word comes from the GOA. According to Thompson, the association has met all requirements set out by the GOA from organizers of the Games and it is keeping an eye on what is happening in the host country.
Meanwhile, Wiltshire disclosed that all of the associations have not yet paid their monies to the GOA but he is of the belief that this will be before departure for India. He did not disclose which were the defaulting associations.
