Malaysian delegation to assess situation in Delhi
Malaysia will send a team to New Delhi to assess the situation in the Indian capital just two weeks before the opening of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
The seven-man team headed by Commonwealth Games general manager Jefri Ngadirin is scheduled to leave today. Ngadirin, who will be accompanied by a doctor and a security official, said they will submit
a report to the Youth and Sports Ministry to determine if Malaysian athletes are safe to compete in the quadrennial meet. The trip was necessary as local sports officials rely only on the daily updates provided by the Malaysian High Commissioner’s Office in
New Delhi regarding the latest situation in the host city.
The Malaysian lawn bowling squad members are scheduled to leave for Delhi tomorrow while the other members of the contingent will depart on Tuesday. The Southeast Asian nation will send 203 athletes who
will see action in 14 sports. Malaysian athletes will vie for medals in aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, gymnastics, hockey, lawn bowls, table tennis, shooting, squash, weightlifting and rugby sevens. They will also see action in three
Paralympic events.
Many participating countries are reluctant to send their athletes to India after a series of unfortunate events marred New Delhi's preparedness to host the multi-sport event. The collapse of a pedestrian
bridge at the main stadium and the still unfinished athletes' village turned off many nations, which considered pulling out their athletes if improvements are not made in time for the opening of the Games. A dengue fever outbreak in the city and the recent
shooting of two Taiwanese tourists further raised concerns on the safety of athletes during the 3 October to 14 October event.
Scotland, Canada and New Zealand have already decided to delay the departure of their athletes due to security and health concerns. Olympic and world champions such as Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Paula Radcliffe,
Christine Ohuruogu, Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu, Asbel Kiprop, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Stephanie Rice were among the big names who opted not to take part in the meet, though that is mostly because of injury or fatigue.
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