Terror may strike Commonwealth Games in India: New Zealand
According to an official note published in Wellington on Thursday, diplomats from New Zealand are apprehending that terrorist will try their best to make an attack on the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The athletes and the Games chief of New Zealand, Mike Stanley, are of the view that it is not the right time to make conclusions whether it will be safe or not to participate in the Commonwealth Games scheduled in October this year.
The details about the terrorist attacks on Delhi were released by the daily newspaper Dominion Post. These details were published in light of the visit of the New Zealand High Commission delegation to New Delhi.
Officials fear that just like the recent attack on the German bakery in Pune, the Commonwealth Games will be a soft target for the terrorists and the Games are likely to be overshadowed by terrorist activities. This was informed by the foreign office staff at Wellington after the mission spanned between 28th of February and 13th of March.
The attack on the bakery located in the heart of the tourism hot spot, on the 13th of February in Pune was a tragic incident in which four foreigners lost their lives along with 13 locals. The diplomats in New Delhi are also of the view that the Commonwealth Games will take place in a dangerous environment. The government is expecting more terrorist attacks on international agencies, since the general security environment in the country is very stressful.
Stanley has told the 195 athletes and the 100 officials who will be accompanying the New Zealand squad to be prepared for the event. However, they have to stay on standby as the final decision will depend on the security situation in India till October.
Stanley has gone on record to say that it is too soon for him to say if their team will be making it to the Commonwealth Games or not. The New Zealand High Commission in India will be the main determinant of their decision. On the other hand, New Zealand’s sports minister says that the government of New Zealand has been taking the security conditions in New Delhi a bit too seriously and the fear is overrated. Kiwi Prime Minister John Key has abstained from any decision making regarding this event and has left the authority with the sports organizations. Even though there is no communication, rather there has been a vigorous exchange of information, news alerts and latest developments between the sporting bodies, the PM secretariat and the defence organizations is continuing.
The Commonwealth Games is an international and multisport event hosting contests which are attended by the most famous athletes of the Commonwealth Nations. After the Olympics and the Asian Games, this event is the third largest international event in the world. It takes place after every 4 years. Apart from the usual games played throughout the world, the event is famous for the games which are played more commonly in countries which are Commonwealth members. These games include lawn bowls, rugby sevens and netball. This event is supervised by the Commonwealth Games Federation, the organization that is responsible for the selection of the host cities and for the scheduling of the sporting programme.
The event first took place in 1930 and was known as the British Empire Games. The name of the event was changed to the Commonwealth Games in the year 1954. Only six teams attended these games in the inaugural edition which included Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand Scotland and Wales. Currently Australia holds the record of ten games with England on second with seven and Canada with one.
Sports analysts wish that the event turns out to be a success in every aspect, from security to event management. Officials in New Delhi are trying their best to make sure the event turns out as planned and expected by the athletes.
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