Poisonous snakes, contagious disease, falling tiles, collapsed bridges hinder Games’ preperations
SASKATOON (CUP) — The Commonwealth Games are quickly approaching, with many questions regarding accommodations left unanswered.
Slated to begin in Delhi, India on Oct. 3, there are looming security, safety and comfort concerns — enough to keep anyone awake at night. And with the Games less than a week away, it seems the accommodations in the Indian capital have not improved.
Nearly a week ago, the Canadian delegation voiced concerns regarding the disorder seen in the athlete’s village, which was behind schedule and far from completion. Organizers are reportedly doing well catching up, but the area is still not entirely safe.
A pedestrian bridge fell earlier in the week injuring 24 people, which only turned the focus to an event that seems to be failing to live up to standards.
To be more precise, there appears to be a low standard of living: Unsanitary living conditions, lack of space, snakes (some poisonous) being found in rooms and at venues, and a boxer’s bed collapsing when he went to rest on it. The lodgings and beds were found in filthy condition nearly a week ago.
With new teams currently moving on-site, the same complaints are still being brought forward.
All of this raises the question: If you break down the term “Commonwealth,” isn’t the word just completely ironic?
If the members of the Commonwealth don’t share nearly the same living standards — Canadians, in this case, feeling vulnerable to immediate threats while staying in the country — the term “wealth” is rather misleading.
The surroundings are literally the definition of poverty, with many construction workers living in tents and tin shacks. Not to say the emerging superpower doesn’t have any wealth; the Games had hoped to show off India’s emerging economy.
Thus far, however, it has only cast doubt and created insecurity, which certainly none of the athletes want to worry about before entering one of the biggest competitions worldwide.
Canadian officials working with the RCMP are reminding athletes to carry a cell phone when outside official venues, to stay with a buddy and to not wear uniforms. The recommendation about uniforms, which is being enforced among all participating countries, would make it easy to be identified as a tourist and could garner unwanted attention.
The Canadians have not been forced to impose a rule about wearing uniforms since the 1988 Seoul Olympics when Ben Johnson tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs — that order, however, was to avoid media and ridicule. This situation is quite different and the athletes are now reluctant to wear uniforms for a much more sombre reason.
The amount of obstacles and general unsanitary conditions present are staggering, and considering the $1.6-billion budget involved, it doesn’t seem to make much sense. High-profile athletes such as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt have already dropped out based on complaints regarding unsanitary and inhospitable conditions.
The construction crews will be hard at work in the coming days and many countries have again agreed to send their athletes — countries including Great Britain, once reluctant to attend at all. The current situation is unclear, but organizers are hopeful and countries are delaying sending their athletes over, allowing more time for improvements.
With any hope, the Games can recover and turn out some positive results. There’s still roughly a week before the opening ceremony and lots of work to be done.
If organizers can achieve success after what has already happened, kudos to them. There will now, however, be public scrutiny of astronomical proportions and many more watchful eyes, which will likely not be easy to impress.
