A man carrying empty egg crates on his cycle rides past a Commonwealth Games billboard depicting the mascot Shera in New Delhi, India, Tuesday. Alarming delays in completion of the athletes' village has prompted fresh fears about the viability of the Commonwealth Games, with a New Zealand delegate saying Tuesday that next month's event may not go ahead. – APNEW DELHI - It was meant to be emerging India's showcase event for the world - the coming out party the Olympics had been for Beijing. But preparations for next month's Commonwealth Games are down to the wire and the event risks descending into farce. Concerns over security and health forced discus world champion Dani Samuels of Australia to pull out of the Games, another blow to organizers at pains to assure participants of complete safety. Commonwealth Games Federation President Michael Fennell said Tuesday the two-week event, starting Oct. 3, was seriously compromised by conditions at the Games village that have “shocked the majority.” Fennell's comments came as no surprise to observers. At least 27 people, mainly workers, were injured when a footbridge under construction to the main Games stadium collapsed Tuesday, highlighting fears of shoddy workmanship. The shooting of two foreign visitors by suspected militants in Delhi Sunday has combined with a dengue fever epidemic, heavy monsoon rains, delayed construction, graft scandals and traffic chaos to give the Games that sinking feeling. “Fingers crossed, India may pull off a miracle,” said Boria Majumdar, a sports historian who has written the book ‘Sellotape Legacy: Delhi and the Commonwealth Games'. “But it will have to be a miracle. No doubt about that”. Some four or five accommodation towers at the Games village are still unfinished, lacking facilities such as wireless Internet, fitted toilets and plumbing. Rubble, unused masonry and discarded bricks litter the unfinished gardens. On a recent visit to the village, the lack of preparation was stark. A Reuters reporter witnessed dirty apartments with empty boxes strewn about, as laborers worked to finish necessities such as paths and pavements. A crude cement slope appeared to be an unplanned fix for disabled athletes requiring access to one apartment block. The athletes' training center was still to be fitted out, its reception area a dusty, empty expanse as boxes of equipment piled up outside. The water in the training and recreational swimming pools was dirty, with insect larvae breeding on the surface. “They have had some delegations staying there and they have been reporting constantly about the filth in the village,” Fennell told CNN-IBN TV. “There is a lot of stuff there that needs to be cleaned.” Of the nearly 100,000 accreditations for officials and media, only around a quarter have been issued. The insistence to hold the Games in October has also led to some athletes pulling out due to conflicts with Olympic qualifiers. October also means the opening ceremony may be ruined by rains. Some officials say foreigners do not understand how India works. Sport Minister Manohar Singh Gill said it is like an Indian wedding where chaos ends in a well-planned ceremony.
