Snake in athlete's room at Games Village

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 07:48 PM

There seems to be no end to the problems confronting the organisers of the Commonwealth Games with the South African envoy here claiming that a snake was found in an athlete's room in the Village.

A snake was found in a room in the residential tower, earmarked for the South African athletes, who have not arrived yet, High Commissioner Harris Mbulelo Mejeke told reporters.

"We can't go and stay till things are fixed up. We have very grave concerns. If snakes are found we can't ask our teams to stay there. Yesterday we found a snake but I don't know whether it was an Indian snake. But it was there in one of our rooms," Mejeke said before entering the Village.

"That was a threat to the lives of our athletes. Very disappointing. Basically, the basement was full of water and the staircase was also damp," he said.

On being asked if he brought the matter to the notice of the organisers, he said, "We had someone with us. They have promised us, everything will be all right. I will go and check whether the promise has been kept," he said.

However, the South African envoy said there team will not withdraw from the controversy-marred event.

"The teams are coming and we are still part of the Commonwealth Games. When everything will be done we will call our teams," Mjeke said.

The Village has already been sharply criticised for the unhygienic conditions and now the sensational claim would bring more bad publicity to the event.

Source: Web Search

Snake found in Village apartment: South African envoy

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 07:42 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (IANS) A snake was found in a player's apartment in the Commowealth Games Village, the South African envoy said Sunday, adding his country would definitely participate in the Oct 3-14 event.

'Yesterday (Saturday), we found a snake in one of the apartments,' High Commissioner Harris Mbulelo Sithembile Majeke told reporters outside Games Village where he arrived for another look at the residential zones.

'I don't know if it was an Indian snake or not,' he said jokingly, as he entered the Village, armed with a vuvuzela.

'We have serious conditions about the facilities. It is really disappointing,' said Majeke, noting the living facilities were still 'very dirty, with the basement being still full of water'.

But, he said that the teams were 'on the way'. 'We are definitely participating in the Commonwealth Games,' he said.

The African group of Commonwealth nations had complained to the Organising Committee that their residential zones were not completely ready and were still dirty.

Source: Web Search

Snake in athlete's room at Games Village

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 07:22 PM

There seems to be no end to the problems confronting the organisers of the Commonwealth Games with the South African envoy here claiming that a snake was found in an athlete's room in the Village.

A snake was found in a room in the residential tower, earmarked for the South African athletes, who have not arrived yet, High Commissioner Harris Mbulelo Mejeke told reporters.

"We can't go and stay till things are fixed up. We have very grave concerns. If snakes are found we can't ask our teams to stay there. Yesterday we found a snake but I don't know whether it was an Indian snake. But it was there in one of our rooms," Mejeke said before entering the Village.

"That was a threat to the lives of our athletes. Very disappointing. Basically, the basement was full of water and the staircase was also damp," he said.

On being asked if he brought the matter to the notice of the organisers, he said, "We had someone with us. They have promised us, everything will be all right. I will go and check whether the promise has been kept," he said.

However, the South African envoy said there team will not withdraw from the controversy-marred event.

"The teams are coming and we are still part of the Commonwealth Games. When everything will be done we will call our teams," Mjeke said.

The Village has already been sharply criticised for the unhygienic conditions and now the sensational claim would bring more bad publicity to the event.

Source: Web Search

Two more Aussie athletes pull out of Delhi CWG

Sun, Sep 26 10 12:58 PM

Melbourne, Sep 26 (PTI) Australian cyclist Travis Meyer and table tennis player Stephanie Sang today joined the growing list of athletes pulling out of the troubled Commonwealth Games in Delhi, citing security and health concerns. Withdrawal by Meyer and Sang took the number of Australian pullouts to three. Last week, discus world champion Dani Samuels'' was the first to skip the Games. Australian Commonwealth Games chief Perry Crosswhite dubbed the pullouts as disappointing. "I am disappointed on the basis that these Games will be a good experience particularly for all the athletes who come to it and of course we wouldn''t be here if we didn''t think the security wasn''t being organised well and at the level it should be," Crosswhite was quoted as saying by the ''Australian Associated Press''. Crosswhite said the recently-married Sang pulled out because of security fears, and a replacement for her on the team was being sought. Australia''s athletes will begin arriving in Delhi from Wednesday for the October 3 to 14 event.

Source: Published>

Teary-eyed Amir pleaded innocence; blamed Butt for spot-fixing scandal, say sources

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 12:52 PM

Karachi, Sep 26 (ANI): Pakistan's fast bowler Mohammad Amir, one of the four players implicated in spot-fixing scandal, reportedly went to the team management just a couple of days after the allegations were levelled against him, and spilled the beans on Test captain Salman Butt.

According to sources, some of Pakistan's senior players saw Amir meeting with the team's One Day International (ODI) captain Shahid Afridi, who later took the teary-eyed youngster to team manager Yawar Saeed, and the trio discussed the issue for some time at the team hotel, The News reported.

"Amir told the team management that he wasn't aware of the gravity of the situation and also claimed that he just followed Butt's instructions," revealed a well-placed source.

He added that the 18-year-old bowler told Afridi and Yawar that he did not even know Mazhar Majeed, and was introduced to him by Salman.

"Amir told Afridi as well as the team manager that he was completely unaware of what was going on. He asked them to help him get out of the mess," claimed the source.

Amir, regarded among the world's best emerging fast bowlers, has received a lot of sympathy from various quarters, after he was suspended by the ICC following allegations that he and Asif had bowled deliberate no-balls during the fourth Test against England at Lord's on the orders of match-fixers.

Former greats like England's Michael Atherton, West Indies' fast bowler Michael Holding, Australia's Geoff Lawson, Pakistan's Ramiz Raja and many others have urged the authorities to show leniency towards the talented young cricketer.

"Whilst I accept, if guilty, there can be no way back for Salman Butt, the captain, or Mohammad Asif, a cricketer who has enjoyed more lives than a cat, I hope the authorities can find a way to give Amir a second chance. He is a victim in this episode," wrote Atherton, in one of his articles earlier this month. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Impressed with facilities at Games village, Canadian team to stay put in it

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 12:48 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (ANI): The 35-person advance Canadian team is planning to get settled at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games village on Sunday.

Forty athletes and coaches who are scheduled to arrive Monday will follow the advance team in the Games village.

"Work has progressed far enough now that we're ready to start moving in to the village. All of the necessary maintenance and cleaning has been done in enough rooms to accommodate (us)," said Scott Stevenson, director of sport for Commonwealth Games Canada.

The Games have been marred by a number of organizational issues and health and safety concerns, The Globe and Mail reports.

The Canadian team said that emergency equipment and safety procedures have all been tested. Pools of water that were potential breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes have also been cleaned up near the athletes' village.

"Things are starting to look really good. Other parts of the village, like the dining hall and the training facilities, are truly exceptional," said Stevenson.

Commonwealth Games Federation president Mike Fennell, who rushed to India to deal with the problems, said on Saturday that significant work had been done in recent days.

The urgency was evident at the athletes' village, where workers went about cleaning the area and painters gave last-minute touches.

Organizers took groups of New Delhi-based ambassadors from more than 50 participating countries and journalists to the village. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Teary-eyed Amir pleaded innocence; blamed Butt for spot-fixing scandal, say sources

Published>Sun, Sep 26 10 12:38 PM

Karachi, Sep 26 (ANI): Pakistan's fast bowler Mohammad Amir, one of the four players implicated in spot-fixing scandal, reportedly went to the team management just a couple of days after the allegations were levelled against him, and spilled the beans on Test captain Salman Butt.

According to sources, some of Pakistan's senior players saw Amir meeting with the team's One Day International (ODI) captain Shahid Afridi, who later took the teary-eyed youngster to team manager Yawar Saeed, and the trio discussed the issue for some time at the team hotel, The News reported.

"Amir told the team management that he wasn't aware of the gravity of the situation and also claimed that he just followed Butt's instructions," revealed a well-placed source.

He added that the 18-year-old bowler told Afridi and Yawar that he did not even know Mazhar Majeed, and was introduced to him by Salman.

"Amir told Afridi as well as the team manager that he was completely unaware of what was going on. He asked them to help him get out of the mess," claimed the source.

Amir, regarded among the world's best emerging fast bowlers, has received a lot of sympathy from various quarters, after he was suspended by the ICC following allegations that he and Asif had bowled deliberate no-balls during the fourth Test against England at Lord's on the orders of match-fixers.

Former greats like England's Michael Atherton, West Indies' fast bowler Michael Holding, Australia's Geoff Lawson, Pakistan's Ramiz Raja and many others have urged the authorities to show leniency towards the talented young cricketer.

"Whilst I accept, if guilty, there can be no way back for Salman Butt, the captain, or Mohammad Asif, a cricketer who has enjoyed more lives than a cat, I hope the authorities can find a way to give Amir a second chance. He is a victim in this episode," wrote Atherton, in one of his articles earlier this month. (ANI)

Source: Web Search