Maltese athletes preparing to fly to Delhi for the 2010 Commonwealth Games are feeling let down by the disastrous standard of accommodation revealed this week by the international media.
“It is a big disappointment for everyone, especially the athletes. They have been preparing for four years for this, only to have all these doubts at the last minutes,” Malta’s chef de mission, Julian Pace Bonello said when contacted.
The games, which start on October 3, have been criticised due to their “uninhabitable” and “filthy” athletes’ village. Indian media have reported that only 18 of the 34 residential towers are ready for use.
This, however, has not deterred the 22-athlete Maltese contingent, and Mr Pace Bonello said the team would definitely still be going.
“We met the athletes and officials on Wednesday evening to update them on what’s been going on and we are in constant contact with the games’ officials who are in Delhi,” Mr Pace Bonello said.
Commonwealth bronze medallist William Chetcuti told The Times he thought India had not been a wise choice to host the games.
“All we know at the moment is what we are seeing on television. However, we are not as confident as we would have been if we were going to another country where there isn’t this trouble,” the Maltese shooter said, adding he was not convinced about the situation awaiting the team.
Mr Chetcuti said he was unsure whether it would affect his performance and he worried about his own safety at the games: “We took the injections but there always remains an element of doubt.”
Mr Pace Bonello said the biggest problem was the village itself, adding that additional people had been employed to combat the problem.
“Apparently in the last day or so there’s already been significant improvement and it seems the village should be up to scratch by the time we get there,” he said.
Construction delays have impeded the preparations for the multisport showcase that has long received negative press about corruption allegations and safety concerns.
An under-construction footbridge collapsed on Tuesday at the main Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium – which should host the opening ceremony and athletics – injuring 27 labourers, five seriously, according to police reports. The government, which has spent $2.35 billion on the games, admitted that 45 workers have died in accidents since works began.
International media raised concerns about health and safety, saying the accommodation was unhygienic, toilets leaked and electricity was erratic or nonexistent. In addition, there were worries that recent flooding had left stagnant pools of water around the village which were ideal breeding ground for dengue fever-carrying mosquitoes.
However, Mr Pace Bonello said this was not a concern for the Maltese Olympic Committee. The contingent had been advised about inoculations, pills and mosquito spray, he said: “We feel we’re quite well prepared.”
Although there were initial concerns about countries dropping out of the games due to the problems, all the participating countries seem to be going so far and only individual athletes have dropped out.