England 'could pull out of Games'
(UKPA) 29 minutes ago
England's participation in the Commonwealth Games has been thrown into doubt after a stadium bridge collapsed, two top athletes withdrew from the competition and a third threatened to pull out.
With just 11 days until the start of the Delhi Games, the head of England's team demanded guarantees of safety for competitors after 27 workers were injured, five of them seriously, when a major walkway connecting a stadium to a car park in New Delhi collapsed on Tuesday.
The departure of Scotland's athletes to the Commonwealth Games has been delayed after fears over the readiness of the accommodation. Team Scotland's first party of 41 athletes and staff, including boxing, rugby 7s and wrestling, were due to fly out on Thursday but the travel plans have been postponed.
Olympic 400 metres champion Christine Ohuruogu announced she would not be competing for England after suffering from cramp at a training session last weekend. Lisa Dobriskey, who won the 1,500m title at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, also chose to quit the Games after suffering from injuries throughout the season.
Meanwhile, Phillips Idowu looked set to become the third high-profile English athlete to pull out. The world triple jump champion wrote on his Twitter account that he was too concerned about safety at the site to take part. However, his agent Ricky Simms said on Tuesday night that a firm decision had not yet been made and that he advised his client to sleep on it.
Head of the England team Craig Hunter, who has also highlighted concerns about the athletes' village, is demanding reassurances from organisers and warned that "time is beginning to run out" before the Games begin.
There are fears some teams could pull out of the Indian Games due to substandard accommodation, with 60 of the 260 rooms set aside for English athletes not watertight, and a major cleaning programme needed throughout.
Mr Hunter said the team remains "committed to participating", but added: "It's hard to cancel an event of this magnitude but we are close to the wire, and teams may start to take things into their own hands. Athletes will start getting on planes soon and decisions will have to be made. We need new levels of reassurance."
Sir Andrew Foster, chairman of Commonwealth Games England, said he is "very concerned" about the preparations being made for the event.
A decision about England's participation will be made on Wednesday or Thursday as the safety and security of the site is assessed.
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The Press Association: England 'could pull out of Games'