http://in.news.yahoo.com/20/20100921/1416/tnl-cwg-games-village-filthy-uninhabitab.html
Tue, Sep 21 02:33 PM
New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) Piling on the embarrassment for the organisers, Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive Mike Hooper today termed the Athletes Village as “filthy and uninhabitable” but hoped that with CGF President Michael Fennell”s intervention, the mess would be sorted out in the next two days. “Predominantly the issue is of cleanliness of the towers in the residential zone.
The matter came to our attention when we paid a preliminary visit to the Games Village on September 15 along with some representatives of the advanced parties of Commonwealth Games Associations (CGA),” Hooper told reporters at a press conference here. “Ever since Sep 15, we along with CGAs met on daily basis.
We also held meetings with OC officials and emphasised the importance of addressing the issue of cleanliness of the Village, which I have to say in many towers are filthy and uninhabitable as stated by Mr Fennel,” he added. Hooper”s comments came after an advanced party from New Zealand, Canada, Scotland and Ireland raised serious concerns regarding the hygiene in the residential zone of the Games Village.
No sooner it came to light, CGF President Fennell came out with a strongly-worded statement, wherein he criticised the Organising Committee for the mess and said he had written to the Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, expressing his concerns about the athletes accommodation. Hooper, however, hoped that with Fennell”s intervention the matter would be resolved at the earliest.
“As a consequence of that, I informed the matter to Mr Fennel and he took up the matter with higher authorities in India. Basically, we needed to elevate this matter further to ensure the athletes get what they deserve, which is a Village that provides them the best-possible environment to prepare for the Games,” he said.
