Commonwealth Games chief has hygiene concerns about Delhi 2010

COMMONWEALTH Games Federation president Mike Fennell believes Delhi 2010's venues will be ready for next month's opening ceremony - but warned organisers they must clean up their act.

CONCERNED: Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell is content with Delhi 2010 venues but worried about hygiene (Getty Images)

The latest chapter in the most turbulent of sagas has seen allegations of corruption levelled at the organising committee, while a ten-man committee has been appointed by the Indian government to oversee preparatory work in the final stages of the build-up.

But it is hygiene standards that concerned Fennell most upon his recent trip to the Indian capital with fears of a spread of dengue fever the latest headache.

Fennell admitted he was content with what he saw from the venues in Delhi, having visited all 17 - just weeks after CGF chief executive Mike Hooper expressed his concerns time was running out fast.

And while Fennell acknowledged there was plenty of window-dressing to be done, he moved to allay fears that organisers, who have persistently delayed the completion dates for a number of venues, will be ready by October 3.

But he did highlight the issue of hygiene - which was a problem to rear its head at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune - and insists it must be resolved sooner rather than later.

"There is a large amount of work that needs to be done," said Fennell. "We must guarantee that all food will be prepared to the highest hygienic standards.

"And so the cleaning of all of the venues must be urgently addressed. The buildings alone don't make a village. It's the management, the food, the various services that are offered there that will ensure the village is what we want it to be.

"With regards to the venues I am very satisfied to tell you that all 17 are, for practical purposes, complete.

"We feel that the site works, the outside appearances and the landscaping and the cleaning of the venues needs to be done with great urgency.

"The image of the games to the media, to the general public and to all the stakeholders will be determined by the appearance of the venues."

While hygiene is among Fennell's more pressing concerns, the problem of security continues to blot Delhi 2010's copybook.

Australia's four-time Olympic gold medallist and triple Commonwealth champion swimmer Dawn Fraser has, not for the first time, this week questioned athlete safety in Delhi.

She was even moved to call on Australia to boycott the Games with terrorist attacks plaguing the sub-continent in recent years and with high-profile sporting events increasingly popular targets.

"Whilst the current advice is that there is no specific threat to the Games....we are also aware that there continues to be a likelihood of pre-Games attacks on 'soft' targets...as part of a tactic to scare team members and to stop them attending.” Commonwealth Games England letter to athletes

The Mumbai attacks two years ago will linger long in the memory while the last attack on Delhi came in September 2008 and killed 22 people, leaving more than 100 wounded.

Reports in the Daily Telegraph today state that Commonwealth Games England has recently written to 17 national governing sports bodies to inform them to expect terrorist activity.

While the Foreign Office website has a travel advisory which states: 'there are increased indications that terrorists are planning attacks in New Delhi.'

But Fennell insists every possible step has been taken to ensure a safe Games.

"We leave with the comfort of knowing that the type of security here is top class," he added.

"The federation has also employed private security consultants who have been giving us continuous reports on the arrangements, and we will be here full time during the period of the games to assist.

"We have to ensure that the people we invite here - whether they be athletes officials or spectators - feel safe and secure, and that all available resources have been placed at the disposal of the security personnel."