New Delhi: England are planning to send a
huge contingent of more than 500 athletes for the October
Commonwealth Games here and Australia too are determined to
come full strength.
According to a report on the Commonwealth Games England
website, a team of 560, more than the squad for the 2006
Melbourne Games, will compete in upcoming edition.
England Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said their athletes
want to use the Games platform for Olympic preparations.
"England will categorically be sending a team to the
Commonwealth Games in Delhi later this year. There's no doubt
that there are lots of athletes who see Delhi as a vital
developmental stepping stone towards the 2012 Olympics in
London and they are very keen to be in the team," Hunter said.
"Let's wait and see who decides to go and who doesn't
when the time comes," Hunter added.
Australian Commonwealth Games Association Chief Executive
Perry Crosswhite, dismissing all security fears, said his team
was even more "bullish" on taking part in the Delhi event.
The successful running of hockey World Cup along with
trouble-free test events in shooting and archery has bolstered
confidence that organisers have security under control.
"We are even more bullish on it than we have been before.
All that has gone well and the security, although there was
some question about it early in those events, has been fixed
up pretty quickly. There hasn't been any incidents so it's
been good," Crosswhite was quoted as saying.
With the Games less then 200 days away, Crosswhite said
Australia's athletes had been kept well informed about the
measures being put in place to protect them.
"No one has expressed to us that he or she is not going.
Everybody has got to make their own mind up but I'd be
disappointed if someone didn't go.”
"I think the main thing, is that Australian athletes are
just really competitive. They are more so than other nations
and as far as they are concerned the Commonwealth Games is
really important to them and they are not afraid. Threat or no
threat, they are going to go," he said.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 18:31