In case you missed it in the earlier post, check out Peggy Liddick's camp report here.
I have a couple of items I want to share with you, because we've all been concerned of late with the state of the Commonwealth Games athlete village and sporting venues.
The first is an update on of the Games site. The following email was circulated yesterday, from CWG Association head Perry Crosswhite to all participating athletes and coaches.
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We have now been in Delhi for more than a week and I thought it a good idea to provide another update on the things we have done to prepare for your arrival to take part in the Commonwealth Games. We now have moved into the Village and are occupying the apartment buildings which will be the home for all of us for the next few weeks. I understand that there has been reporting in the media about the poor state of the Village and I wanted to let you know of what is the current situation.
As mentioned in my previous update the residential part of the Village is made up mostly of 8 storey tower blocks which have 3 and 4 bedroom apartments on each floor. These are newly constructed and had in some cases not been adequately finished, and/or had not been cleaned to an acceptable level. The pictures which have been published recently in the Australian media were possibly taken in the residential part of the Village but certainly were not of the Australian Team's area.
With respect to the buildings where the Australian Team will be staying (Towers 19, 20 and 21) we are ensuring that these buildings are thoroughly cleaned, and that required repairs carried out. All of this work should be completed within the next two days.
We have received our sea and air freight which has the equipment and supplies needed to support you. This includes everything from energy bars to medical supplies to vegemite to wheely bins (for ice baths). Jimmy Tansey from adidas is with us in the Village and is setting up the uniform exchange store.
We are confident you will be safe and comfortable in the apartments and today I took the Channel 10 reporters on a tour of one of our buildings so that viewers might have something they can see rather than only reading adverse media reports about the state of the Village.
As mentioned in my previous update the food in the Dining Hall is excellent, while the training and other facilities in the International Zone are good.
With respect to health issues, our Team Medical Director, Dr. Peter Harcourt, who arrived at the Village yesterday has, among other things, spent time in the dining hall looking at food preparation. He has also been monitoring other Team health areas such as water treatment and the Village mosquito spraying program.
As mentioned in my previous update there is a highly visible level of security for the Games (Village, venues, transport routes, and airport). This remains the case, and if anything there appears to be more security persons on duty than a week ago.
I am aware of the not unexpected concerns of the Team members regarding thier personal safety and the Games. All of us have found the Village to be a safe place to live.
The second item is a video of the Games Village's inaugration from Indian news network LiveX. It shows many of the facilities and amenities in a totally different light to what we have been seeing. Make up your own minds about what to expect in Delhi (once they stop spinning from all that zaaaaaany camera work).
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