Archive for September, 2010

Common Wealth Games 2010: Breaking News Updates

Commonwealth Games 2010: Athletes warned of rising terrorism threat
International teams told to avoid public places as fears grow that Games may leave soft targets across India short of policeAthletes and business leaders planning to attend the Commonwealth Games in Delhi have been privately warned to expect terrorist attacks on tourist sites and public spaces across India, the Observer has learned.After a week in which the Games appeared to be in serious danger of cancellation, some athletes have now started to arrive in Delhi. The first representatives of England arrived on Thursday, while Scottish and Welsh competitors were due to fly in yesterday.But a risk analysis provided to a number of national teams ” believed to include some from the UK ” and major corporations has highlighted the terrorist threat overshadowing the event.The alarming assessment, by one of the world’s leading security firms, helps explain why the Commonwealth Games Federation president, Michael Fennell, warned yesterday that there was still great concern about the security and safety of athletes and officials.In a damning indictment of Delhi’s ability to protect visitors, the UK-based firm Control Risks warned that the diversion of security resources to protecting the main stadiums left India without the capacity or capability to protect soft targets, with local police not up to the job.The firm has advised its clients to stay away from tourist attractions, public places and government buildings, and not to travel by public transport.Chietigj Bajpaee, the company’s south Asia senior analyst, told the Observer that Control Risks had advised clients to expect terrorist attacks on soft targets around India in the days running up to the Games and during the Games themselves, from 3 to 14 October.”I think there is a relatively high likelihood of attacks taking place, but these attacks may not target the Games venues themselves,” he said.”We have advised against using public transport, advised against going to certain areas, advised against going to tourist attractions in the weeks leading up to and during the event, given that security resources will be concentrated on securing the Games themselves, so other parts of the city and the country will be vulnerable.”We have also advised that if you are a team participant you may be more vulnerable than a tourist. We have advised avoiding areas around government buildings or anything that could be considered a soft target, such as marketplaces.”The advice was vindicated when two Taiwanese tourists were shot outside the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India, in the heart of Delhi last Sunday. Initial attempts by the police to deny terrorist involvement were met with widespread disbelief and officials later pointed the finger at the Indian mujahideen, which had claimed responsibility and promised further attacks. One report, citing police sources, suggested the group had hired gunmen to attack westerners on sight.The security warnings come at the end of a terrible week for India in which several national teams threatened to withdraw from the competition, voicing dismay at the ramshackle condition of the Games village, the collapse of a footbridge to the main stadium and the tourist shooting.To add to visitors’ concerns, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has now expressed serious misgivings about the quality of the stadiums. The institution’s head in India, Sachin Sandhir, warned of serious shortcomings in the public and sporting infrastructure, despite the estimated £6.3bn spent on the Games.”The last-minute dash to complete most venues has resulted in huge compromises on quality of projects, bypassing of clearances, and exploitation of workers,” he said.He said structures caving in or showing signs of damage so soon after being built ” a ceiling within the main stadium also collapsed last week ” “raise serious concerns on the structural quality, viability and safety of venues, and are indicative of the gross violations of building codes and regulations and the level of adherence to ethical professional practices”.Sandhir criticised the Games as a wasted opportunity for India to showcase its talents, blaming rampant corruption, inefficiency, a lack of trained and qualified professionals, and the allocation of construction works to ill-suited agencies.

Commonwealth Games 2010 final preparations
Work continues in Delhi to clean up the athletes’ village and sports venues ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Hard evidence of child labor at 2010 Commonwealth Games
As Indian officials struggle to deal with mounting international criticism toward the safety and security of Commonwealth Game athletes, new evidence has emerged that show children as young as seven are being used in the construction of game venues..

Commonwealth Games 2010: Delhi security was questioned eight weeks ago
Commonwealth Games 2010: Scotland Yard concerned about security at unfinished venues eight weeks agoSenior counter-terrorism officers expressed concerns eight weeks ago about security provisions for the Delhi Commonwealth Games after examining the main venues, the Guardian has learned.The British high commission in India was told by Scotland Yard officers that security provisions were “nowhere near ready” at that time, particularly the ability to sweep for explosives and secure venues.The disclosure will raise further concerns among British athletes who are still unsure about travelling to the games. The world champion triple jumper Phillips Idowu has pulled out because of safety concerns, and others, including Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu, have withdrawn because of injury.Questions will be raised as to why the public, athletes and Commonwealth officials were not told of the officers’ concerns. One informed source said: “It was obvious to the officers that the Indians had no idea how they were going to secure venues. The Indian authorities were reluctant to accept any advice. The attitude was ‘we are the superpower now, we will handle our own event’.”The British officers were invited to Delhi in late July by the Indian authorities in a meeting facilitated by the Foreign Office. A number of counter-terrorist officers from the Met remained in New Delhi to continue to monitor the security situation and are still there, according to well-placed sources.The chef de mission for the England team, Craig Hunter, said last night that he was not aware of any specific threat but that Commonwealth Games England had worked closely with the Foreign Office.The Foreign Office website, based on advice from the joint terrorism analysis centre based at MI5 headquarters in London, warns of a “high threat from terrorism throughout India, including a particular risk that terrorists will attempt attacks in the run up to and during the Delhi Commonwealth Games”.Terrorists targeted a stadium where an Indian Premier League cricket match was being played in Bangalore on 17 April and a coffee shop in Pune on 13 February.

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