The stream of good news for CWG continues with a popular Australian TV channel slamming the sting operation on CWG security done a few days ago by another Aussie channel. Meanwhile, the gush of athletes and visitors into the Games Village continued unabated giving the Games the much-needed fillip.
New Delhi: Popular Australian TV channel ABC says the sting operation by Channel Seven on an alleged security lapse at the Commonwealth Games main venue Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was "ridiculous and dishonest", but the latter has threatened to sue.
ABC's Media Watch Monday night highlighted loopholes in Seven News reporter Mike Duffy's report, which received worldwide coverage on the lack of security for the Commonwealth Games.
ABC said that when the "filming was done, full Games security was not yet in operation" and termed the "entire stunt ridiculous and dishonest".
Media Watch host Paul Barry alleged that Duffy's suitcase was empty anyway when he walked into the stadium area and indicated that the reporter manipulated the whole episode.
The Channel Seven crew had conducted a sting operation that was broadcast last week. They had claimed that they were able to walk in carrying a large trolley suitcase having explosives capable of triggering up to 200 explosions if fitted with a detonator.
The news crew said they were easily able to obtain a detonator and ammonium nitrate from the capital, adding to a slew of allegations that preparations for the mega event had not been up to the mark.
Soon after ABC report, Duffy said he was "suing ABC TV's Media Watch for defamation" and are "retaining the nation's top lawyer in the field, Mark O'Brien."
The Delhi Police has also termed the sting operation motivated. "It was deliberately planted as the reporter does not even know that ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer and a non-prohibited item for sale in India."
"There is no lock down in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium security as yet. Security will be bolstered with additional deployment after the complete lock down and substantially more during Games time," police had said at the time.
New Delhi: As the Indian capital prepared to host the Commonwealth Games only five days away, 850 athletes and officials poured into the Games Village Tuesday, taking to 3,100 the population of the much maligned complex that is now winning high praise from almost everyone.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram meanwhile reviewed final security arrangements for the Village and the various venues where the Games are to begin Sunday until the closing ceremony Oct 14.
For a change, one delegation after another -- including the Australians, who were the harshest critics until now -- heaped accolades on the sprawling Village that will house some 7,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories.
But diplomats from some countries said they still had concerns regarding the cleanliness of the Village, a mammoth complex built at the edge of the Yamuna river.
Canadian Susan Nattrass, a six-time Olympian and seven-time world trap shooting champion, was among the athletes who arrived Tuesday. She has two Commonwealth silver and three bronze medals to her credit.
Jamaican Ricardo Cunningham, an 800 metres specialist, and the fancied Australian women's hockey team, winners of three Olympic gold medals and five World Cup titles, also flew into New Delhi.
Northern Ireland, New Zealand, England and Australia were among the other countries whose athletes arrived Tuesday. Australian chef de mission Steve Moneghetti said he was "fully satisfied" with the Games Village.
"We are happy with everything at the Village... We are happy with the traffic. I haven't received a single complaint from the athletes about the Village. Accommodation is perfect, the dining area excellent," Moneghetti, who was mayor of the Melbourne Village in 2006, told IANS.
Nigerian delegation head Elias Usman Gora echoed him. Nigerian athletes are "very happy and impressed" with the facilities, have started training, and are optimistic about winning medals, he said.
As Delhi Police enforced the Games exclusive lane travel system in many parts of the city, it caused the inevitable traffic jams. But many others said they were happy to see disciplined motorists on Delhi's otherwise chaotic roads.
Chidambaram met with his officials amid concerns that terrorists could target the event.
The meeting was attended by Home Secretary G.K. Pillai, chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing, Delhi Police commissioner Y.S. Dadwal and officials dealing with CWG security and internal security.
Chidambaram later toured the 24X7 Control Room for the Games, set up in North Block, which houses the home ministry.
Since Monday, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were deployed in Delhi's skies to detect aerial intrusions. Army helicopters also hovered over the Games Village.
In New York, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said that India looked forward to welcoming and hosting participants of the Commonwealth Games.
"India eagerly looks forward to welcoming sportspersons and officials ... to Delhi," Krishna told foreign ministers of Commonwealth countries Monday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Preparations are in full swing at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the heart of the Indian capital for the grand opening ceremony where composer and Oscar winner A.R. Rahman will perform Oct 3.
But India's famed Bollywood quotient will take a back seat, giving primacy to the country's cultural heritage.
The opening ceremony will involve dances, drums, music, yoga, textiles, the sights, sounds and colours of India, encapsulating 5,000 years of culture.
Source: IANS
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