Games: Sports hire own security as Delhi date looms

Commonwealth Games sports have hired their own security consultants as the reality of sending teams to an ill-prepared New Delhi sinks in.

Netball New Zealand (NNZ), Hockey New Zealand (HNZ) and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) have recently engaged independent security analysis ahead of the crisis-hit Games.

The New Zealand Federation of Athletes (NZFA) have also written to the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) in the past week, reiterating concerns around accreditation and transport, and expressing concern that athletes might be allowed to spend free time outside the village.

The Games opening ceremony is on October 3 and NNZ boss Raelene Castle said that while she considered the Silver Ferns to be "in a go position, there are still questions to be answered and [our] levels of confidence have to be confirmed before we hop on that plane".

The NZRU said in a statement last night that they remained in close communication with the NZOC, but "we believe it's prudent to have our own security advice in addition to that. We do not wish to compromise that by going into any detail".

NNZ and HNZ have joined forces with their Australian counterparts in hiring Control Risks, a Sydney-based operation that specialises in assisting people who work in potentially hostile environments.

They've received one report from the company that raised the usual concerns, but are expecting a more in-depth report in the next few days.

Castle said the Silver Ferns would be in Singapore for a camp before flying to New Delhi.

"We have that halfway measure that we could always turn round and come home from Singapore. We'll be constantly monitoring it right up until they go to New Delhi," Castle said.

She said the independent assessment was sought to provide additional information to pool with that they receive from the NZOC.

"We want to be able to make sure we can say, with hands on our hearts, when we send our team that we've done the most thorough investigation that we can."

She said the recent outbreak of dengue fever in New Delhi was another element that needed to be addressed.

"We've got five mothers in our team, and that does throw a different light on things. All we can do is communicate, be honest and make sure they have a level of comfort."

Last month, the newly formed Athletes' Federation put pressure on the NZOC to increase its police presence on the ground with the team. The Weekend Herald understands the police team has been increased from one (police liaison Barry Taylor) to two.

That has disappointed the NZFA and some sporting organisations who thought a figure of at least six extra police was more appropriate.

NZFA manager Rob Nichol believed that, under the circumstances, the NZOC security team was under-resourced. There are concerns that much of the security plan for the Games is based around guarantees from the New Delhi police and local authorities.

"We believe we need enough personnel embedded within the team to make sure the security promises of the Delhi police are kept, and who are qualified to be on the lookout for potential danger," Nichol said. "Team managers and athletes don't know what to look for. Our belief is we need people who are qualified to be there supporting the team."

Nichol said he was deeply concerned that the NZOC appeared to be considering letting the athletes spend some time outside the Games "bubble", effectively the village and the venues.

"We have enough of a challenge as it is looking after the venues, the Games Village and the transport to and fro. Team members are there to compete and perform, they're not tourists. This might not be popular, but it's not a popularity contest."