Archery: Weapons of mass distraction

There are fears the amount of weaponry on show in Delhi will disrupt New Zealand's Commonwealth Games athletes in October.

Athletes and officials could be "spooked" by the constant sight of military personnel manning the streets, according to government communications sourced by the Herald on Sunday under the Official Information Act (OIA).

Concerns have been raised it will take too long for athletes to get used to such unfamiliar scenes and the medal haul may be affected as a result.

One email - distributed amongst employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in New Delhi and greater Asia - mentions the fears of Archery New Zealand secretary Carole Hicks.

Hicks, also director of the shooting event at the Games, was quoted as saying the security at the archery events rehearsal in early March was "over the top" with what felt like more police than competitors - although it could not be faulted on detail.

She was satisfied with the arrangements but said the presence of so much weaponry had spooked the New Zealand team at first and it took several days to adjust.

Some athletes will be used to such circumstances, having experienced the Beijing Olympics, but more athletes will be exposed to it at Commonwealth level with the easier selection criteria.

"I'm not sure what our expectations were," Hicks told the Herald on Sunday.

"There were all sorts of stories about how good, bad or indifferent it might be.

"The thing our women found difficult was coming out of their rooms and finding a guy with a large gun sitting in the corridor.

"In some respects it's daunting, in others it's reassuring, but it is unusual having such a massive number of people about with guns."

Hicks felt it affected their performance: "The women said in the first few days it was at the forefront of their minds." The security was not just reserved for corridors.

"My hotel was surrounded by a fence and there were armed guards on the two gates." Hicks said.

"Then there was airport-like security to get in with bags getting X-rayed. Competitors and officials would then leave the hotel in a five-bus convoy with security vehicles at the front, back and in-between. Most intersections were shut down as we swept through."

The series of emails was sent between MFAT, Games organisers, the New Zealand Police, the New Zealand Olympic Committee and its various sporting bodies.

A lot of the content - such as the evacuation plan - is blanked out under section 6 of the OIA because it might prejudice government or New Zealand international relations.

Some of the material shows the Indian government has demonstrated initiative, as well as being open to suggestions and criticism.

One example of the enthusiasm to protect occurred when a New Zealand party popped into the Delhi High Commission for a security briefing and dinner. They had an entourage of 15 armed guards.

Hicks says another case of attention to detail was their Indian counterparts raising concerns about tall buildings overlooking the venue around 500 metres away.

"One official said to me they swept the top floors of those buildings each day."