Currie: Athletes' digs just need a good scrub

Dave Currie is in Delhi checking on progress at the Games Village. Photo / Kenny Rodger

The block that will house the New Zealand athletes at the Commonwealth Games is in need of a good scrub before it gets the thumbs up from the NZOC.

That and mosquito-enticing pools of water at Games venues appear to be the chief concerns as the deadline to decision day looms.

Chef de mission Dave Currie is in Delhi checking on progress before reporting back to the New Zealand Olympic Committee on Thursday as to whether he believed the Games were viable. The first athletes are due in the village on September 25.

Yesterday, he reported that while facilities in Tower 32, the residential block in the Games Village where the team will be housed, were good, it was not clean enough.

"Aspects of the village are very good," Currie said. "The athlete recreational and training areas are outstanding and the dining hall is of a very high standard.

"In saying that, however, our tower needs a good clean before we can operationalise it."

Currie is working among officials from the Wales, England, Canada and Australia teams. His focus has been on the village while other officials check the progress on venues.

"I've been told that the venues appear to be operational and in pretty good shape," Currie said.

"The unseasonably late monsoons mean there are still pools of water around and this is a focus for organisers. There is still some preparation work needed to be done on the main stadium."

That appeals as a giant understatement. At least five venues - hockey, weightlifting, swimming, netball and bowls - are believed to be seriously undercooked.

Recently, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi taunted organisers and the Government, saying: "Even if the [Prime Minister] starts wiping the floor, the venues won't be ready for the Games."

Most administrators here are taking a phlegmatic view of the shambles.

Weightlifting coach Richard Dryden said that as long "as the platform is solid and the training room is expansive" they could work anywhere.

"It might take until the last-minute, but it will happen," Dryden said of Delhi's readiness.

Security measures around the perimeter of the village got the Currie seal of approval, with the chef de mission saying it appeared robust.

The NZOC have repeatedly said security was their top priority.