New Zealand keep option for participation at CWG

Wellington : New Zealand on Monday warned they might pull out of New Delhi’s Commonweatlh Games (CWG) next month if security concerns were raised, team management official said.

” Right now new Zealand is planning to be in Delhi. If things change and the New Zealand Government can not advise us that our athletes are secure in that environment, then we won’t go,” New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) President Mike Stanley told reporters in Auckland.

“Anyone suggesting that we are going to put our athletes at risk is mischievous,” he said.

Seven New Zealand police officers would join a multinational contingent of more than 40 police from Canada, Australia, and Britain, who would also provide advice to team management and additional security for the Oct. 3-14 Games in Delhi, Stanley said.

“We believe this is the best way to securing our team,” he said. “We have a multinational approach which is well organised. We are confident it will provide our team with the advice it needs to make the most appropriate decisions.”

Stanley said the security assessment would be ongoing and there was no deadline for a final decision on participation.

New Zealand’s chef de mission Dave Currie fly for New Delhi on Tuesday to undertake a final inspection of facilities and security, with the first New Zealand athletes due in India on September 25.