Lot remains to be done at CWG venues : Fennell

New Delhi : Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) president Mike Fennell said on Saturday that A lot of work remains to be done at the venues and athletes’ village with just a week left for the opening of the Games on October three.

“It’s not over yet. There is still a lot of work to be done,” said Fennell.

Fennell addressed a press conference a week after criticism and concern about safety and security, and the apparent poor state of the athletes’ accommodation prompted some of the nations to delay sending their teams for the Games..

He, however, said the Suresh Kalmadi-led organizing committee was “responding to the needs in a very positive way” and that now was not the time for the blame game.
“I’m well aware that we could say to them this should have been done before, yes, but right now we’re concentrating on getting it right, and all systems are geared toward ensuring that the remedial work that’s necessary is done and completed in time,” Fennell said.

“Great concern” remains safety and security at the athletes’ village and making sure the buildings are equipped with the necessary fire and alarm systems, he said.

Asked why there hadn’t been more monitoring of the progress in the seven years since New Delhi was awarded the games, Fennell said on the contrary, he has noted the poor progress before.

“Last year, when I paid a visit, I made some very critical remarks about what needed to be done, and there were a lot of people that were upset about those remarks at the time,” Fennell said.

“But I said far more needed to be done very urgently, and I have had visits subsequently … and we pointed out all along the way what needed to be done. So this is not something that was just discovered now,” he added.
Fennell said it is the local organizing committee that is ultimately responsible for the preparation of the games. He pointed out the committee depends on developers to deliver the venues on time, though he said organizers must monitor the progress of that construction.

?The massive work that is being done now ought to have been done earlier. We all have to share the blame and responsibility. In any Games, there are a number of stakeholders, overall we have to ensure that we do everything to conduct the Games.

Organizing committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi said Fennell was not singling out organizers for blame.

“We have taken on the venues a little late, and that’s where the problems came,” he said. As head of the committee, “I will take on the blame,” he said.

Kalmadi said he wished the venues had been handed over to the organizing committee a little earlier.

?18 towers of the Games Village that had the problems were handed to us just three days back by the developers. I am the chairman of Organising Committee and I will take all the responsibility but I wish venues were handed to us a little earlier,? he said.

?Other Games have had problems and I believe that here also the problems would be sorted. A number of issues should have been and could have been avoided and that necessary corrective steps should be taken in good time. We are going to have good Games,? said Kalmadi.