Athlete Arrivals to be Delayed

Athlete Arrivals to be Delayed

22 September 10

The New Zealand Olympic Committee is advising athletes to hold off travel to the Indian capital until September 28th.

The first New Zealand athletes were set to start arriving this weekend with lawn bowls, hockey and badminton first in.

New Zealand Olympic Committee President Mike Stanley and Secretary General Barry Maister return home from Delhi today where they spent 27 hours assessing the situation first hand.

“It is tremendously disappointing” said Stanley on seeing the village for the first time. “The long-list of outstanding issues has made it clear the village will now not be ready for New Zealand athletes to move in as planned.”

An Olympian himself, Stanley appreciates the strain the delay will have on athletes.

“We know how hard this must be for athletes and we’re continuing to push the CGF and Organising Committee for an urgent resolution, he said. “This is not a matter of comfort or luxury; it’s a matter of hygiene and safety.”

Dave Currie says he has also advised his operations team to stay out of the village until it was habitable.

“There are still issues with plumbing, wiring and leaks and the maintenance people have no access to our tower while the security process takes place,” he said. “We’re now looking to move in on the 26th and we need two days to prepare for athletes,” he said.

Scotland and Canada have also delayed their first athlete arrivals and discussions continue as teams work together on behalf of their athletes.

The New Zealand Olympic Committee’s logistics teams are now working with sports to reschedule flights. The affected sports are women’s hockey, badminton and lawn bowls. Officials from bike and athletics are also delayed.

Discussions have taken place with sport high performance teams and management over the past 24 hours.

The first athletes to enter the village under the revised arrivals plan are gymnastics, archery, weightlifting, synchronized swimming and boxing, These sports will remain on scheduled flights which touchdown in Delhi on the 28th of September.

Lawn bowls, badminton and women’s hockey are now scheduled to arrive on the 29th of September.

CGF President Mike Fennell will be present at a Chefs de Mission meeting today (NZT 1600h) in Delhi after arriving in India overnight. Dave Currie and Chefs from other nations will share their concerns with the president

ENDS

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