Australia committed to Delhi Games: ACGA chiefs

Melbourne:

Australian Commonwealth Games Association has defied the new terror threats issued to foreign players during this year's sporting events in India and said the nation remains committed to sending a team for the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

"That threat does not affect our current position of going to the Games. We are committed to going. You can't be uncertain on that. The athletes are training," ACGA chief executive Perry Crosswhite said.

"You can't have them wondering what's the point? Why get up at 5.30 and get into the pool for training every morning? "You can't have a situation where you might go and you might not," he was quoted as saying Australian Associated Press, a news agency here.

The recent concerns over athletes' safety in India came up after HuJI chief and al-Qaida commander Ilyas Kashmiri, in an email to a Hong Kong-based news website, warned of potential attacks on foreign players during this month's hockey World Cup, Indian Premier League cricket tournament and the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi from October 3-14.

Crosswhite said he would be seeking further information from various security agencies involved with the Games, but made it clear that the final decision rests with the athletes.

"Threats are certainly not going to stop the Games. India is a big place in a dangerous part of the world.

"It's a democracy of 1.2 billion people with all manner of groups, including those with extreme views, but these Games are very important for India's future," Crosswhite said.

"At the end of the day it's a decision of the athlete. I would have no hesitation to respect their views," he added.

He was also furious with the fact that security threats have become a common feature before any big sporting event.

"There is no justification for this. You can't justify doing evil things because of some belief," the ACGA chief said.