Canada worried about athletes’ well-being

Canada on Saturday expressed serious concerns about their athlete’s “well-being being compromised”due to heat factor and logistic is sues during Commonwealth Games opening ceremony here on Sunday and said the matter has been taken up at the level of CGF President Mike Fennell. Commonwealth Games Canada President Andrew Pipe said that he and the officials here would not do anything which could affect the “well being” of the athletes though he said “as of now” his country would take part in the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.

“We are concerned of how long our athletes will be out of the Games Village,how long they will stand during the ceremony under this (high) temperature,what are the arrangements for food,drinks and public conveniences to be provided on them. These are very fundamental issues though it happened in every opening ceremony of any big sporting event,” he said. “We are also concerned that the shelter for so many athletes taking part in the ceremony before and after the march past ceremony is small as far as we gather. We have raised all these questions during the chefs de missions meeting today. Other countries,including England and Australia,have also raised the issue.”

CGF chief Fennell has assured us that the issues will be sorted out by today itself. The Organising Committee has also assured us the matter will be sorted out,” he added. Pipe,however,denied that the Canadian contingent would not participate in the opening ceremony as has been reported in the British media.