The construction delays across the 11 venues for the Commonwealth Games is keeping organisers on tenterhooks. Although most of the venues have been inaugurated, Commonwealth Games Federation’s chief executive officer Mike Hooper feels there is still some way to go before they can be ‘Games-ready’.
“I am not raising any new concern, the CGF officials continue to point out the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done at these venues. It is not enough to hand over the competition area as construction and finishing work is still going on,” Hooper told this newspaper on Friday.
The biggest area of concerns are the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and the S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Complex, which are in danger of missing out on the new deadline — June 30.
“Deadlines have been set and they have been missed. First it was the end of December, then March and now June. The deadlines can change but one date remains the same — October 3, when the opening ceremony for the CWG takes place.
“JLN Stadium’s work is running behind schedule because of the contruction of a new tunnel, but I have no clue about the reasons for delay at the SP Mukherjee Aquatics Complex,” he added.
Hooper has no doubt that the Games will happen, but feels the quality might get affected. “The Games will happen but what concerns me is the fact that the standard of the tournament might be compromised. We need some time to work on the overlays once we are handed the venue as well iron out the chinks,” the CGF CEO said.
Hooper refused to chart out the progress of work at the venues numerically. “The authorities might be dishing out the numbers and I don’t believe that they are wrong. But the ground reality is what matters in the end and that is a completely different story,” he said.