Australian, English shooters knock off security fears
By IANSThursday, February 18, 2010
NEW DELHI - The Australian, English and New Zealand shooters here for the Commonwealth Shooting Championship have sent out a strong message to their governments that they are extremely happy with the security cover provided to them.
The Dr.Karni Singh Shooting Range was like a fortress what with over a thousand security men keeping it out of bounds for general public and 200 CCTV cameras prying on every visitor and vehicle entering.
Commonwealth Shooting Federation (CGF) president Graeme Hudson, a New Zealander, said the championships will be a good test for the security as well as the technical conduct of the event.
“Being an outsider, I can assure all the overseas teams that there is no reason to worry. The government has taken care of security and this is the best any country can offer. It will also be a good test for the security officials before other major events like the hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in October,” Hudson told IANS.
The 34-member England team looked relaxed on the opening day of the championships while the Australians enjoyed the picturesque shooting range.
“We are extremely happy with the security cover provided to us and all our apprehensions were allayed. After coming ehre we realised that there is a world of difference between the scary media reports and the real picture here,” England shooter James Sole said.
Chief executive of Australia International Shooting Limited Nick Sullivan said that before coming to India they had done their usual security checks and felt there was no need for panic.
“We do our security checks for every tournament, be it in India, Barcelona or Berlin. In India, we are extremely safe with the security cover provided to us,” sad Sullivan.
