New Zealand unlikely to pull out off Delhi Commonwealth Games alone: John Key

AUCKLAND - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has said that his country is unlikely to pull out of next month’s Delhi Commonwealth Games.

“I would have thought it would be unlikely that New Zealand would make a call that other countries weren’t prepared to make,” Stuff.co.nz quoted Key, as saying.

“I wouldn’t say there is pressure to fall into line at the end of the day I’m sure there’ll be some collective wisdom that will be applied,” he added.

The Prime Minister however admitted that other countries have expressed concerns about the athletes villages in New Delhi.

“The advice I got was from about five or six countries that had an opportunity to look at the Commonwealth Games village and all of them reflected the same concerns that we did,” Key said.

Earlier, New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie had said that the ill prepared state of the athletes village has raised the prospect of canceling the October 3-14 Games.

“That is not a decision that we’ll make, but there are some realities. If the village is not ready and athletes can’t come, obviously the implications of that are that it’s not going to happen. I think they are in severe difficulties,” Currie said.

“In the timeframe that is left, unless there is tremendous effort and energy and problem solving ability to get it done, I think it’s going to be extremely hard to get across the line. They’ve got a little bit of time, but it’s kind of two seconds to midnight really,” he added.

New Zealand was among the nations to complain about the village, and has subsequently been shifted into a separate accommodation building.

“It’s pretty grim really and certainly disappointing when you consider the amount of time they’ve had to get the village ready for athletes to arrive,” Currie said. (ANI)