Bishen Bedi urges athletes to boycott 'embarrassing' Delhi Commonwealth Games - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Former Indian cricketer Bishen Singh Bedi has urged international athletes to boycott the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in protest against the shameful incompetence and corruption being alleged on the officials related to the mega event. Bedi pointed out that the constructions of the stadiums are months behind schedule, and would not be completed by the October 3 opening ceremony. "It is an absolute embarrassment. The Games are completely in the doghouse. I am yet to be convinced they will happen because there are so many things that won't be done," The Courier Mail quoted Bedi, as saying. "I honestly believe they would be better transferring them to somewhere like Canada or Australia even at this late date. They could not do any worse even with a month's notice. Some venues are so far behind schedule they would be dangerous to compete at." "If I was an athlete, I wouldn't bother turning up. I would stay away. There are venues which should have been started in 2003 that were started last year. Barely any of them are finished," he added. He further said that even if massive investments were made over the next six weeks it would be impossible to prepare the city for the Games. "Traffic has always been bad in Delhi but now it has gone to another level of madness in the inner city. With the monsoon rain we have had, and all the construction issues we have had, it is impossible to get through. The roads are a mess," Bedi said. "India is going to lose a lot of credibility out of this. There was so much corruption going on that they just have not thought this through. The outside world don't realize how badly prepared we are," he added.