The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday said they are confident of staging a safe and smooth Commonwealth Games next year and the shifting of the Indian Premier League to a foreign venue would not reflect poorly on the hosting of the prestigious event in New Delhi.
IOA General Secretary Randhir Singh said IPL's security issue arose because its dates clashed with the Lok Sabha elections in the country but there is nothing scheduled for 2010 when the Games are slated to be held.
Randhir said the IOA has in place "the highest-level of security plans".
"Indian Olympic Association is confident on security arrangements for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Security plans of the highest levels are in place to deliver a smooth and safe Games and Delhi Police is working closely with central intelligence agencies to ensure the same," he said.
He, however, did not elaborate on the security plan.
Randhir, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, rebuffed the recent comments of Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) in which it attempted to draw attention of the sports world towards security issue during the Games in Delhi.
"Terrorism is a global threat and should be treated as such. Who could ever imagine a 9/11 or that a tragic event during the Munich Olympics could ever occur," Randhir argued.
"Delhi was among the few cities in the world which witnessed a smooth passage of the Beijing Olympic Torch relay unlike the ugly incidents witnessed in some parts of the world. We are confident that the city of Delhi will be fully geared up to deliver the best Commonwealth Games ever," he said.
On ACGA's Chief Executive Perry Crosswhite's comments he said, "It is unbecoming to make such remarks when we are 18 months away from the Games, Australia is an integral part of the Commonwealth and we look forward to having them participate in the Delhi 2010 games," he said.
Sports Minister M S Gill had also strongly reacted to the Crosswhite's concerns, saying they were "hypothetical" while IOA President and Chairman of the Organising Committee of 2010 Games Suresh Kalmadi said the Delhi Games are not in jeopardy and that the security arrangements would be tight.
Mike Hooper, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, had also strongly supported the security arrangements in India.
Officials from the Australia Commonwealth Games Association are scheduled to visit Delhi in April and meet with key officials of the Organising Committee in Delhi.
An empowered committee headed by Home Secretary of India is closely monitoring and ensuring necessary coordination across various agencies involved with the security including Delhi Police.
The organisers said state of the art communication system, covering all the agencies within venues and across the city shall be put in place well in advance. Adequate care will also be taken to prevent any potential threat including airspace protection.
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