Australia issued another warning about safety, saying there was a "high risk" of an attack in New Delhi, adding to tension grew among the participating nations about the Games being targeted by terrorists.

Two attackers on a motorbike opened fire with a sub-machine gun outside the Indian capital's main mosque yesterday, injuring two Taiwanese members of a television crew travelling in a tourist minibus.

"Yesterday's shooting was a one-off incident which was not targeted at the Games," Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the Commonwealth Games organising committee, said.

"All security measures for the athletes and tourists who will be coming for the Games are well taken care of.

"I assure that.

"I have not got a single call from any Commonwealth country expressing apprehensions about security.

"As of today all the 71 Commonwealth countries are coming for the Games."

England were among the first countries to declare that the incident would not change their plans.

"We have been in touch with our Chef de Mission [Craig Hunter] and we don't see this as a Games-related attack," Caroline Searle, the spokeswoman for Commonwealth Games England.

"There is no question of our pulling out, based on this incident."



The shooting came just a fortnight before 7,000 athletes and officials from countries visit Delhi for the Games, which are due to open on October 3.

More than 50,000 security forces are due to protect the city during the Games.

"It will probably be the most secure part of India for the period of the Games, and it will be extraordinarily difficult for malevolent forces to effectively target the Games," said Neil Fergus, a former officer with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) whose company Risk are involved in the security operation in Delhi. 

"We have taken all steps to ensure the safety of the athletes," said Kalmadi.

"The athletes would be escorted by security personnel right from the airport to the team hotel to the competition venues.

"[The] Home Ministry and Delhi Police have been taking care of the security arrangements.

"Special commando units of the National Security Guards (NSG) are also being deployed."

The build-up to the Games has been overshadowed by cost-overruns, corruption allegations and political infighting.

Construction of venues has lagged way behind schedule, and many richer residents are deserting the city during the event.

Authorities called for calm after the shooting, while police cast doubt about a claim of responsibility issued by the Islamist group Indian Mujahideen.

The group, responsible for bomb blasts in the capital in 2008, said in an email to several media outlets: "We are warning you.

"If you have the guts, then organise the Commonwealth Games.

"We know that preparations are in full swing.

"Be prepared.

"We are also making preparations."

Police said they had interviewed about 30 people about the incident but had made no arrests.

"We have some leads," said a police spokesman.

"We are working on it.

"We are confident of cracking the case."

Ric Charlesworth, the coach of Australia men's hockey team, who used to live in Delhi, admitted to some concerns but insisted that he would still go.

"Delhi is a big place," said Charlesworth, formerly a technical coach of the Indian men's and women's hockey teams.

"The [Athletes] Village and the venues should be secure but the issue is for the soft targets outside.

"If someone wants to get up to mischief anywhere in the world it is hard to stop them.

"But I am as worried about the mosquitoes as I am about the security."

Charlesworth was a member of the Australian team that competed at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed by Palestinian terrorists.

"Since Munich every Olympic Games and major sporting event has had this sort of spectre," he said.

"That is the scenery.

"That is the world.

"We had all of this before the World Cup [hockey tournament in Delhi] when there was all sorts of talk."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected] 


Related stories
September 2010: Only athletes can judge whether Commonwealth Games have been a success
September 2010: Commonwealth Games events could be cancelled over safety fears
August 2010: Commonwealth Games will be better than Beijing 2008 claims Kalmadi
August 2010: Delhi will "organise a great Games" IOC President predicts
August 2010: Indian PM confident of Commonwealth Games success after radical measures