CWG Village 'filthy': Hooper

New Delhi, Sep 21 (ANI): Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief executive, Mike Hooper, on Tuesday expressing disappointment over the ill preparedness of the 2010 Games Village termed it as 'filthy'.

Hooper said he hoped the condition at the Commonwealth Games Village would improve in a couple of days.

He said things have started improving, but was not sufficient enough.

"We have met on a daily basis, my colleagues around the village, and myself, on a number of occasions, have met with the organizing committee. We have emphasised the importance of addressing the issue of the condition and the cleanliness of the Games Village, which I will have to say, in many-many of hotels, am not going to pull any punches, were 'filthy' and so, uninhabitable as is being stated by Fennel," said Hooper.

"Therefore, we were given promises that this would be remedied by September 19, close business on September 19. Unfortunately worst it is fair to say there was some progress, certainly insufficient to satisfy the majority of the CGIs, who cannot be here and have representatives here," he added, while addressing the media here today.

Hooper further said all the issues have to be addressed immediately and there was no room for further delay.

"We continue to work at the highest level as we possibly can, I don't believe we can go much higher then the Cabinet of you country, to have the issue addressed and that is the best they can come up, we want everybody is the issue addressed, without further delay," said Hooper.

"So everybody when they start arriving, the athletes are arriving, they get the environment that they were promised," he added.

He said he hoped the situation would improve in a couple of days, as the Cabinet secretary was himself taking note of the situation.

"I was pleased to hear from Suresh Kalmadi directly that the cabinet secretary was at the village this morning and reviewing things for himself. So clearly, he's taken the matter extremely seriously because it is serious and hopefully we'll see some significant actions and improvements in the next two days because that must happen," said Hooper.

Hooper, however, said the Games Village had the potential to be one of the best.

"I said the village has the potential to be, I choose my words carefully, the potential to be the best kind of village we have and I stand by that, it still does. So we need get everyone focused, the deployment of the necessary resources and to get it ready for the athletes. That's what's going to happen now," noted Hooper.

The 12-day sporting extravaganza, which kicks off on October 3, is India's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.

India is expecting about two million tourists in New Delhi for the Games, as well as about 10,000 athletes from 71 teams representing 54 Commonwealth member states. (ANI)