The England team at the Commonwealth Games said it received assurances from organisers about the quality of the water in the Delhi swimming pool on Thursday after reports of swimmers falling sick. Games Federation chief Michael Fennell earlier ordered an immediate investigation into media reports that a significant number of English swimmers had been hit by "Delhi Belly".
"We must handle this immediately," Fennell told reporters. "If there is something that is unsafe, you can't swim in that water. We have to deal with it. It's a matter we have to deal with the greatest of urgency." England's chef de mission Craig Hunter had said in his morning briefing that the team were seeking assurances about the quality of the water. "We have now received those assurances from the organising committee," a later England team statement said.
Swimmers at the venue on Thursday night largely dismissed the idea that the pool was causing the stomach complaints. "No problem at all. I swam there and got a silver. There was no issues," said England's Simon Burnett, who finished second in the 100 metres freestyle. It was a sentiment echoed by Indian swimmer Virdhaval Khade. "There is no issues with the water. It's all nonsense," he said after the men's 100 butterfly. Whatever the source of the illness there is no doubt that plenty of athletes are suffering.
"My Delhi Belly's a little better today, I'm almost over it," said Canada's Brent Hayden, who won gold in the 100 metres freestyle. "It's happening to everybody in all sports, it's a place we're not used to. If you can be comfortable being uncomfortable that's great." Fennell said measures had been taken to ensure the safety of food and water.
Crowds were again sparse at most of the venues but local chief organiser Suresh Kalmadi said 125,000 tickets had been sold on Wednesday and was confident that empty stands would soon be a thing of the past at the Games, which close on October 14.
Allegations of corruption, shoddy construction, a filthy athletes' village, security and health concerns blighted the preparations. Transport issues, technical malfunctions and problems with food have continued the trend into the Games. Kalmadi has taken most of the blame for the chaos and was booed at the opening ceremony while the city's chief minister Sheila Dikshit has received a boost in popularity after stepping in to clean up the village.
Dikshit was at the centre of a diplomatic row on Thursday when India summoned New Zealand's high commissioner to protest against what it said were "racial remarks" made about her in a television show. India says a popular TV host deliberately mispronounced and ridiculed Dikshit's name, despite being told by the lead anchor that it was pronounced "Dixit".
New Zealand High Commissioner Rupert Holborow said in a statement the comments were "culturally insensitive, inappropriate and vulgar". Back in the village, thousands of flushed condoms threaten to choke the drainage system, according to local media reports. Distributing thousands of free condoms to athletes has been a tradition at multi-sports Games since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. "If that is happening, it shows that there is use of condoms and I think that is a very positive story. Athletes are being responsible," Fennell said. "We all know that encouraging safe sex is a very important thing to do."
The Ugandan chef de mission confirmed he and two of his colleagues had been injured when their car ran into security barrier, a reminder of the massive police and military operation protecting the Games. An 100,000-strong security force has been deployed to avoid a repeat of the attack by militants that claimed more than 160 lives in Mumbai in 2008 complicated logistics.
India snared an early gold medal on the fourth day of competition as they continue their quest to finish second in the medal table with the shooting range continuing to be fruitful for the host nation. Australia's remorseless acquisition of titles on the cycling track also continued with Megan Dunn, who won gold for the second successive day, giving an insight into the good spirit and fierce focus that exists inside the team.
Medals table: The latest Common-wealth Games medals table on Thursday:
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Gold Silver Bronze Total
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Australia 28 18 17 63
India 14 10 8 32
England 10 17 10 37
Canada 6 2 9 17
Malaysia 3 4 4 11
South Africa 3 3 5 11
Nigeria 2 2 2 6
Singapore 2 2 2 6
Scotland 1 2 3 6
Kenya 1 1 1 3
Uganda 1 0 0 1
Nauru 1 0 0 1
New Zealand 0 7 3 10
Wales 0 2 2 4
Sri Lanka 0 1 1 2
Pakistan 0 1 0 1
Isle of Man 0 0 2 2
Bangladesh 0 0 1 1
N Ireland 0 0 1 1
Trinidad and Tobago 0 0 1 1
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