A terrorist threat to sports teams going to India is worrying players, our government and the Indian government. A group connected to al-Qaida warned sportsmen and women not to take part in the World Cup Hockey, the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket or the Commonwealth Games in October. The group said there could be “consequences” if any players decide to take part. It is not clear what these consequences would be but people remember the bombing of hotels in Mumbai in 2008 which killed 173 people. They also remember the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan last March, and this happened after Pakistan promised high security. The Indian government has promised high security too for these three events.
The World Cup Hockey starts in a week’s time in Delhi. The New Zealand men’s team is in Perth, Australia at the moment. They will stay there for a little longer while deciding whether to go to India. Cricket players also have to make up their minds about the dangers of taking part in the IPL. Last year the IPL was moved to South Africa because of worries about security.
The Commonwealth Games would be hard to move to another country. Delhi is building new facilities for the athletes. They have to provide a number of buildings for indoor sports like boxing and gymnastics, a stadium for athletics, a 50m swimming pool, and accommodation for hundreds of athletes. Athletes who train hard in preparation for the Commonwealth Games would be very disappointed if the Games were cancelled.
Question to think about
An athlete, Rebecca Wardell, said, “If we don’t go to the Commonwealth Games, the terrorists win.” What do you think?
Could this be the end of international sports in countries that have had bombings?
Is it possible for India to provide 100% security?