Dismissing reports that England are all set to pull out of 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, the officials in London insisted that no such move is planned and a team will definitely travel to India for participation.
A report in The Daily Telegraph claimed that "England is poised to pull out of next year's Commonwealth Games over fears that athletes will be victims of a terrorist attack."
The report further claimed that Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, visited the Indian capital earlier this month to inspect the Games sites and was said to have voiced "serious concerns" about the security arrangements.
However, England general team manager Ann Hogbin dismissed the reports, saying the authorities have not advised them against travelling to India.
"That is definitely not the case. Our current and strong intention is to field a team for the games in Delhi next year," Hogbin said in a statement to The Associated Press.
"Of course, we have a duty of care to the athletes and other team members which we take very seriously.
"Despite having been given extensive briefings from relevant authorities, we have not received any indication that we should not participate in the games and we will continue to work hard to put in place the best possible arrangements for our team," Hogbin added.
{{/usCountry}}"Despite having been given extensive briefings from relevant authorities, we have not received any indication that we should not participate in the games and we will continue to work hard to put in place the best possible arrangements for our team," Hogbin added.
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