Commonwealth Games bridge collapses

With opening ceremonies on Oct 3. only two weeks away, the crisis at the New Delhi competition has worsened.

The odds that the Commonwealth Games will be cancelled are getting better by the day. On Monday officials from several countries said that facilities in the athlete’s village were unlivable, and yesterday a footbridge to the event’s main stadium collapsed. Part of the roof at the weightlifting venue also caved in. If the 2008 Beijing Olympics enhanced China’s image as a global superpower, the fiasco at the Commonwealth Games shows India is still plagued by basic problems. Construction on venues only began four years after New Delhi was awarded the games, and 43 workers were killed in the process. Monsoon rains have overwhelmed the city’s inadequate sewer system, flooding athlete’s residences with sewage.