By IANS,
Wellington : Tennis star Leander Paes has appealed to member countries to participate in October’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, assuring high security measures will be taken for the event.
Paes, who was in Auckland to play in the Heineken Open, Saturday said security will be “fantastic” for the mega event.
Countries like England, Australia and New Zealand, have raised security concerns in India and are reluctant to send their players for the Games.
“I’m sure everything that’s possible will be done, so please, come forward and experience my country,” Paes was quoted as saying in Sunday News.
“There is terrorism all around the world, it’s not just something that we have in India.
“There will be high security measures taken at the Commonwealth Games because it’s like an Olympics or Asian Games.
“I am sure the security will be fantastic. India is a great country, we have a lot to show for ourselves as far as tourism, business and sport goes,” he said.
Australia’s Commonwealth Games Association CEO Perry Crosswhite recently said the risk at the Games was manageable but it was up to athletes to decide if they would attend.
But Paes was confident that the Games will go ahead without any security issues.
“I am 100 percent certain that it will be safe,” Paes said.
“Anti-terrorism security is everywhere in the world, it’s not just in Mumbai because something happened there recently.
“It happens in Australia, New York, Madrid, London and Paris.”
“This generation around the world lives under constant threat. It’s all about how you look at it and the way we approach such situations. Once we get our economy doing better I think there will be less terrorism worries around.”