By IANS,
New Delhi : Prince Charles and President Pratibha Patil will declare open the Commonwealth Game Sunday, the British envoy said Friday, adding that British athletes were happy with the residential facilities.
“He (Prince Charles) will read out the Queen’s message and receive the Queen’s Baton (and declare) the Games open. After that President Patil, on behalf of Delhi, will declare the Games open,” Richard Stagg said here.
“It is more normal for other members of the royal royal family to open the games,” he said.
The high commissioner said he had lunch with all four teams from Britain, and everyone seemed to be “very happy” with the facilities at the sprawling Games Village.
“They said that what could have been a wonderful Village still has not reached its full potential,” he said. The athletes told him that “lots of things were better than previous games like Manchester and Melbourne”.
On security, he said the teams had been “reassured by the active role” of Delhi Police in the protection of the athletes.
“I have already been stopped twice,” Stagg said, referring to his experience of his official driver not being allowed into the Village as he did not have proper authority.
“I look at it as a positive thing,” he said.
The Commonwealth Games will start Sunday and end Oct 14.
Did he feel other venues across Delhi were safe? Stagg said: “We have no reason to believe that the stadiums are unsafe.”
Giving details, he said the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will begin their four-day official visit Saturday. Among other places they will go to Punjab and Jodhpur in Rajasthan.