Commonwealth Games: Officials threaten to derail netball

Silver Ferns captain Casey Williams. Photo / Getty Images

Netball technical officials have threatened to derail the Commonwealth Games competition, unless their demands over uniforms, security and transport are met by midnight Sunday.

"We've threatened a whole lot of things, and if we don't get them by midnight tomorrow the competition won't be starting on Monday," one official told NZPA, on the basis that she not be named.

She said technical delegate Lindy Murphy had raised a range of issues with Games organizers, after a frustrating lead into the Games.

The uniforms were "terrible" and inappropriate for western builds, the source told NZPA.

Officials could not be made to look foolish, she said.

Per diem payments had been slow coming, but appeared to have been sorted, accommodation was unsuitable and took hours to rearrange, security had prevented officials getting to the venue, and transport had stopped them getting even that far.

"It's getting lost, they just don't know where they're going. We can't have our officials not getting here," the source said.

"Unless we get some resolution, all my staff will walk away."

She said she expected the Indian officials would be able to deliver by the deadline.

Uniforms had been made, it just seemed no one was quite sure where they were, she said.

"They've got them, they've just got to find some of them."

She felt a delay to the start of the tournament was more likely than a cancellation and tournament was likely to start on Monday, with Samoa due to play Australia at 9.30am.

"We're still smiling, we're still laughing," she said.

Silver Ferns captain Casey Williams and coach Ruth Aitken did not appear to know of the problem today.

Aitken told journalists she was happy with the court, after fears the wooden surface had been damaged in monsoon rains. It was level and of a suitable quality.

Williams thought it was a little harder than she was used to, though midcourter Temepara George felt it was springy.

After all the concerns the venue might not be ready, the focus was now on whether the officials could be appeased.

- NZPA