Commonwealth Games: Elite say NZ team should go to Delhi

Eight of New Zealand's Commonwealth Games greats have a simple message to athletes who are nervous about security at the Delhi Games: "Go now."

Runners Sir John Walker and Dick Quax, swimmers Helen Norfolk and Danyon Loader, cyclist Gary Anderson, badminton player Phil Horne and hockey players Suzie Muirhead and Anna Lawrence told the Herald on Sunday they would compete in India.

Athletes are due to start moving into the athletes' village this week ahead of the start of the Games on October 3.

There has been widespread debate throughout Commonwealth nations whether athletes should risk terrorist threats to compete there.

New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie is in Delhi checking on progress before reporting back on Thursday to the New Zealand Olympic Committee on whether New Zealand should go.

But all eight former athletes said they would go to Delhi if they were still competing.

"I'd go," former Olympic gold medallist Sir John said. "If the Commonwealth Games Federation feel bad about this situation they should never have given the Games to India in the first place."

Former triple gold medallist Anderson said "back in my 20s, I wouldn't have had many questions. I would have been busting my arse to go".

Likewise, Quax, who won silver on the track at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, said: 'If I was a young athlete and hadn't been to one of those events before, I wouldn't even consider missing it."