Nation summoned to explain needles in Games village

Commonwealth Games chiefs have summoned a nation to a meeting over a breach of the event's no-needle policy.

The Commonwealth Games Federation confirmed the situation following investigations into the discovery of needles and syringes at the Gold Coast athletes village.

CGF chief executive David Grevemberg would not reveal the nation involved, but said their officials would meet with the medical commission.

New Zealand chef de mission Rob Waddell said he looked forward to the matter being swiftly resolved.

"There is a needle ban in the athletes' village and we are aware that there has been a breach. We understand an investigation is underway.

"We are confident that the CGF, GOLDOC and ASADA [Australia's anti-doping agency] are taking the situation seriously and will work together to conduct the investigation and carry out the sanctioning process as appropriate.

"Our New Zealand athletes have the right to compete on a clean playing field and there are steps put in place to protect this right. These must be upheld."

Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) chief executive Mark Peters issued a blunt warning three days before the start.

"Anyone attempting to cheat at any stage, they're going to get caught," he promised.

India's chef de mission didn't return calls but the Press Trust of India quoted an unnamed Indian official denying their athletes had done anything untoward.

"The syringes were not found in Indian athletes' rooms," the official said.

"It's in the same building where athletes from many countries are residing. It does not belong to us."

The needles were understood to have been found by a cleaner on an outside path with the syringes inside a water bottle.

The Indian team reported the discovery to the medical commission office for analysis and disposal.

Part of the games' anti-doping policy is a no-needles rule at the village, unless they're approved to address conditions like diabetes.

Nigerian weightlifter Chika Amalaha, 16, was stripped of her gold medal at the Glasgow Games and Botswana's former world 400m champion, Amantle Montsho, was suspended for doping offences.

Welsh athletes Rhys Williams and Gareth Warburton were rubbed out of the 2014 event after failing pre-Games drug tests.

Indian team officials were warned about the use of needles and their correct disposal after syringes were found where their wrestlers and a para-athlete were staying in Glasgow.

Australian swimmer Mack Horton, who caused a sensation at the 2016 Olympics by calling out Chinese world champion Sun Yang for doping, said cheating athletes deserved punishment.

"Athletes know what they are doing and know they are responsible for what goes into their bodies," Horton said.

"If they are caught cheating it is completely their fault."

GOLDOC chairman Peter Beattie said the discovery of the syringes wasn't a blow to the event's reputation.

"The only time you lose your reputation is if you don't do anything about it, you cover it up, and none of that's going to happen," he said.

- AAP - additional reporting Andrew Alderson