England will send biggest squad to a Games outside Britain: Sir Andrew

NEW DELHI, 28 april 2010: Commonwealth Games England Chairman Sir Andrew Foster has said that the England team for the XIX Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi will be the biggest team it has sent for an overseas Games to date, with a team size that is likely to be more than 550, including nearly 400 athletes.

“England's intention is to compete at the Games and we are currently making arrangements to create the best possible environment for success in Delhi,” Sir Andrew told the BBC. “Security is something we and the Delhi 2010 organising committee take very seriously. We have taken, and will continue to take, expert advice on the situation.”

CGE is set to write to all its sports governing bodies informing them that the team will go to India, putting to rest speculation that the English team would pull out of the Games because of security fears raised after bomb blasts injured 15 persons before an Indian Premier League cricket match in Bangalore on April 17.

CGE, which has been receiving regular security updates from Delhi, believes the assessment that it will be safe to travel. It is confident that athletes will be safe in India, given that Delhi recently hosted the FIH World Cup and a slew of other test events without any security problems.