'Cancellation of 2010 Commonwealth Games would be bad for India'

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said on Wednesday that the cancellation of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games would be bad for the future of the games movement as well as for India.

Earlier, New Zealand chef de mission Dave Currie had slammed the authorites for 'not having done enough' with regard to the Delhi Commonwealth Games, but added that he is impressed with the dining hall and the recreation zones around the Games village.

Key said it was up to the New Zealand Olympic Committee to decide if conditions were safe for New Zealand athletes.

"I think if the Commonwealth Games didn't go ahead, that would have significant implications for the future of the Commonwealth Games, and that's not something we'd like to see," NZ Herald quoted him, as saying.

"It also wouldn't be good for India. It's obviously a fast-emerging nation that New Zealand enjoys good relations with and we're looking to advance a free-trade agreement with so it has always been our position that we hope the games can go ahead and that New Zealand athletes would be safe and sound as they carried out their sporting events.

"But if they are to go ahead, from New Zealand's perspective, conditions have to be safe and sound for our people," Key said.

Three British athletes announced they were not going, and Australia's world champion discus thrower Dani Samuels said on Tuesday that she would not go because of security concerns.

Asked how confident he was that the games would go ahead, Key said he "wouldn't want to put a number on it. Obviously there are lots of different pictures emerging."