Some countries delay leaving for troubled Commonwealth Games in India

NEW DELHI - It had been done before. The idea sounded good: Put international sports festivals like the Commonwealth Games in countries such as India to broaden the stage for international competitions and encourage economic development.

This time, it is backfiring. Instead of showing the world that it is a modern, global power, India is being castigated for its lack of preparation.

With barely a week to go before the games begin, frantic last-minute preparations are verging on chaos, international sports officials are furious and the games have become an international embarrassment that could threaten plans for major sporting events in other developing nations.

New Delhi, chosen over the Canadian city of Hamilton, Ontario, as host, has had seven years to prepare, though very little was done until 2008. Armies of workers -often rural villagers making just a few dollars a day - have been deployed across the city in recent weeks to get it ready.

Scotland and Canada said yesterday they would delay their departures to New Delhi because of the unfinished athletes' village. MORE