Pools set to be tested after swimmers report sick

NEW DELHI // More than a dozen swimmers from Australia and England have fallen ill at the Commonwealth Games, and organisers said the water in the pools would be tested.

About 20 per cent of the England team's swimmers - eight to 10 competitors - had been struck down with a stomach virus, according to reports in the British media. The Australian team confirmed at least six of their swimmers had been sick, including Andrew Lauterstein, who had to withdraw from the 50-metre butterfly.

Some organisers rejected speculation the spate of sick swimmers was related to the water quality at the aquatic centre, but Mike Fennell, the Commonwealth Games Federation president, said the officials would conduct tests in both the warm-up and competition pools. Fennell was asked if the swim competition, which ends tomorrow, might be cancelled or moved if tests showed the pools were unsafe. "I would not like to speculate about this immediately," he said.

"If there is something unsafe, you cannot swim in that water. It is a matter we have to deal with as a matter of great urgency." Craig Hunter, the head of England's delegation, issued a statement saying he received assurances from the organising committee that the water was safe. The England team said 43 people in their 541-member delegation had experienced stomach problems in the previous 28 days.

Whether it was the water or just a case of "Delhi Belly", which is not uncommon for visitors to India, it was yet another issue to plague an event which has faced problems in construction delays, corruption allegations and concerns about security and hygiene.