Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS) Swimming pools in the Indian capital were not the possible cause of the stomach bug which reportedly struck down 16 Australian swimmers, the team’s chief doctor Peter Harcourt said Friday.

He, however, hinted that the training camp in Malaysia could be a possible cause of the stomach bug.

“With the swimming team, it started a little bit earlier so I actually think they might have actually started in their camp in Kuala Lumpur, which would have similar issues. The chances of the pool being the cause of the problem is very remote,” said Harcourt.

While he said that up to 60 percent of travellers to India were down with similar conditions, he maintained that no system exists to completely protect athletes from the local food and water.

“I think it reflects well on the organisers that they’ve created a bit of an enclave here that creates some protection around people as well as the systems that the teams have put in place,” Harcourt said.

Games Federation chief Mike Fennell said Thursday: “If there is something that is unsafe, you can’t swim in that water. We have to deal with it. It’s a matter we have to deal with the greatest of urgency.”

An urgent enquiry was ordered Thursday to ascertain whether the stomach bug, with which a few athletes were suffering, had emanated from the Commonwealth Games swimming pools.

After the swimming test results for any contamination came as negative, Fennell reassured people saying that the “test results from all those pools show that the water is in keeping with all the standards required and there is no problems with the water in those pools”.

“We are satisfied that we have done all the checks necessary,” said Fennell.