Athletics:Further doubts were cast over the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi this morning after a roof collapse at the main sports complex and threats of further withdrawals by athletes and teams because of safety concerns.
Some countries have effectively given Delhi a few days to ease concerns over hygiene at the Games village or face the prospect of losing competitors for next months showpiece.
After 27 people were injured when a footbridge collapsed at the Jawaharlal Nehru complex yesterday, part of the ceiling at the weightlifting arena at the same venue fell in this morning.
No injuries have been reported yet but competing federations are growing increasingly vocal with regards their concerns over the conditions ahead of the Games, scheduled to take place between October 3rd and 14th.
Commonwealth Games England chairman Andrew Foster has said problems with the athletes' village have left the competition "on a knife-edge" and facing "a critical 24 to 48 hours".
Yesterday morning, Scotland team officials delayed the departure of their first athletes to Delhi, having described their accommodation as "unsafe and unfit for human habitation".
Team Wales gave Commonwealth Games organisers a deadline of this evening to confirm all venues and the Games Village are fit for purpose.
Australia backed the Commonwealth Games today but Canada's Games team said it might delay the arrival of some of its athletes if adequate accommodation was not available.
New Zealand Olympic Committee officials have arrived in Delhi to inspect facilities and security.
The English teams is continuing to monitor the situation, and Foster told BBC Breakfast: "I think the next 24 to 48 hours is the critical time which will tell us whether the village - which is where the main problem is now - has got enough accommodation for everybody to come into it. I think we're at an absolutely vital time (regarding) whether the major teams go.
"Our staff have been round all 17 sports venues and they are in good order, so the key remaining feature which there's a problem with is the village. The other problems have been resolved. It's a situation that hangs on a knife-edge."
Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennell said yesterday the two-week event, due to start on October 3rd, was seriously compromised by filthy conditions that have shocked delegations.
There have been reports of stray dogs, stagnant water, workers urinating in public, and human faeces being found at the unfinished village where the athletes will live. Stagnant pools of water, breeding grounds for dengue mosquitoes, lie around.
Some four or five accommodation towers at the Games village are still unfinished, lacking facilities such as wireless internet, fitted toilets and plumbing. Rubble, unused masonry and discarded bricks litter the unfinished gardens.
Officials say the problems, including the roof collapse today, are mostly minor glitches and the Games will be a success.
Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar, appointed by Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to oversee Delhi's preparations, played down the latest incident.
"The cables which were to be set up for the data network were placed on the false ceiling and due to the weight of the cables the ceiling fell down," he said. "It's a minor thing and it will be corrected. It's not a matter to be worried about."
Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has also dismissed talk of abandoning the Games, dismissing the incidents as minor glitches. "They are not insurmountable problems. For the past month there have been incessant rains. Sure it is a problem, but not a major one."
World discus champion Dani Samuels of Australia pulled out of the Games because of security and health concerns, as did England's world triple jump champion Phillips Idowu. Four other champions have quit due to various reasons, including injuries, in the last 24 hours.
Triple Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica is the highest profile athlete to skip the event.
An epidemic of dengue fever, in part blamed on stagnant water around unfinished construction sites, has hit Delhi and hundreds of people have been hospitalised. Many residents are fleeing Delhi during the Games, worried about security and traffic chaos.