Amunike rues absence of Nigerians from football awards

Amunike believes Vincent Enyeama deserves to be in contention

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 17, 2010


Former African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Amunike has expressed his dismay over the total exclusion of Nigerian players from the shortlist of players for the 2010 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o, the Cote d’Ivoire duo of Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, as well as the Ghanaian pair of Asamoah Gyan and Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew, are the five players that have been put forward for the BBC African Footballer of the Year award. Eto’o and Gyan have been tipped to emerge as the winner of the award come December 17; when the winner will be announced on the BBC’s African sports programme Fast Track.

It was a similar scenario a few weeks ago when the continent’s football body, CAF released its shortlisted players for the CAF Footballer of the Year award; a list that was similar to the BBC’s except for the exclusion of Manchester City’s Toure whose place was taken by the Ghanaian international Kevin-Prince Boateng.

In times past, it was common sight to find Nigerian names among the shortlisted players for the BBC award whose eventual winner gets decided by African football fans via text or online - the same went for the CAF Award.

Rashidi Yekini, Victor Ikpeba and Nwankwo Kanu, as well as Amunike are all previous winners of the CAF award.

Five years and counting

Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, even won the BBC award back to back in 2003 and 2004 - the only player to have claimed it twice since the award debuted in 2000 - but for the fifth straight year, no single Nigerian player was deemed worthy of making it into the final shortlist.

The last Nigerian to be shortlisted was Obafemi Martins back in 2005.

“I have to admit that I was surprised that not a single Nigerian was shortlisted,” Amunike, the 1994 CAF African Footballer of the Year winner, told NEXT. “I know the Super Eagles didn’t have a good year but some of our players did quite well and one of them should have been included by the BBC.”

Nigerian goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama is one player Amunike felt should have been included in the final shortlist following his impressive displays for the Super Eagles at both the African Cup of Nations in Angola and the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, as well as for his club side Hapoel Tel Aviv with whom he won the Israeli league title, scoring a couple of goals along the way.

“The entire world now knows Enyeama,” Amunike said. “He is now one of the best goalkeepers in the world and we all saw what he did at the World Cup and how he has been saving his club from embarrassing defeats in the (UEFA) Champions League.”

The shortlist was determined by a panel of experts across Africa who, according to the BBC, took into consideration individual skill, technical ability, teamwork, consistency, impact on results and fair play.

“Enyeama also scores goals and there are not too many goalkeepers like that in the world so I am really surprised he wasn’t shortlisted,” continued Amunike.

“The players shortlisted are also good but if you consider the impact of these players in their respective teams then I think Enyeama’s exclusion is a big omission,” added the former Barcelona and Sporting Lisbon winger.

Victorious Super Falcons get heroes welcome

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 16, 2010 03:36AM




The newly crowned champions of Africa, Super Falcons, returned home yesterday afternoon to a rapturous reception at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.


Hundreds of well-wishers, most of who had been at the airport hours before the team's arrival from Johannesburb, jubilated and cheered the team.

The Falcons had done the country proud by winning the 7th edition of the African Women's Championship (AWC) on the back of five straight victories over Mali, South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon and defending champions Equatorial Guinea.

Moments after their arrival, they were paraded in an open-top trailer before being taken to the domestic wing of the airport from where they boarded an Arik Air aircraft to Abuja for a reception - organised by the federal government.

The presidency commended the Falcons for not only reclaiming the African Women Championship title they failed to defend at the 2008 tournament in Equatorial Guinea, but for also qualifying for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup scheduled to hold in Germany in June.

Up next, Germany

Ahead of the World Cup, which will be Nigeria's sixth successive appearance. As part of preparations, the Super Falcons will play an international friendly against Germany on November 25. Because of the match, the team is expected to resume training this weekend after observing a few days of rest.

"I think that the friendly is very close," Eucharia Uche, the team's coach told reporters in Lagos. "As soon as we finish celebrating we will gather together for that game.

"The World Cup is different from the AWC. It is a bigger tournament and we intend to prepare well for it." The game against the Germans will take place in the city of Leverkusen and will see the newly crowned African champions testing their might against the winners of the last two editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Perpetua Nkwocha, the leading goal scorer at the AWC, is happy about the fixture and she called on the Nigeria Football Federation to organise more of such games for the team.

"The NFF must organise many friendly games for us, not against African teams but against European teams.

"I think they are planning to do that because this month we are going to play Germany," said the Sweden-based forward when asked what was needed to help the team prepare for the World Cup.

Official airline congratulates the team

Arik Air, the airline that flew the team home, also joined millions of Nigerians in congratulating the Super Falcons on their victory over Equatorial Guinea in Sunday's AWC final.

The airline's Managing Director/Executive Vice President, Chris Ndulue echoed the sentiments of many in Nigeria by saying: "Congratulations to the Super Falcons from all of us at Arik Air, in reclaiming the African title they lost to Equatorial Guinea two years ago and on becoming six-time champions of Africa." Ndulue said Arik Air is happy to be identified with the team having had the honour of flying the team to and from South Africa.

It's not the first time Arik Air will be flying the national team to or from a major championship.

In May this year, prior to the commencement of the World Cup, the airline stepped in to fly the Super Eagles from London to Durban, South Africa, after the prearranged chartered flight for the team could not operate.

Super Falcons are champions again

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


November 15, 2010




Nigeria’s Super Falcons yesterday defeated defending champions Equatorial Guinea’s Nzalang Nacional 4-2 to win the 7th African Women’s Championship, in South Africa.

It was the 6th time Nigeria will be emerging as champions of Africa and the win served as sweet revenge for the Super Falcons, who had lost out at the semi final stage of the 2008 tournament to the Nzalang Nacional.

Perpetua Nkwocha shot Nigeria into the lead in the first half to score her 11th goal of the tournament. But it wasn’t until the second half that the game came alive with both sides thrilling spectators to an incredible display of attacking football with five goals arriving in the final half-hour of the game - one from the head of Nigeria’s Ugochi Oparanozie, and four by the Equatoguineans, including two own goals.

The second half

The Nzalang Nacional started out the stronger of both sides after the half-time break with their most dangerous player Salimata Simpore doing her best to trouble the Nigerian backline, but Osinachi Ohale, and Rita Chikwelu who had to abandon her responsibilities in the Super Falcons midfield ensured that the threat posed by the 23-year-old forward was nullified. Simpore got past her markers on one occasion, in the 57th minute, only to shoot over the Nigerian crossbar.

Two minutes later, Oparanozie, put through on goal by Stella Mbachu, got the better of her marker only for her shot to be parried out for a corner kick by the Nacional’s Brazilian-born goalkeeper Mirian.

From the resultant corner kick, Oparanozie came close to extending Nigeria’s lead but her header from four yards out went over the bar.

Paying the price

The Nigerians were to eventually rue those misses when Caroline Conceicao headed home a corner kick, in the 63rd minute to draw the Equatoguineans level. In the process, the Brazilian-born central defender received a blow from the Nigerian goalkeeper, Precious Dede, and she had to be taken off the pitch for treatment.

The equalizer served as a wake-up call for the Super Falcons and raided the Nzalang Nacional’s backline in search of the winning goal. The pressure paid off in the 76th minute when Oparanozie rose higher than every other person in the penalty area to nod Nigeria back into the lead, with her third goal of the tournament.

Three minutes later, Ghislaine Nke scored an own goal from a cross by Mbacu to make it 3-1.

The Nzalang Nacional however responded almost immediately with an 82nd minute goal by Jade Boho Sayo, who was actually a member of the Spanish team that won the 2004 UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in Finland. She scored the opening goal of Spain’s 2-1 win over the Germans in that 2004 final.

But a dazzling run down the right flank, right after the restart, resulted in yet another own goal by the Equatoguineans, this time by Conceicao, who side footed a cross by Mbachu past her goalkeeper.

No frayed nerves

“We were not worried,” said Nkwocha in response to a question about the attempted comeback by the Equatoguineans. “I was not worried because we remained focused all through. We had our targets, which were to qualify for the World Cup and to win the tournament so we were always confident of winning,” added the Swedish-based player who ended up as the tourney’s leading scorer.

She however fell short of the 15 goals that had been set for her by her teammates.

“I tried my best to score because I said I was going to score 15 goals,” said Nkwocha before adding: “Actually my friends did, but at least I tried by scoring more than half of it.” Mbachu said she is convinced that Nkwocha did her best.

“You can see that she tried to do it,” she said. “Anytime she is on the pitch she gives us confidence. We have so much faith in her and she didn’t disappoint.”

Apart from Nkwocha’s top scorer award, Nigeria also won the Fair Play Trophy while Mbachu was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. And there was none more pleased about it all than the team’s coach Eucharia Uche, herself a former Falcon player.

“I’m really happy about it all,” said an elated Uche. “I’m really glad that almost all the awards here are for Nigerians.”

The next task for the Super Falcons is to get ready for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, which has been scheduled to take place between June 26 and July 17 in Germany. They have never made it past the quarter finals of the World Cup.

Putting lives on the line for country

India’s Babita Kumari (red) challenges Nigeria’s Christi Nwoye during their 51kg women’s freestyle wrestling match at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi
by Ifeanyi Ibeh


October 16, 2010




Not many Nigerians know Helen Okus, Ifeoma Iheanacho and Daniel Amas. Even among their countrymen hooked on sports, their names do not ring a bell. Yet they are patriotic Nigerians; athletes who put their lives on the line for their country.


Okus, Iheanacho and Amas were part of Nigeria's wrestling team to the Commonwealth Games, which ended in India on Thursday.

For the trio it was better they suffered some physical discomfort rather than see their country miss a shot at glory. As the Nigerian contingent got set to leave Delhi on Thursday, arrangement was made for Amas and Okus to remain behind to undergo surgery before coming back to Nigeria.

Giving their all

Daniel Igali, Technical Adviser of the Nigerian wrestling team explained why they did not return with their colleagues.

"Right now Daniel Amas lost two of his teeth in one of the matches and is staying behind in India for surgery. The same goes for Helen Okus who wrestled all through the tournament with a slipped disc which is a very serious injury.

"Her right arm was almost numb but she is staying behind for surgery while Ifeoma Iheanacho could barely walk a day before the competition because of fever, and I didn't even think she was going to compete but she still went ahead to get a bronze.

"They believe they can give their all for the country and if anything happens to them the country will take care of them and that is what I have learnt about them," added Igali, who won an Olympic gold.

"The one thing that I have learnt from our athletes is that they give you everything," Igali said on Thursdayin Lagos. "The one thing that I know about our athletes is that if you tell them to give you 100 push-ups they give you 120. They are willing to give everything in a match."

Tactics

Prior to the Commonwealth Games, not many people expected the country's wrestlers to put up such a remarkable showing at the Games especially as the team never had the needed international exposure leading up to the event in India.

Besides the African Championships in June and the World Championships, which came up in September in Russia, our wrestlers never had any other opportunity to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, which makes their feat in India all the more remarkable as only the 14 medals achieved through the combined efforts of the country's weightlifting and power lifting teams was able to surpass the feat of the wrestling team.

But this wouldn't have been possible but for some behind the scene moves by Igali, a former Olympian who was one of 50 Nigerians honoured by the federal government during the country's 50th Independence celebrations.

These included confiscating cell phones and setting curfews for the athletes, as well as staying up long into the night to gather vital information on opponents.

"When I see the draws, I go on Google and You Tube to scout on the athletes they are going to wrestle," he said. "I don't sleep until I get all the details about their opponents which is usually after 3am."

And since protests have become a part of the sport, it became common sight to see Igali halting matches on a number of occasions most prominently in the 96kg Men's Freestyle final between Sinvie Boltic and Canada's Kory Jarvis where he launched one of his trademark protests with just under half a second to the end of the bout.

"You have to be ready to take that option so that your athlete can sometimes take a much needed break like the case of Sinvie who was already gassed out in that fight," Igali said. "After the protest he had 20 seconds to hang in there and he got through and got us a gold.

"That can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing."

Teenage sensation

There was also the case of 17-year-old sensation Odunayo Adekuroye who prior to her bout against Canada's Carol Huynh, had no idea she was about to come up against the reigning world and Olympic champion.

"She wrestled a Canadian (Carol Huynh) in the first round and she was so confident of beating her but narrowly lost the bout," said Igali.

"She was inconsolable afterwards until I informed her that the person she had lost to was the world and Olympic champion."

The effect of this revelation was clear to see as Adekuroye went on to claim a bronze medal after back-to-back flawless 7-0 wins over Scotland's Fiona Robertson in the semi finals, and South Africa's Brumilda Leeuw in the bronze medal match.

All down to teamwork

But Igali, who before the Games was expecting the team to return home with 10 medals, insists credit for the team's success isn't solely his but the combined efforts of every member of the wrestling team, including his coaching assistants.

"I will have to give the credit to the athletes because they are the ones that actually competed," he said. "It's the person who's in the arena that the credit should go to, then the coaches: David Onoapo, Okporu Enekpedekumo, Tiebiri Godswill and Tony Ubaka who were with us in camp and carried out all the programmes we had put in place for the athletes.

"I have been working with these coaches since 2007 and what we have been trying to do is to encourage total wrestling.

"The results from this competition are what we have been imparting in the athletes for the past three years. By the time we have more regular competitions I think we can expect better results."

Poor wrestling background

Only India and Canada finished above Nigeria in the wrestling event of the Commonwealth Games which is all the more remarkable considering that the only wrestling championship in the 2010 calendar in Nigeria is the championship bankrolled by the Bayelsa State government which doesn't come up until next month.

Such is the pitiable state of wrestling in Nigeria. But Igali is quick to admit that the Delhi feat would had been much more difficult to accomplish but for the support of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

"The NSC has done well," Igali said. "We went to the African Championships in June and four of our wrestlers that won gold went to the world championships in September.

"We have a very good relationship with the NSC, particularly with (its director-general) Patrick Ekeji. He is someone who has been very responsive to our needs and doesn't mind me calling him up very late at night.

I can call him up at two in the morning and see him at anytime of the day.

"He made it possible for us to get the programmes that we may not had been able to get in the past. As an example, at the 2007 All Africa Games in Algiers we were able to go with about six coaches, but in the past we only went with two. While in India we went with four coaches, so we are beginning to get more recognition from the NSC."

Besides the NSC, the Bayelsa State government, particularly the governor, Timipre Sylva, who has never hidden his love for the sport, had been most helpful especially in the area of training for the athletes.

"He (Sylva) has been very supportive of wrestling and has even promised to get a 32-seater bus for the national team," said is Igali, who is from Bayelsa State.

"He even came around to see the team in training a number of times in the company of (wrestling federation boss) Austin Edeze and urged the athletes to bring glory to the country with a promise to reward them for every medal they get to win in India."

Target

The topmost priority for Igali at the moment are next year's All-Africa Games in Mozambique and the World Championships in Turkey which serves as qualifying tournaments for the London 2012 Olympics where he hopes one of his wrestlers will finally be able to secure a medal.

But if that doesn't come to pass, don't expect Igali to leave the stage for one of his assistants to take charge as he insists he is going nowhere until a Nigerian wrestler, wearing the country's colours, wins an Olympic medal.

"We have quite a number of coaches in the coaching crew but I don't see myself leaving the scene until we win an Olympic gold medal," he added.

Nigeria returns from Chess Olympiad with bronze

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


October 8, 2010

Nigeria’s men’s and women’s teams to the just concluded 39th World Chess Olympiad both finished a respectable third place in their respective categories at the end of the championship which took place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

In the men’s category, the Nigerian team, consisting of Bunmi Olape, Charles Campbell, Olamide Ajibowo, Inimo Kigigha and Ajibola Olanrewaju, churned out a series of consistent performances in the championship’s category E to place behind Zambia and Pakistan. In the women’s category, where Rachael Dappa, Rosemary Amadasun, Tobi Olatunji, Funmi Akinola and Vivian Dzaayem flew Nigeria’s flag with honour, they finished in third place behind Jamaica and Qatar, which was a much better performance than was the case at the last edition in Dresden, Germany where they placed a distant seventh position.

More experience needed

The men’s team final position in Russia was however a spot behind the second place finish they achieved in Germany. The leader of ‘Team Nigeria’ to the Chess Olympiad, Sani Mohammed, said that the players may have performed better if they have been exposed to more international competition prior to the tournament. “The team that participated in the tournament was largely made up of players appearing in only their first international tournament,” he said. “But they were selected to represent the nation based on their respective performance during the trial process. But if we can continue like this, we have the potentials to make better grading at other international competitions including the next All Africa Games in Zambia next year.”

The coach of the team, Lekan Adeyemi, expressed confidence that all the players to the Chess Olympiad will be pre-tournament favourites when next a tournament takes place in Nigeria owing to the experience they have garnered over the course of the world championship. “Before we travelled many people expressed doubts on the ability of the team but I have a strong belief that they will excel because they made their mark during the trial organised in Lagos and if they can be exposed to more tournaments outside the country it will be a blessing to the country in the long run,” he said.

Aside the bronze medals won by the country’s teams, Ajibowo also bagged a FIDE Master title just as Charles Campbell bagged a Candidate Master title for the four points he made playing on board three. Forty countries took part in this year’s Chess Olympiad, which is the biggest event in the sports’ calendar.

Basketball hoping to rebound

The D’Tigers could not make it to the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championship in Turkey
By Ifeanyi Ibeh and Tolu Asaolu


October 3, 2010


Basketball has over the years become one of the most popular sports in Nigeria. Although not as popular as football, it is played in every part of the country and has come a long way since it was first introduced in educational institutions as far back as the 1930s.



By 1965 the first inter-regional basketball championship took place in Lagos but it wasn't until the mid-80s that Nigerian basketball was exposed to the outside world following the exploits of Akeem Olajuwon in the United States of America.

After an illustrious college career with the University of Houston, in Texas, Olajuwon was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) by the Houston Rockets in 1984 and thus began the beginning of an illustrious career that would see the Lagos-born seven footer playing in the NBA till the 2001-2002 season.

Nigeria's NBA entourage

Olajuwon pioneered the appearance of Nigerians in the NBA, and many others followed the same route he took, from college to the NBA. These include Yinka Dare and Julius Nwosu who were drafted in the 1994-1995 season with Dare joining the New Jersey Nets, and Nwosu the San Antonio Spurs.

Nwosu only spent a season in San Antonio before heading to Russia, where he won the league title with CSKA Moscow, but Dare, a seven footer, went on to play four seasons in the NBA. He however died of a heart attack in 2004 at the age of 31.

The American collegiate system served as a breeding ground for Nigerian basketball players but not all of them ended up playing in the NBA. Most of them ended up in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East; most notably Tunji Awojobi.

The success story of Nigerian players hasn't however translated into success at the national team level as the best the country has achieved at the African Championship have been three third-place finishes, twice behind Angola and on one occasion behind Senegal.

The team has however been to the World Championships on two occasions the last of which was back in 2006, eight years after making a debut appearance at the 1998 championship.

Ladies set the pace

The women haven't fared any better than their men folks, but women's basketball is a relatively new sport in Nigeria.

It was not until the beginning of the decade that it gained an appreciable level of followership in Nigeria despite the exploits of the First Bank women's basketball team on the African continent dating back to the 1990s.

The club's exploits notwithstanding, success didn't come the way of the national team until effort was made by the Nigeria Basketball federation (NBBF) to lure American based players of Nigerian origin into the national team at the turn of the century.

Leading the returnees was Mfon Udoka who was able to form a formidable partnership with the Nigerian born Mactabene Amachree, who along with Udoka were plying their trade in the WNBA. The multi-talented Itoro Umoh, who had already represented the United States at the Pan-American Games, winning a bronze medal in the process, also joined the pack.

By 2003, the team swept all comers to the gold medal at the All-Africa Games in Abuja, claimed the African title the following year, before going on to the Olympic Games in Athens where, with the likes of Rashidat Sadiq and Mobolaji Akiode posted impressive figures on the floor - the team finished a respectable 11th with Udoka emerging as the tournament's rebound leader and second leading scorer, just as Umoh emerged as the assists leader.

Poor management

In 2006, the women's basketball team made a historic appearance at the World Basketball Championships but have since then struggled to make any positive impact, even on the continent. A situation Akiode, who now operates a foundation aimed at developing the potentials in girls - Hope for Girls - attributes to the poor management skills of the NBBF.

"The game has been poorly managed by the federation and it will only get worse as long as we have the wrong people in the federation," Akiode said in a recent interview.

Akiode isn't alone in taking a swipe at the NBBF. Joyce Ekworomadu, another member of the golden generation, believes it will be very difficult for the federation to convince overseas born Nigerians to play for the national team henceforth.

"There are so many Nigerian athletes that I know in the NBA, WNBA and Colleges that would love to play for their country, I mean who wouldn't," Ekworomadu said.

"However, they have either been a part of or have heard witnesses talk about such disorganisation that it discourages them to play for the country."

There are however those who are of the opinion that lesser dependence should be placed on the overseas based players and more on the development of the domestic game.

"Besides not having enough indoor facilities we don't have enough developmental programmes and games to develop the younger ones," said basketball coach Okolo Emmanuel of the Lagos Chariots.

"The home leagues are not well funded so we will continue to rely on the foreign based players and continue to play second fiddle to Angola whose national team consists mostly of players who play in their home league.

"Their league is well funded, their players are well paid and they play a lot of games unlike the Nigerian league where teams play far lesser number of games."

Delhi Games at last

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

October 3, 2010 02:51AM

Despite the negative publicity it received over the past few months, the 19th Commonwealth Games will actually take place in New Delhi, India.

Seven years ago, the sprawling city of over 18 million inhabitants was awarded the hosting rights to what started out 80 years ago in Hamilton, Canada as the British Empire Games.

But rather than showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the second most populated country in the world, the Commonwealth Games has only extensively highlighted a country bedevilled by corruption, in which there is a huge gulf between the poor and the rich.

Besides the corruption and poverty - according to the United Nations, by 2005, 42 per cent of its 1.2 billion inhabitants lived below the World Bank's international poverty line of $1.25 a day, there's also the case of missed construction deadlines as well as the threat of a attacks from terror groups.

In the past few weeks, reports of dubious construction certificates were proven when a footbridge at the main stadium collapsed injuring many workers.

Corrupt Games

Just last Wednesday, a Supreme Court justice in Delhi said corruption was rampant in the Commonwealth Games and that the event will turn into a source of self-enrichment for many involved in organising the Games.

A report in the Times of India newspaper even went as far as reporting that Suresh Kalmadi, the organising committee's chairman, was "an inept organiser" who has filled his committee with his buddies, 19 of whom have employed family members.

Most employees within the organising committee were not properly qualified for their positions but were "selected on the basis of being wives, children, nephews and relations of persons who run Indian sport," the newspaper reported.

Not prepared to sit back and take all the blame, Kalmadi accused the Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper of doing nothing in his four years as a temporary Delhi resident.

Hooper, a New Zealander, has reportedly been living the high life at the expense of the Indian government over the past four years but was recently accused of insulting Indians by saying Delhi's "population hazard" hampered the organisation of the Games.

Terror groups

An even bigger threat to the Games than the feud between the two, even bigger than the unhygienic conditions inside the unfinished athletes village or the venomous cobras that have been found at the athletes village, is the ever looming threat of attacks from terror groups.

The Times of India reported that last week, a Pakistani journalist known for his links to the Pakistan intelligence complex met an Indian diplomat in Islamabad to say that he had spoken to Ilyas Kashmiri, leader of Al Qaida's Pakistan-based 313 Brigade. According to the journalist, Kashmiri threatened an attack in India during the Games.

Indian and other foreign security agencies went into overdrive to assess the threat. But officials argued that there was none of the signs that were evident in the run-up to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which lasted for four days between November 26-29, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308.

On Thursday, the government officially warned Delhi Police and other security agencies, as well as security officials of each participating team, about this new "information", which led to a stern warning from the Indian home secretary Gopal Pillai to the Pakistani high commissioner Shahid Malik that any terror attack in India during the Commonwealth Games traced back to Pakistan will essentially be treated as a hostile act.

Malik was reminded of a threat by Kashmiri earlier this year that athletes coming for the Commonwealth Games would be targeted by his terror group. Kashmiri had also threatened to attack the country's top cricket league - the Indian Premier League - and the World Cup hockey tournament in Delhi but no attacke took place.

Nevertheless, the Pakistani government are also not taking the report lightly. The Daily Times of Pakistan reported on Thursday that Pakistan's Interior Ministry, along with various security establishments, are in a "state of panic" regarding the threat, which might jeopardise the already strained relations between both countries.

Even if the terror threat is not "credible", Indian agencies believe this could be another tactic to spread fear.

Hopefully, the more than 100,000 security officials, including elite commandos, provided by the Indian government for the Games should be able prevent any attack during the event.

Withdrawals take shine off Games

Many also hope that once the Games start, the negativity surrounding it will become a thing of the past and that the focus will be on the athletes. But there are doubts regarding such a possibility as many of the best athletes in the Commonwealth will not participate.

They include the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt and his predecessor, Asafa Powell, as well as five high profile Kenyan athletes - Olympic 1,500m champion, Asbel Kiprop; world 800m record holder, David Rudisha; world 10,000m champion, Linet Masai; former World marathon champion, Luke Kibet; and Commonwealth Games 800m champion, Janeth Jepkosgei.

Australia's world discus champion, Dani Samuels and England's triple jump world champion, Phillips Idowu, as well as Olympic 400m champion, Christine Ohuruogu, and most recently South Africa's high-profile world 800m champion, Caster Semenya, have also pulled out of the Games.

Injuries, security and health reasons have been cited by many of the athletes as reasons for their withdrawal.

Their absence notwithstanding, the Games will be held, as scheduled. Probably, the only fear as the apprehensive world awaits the opening ceremony is whether spectators will be able to fill up the venues and cheer the athletes to glory as thousands of Games tickets remain unsold.