NEW DELHI: Indian sports officials on Wednesday promised to stage a successful Commonwealth Games in New Delhi next year despite concerns over the slow progress of work.

“Let there be no doubt about our intentions,” Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi told a packed media conference at the organizing committee’s new nine-floor office in downtown New Delhi.

“I can say with certainty that all the work will be completed in time and New Delhi will host the best-ever Commonwealth Games.” Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief Michael Fennell had this week warned the Oct. 3-14, 2010 event could collapse and sought a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to brief him on the delays.

Fennell, in a letter to the local organizing committee headed by Kalmadi, wrote that it was “reasonable to conclude that the current situation poses a serious risk to the Commonwealth Games in 2010.”

Kalmadi conceded Fennell’s remarks were “a wake up call” for the organizers, who are expected to receive further flak when the CGF general assembly meets in New Delhi next month.

“We respect Fennell’s views and regard them as a wake up call for us,” Kalmadi, a member of parliament, said. “But he need not have any worries because we will be ready when the time comes.

“I will be happy to arrange a meeting between Fennell and the Prime Minister, but I can already assure him the government of India is committed to hosting the Games.”

Fennell had blamed a lack of coordination in the local organizing committee for the delays in preparing for the Games.

“Our concerns are such that unless there is significant change in the management culture and operation of the organizing committee these Games will fail from an operational perspective,” he wrote in the letter.

“The CGF is extremely worried about the organizing committee’s ability to deliver the Games to any comparable standard to that of the last two editions of the Games in Manchester (2002) and Melbourne (2006).

“I’m looking forward to some urgent actions in order to bring about the successful celebration of the Games in 2010.” Fennell’s remarks followed an Indian government report last month that said work on 14 of the 19 sports venues was running late, while the transport projects to improve New Delhi’s congested road network were at a “high risk” of not being completed in time.

The Comptroller and Auditor General report said that the aquatic complex, which should have been 93 percent finished by August, was only 42 percent complete.

It also said the design of the renovated main stadium was still not finalized.

The Games, the biggest multi-sport event to be staged in India since the Asian Games in 1982, feature 71 nations and territories that mostly comprised the former British empire.