READY, SET, GO?

Concerns are being expressed over the preparedness of Delhi to host the Commonwealth Games in October.

Last week, a London newspaper reported England was set to withdraw its team after officials were left less than satisfied that adequate security measures would protect its athletes.

It's important to note that no official has substantiated the veracity of that report and, that to the contrary, Commonwealth Games organising committee officials have declared that the English delegation was, in fact, impressed with the progress being made when they attended a recent briefing.

There's nothing new about alarm bells ringing and questions being raised over the capacity of host cities to stage major international events, be it for security or deadline reasons. Remember Athens in 2004 where, against all odds, the Greeks completed their preparations in the nick of time? Like with about 3 hours to spare.

Remember, too, Beijing? Plenty of doubts there in the early days and bombings in China's north, but the Chinese excelled and had their city, venues and organisational structure in place well in advance. Buildings disappeared and highways, lined with mature growth trees, sprung up almost overnight as Beijing went on to host one of the most spectacular and successful Olympic Games of all time.

We're hearing the same concerns about South Africa and its stadiums for the FIFA World Cup, which is now just a few months away. Like Delhi, we're hearing about security fears from marginalised groups within their societies.

But the World Cup will go ahead in South Africa. And the Commonwealth Games will go ahead in Delhi. And the likelihood is that both will go off without incident. At least, we very much hope so.

Of course there are good reasons to worry about massive, high-profile public events of this nature. A successful strike by terrorists would be catastophic. And for that very reason, security measures are a major priority for organising committees.

In Delhi alone, an additional 8,000 specially trained police have been commandeered to patrol the hotels, athletes' village, venues and precincts for the duration of the Games. Their presence will be over-bearing.

That's just the way it is. My first Commonwealth Games was 24 years ago in Edinburgh, where security was not regarded as a necessity. Barely registered on the radar. But two years later, things were different.

In the weeks leading up to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, TV news bulletins carried graphic reports of fiery demonstrations by university protestors around the South Korean parliament buildings. Fears were raised about the safety of athletes, officials, journalists, dignitaries and everyone else travelling to Seoul for the Games.

Those fears proved to be unfounded as, on arrival, the military might of the country was out in force, creating an unpenetrable fortress around the city and venues. Soldiers armed with submachine guns greeted us daily as we went about our business.

That's not to say all major events are beyond the reach of lunatics, as was demonstrated with the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. But with each subsequent Games, security has become tighter in a concerted bid to foil attempted perpetrators.

Quite frankly, I worry more about international terrorism threats on a daily basis than I do at Olympics, Commonwealth Games or World Championship events. Osama Bin Laden's extremists showed what is possible by taking the controls of an aircraft over New York City in 2001. And next time you're in a crowded shopping centre or at a sports venue, consider the carnage that could occur should the minds of crazed people infiltrate.

And that's without the might of tactical response security services looking on.