Wellington:
New Zealand's sporting legends on Sunday urged the country's athletes to participate in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi next month, despite concerns about security situation and the dengue epidemic.
The eight former Games athletes said they would be disappointed if New Zealand pull out of the October 3-14 event.
The former athletes comprising runners John Walker and Dick Quax, swimmers Helen Norfolk and Danyon Loader, cyclist Gary Anderson, badminton player Phil Horne and hockey players Suzie Muirhead and Anna Lawrence said athletes need to trust the advice of their chef de mission and local authorities to a great degree about health and security checks.
"I'd go," Walker, the international track and field legend said. "I've been to Delhi and raced [1980 Olympic 800m champion] Steve Ovett in front of 65,000 people in 40 degrees, just before the 1990 Commonwealth Games.
"The hospitality was superb. The people are passionate. It was unbelievable. I'd be disappointed if New Zealand pulled out. There are always going to be lunatics wherever you go in the world. It's one of the risks. You can't rule out any nutter wanting to make a statement," Walker said.
Olympic bronze medallist cyclist Anderson said: "In my current stage of life, I'd question going to Delhi - but back in my 20s, I wouldn't have had many questions. I would have been busting my arse to go."
Swimmer Danyon Loader, who featured in 1992 and 1996 Olympics and Commonwealth Games 1990, 1994, 1998, said: "Swimming doesn't get many chances to shine and the Commonwealth Games are a good stepping stone to the Olympics or world championships."
Runner Quax, a silver medallist at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games said: "If I was a young athlete and hadn't been to one of those events before, I wouldn't even consider missing it.".