New Delhi:
Fears of wet weather have prompted organisers of next month's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi to order rain gear to protect performers, athletes and spectators, a report said on Saturday.
Unusually heavy monsoon rains lashing the Indian national capital are expected to end by October, but organisers are playing it safe by ordering waterproofs.
"There is no point in taking chances. If we hand a plastic poncho to people entering the stadium, things are taken care of," said Organising Committee General Secretary Lalit Bhanot, according to the Indian Express.
The worries about wet weather are the latest problem for India's preparations to host the October 3-14 Games, which have been dogged by delays in completing facilities and allegations of corruption.
The unusually wet weather has also fuelled a serious outbreak of mosquito-borne dengue fever which organisers fear could scare sports fans away.
The number of dengue cases has already topped last year's figure of 1,153 in the city, although the real number of infections is thought to be many times higher. At least three people have died.
The illness, which traditionally peaks in September and October, can trigger life-threatening internal bleeding and full recovery can take months.