melbourne australia (ap)
SECURITY FOR THE Common-wealth Games is in full swing, with competition venues locked down following security sweeps a week ahead of the opening ceremonies.
"We are now moving into the full operational mode along with our partners in the military and in the security agencies," , Victoria state police commissioner Christine Nixon told reporters yesterday. "We're now at a point, we believe, where we are ready.
"We are capable of handling this, and if something was to happen, something unforeseen, then we are also well placed to deal with it." The quadrennial Commonwealth Games features competitors from countries throughout the former British Empire.
The 18th edition runs from March 15-26 and has attracted about 4,500 athletes from 71 countries in 16 sports.
Britain's monarch Queen Elizabeth II will attend the opening ceremonies, while other heads of state and national political leaders will also travel to Melbourne at Games time.
HIGH SECURITY
The security operation is expected to be similar in scale to the Sydney 2000 Olympics, with 2,500 military personnel joining the 13,000-strong Victoria state police force and other security agencies to protect athletes and venues.
The main stadium, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, will be tested in operational mode during rehearsals for the opening ceremonies on Friday and Monday.
The increased police presence will be backed by airforce fighter jets, army helicopter and navy ships, either in use or on standby.
The Commonwealth Games have not been immune from trouble this week.
High profile athletes including multiple world and Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe of Australia and England's Paula Radcliffe, the world's fastest female marathon runner, withdrew because of illness or injuries.
Staff from Australia's national airline are threatening strikes that could impact on travelers starting Thursday if Qantas announces that engineering and maintenance jobs will be moved offshore.
And that comes on top of a protocol problem involving a decade-old spat between Melbourne Commonwealth Games chief Ron Walker and Sydney-based International Olympic Committee member Phil Coles.
Coles was the only Australian IOC member not invited to Melbourne as a guest of the Commonwealth Games and the situation reportedly led either directly or indirectly to IOC president Jacques Rogge skipping a scheduled visit to the Games.
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