Sheila Dikshit's intervention prevented Games from collapsing: England official

England, Scotland and Australia were close to pulling out from the Commonwealth Games but for the last-minute intervention of Delhi's chief minister Sheila Dikshit to salvage the event, a top British Games official has revealed.

"She really did kick s---" was how Dame Kelly Holmes, president of the Commonwealth Games England, put it.

"Every day for two weeks we had board meetings and conferences. It was close, of course it was," The Guardian quoted the British official as saying.

"It was only when the chief minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, got involved with the organisation of the Games at the last minute that Britain made the decision to go ahead," Holmes said.

Until then, Holmes said, "The England team was close to withdrawing due to persistent reports of mismanagement, unhealthy living conditions in the Games Village and potential security hazards."

It was not England alone, both Scotland and Australia had been on the brink of deciding to withdraw, and Holmes thinks that England's absolute decision to go ahead led to other countries following their lead.

In retrospect, Holmes said that if the Delhi Commonwealth Games operations, structure and chain of command had fallen in place a week earlier, "It would probably have been the best games there have been".

The British official lamented that the last-minute rush to give finishing touches to the Games arena as well as security concerns had led to a number of top British competitors crying off.

"It is a shame because I think a lot of athletes pulled out because of what they heard before," Holmes said.

But it was not all brickbats from Holmes who, after Thursday's dazzling closing ceremony, said, "The bond that these athletes have developed now is just incredible. I've been in the village a couple of times and the buzz around the team, it reminds me of Sydney in 2000."

The Guardian was not alone. "India has every right to be proud after a torrid build-up," said the Daily Telegraph.

"The stadium did not collapse, the city was not blown up, athletes did not miss their competition because of traffic jams and the feared outbreak of dengue fever was largely controlled. These Commonwealth Games were to a large extent about what did not happen, rather than what did."