CWG: Eng diver heads to games for photography

London: Unruffled by dengue and terror threats, England's 16-year-old diving sensation Tom Daley is still packing his bags to travel to Delhi not just for the Commonwealth Games but also to complete his A-Level photography project.

"I'm really looking forward to the Commonwealth Games.

The diving side of it will be great but so will the chance to go around Delhi with my camera," Daley was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

"I can carry on with my photography project 'urban' at the moment and get some pictures out there. Our training timetable is 6.30 till 8.30 in the morning and 6.30 till 8 in the evening.

"There will be a few days early on when I will be able to do some sightseeing and get a few snapshots," he added.

Several star English athletes such as Olympic 400metres champion Christine Ohuruogu, Commonwealth 1500m title holder Lisa Dobriskey have and world champion triple jumper Phillips Idowu have pulled out for reasons ranging from security and health fears to injuries but Daley has no such plans.

"I think you have to trust the security that's out there.

With every international I've seen it's always been so secure, especially inside the athletes' village because they have massive metal gates and wire fences.

"There are obviously matters that need addressing but maybe some of it has been blown out of proportion. By the time I get out there England will have put posters up on the wall to make us feel at home," said Daley, who is the World 10m platform champion.

The teenager, who won the world championship in Rome, is still adjusting to his international fame.

"It has been strange growing up in the world's glare," he reflected.

"I've learned a lot of new dives since Beijing. I'm going to use two of the four at Delhi. I can't do more than that because of the injury," he said.

Australian Gymnast Ashleigh Brennan is also optimistic about traveling to Delhi and said she trusts the government and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association and has little concern for her safety.

The build-up to the Commonwealth Games was marred by a shooting incident, fears of a dengue outbreak and reports of unhygienic living conditions in the Village but Brennan said none of these concern her.

"No, it doesn't concern me," Brennan was quoted as saying in the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

"All we have to do is focus on our gymnastics. Our safety is a priority, and I go without any concerns. We're informed and reassured we'll be fine. I have trust in the Australian government and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association that our safety is important [to them]," she said.

Brennan won gold in the team event at Melbourne four years ago and the 19-year-old said winning another gold was her driving force.

"Four years ago, the Commonwealth Games was the best time of my life. I got to stand up on the podium with my best friends and I shared the experience with them all. We have the chance to do that again, it's an amazing thing to be a part of," she said.

"The Commonwealth Games are very special. I had a taste of it four years ago, and it motivated me to aim towards going to Delhi. You're not just on a gymnastics team, you're sharing it with 400 others [Australian athletes] and their success.

"My family is very excited, they've supported me over the last 12 years, but they're not going. I'm happy for them to watch the games on television," she said.

Wallaby Lachlan Turner too is looking forward to the Commonwealth Games where he will be competing in the Rugby Sevens side.

"I've been following it a fair bit but we're pretty lucky in that we'll be going over in the second week so we'll get a bit of a feeling how everything is running by then," he said.

"Everything I'm hearing is the ARU is in constant talks with the Commonwealth Games committee, and at this stage we're heading over there, and I'm pretty keen to get it under way. I don't have any concerns.

"I think it's something the team will get together and talk about. Personally, I'm pretty keen to get over there. I'm open to new experiences - but as I said, it'll be a team decision. Mum was a little bit worried but I had a chat to her and said I wasn't worried and she need not worry either."