England eager for Commonwealth Games action
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Your support makes all the difference.England chef de mission Craig Hunter is looking forward to the sport commencing at the Commonwealth Games after a fraught build up in Delhi.
Hunter departed for India three weeks ago today, arriving to find unsanitary conditions in the athletes' village which at one stage meant team withdrawals were a serious possibility.
But Hunter has been pleased with the transformation since his arrival.
He told Press Association Sport: "There's been enormous progression within the village and out at the venues things are really taking shape.
"We always said it was going to be like an Indian wedding and everything would be last minute and whilst we were saying that - and I think we believed it - I don't think we quite thought it would be as last minute as this.
"But they can turn things around enormously in India and Delhi and it's a tribute to them as to how they've managed to do an awful lot of things.
"We would've liked to have been in this place almost three weeks ago when we arrived, but we've worked tirelessly.
"It's been a challenge but I think we've got there.
"Tributes are coming in from the athletes saying 'thanks very much - you've done a great job. Now it's up to us to go out and compete and win lots of medals'."
Issues remain unresolved, but of a lesser scale.
Hunter added: "Every day there's a new challenge, every day there are a few niggles, but the significance of them is much less these days and their reaction times to those challenges is diminishing.
"All that we're concerned about is that our athletes are happy in the accommodation and they've all said yes they are.
"We're now just looking forward to the competition starting."
The athletes are also ready, with badminton Olympic silver medal winner and seven-time Commonwealth Games medallist Nathan Robertson selected to carry the England flag into Sunday's opening ceremony.
Hunter anticipates a highly-successful Games for England.
He added: "I can't wait for the opening ceremony, which I'm sure will be spectacular.
"We're very proud to have Nathan Robertson as our flag bearer.
"The team will be there, I think we'll make a great entrance and following on from that I think there will be some great days of competition and it will be absolutely incredible."
The presentation of gold medals to England athletes will be followed by the playing of Jerusalem as a victory anthem, replacing Land of Hope and Glory.
"It's a great victory anthem for us," said Hunter of the hymn which has been used with great success in cricket.
"It's got a great impact."
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