Going to Delhi a tough call? You bet your life

OPINION: Would you risk you life for a game of cricket, or a shot at a Commonwealth Games medal?, writes Nathan Burdon in this week's Straight Up.

Lots of New Zealand sportspeople will be asking themselves the same question this year as the Delhi Games in India loom.

The upcoming IPL twenty20 cricket series has already had a shadow cast over it.

Say you were one of the half dozen New Zealanders who have been contracted to play in the IPL. What would you do?

Sure there's danger associated with the threats from al Qaeda-linked terrorist organisations, but on the other hand for six weeks' work you could earn enough to pay off the mortgage, ensure the kids will be able to go to university and have plenty left over to take the missus on that overseas trip she's always wanted.

Some athletes will be targeting the Commonwealth Games. For many it's as good as they will be able to do, or a much better chance of winning a medal than at the Olympic Games.

Speaking to netballer Daneka Wipiiti this week, she made it clear she and partner Joe Tuineau had been following the news reports and held deep concerns about going to Delhi, should Wipiiti make it back into the Silver Ferns for the Games.

For Southland skeet shooter Paul Wilson, who left for India and a Commonwealth competition last week, there was little question about whether he would go.

India was a big country, he said. Threats were threats until something happened.

Two-time Tour of Southland winner Gordon McCauley was even more bombastic during an interview on Radio Sport.

He believes by even contemplating pulling out of events, because of the potential for harm, the terrorists win.

It's typical of Gordy that he almost seemed to relish the fact the job of winning the time trial at the Commonwealth Games had just got that little bit harder.

If the people who select the Fairfax reporters going to the Games finally see sense and decide to send yours truly, then I'll have a choice to make myself.

Like many young athletes, I won't just be considering my own ambition to cover a high-profile international sporting event, but the concerns of my young family back home.

Certainly, if the situation arises, I'll be looking to find out as much information as I can before making a decision.

(In the end I'd probably just do what my wife told me.)

It was a tough call for young Black Sticks player Simon Child to make this week. He elected not to travel to India with his team-mates for next week's World Cup.

The World Cup was one of the events specifically threatened by the terrorist group and now 17,000 armed personnel have been deployed to try to ensure the players' safety.

Child said he would not be able to play to his best surrounded by men with machineguns and I don't blame him. He also said he hoped he wouldn't come to regret his decision in the future, but I don't think he will.

Child should not be criticised for making the call that he did. All any of us can do is look into our heart and think about what we would do in the same situation.

» Nathan Burdon has been the Southland Times sports editor since 2003 and has won numerous journalism awards, including provincial sports writer of the year.

- © Fairfax NZ News