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Idowu could make Commonwealths U-turn

Phillips Idowu does not have to fly until October 4 © Getty Images

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Phillips Idowu may yet compete in the 2010 Commonwealth Games despite announcing his withdrawal from the event on Tuesday.

Idowu, who is the defending triple jump champion, confirmed his absence following news of a fallen bridge in Delhi. Organisers of the Games have been working around the clock to fight endless setbacks in the build-up to its October 3 commencement, with reports of unfit conditions in the Athletes' Village compounded by a collapsed ceiling in the weightlifting arena.

Commonwealth Games England announced that the first part of their team would fly to Delhi on Thursday, easing fears of mass withdrawals from the event after it was described as being 'on a knife-edge'. The first half of England's team will largely include the men's hockey and bowls contingent.

Idowu revealed his withdrawal was based on his family, insisting: "People will be disappointed that I will not be competing. I am disappointed. These Games mean a lot to me. It's the champs in which I won my first medal and four years ago I won my first gold, which kicked off the success I have [had] in my career to date.

"But all the press about bridges collapsing and 23 people being hurt, floods and uninhabitable living conditions, getting my daughter ready for school and seeing all of that put me off. I can't afford to risk my safety in the slightest. It was a tough choice but I made it for my children."

However, agent Ricky Simms has urged his client to bide his time, knowing a final decision does not need to be made before October 4. That is when the majority of England's track and field athletes, such as hurdler Andy Turner, fly out, and Simms believes conditions are likely to have improved significantly by then.

"Phillips has still got a couple of weeks before the event and I told him not to decide for a while and I'll speak to him after that," he told the London Evening Standard.

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