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Sydney, Sep 24(ANI): The withdrawal of champion athletes from the Delhi Commonwealth Games due to fears about health and security may have boosted Australian medal prospects, but is also promising to devalue the medals won, Archery Australia Chief Executive Jim Larven has said.
Larven's comments came after Canadian archers Dietmar Trillus and Kevin Tataryn withdrew from the October 3-14 Games due to concerns about the athletes' village in New Delhi.
Trillus has a Commonwealth ranking of two, while Tataryn is 17th.
"The Canadians were excellent medal prospects because they were both 1400 shooters ... that means that they've shot this mystical 1400 score that everyone tries to achieve, and I think Canada's got two, we've got two, England's got three and South Africa's got two who have done it," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Larven, as saying.
Larven further said that he had been confident that Australia would win at least one individual and a team medal in the men's compound competition, but the absence of the Canadians could mean bronze becomes silver or gold.
The three Australians in the compound competition are Robert Timms, ranked fifth in the Commonwealth, Pat Coghlan (seventh) and Clint Freeman (ninth).
When asked if the three Australians would feel that any medal they won would be devalued by the absence of the Canadians, Larven said: "I think our guys would be disappointed at the fact that ... all the top guys aren't there."
"There's mixed emotions. In one area we say it makes life a bit easier for us, but on the other hand we wanted to beat them," he added.
The 12-day sporting extravaganza is India's biggest sporting event since the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. (ANI)
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