Indian tennis star Leander Paes is appealing to New Zealand and other governments to set aside security fears and send teams to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Paes, who played in Auckland's Heineken Open, is one of a number of Indian athletes charged with promoting the games. He said every possible step would be taken to ensure the safety of athletes and appealed to Commonwealth governments to trust organizers' security efforts.
``I'm sure everything that's possible will be done, so please, come forward and experience my country,'' Paes said in an interview with the Sunday News. ``There is terrorism all around the world, it's not just something that we have in India.
``There will be high security measures taken at the Commonwealth Games because it's like an Olympics or Asian Games. I am sure the security will be fantastic. India is a great country, we have a lot to show for ourselves as far as tourism, business and sport goes.''
New Zealand and Australia have both indicated they are satisfied with security arrangements for the games but have said the security situation was constantly being monitored.
Paes said the level of threat in India was manageable.
``I am 100 percent certain that it will be safe,'' he said. ``Anti-terrorism security is everywhere in the world, it's not just in Mumbai because something happened there recently. It happens in Australia, New York, Madrid, London and Paris.
``This generation around the world lives under constant threat. It's all about how you look at it, security and the way we approach such situations. Once we get our economy doing better I think there will be less terrorism worries around.''
The 36-year-old Paes is the winner of 42 ATP doubles titles and will likely compete in tennis at the Delhi Games.
