Bermuda Olympic Association chief Judy Simons received a "culture shock" when she visited New Delhi, India earlier this month. Simons was in the subcontinent to inspect the facilities for next year's Commonwealth Games.

And she admitted this week that security is one of the main concerns for the Games.

"It would be safe to say that it will be a challenge. My main concern is the security and the health of our athletes," said Simons who jets off to Guadalajara, Mexico next week for a Pan American Games meeting where the decision of who will host the 2015 Games will be made.

Simons was in New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games Federation meeting and said that all the delegates were concerned about security and also whether the facilities will be ready.

"I was there for five days with other Federation chiefs and there was not one facility completed. There will also be transportation issues as well since Delhi is a very, very crowded city. All the other nations have the same concerns and we will all be keeping a close eye on how things are progressing. The Indian people are very aware of our concerns - the message has been pounded in and we will be monitoring things very closely.

"In fact Bermuda's Chef de Mission for the Games, Stanley Douglas, will be going over to Delhi in March for a Chefs' meeting and hopefully he will be able to give a better update of how things are progressing."

Bermuda expect to have 18-20 athletes competing next October at the Games and after Douglas gets back he and the BOA will sit down and meet with all the managers of the sports going to the Games.

"Hopefully when Stanley gets back he will have a better update on how things are progressing - he will be looking at all the facilities. He will call in all the managers and he will have his own dossier and will go over it with each manager."

Simons said she had never been to India before and admitted the poverty was a culture shock. "It was heart rendering - a real eye opener," she said of the poverty. "India have a lot of work to do in order to be ready for the Games but we have been assured by the organising committee that everything will be ready. We just have to trust that they will take their obligations seriously and I am sure they will."

Before travelling to India Simons was in Denmark for the IOC meeting where Rio de Janeiro was awarded the Olympics for 2016.

"I think Rio will be OK. I was there for the 2007 Pan American Games and overall they did a good job.

"Their main problem is traffic and that is something they will have to deal with. But they also are hosting the World Cup in 2014 which is huge so they will learn from that. Every country has their own problems they have to overcome."

On Tuesday Simons leaves for Guadalajara, Mexico - the site of the 2011 Pan Am Games.

"The meeting is primarily to decide which city get the 2015 Games and it is between Toronto, Canada, Lima, Peru and Bogota, Colombia," said Simons.

This past week the organising committee for the Commonwealth Games announced their security and transport plans for next year.

Delhi will have exclusive lanes for vehicles, four-layered security checks at venues, experts to battle chemical or biological weapons as well as helicopter surveillance, the Delhi Police said.

"There would be an exclusive lane for Games vehicles. Any vehicle infringing on that lane would be impounded," Special Commissioner Neeraj Kumar told reporters during a presentation on various aspects of the Games security and traffic plans.

Kumar said that to avoid incidents like in Lahore where the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by terrorists, police had worked out routes for Games participants - and even the alternative routes.

"Along the routes there will be anti-sabotage teams, Quick Response Teams, commandos, ambulances, uniformed personnel and snipers on rooftops. Buses carrying athletes will have armed personnel - besides armed escort vehicles," Kumar added.

The police have also taken elaborate security measures at the Games venue and the Games village. The security apparatus at the village would include a three-metre perimeter wall along with 1.5 metre iron grills, CCTV surveillance, Quick Response Teams and teams to battle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear explosives.

The police have also made hi-tech arrangements to check vehicular traffic into the Games village.

And India's Home Minister P Chidambaram claimed: "No player, no participant, no coach, no trainer, no visitor, no spectator" to the New Delhi Commonwealth Games in October 2010 need to have any worry on account of security.

"We will provide fool-proof security," Chidambaram said.