London: Tour de France star Mark Cavendish gave the crisis-hit Commonwealth Games a thumbs up, saying only an injury can stop him from participating in the October 3-14 Delhi mega-event.
Cavendish will be competing in this week's World Road Race Championships in Melbourne and said unless he is injured, he will definitely be in Delhi aiming to add to his gold medal won four years ago.
"The only way I won't be coming to Delhi is if I get injured here in Australia," Cavendish said even as his compatriots Jessica Ennis, Chris Hoy, Mo Farah, Beth Tweddle, Christine Ohuruogo and Victoria Pendleton decided to give Delhi a miss.
"I particularly like competing at the Games because it gives me the chance to represent the Isle of Man, and this only ever happens every four years.
"I know about the withdrawals of some of the cyclists, and I understand their reasons, but I am very proud to have a Commonwealth gold medal back home and I'd like to get another one in a few days' time," he said.
World and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas, Englishmen Ben Swift and Ian Stannard and Pete Kennaugh of Isle of Man recently pulled out of the Commonwealth Games.
Cavendish, who won the Commonwealth scratch race gold in Melbourne in 2006, is aware about the problems concerning the Games, but the star cyclist is looking at the brighter side of adding another Commonwealth gold medal to his cabinet.
"I'm looking forward to it very much and will arrive in Delhi expecting to win gold," he said.
"There may be a few problems concerning the Games right now but you don't get many chances to win medals like these so I'll be there."
Former Commonwealth diving champion Peter Waterfield also pulled out of the Games on Friday night, fearing a dengue outbreak.
Double Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington, teenage diving world champion Tom Daley and Cavendish are the only star British names left in the depleted Games.
