Two Yukon athletes heading to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, agree that focus takes priority over reported health and safety concerns within the athletes village.

Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) announced yesterday that scheduled departures for the first wave of athletes, coaches and support staff have been delayed after reports of poor plumbing, lighting and electricity in the village surfaced.

Cyclist Zach Bell of Watson Lake and former Whitehorse Glacier Bear swimmer MacKenzie Downing will be heading to the Games at different stages of the competition.

Swimming events begin on Oct. 4, a day after the Games open, with Downing set compete on Oct. 6.

The 23-year-old earned a spot on Canada's Commonwealth Games squad after finishing seventh in the 200-metre butterfly at the Pan-Pacific Games, held in Irvine, Calif., in August.

"We knew going into it that there were going to be obstacles, so we're just focusing and preparing the best we can,” said Downing, who has won seven national titles and trains in Victoria, B.C.

The women's field hockey team and two shooting athletes, who were scheduled to leave Canada this evening, will remain in the country for at least another day, according to a statement released by CGC.

Their precise travel arrangements have not yet been finalized; neither have those of roughly a dozen members of Team Canada's mission staff, which includes medical professionals, operations experts and communications staff, some of whom were due to leave yesterday but now have their travel plans delayed for at least 24 hours, the report stated.

Downing said the swimming team's manager has been updating the swimmers with the status of the current conditions of the village.

"Our coach is basically like, ‘I don't want to hear you guys talk about it,' just focus.

We're preparing as if nothing's going wrong,” Downing said.

The team is heading to a staging camp in Singapore this week before departing for India.

"If the village isn't ready or they don't feel like we're going to be safe then we're going to re-evaluate from there,” Downing said, adding that with university classes and training she has had time to worry about little else.

"If everything goes to plan, we make it to India, then it's an advantage for us, because we're prepared for it and we're ready to deal with whatever we have to to race the best we can.”

Bell and Canadian cyclists begin their competitions near the end of the Games.

Bell, who is currently training in Los Angeles, said nothing changes for him.

"I've seen the reports, but it's not unusual with (Commonwealth) Games to have some negative reports, and you don't really know what's believable until you actually get over there,” he said.

The 27-year-old should know, having competed in the 2006 Commonwealth Games, held in Melbourne, Australia.

"For any of the athletes on the national team, I'm sure we're all just focusing on what we're doing, and if anything changes with our situation then people higher up will make the decision,” Bell said.

"But I know Commonwealth Games Canada and everybody is committed to getting us there to perform in the best possible situation that we can.”