Part of the ceiling of the Commonwealth Games weightlifting venue in Delhi has collapsed, a day after 27 workers were injured when a footbridge came down near the same sports complex.

Local TV reports said no-one was injured in the incident.

The Games are on the brink of a full-blown crisis only days from the opening ceremony, with security, safety and hygiene concerns forcing athletes to question whether or not they will attend.

Competitors from Australia and the United Kingdom have already pulled out of the Games with more expected to follow, while Scotland has delayed the departure of its 41 athletes.

Commonwealth Games England chairman Andrew Foster says the event is on a "knife-edge".

But Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief executive Perry Crosswhite, despite calling for greater efficiency in security surrounding the October 3-14 Games, says abandoning the event has not been discussed by his nation.

"I think you have to be very careful to make that kind of decision because what you are essentially doing is making that decision on behalf of 400 athletes," he said.

"The reality is they are the ones the Games are for, and in some respects they are the ones that have to make the decision about whether they want to come here or not."

Australia's discus world champion Dani Samuels announced on Tuesday night that she would not attend the Games.

But Australian weightlifter Damon Kelly says nothing will stop him from competing in Delhi.

"For a lot of sports the Commonwealth Games is just another event for them, but for weightlifting it's almost the pinnacle, our chance to do well and get noticed," he said.

"I have been building up for the Games since December last year and this year all I want to do is compete at the Games. That would be the same with all the weightlifters."

Kelly, who won silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and is hoping to win gold in Delhi, says it is a huge relief the damage to the weightlifting building is not severe.

"All I was worried about was that our event would be cancelled," he said.

"But they did some investigating and I don't think the collapse is that big, so it won't be a big issue.

"Sounds like just the ceiling collapsed and not the actually roof or structure."

Kelly says he is not worried about safety in Delhi because he has competed in far worse places.

"We will be safe in the village and the venues .... and I'm pretty sure I have stayed in a lot worse accommodation over the years," he said.

"Weightlifting travels a lot to the Pacific Islands as well, and sometimes the accommodation isn't the best there."

Perkins confident

The building issues come on top of other concerns about security and health - a dengue fever outbreak, the shooting of two men on a tourist bus and poor hygiene in the athletes village.

Despite the pessimism, one of Australia's greatest swimmers, Keiran Perkins, remains confident the Games will be a success.

Perkins, a multiple Olympic and Commonwealth gold medallist, says the chaos surrounding the last-minute preparations for Games is nothing new.

"We're only talking days now before the Games are due and obviously before the athletes would be travelling over there, but I remember in Barcelona in '92 they were still paving the village when we arrived," he said.

"I remember being in Atlanta and roads were still being laid and venues were still being put together.

"It's not unusual, this sort of seeming disorganisation is almost the norm for large scale events like this.

"As far as I'm aware Sydney's probably the only time that anyone's been well enough organised that they haven't required last-minute preparations."

But Perkins does have concerns about security.

"Look, I think if any information came through that there was a likely threat of a major incident then I certainly wouldn't go," he said.

"Having said that, I'm not preparing as an athlete ... and if I was still competing I think I'd probably likely weigh the risks a little bit more and favour more on the side of I'm not going to let the threat hold me back, versus missing such an opportunity.

"But they're easy words when that real decision's not actually in front of you."

Unnecessary risk

Ryan Gregson, a middle distance runner from Wollongong, qualified for the Commonwealth Games after breaking Australia's 1,500 metre record, but has had to pull out because of a stress fracture in his foot.

Gregson says giving the Games to India was an unnecessary risk for officials to take.

"To be honest, I think they've put themselves in a situation which didn't need to happen," he told triple j's Hack program.

"There's plenty of other cities out there which would love to host the Commonwealth Games and I don't think there'd be any issues.

"It would've been great if this is all going to plan, but it looks like it's not, and I just think it was an unnecessary risk, putting it in India."

He says India has had plenty of time to get ready for the event.

"As soon as people found out it was in India, you've had people pulling out left right and centre because they believe it's not one of the ideal places to go to," he said.

"As soon as Usain Bolt found out it was in India he pulled out straight away. I just think it was an unnecessary risk putting it in a country which a lot of the top athletes don't really want to travel to."

Gregson says he would definitely have gone to the Games if he was not injured, but he would have told his parents not to come over.

Cutting it fine

An expert on Indian culture and politics from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Dr Binoy Kampmark, says the Games are a big deal for India.

"They see it as a classic case of putting their prowess on the stage," he said.

"They see their status as a developing country as something to overcome and a sporting event on this scale is a classic way of dealing with that."

But Dr Binoy fears Indian authorities may have bitten off more than they can chew.

"This is cutting it very fine. It's looking rather dire for the Indian authorities."

Most international teams are set to arrive in New Delhi in the next couple of days.