The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) decided to bar Fiji from taking part in next year's event after the Commonwealth suspended the country's membership.

But CGF President Mike Fennell revealed after the General Assembly in the Indian capital that the ruling Executive Board had recommended the Commonwealth to remove sport as a part of sanction so that Fiji can take part in the Games.

He said: "Fiji's Commonwealth status was fully suspended on September 1 by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group and, therefore, it does not meet our own constitutional requirements for membership.

"However the General Assembly of the CGF has endorsed my proposal to lead a delegation to the Commonwealth Secretary General requesting him to take forward to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting a recommendation from us that sport be removed as part of the sanction imposed upon a nation suspended from the Commonwealth."

If the proposal is accepted, Fiji can participate in the Commonwealth Games, where they are among the favourites to win a gold medal in the rugby sevens tournament.

Fiji has been suspended following its failure to meet the deadline to come out with a time schedule to hold credible elections in the country no later than October 2010. Yvonne Mullins, the executive director of the Oceania Athletics Association, has promised to back Fiji's appeal to be allowed to compete in Delhi.

She said: "I'm not sure that we've got too much hope on our side but I think we've got to do whatever we can to try and support our athletes.

"Whether we can do anything in the end that's going to assist is just that we need to know that we're going to support our athletes.

"In 2010 there'll be other opportunities for them to compete but it's still never the same as going out as a national team at the Commonwealth Games. "Fiji's had a strong history at the Commonwealth Games, and as I say it's not just going to be track and field, we've got the rugby teams, we've got the netball teams, all tough calls for a sporting federation."

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