MELBOURNE: Amid terror fears threatening the participation of foreign athletes in major sporting events in India, Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith has come forward to express satisfaction over the safety arrangements made by the nation, but regretted that not even a single event anywhere in the world was free from security risk.

There were already security concerns looming over the foreign sportspersons on their participation in Indian Premier League (IPL) and the October 3-14 Commonwealth Games (CWG), but the fears were heightened after HuJI chief and al-Qaida commander Ilyas Kashmiri warned of terror attacks on players visiting India for the events including this month's hockey World Cup.

But Smith, who met Indian authorities last year to review the securiy measures of the Commonwealth Games, felt sporting events are never free from security scare anywhere in the world but that cannot deter the spirit of the sportspersons in participating at the event and return victorious.

''I was satisfied then and I'm satisfied now that all of the necessary co-ordination and consultation continues to occur and, of course, we are deeply interested in those arrangements,'' Smith said.

''It is a very regrettable fact of the modern era that there are always the risk of security risks in major sporting events, whether they're conducted in Australia, the Sydney Olympics or the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, or whether they're conducted in India,'' he was quoted as saying by the 'Australian Associated Press'.

Smith, meanwhile, said the Australian government would continue to update the national sporting federations about current the security situation in India.

''The Australian government's position is very well understood by the sporting community.

''We make available to the sporting teams and the sporting associations, all of our up-to-date travel and security advice and assessments -- whether sporting teams or individuals take part is entirely a matter for them,'' he added.

Australian athletes are already in India participating in the ongoing Commonwealth Shooting Championship in Delhim, and have committed themselves to be a part of the forthcoming hockey World Cup, due to be held in the Indian capital from February 28.