BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC) - The Government of Barbados and the Barbados Cricket Association signed a memorandum of agreement that will lead to the establishment of a company to manage the island’s Cricket World Cup 2007 bid.
Prime Minister Owen Arthur signed on behalf of the Government and President Stephen Alleyne initialled the agreement for the BCA.
“By this action, the Government and the BCA have put ourselves in a position, where we have started the formal arrangements to begin the physical preparations to ready the country to host the CWC 2007,” Prime Arthur remarked at a news conference.
“We have the fullest in the BCA to discharge their responsibilities and we believe that in Stephen Alleyne, a person with experience and imagination, he will carry us safely through to the CWC 2007.”
Prime Minister Arthur urged all Barbadians to work with the new enterprise to ensure that they succeed in the face of a tight deadline.
“There is a tremendous amount of work that has to be completed, but what we are hoping and what we are planning to achieve will redound to the lasting value of cricket in Barbados,” he said.
“The time is coming when we will have to make the whole country ready for the hosting of the CWC 2007. It will not just be a cricket activity, but will be an opportunity for Barbados and, indeed, the Caribbean, to showcase the entire scope of hospitality and warmth of service that we have to offer.
Alleyne noted the CWC 2007 is projected to be the third largest sports event in the world and will be seen by 1.5 billion viewers.
“This makes it an unprecedented endeavour as far as the Caribbean and, in particular, Barbados is concerned,” he remarked.
“We have had the privilege of playing a leading role in development of cricket in the West Indies on and off the field, so we will want to play a full part in ensuring that CWC 2007 is a successful venture.”
Alleyne added that the redevelopment of Kensington Oval, which will be the most tangible evidence of the island’s readiness for the CWC 2007, is on schedule.
“We have a timetable to which we are sticking, but it will require a pace of development that is unusual in Barbados because time is of the essence,” he said.
“Next week, we will convene the first meeting of the board of World Cup Barbados and also get involved in a strategic planning session that will examine how this event can bring maximum benefit to Barbados.”
The CWC 2007 in the West Indies is expected to be hosted between the months of April and May that year and it is projected that 16 teams will play in four groups.
The Government of Barbados has earmarked US$30 million for the project.