The initial design for Guyana's National Stadium in preparation for World Cup 2007 was unveiled on Thursday at the Carifesta Sports Club by two Indian experts, engineer Ashok Thadani and architect Praveen Kumar, who are in Guyana to assist government in preparing its World Cup bid.
Kumar explained to the gathering that the stadium, which will be rectangular in shape, will be able to accommodate as many as 20,000 persons and in addition will have facilities which can match those at other international venues.
A car park which can accommodate as many as 4,000 vehicles, an administrative block, a residential area and a sports village are also a part of the plan. The design of the facility caters for eight feet of space between the boundary line and the first partition of the stands and the ground. The two-tiered structure will be built using mainly steel and concrete.
The dressing rooms, gyms, washrooms, shopping and other related facilities will be accommodated under the stands which will be as high as 50 feet. To protect patrons from falling, protective walls and railings will be built at the top and front of the seating areas.
The architect said that for the facility to be able to host day/night matches it will cost an additional US$1.5 million.
He added though that based on available funds provision will be made for lighting towers which can be built later.
The periphery of the stadium will also have several features regarding security concerns, with the parking area for players, officials and the media being inaccessible to the general public.
The stadium will encompass an area of approximately 40 acres with the ground itself being some 225 feet in radius. The pitch will be laid from north to south to avoid the sun's rays affecting the players while the player's area will be located on the southern side and the VIP and media area at the northern end.
The two-member team arrived in the country on Wednesday and immediately went to work as they met various stakeholders involved in the project.
National Sports Commis-sion (NSC) chairman Laurie Lewis who chaired the proceedings declared that as far as he was aware, this was the first public forum on World Cup 2007. He added that it was a "red letter day" for Guyana since the country badly needs to boost its chances of hosting World Cup matches as that would be to the benefit of all Guyanese.
Minister of Culture Youth & Sport Gail Teixeira who also addressed the audience said the visit by the two men was part of the process of `putting in' Guyana's bid for World Cup 2007.
The minister said that in September government had presented a project proposal to the Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Avinash Gupta for submission to the Indian government following President Jagdeo's visit to India in August.
She added that Guyana and the other countries of the Caribbean were given an extension of the time required to submit their bids. She also announced that a Bid Committee had been formed.
This committee is chaired by the minister with president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh and Human Resources Manager at Omai Gold Mines Ltd Norman McLean the other members.
Teixeira said that the committee's main task is to develop the design of the stadium and prepare Guyana's bid.
According to the minister, the bid does not only focus on building the stadium but also on other areas such as improvements at the country's airports, electricity generation, roads, communication networks, accommodation and security, among other issues.
A World Cup Board is also to be established, Teixeira disclosed, and it will comprise stakeholders from all segments of society to oversee the entire process. She stressed it was more important now than ever that the spirit of inclusivity be engendered by the participation of Guyanese from all walks of life in such a board.
The two experts had earlier held discussions with Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and had made a site visit to look at the topography and other related issues, the minister said.
High Commissioner Gupta also addressed the gathering and said he was happy that Guyana had supported his country's bid to be a candidate on the United Nations Security Council and in their fight against international terrorism.
He alluded to the fact that Guyana has benefited from cooperation between the two countries over the years and called for more people to people contact between Indians and Guyanese.
Chetram Singh, President of the GCB, in brief remarks said there have been many "doubting Thomases" who did not think that the West Indies would be able to host the tournament.
However, with the signing on November 3rd of the World Cup agreement between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the CARICOM Heads of Government, the die has been cast and it was up to the people of the Caribbean to make the World Cup the best ever.
He also mentioned that the Jamaica government has gone as far as to rent an office to host the West Indies World Cup headquarters.
He said that Guyana is hoping to be selected as one of the venues for matches since 11 countries are at the moment putting up bids and only eight may be selected.
Just before the end of the proceedings, president of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K. Juman Yassin asked Kumar, the architect, whether the stadium would be only for cricket and his response was that as far as he was aware that was the case.
This newspaper also asked a question in relation to power generation facilities for the stadium and was told by the chairman (Lewis) that questions will be answered at a press conference scheduled on Monday.