CONSTRUCTION of Guyana's first sports stadium is billed to start by this year-end regardless of whether the country succeeds in its bid to stage matches in the West Indies Cricket World Cup 2007.
This assurance was given by Guyana's Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Gail Teixeira, during a Press conference held at the Guyana Consulate in Toronto, Canada yesterday.
According to Teixeira, while Guyana will be making a strong bid to stage matches at the proposed new Providence East Bank Demerara venue, its non-acceptance will not deter the authorities from building the stadium.
The minister pointed out that the stadium is expected to cost in the vicinity of US$20M and the Guyana government, through President Bharrat Jagdeo, has obtained a grant of US$6M and a soft loan of US$14M from the Indian government for the project.
President Jagdeo paid an official visit to India last month.
Teixeira said a group of Indian experts has already carried out soil surveys at the Providence venue and she assured that government is committed to the "phenomenal undertaking".
An upbeat Teixeira also disclosed that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has assured her and President Jagdeo that the design of the stadium will ensure that Guyana has the best facility in the Caribbean.
And according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, who is part of the three-man visiting government team which also includes Minister of Human Services, Social Security and Labour, Dr Dale Bisnauth, the project has several long-term benefits "and it dovetails with our economic agenda, which includes housing, construction of four-lane highways and hospitals."
Expressing confidence in the venture, Dr Luncheon pointed out that "we have some obligations to do and to present a Guyana to the cricketing world, to the world of sports enthusiasts, that really accords the timetable in accordance with our own developmental plans .…"
The HPS disclosed that "the funds are there, the administration is there, the commitment is there and the bilateral international help is there and so we are very optimistic."
Apart from Guyana, the other 11 countries bidding to stage games are Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, and the USA.
The Bid Book, containing the detailed requirements for hosting matches in 2007, will be distributed on February 19, which will officially signal the start of the bid process.