THE Venue Assessment Team (VAT), officials of the International Cricket Council and the ICC World Cup West Indies 2007 Incorporated have said they are impressed with the bid put forward by Guyana to host matches in the 2007 event.
“I think it was very important for us as we go from country to country to know that the locals, the people of the regions are preparing themselves in every walk of life, in every challenge that they have to face in hosting the cricket World Cup and I can think of no better example of a country mobilising all of its resources, everything that it has to offer and putting it forward to solve the riddle of the cricket world cup,” said Managing Director of the World Cup West Indies Committee Chris Dehring.
Dehring, speaking at a press conference yesterday at Le Meridien Pegasus, said that was in essence what they were asking for in the 290 pages Bid Book that contained 690 questions in 24 deliveries that had been circulated on February 19.
Guyana’s package is also in the Brown or Orange bracket, that is the hosting of first round matches.
He said the book posed a number of challenges and from a technical perspective of hosting the event; Guyana and all other countries were required to find solutions to the challenges that fit their country.
“I think we were extremely happy to receive the bids from the eleven countries but I’m also very happy to say that the bid from Guyana was exceptional and it contained a lot of local input which is so very important,” and that the country has capable persons now who can host the World Cup, Dehring added.
Dehring said that he met with President Bharrat Jagdeo and leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin and they have both given their assurance of cooperation, which he said is extremely revealing about the country’s decision to host the event.
Dehring observed that the VAT team had a very productive morning session, while the ICC officials have been making their own observations.
Countries on July 04 will be notified of who will be hosting matches, while on July 13; these countries will know what packages they will receive.
Donald Lockerbie Venue Development Director also echoed Dehring’s statement on Guyana’s impressive presentation.
He said that the teams and Guyana’s committee spent the morning period in ‘break-out’ sessions on issues of security, stadium designers, transportation, medical services, communications and accommodations as well as media planning as this event should see the largest influx of media personnel.
Lockerbie said that they were involved in intense sessions of question and answers of discovery of communication between all parties.
Following the conclusion of closed door sessions, the officials and Guyana’s committee members visited the stadium site at Providence, East Bank of Demerara to assess its relevance between the airport, the drainage, the roadway and Georgetown to have a feel of what construction would be like over the next few years.
Lockerbie said VAT had conducted a final de-briefing where all members collaborated with each other what they had learnt, following which they invited the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) to give them a feedback on what they’ve seen, and discussed. Following that, they departed for Barbados.
Some 34 months remain before the start of the event and eight venues are required.
Lockerbie said that once a country is approved they would be working very closely with the government and noted that it was the first time that they’ve met with such a large delegation as in Guyana’s case.
Before the start of the press conference at Le Meriden, Pegasus yesterday, Guyana’s bid was aired, highlighting the features of the stadium, security, transportation and accommodation among other things.
The Power Point presentation was about 15 minutes in duration.
The VAT and ICC CWC WI 2007 officials arrived on Thursday night and were received by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Gail Teixeira, president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh and members of the Bid Committee.
They departed on the private aircraft that brought them here and was guarded under tight security.