Singh updates media on Guyana 's CWC preparedness
By Rawle Welch
Kaieteur News
January 6, 2007
Most of the concerns expressed by the team of ICC Venue Managers who visited Guyana last November are currently being addressed with a fair amount of alacrity.
That was communicated to the media by Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Karan Singh, during a press briefing held at their Secretariat yesterday which sought to allay the fears and state the position of preparedness for Cricket World Cup 2007 which is scheduled to commence in 64 days time.
Also in attendance at the update were Events Manager- Jainarayan Singh; Commercial and Ticketing Manager- Chateram Ramdihal; Public Relations Manager- Richard Haniff and Disaster Management and Emergency Manager- Lawrence Duncan.
Singh, who could not stay for the entire duration of the meeting, told the media that the main point of contention, the pitch and outfield were “on stream with the preparation and maybe within the next two weeks they should be completed.” According to him, the only thing missing is to have the all-weather concrete pitch cast which will take a maximum of two days.
Regarding the procurement of additional equipment, Singh disclosed that most of it has been received, while the covers are on order and will be here long before the Venue Assessment team arrives on February 6. Questioned on whether matches will be played at the Stadium leading up to World Cup as mandated by the ICC to test its readiness, the LOC Chairman said that a few matches were already played and its performance recorded.
He, however, indicated that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is hoping to stage matches in the KFC Cup at the venue and he has asked them to formally write the LOC and the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. Frank Anthony for their approval. Singh also updated the media about two very important tours, one which begins today with the visit of the eight (8) other host venues CEO's, all of whom will be here for the first time officially and the ICC Venue Assessment team's return.
The LOC Chairman said that among the topics to be discussed were transportation plans and security arrangements. The summit will be held tomorrow at the Grand Coastal Hotel situated on the East Coast of Demerara.
Accommodation - Still one of the grey areas according to Singh, but has been improving with the current figure closer to 1200 rooms registered. He urged that persons interested in registering their properties for the Bed & Breakfast service do so faster.
Transportation - Events Manager Jainarayan Singh reported that this has already been sourced for TOMS (Teams, Officials, Media and Staff). Apart from the Government's confirmation that they will procure the required amount of BMW's as requested by the ICC, eight to nine other service providers has been retained.
According to him, presently they are seeking to obtain approval for parking in the vicinity of the Stadium. The lot between Buddy's International Hotel and the Stadium can accommodate approximately 2,500 vehicles, while the arena itself will hold around 700 vehicles exclusively for operational staff.
Ticketing - Ramdihal in his presentation spoke of some of the rules and regulations to be observed during the purchasing process. He stated that no one person will be allowed to buy more than a total of eight tickets throughout the entire three phases. In response to the question of the current overall sales in Guyana , Ramdihal said it was around 50%, while our general contribution so far has us placed at 9th out of 100+ plus countries and 4th amongst the host venues. He further stated they have also implemented a corporate package which caters primarily for companies who wish to purchase for a large staff.
It was also intimated that tickets applied for in the two previous phases will be distributed sometime in February. The reason for this he indicated was due to the seating logistics not being finalised.