ANTIGUA – ICC Chief Executive, Malcolm Speed, says preparations for next year’s ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean “are on track” and has praised the ongoing progress in the nine Host Venues and at ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc. in Jamaica.
However, he cautioned that there is no room for complacency.
“There is still much to be done. The message we bring is that we are very happy with progress but we can’t relax. There must be great attention to detail as the venues come out the ground,” he stated, addressing a Press conference in Kingston, following the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) quarterly meetings with ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc.
New ICC President, Percy Sonn, spoke in the same vein, affirming that the West Indies is further ahead than South Africa was in 2003 in preparation for ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
Offering a comparison between planning for the 2007 Event and the last ICC Cricket World Cup in his homeland, he declared: “I think the West Indies is, relatively speaking, ahead of where South Africa was, vis-à-vis the final stages of this phase, given that they (the West Indies) are building new stadiums. South Africa didn’t build any new stadiums – they just improved on the old stadiums. I think they (the West Indies) are fine (and) further than where South Africa was.”
“I want to tell the media that we are very happy to be here in the Caribbean. I think the people are showing the enthusiasm that is required to pull off this job. I can’t wait to come back for the tournament.”
Sonn also stated that he believes next year’s tournament will be the catalyst for a significant increase in cricketing interest among the Americas; similar to the phenomenon that occurred in his native South Africa after the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.
“What we noticed after the (Cricket) World Cup in South Africa was the growth of cricket amongst the youth, especially in disadvantaged communities. There was a total re-emergence of interest in the game of cricket.
“I believe that for the Americas, this (Cricket) World Cup is going to do the same thing – and that’s why we want to support the West Indies with everything that we have,” stressed Sonn.
In his remarks, ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc. Managing Director & CEO, Chris Dehring, was clearly heartened by the vote of confidence from the ICC – cricket’s world-governing body which owns the ICC Cricket World Cup. Stating that ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc. is in an intensive operational phase, he noted there will be “heightened awareness” in the coming months with greater marketing and promotional activities planned.
Upcoming initiatives to spread the word and excitement about ICC CWC 2007 will include promotions targeting the Caribbean diaspora in North America. These, he explained, would be similar to the Event Launch which took place in India in late July which he said received “tremendous attention”, particularly on the Asian sub-continent.
Describing the region as the “spiritual embryo of One-Day cricket”, Dehring highlighted the overwhelming worldwide interest in the tournament as the main reason for the accommodation demand being so strong. However, he is confident there will be enough of a variety of accommodation – ranging from bed & breakfast programmes, cruise ships and hotels – for fans to choose from.
“I think this will be the most cosmopolitan Cricket World Cup. We will see people from more countries attending this (Cricket) World Cup than any others before,” he declared, alluding to the fact that persons from 124 countries have applied for tickets in the first phase of Public Ticketing.
