Guyana moves to offset 'Bourda disgrace'
A TOP Government official indicated yesterday that the administration intends to put measures in place to ensure Guyana remains a venue for international sport in the wake of the Bourda cricket disgrace Wednesday. "We would have to put these tangible measures in place to assure the international sports world that it is indeed a safe and a welcome location on their agenda," Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon told reporters. Cricket officials fear Guyana could be banned from hosting major international matches here after more than 1,000 people swarmed the field of play, disrupting the thrilling end of the crucial game between the West Indies and Australia. Hooligans roughed up players, attempted to steal a bat from the Australian captain Steve Waugh, uprooted stumps and indulged in other ugly behaviour which has been widely condemned. As a result, the match referee for the fifth Cable and Wireless International one-day cricket match between the two teams declared a tie. The seven game series was level at 2-2 before the Wednesday match at the world-famous ground at Bourda, Georgetown. "My feeling is the trend in international sports has been for a very formidable and aggressive posture against these forms of hooliganism and various other anti-social behaviour", Luncheon said. But, he noted, that "has always been entertained with the furtherance of international sports and its promotion internationally." "It will have to be a collaboration between the sports bodies and the administration to ensure that we can continue to promote Guyana possibilities, and at the same time to indicate our resolve to prevent further occurrences", he said. Luncheon said the administration will "have to chart a very delicate course to continue to make Guyana a stop on the international sports diary and at the same time...to have visible mechanisms put in place, as the Europeans have done, in the context of problems with football fans," to avoid recurrences. "I suspect it's going to be bit expensive and it's going to call for both internal and external support. My feeling is though, that others have handled it. "They've had worse demonstrations...my feeling is we have a body of interventions that have been implemented successfully elsewhere, and we ought not to be at a loss or take an unnecessary long period of time to make available the course for these interventions and to keep the international sports movement interested in Guyana as a place to continue our international cricket (and) international football." The Police and officials of the ground have launched separate inquiries into the incidents. Luncheon said the "inputs of the administration could be considerable, were the environment within which the administration has to act to be one that is supportive of its intervention." "(But) the statements that have been made by external bodies, many of whom have the control of the itinerary of visiting sporting teams and such like, have not been immediately favourable and we, of course, would be responding to formal positions and not spur of the moment, the emotional reactions of those who have witnessed this debacle", he said. President Janet Jagan Thursday urged the authorities to mount a full probe. Backing calls for an investigation, the President, who was at the match with several senior Government Ministers, also regretted the fiasco. On behalf of the nation, she also conveyed "sincere regrets to the Australian and West Indies teams, visitors and cricket lovers, for (the) disruption" of the game. "The behaviour, which marred what could have been a wonderful page in cricket history and a victory for our regional team, did not reflect the true Guyanese spirit of friendship and hospitality, and I hope this would not jeopardise future tours to Guyana", President Jagan said in a statement. 
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