Measures to ensure safety of sporting activities vital --Dr Luncheon By Gitanjali Singh Stabroek News April 25, 1999 Guyana will have to chart a very delicate course to continue to make itself a venue for international cricket and other sports and may need to put in place mechanisms to assure of its safety. These were the sentiments of Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, in response to the debacle at the one-day international cricket match at Bourda last Wednesday. The match (West Indies vs Australia) was declared a tie after scores of spectators ran onto the field after the last ball was bowled and put into question the results of the game. Dr Luncheon alluded to measures taken by the Europeans to deal with irrepressible football and rugby fans which included harsh penalties and said similar measures may have to be taken here. "We would have to put these tangible measures in place to assure the international sports world that Guyana is indeed a safe and welcome location on their agenda," the Head of the Presidential Secretariat stated. There has been talk of banning international cricket from Guyana following the fiasco which has been described as a terrifying experience for the Australians on the field, captain Steve Waugh and vice-captain Shane Warne. Dr Luncheon was asked about the government's reaction to the debacle and he said the government's input could be considerable if the environment is supportive of intervention. He said the government would be responding to formal positions and not the spur of the moment, emotional reactions of those who witnessed the fiasco. Luncheon noted that what took place in Guyana has taken place in the international sporting world: terrorist killing of the Israelis in the Olympic Games in 1972 in Munich; breakout of fights among English and French football fans at the World Cup in 1998; the disaster at Cali in Colombia in the early 1970's and football debacle in Liverpool. The HPS said that the trend has been to take a very formidable and aggressive stance against such "hooliganism" and "antisocial" behaviour but stressed that it was always with the furtherance of the international sports in mind. While there will have to be a foreign service element to the response as well as a tourism element, it will have to be a government and local sporting bodies response to ensure that Guyana is promoted for future sporting events as well as the resolve to prevent further disruptions. "I suspect [such an undertaking] would be a bit expensive and would call for both internal and external support but my feeling is that others have handled it. They have had worst demonstrations," said Luncheon. He said Guyana can learn from those experiences and take action to make the international sporting movement interested in Guyana.