THE Venue Assessment Team (VAT) and officials from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Incorporated will be in Guyana on Thursday to verify information submitted by Guyana as it relates to the World Cup 2007 Bid Book.
Also contained in the Bid Book is Guyana’s bid to be the homeland for the Indian cricket team throughout the duration of the World Cup tournament.
The team has already submitted areas to Guyana that they will need clarification on, such as the stadium/venue design, security, transportation and traffic, accommodation, airport/marina planning, medical services, media/broadcasting services and information technology and telecommunications among other areas.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Gail Teixeira said yesterday that they were required to submit a report of the weather pattern for the past three years between the months of March and April.
Some 690 questions were answered in 24 deliveries and Guyana has put forward its best bid and it could not have been submitted without the endorsement of President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Guyana’s bid has been factual and the local bid committee was careful not to overestimate its capacity to host countries and visitors according to the package that was chosen. The package includes hosting first round matches and also for Guyana to be a home base for India throughout the tournament.
According to Minister Teixeira, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados have signaled their intention to host the Opening Ceremony, which is quite elaborate.
At a minimum Guyana will see 4000 to 5000 visitors for the first round matches.
Guyana based their bid on the fact that India is assisting in the construction of the four storey stadium and also that it can have a number of economic ‘spin offs’ for the country.
Some 11 countries have bid to host matches, with two not being strong contenders, which leaves nine.
Florida has also put in a bid and has invested million of US dollars which includes three stadiums with one for cricket.
The minister said that Florida has already done a survey of West Indians living in the county totaling some 200, 000.
The Caribbean countries are not all competing against the United States of America to host the event.
Some eight venues are required in order to host the 51 matches.
The Minister said that the ICC will decide on which countries will be host venues and as such they are treating the bid as a country and not the cricket facilities.
Giving a hypothetical situation, Minister Teixeira sitting in her boardroom said that Guyana’s stadium design is 40 percent, with the other areas (airport facilities, accommodation, transportation etc) being 60 percent.
The Minister is confident that Guyana’s stadium will make the grade.
“We are pretty certain that our design will make that 40 percent. We have designed a stadium to meet the ICC requirements; right now we are the only stadium that has done that.”
Guyana and Antigua are the only countries that have indicated they will be constructing new facilities. Guyana is in the process of tendering for land and the piles for the stadium (some 2500 piles).
Minister Teixeira said it is also critical for Guyana to rise above its image to the outside world so that the country will benefit from the hosting of matches.
She also noted that the ICC wants to make sure that the media facilities are up to par and as such the Indian designers have re-designed the media facility for the stadium to meet the regulations.
The team arrives on the evening of May 27 via a private jet and departs on the evening of May 28.
Teixeira noted that Guyana will have to foot the bill for the one-day visit by the team and the aircraft will have to remain in the country with tight security until its departure.
If Guyana is chosen as a host venue we will have to continue to work with them until December when all the agreements are signed.
A lot of work has been done since last year which included the acquisition of land, the surveying, land preparation, preparation of tenders and the hiring of a local bid committee.
Guyana is in the loan stage where they will receive US$6M and have as much as US$ 19M as the maximum line of credit. Minister Teixeira said even if Guyana does not get to host matches, the stadium will still be built in time for the World Cup.
The 12-member team includes ICC officials Andy Atkinson; ICC pitch consultant, Eugene Van Vuuren-venue consultant, Cricket World Cup (CWC) officials Christopher Dehring-Managing Director and Donald Lockerbie-venue Development Director.
The countries selected to host matches will be announced on July 04, while the matches that will be awarded to those countries will be revealed on July 13, 2004 during an event that will be broadcast live throughout the region on radio and television.