ICC, LOC have 'ongoing cost-sharing issues' - Luncheon
Stabroek News
March 30, 2007
Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon says there are "ongoing cost-sharing issues" between the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) and these matters would have to be resolved.
Luncheon, at his weekly post cabinet briefing yesterday, hesitated to pronounce on how much money the government would have to make available as both the ICC and the LOC, not only in Guyana but in other Caricom countries, are yet to sort out how they will deal with shared costs.
The Providence stadium was handed over to the ICC CWC which also inserted an established site manager to work with the LOC through the tournament period to ensure that the stadium was complete, functional and met the standards for CWC 2007, this newspaper understood.
The fees for these services, Stabroek News understands, would have to be footed by the LOC.
Meanwhile, Luncheon also reserved comment on what really happened with the ICC and the LOC and whether the former was forced to wrest the management of the stadium from the local body.
"Many of those statements which appeared in sections of the media were properly answered by Sport Minister Dr, Frank Anthony and CEO of the LOC Karan Singh," Luncheon said.
He explained however that the LOC was obliged as a host to hand over, under acceptable terms and conditions agreed to in a bid document, the stadium to the ICC.
"The match day hosting was an ICC hosting and not Guyana hosting," he further stated. He acknowledged that there was a deadline by which the LOC had to hand over the stadium, but did not comment on whether or not this deadline was met.
He told media representatives yesterday that Cabinet was confident after the encouraging reports by its monitoring and evaluation bodies about preparation for Guyana hosting CWC Super Eight matches at the National Stadium at Providence.
However, Luncheon said, cabinet noted and suitably addressed what he called "the attempts by Stabroek News at provocation of our national sentiment."
He provided no explanation for the accusation.
However, according to him, the match day event on Wednesday lived up to expectations and the national spirit is "understandably flying high".
"The mood is lively, outgoing and infectious. It is demonstrated by rank and file Guyanese and shared by our numerous visitors. Guyana is on show and our people are rising to the occasion," Luncheon asserted.
The cabinet secretary said the next five matches and the days to come would be recorded in history as another Guyana accomplishment; successfully hosting World Cup Cricket 2007.