OPENING CEREMONY – WELCOME REMARKS
HON PRIME MINISTER DR. KENNY D ANTHONY
APRIL 04, 2003
BEAUSEJOUR CRICKET GROUND
Good morning to you all. It gives me great pleasure and it is with great
pride that I welcome all of you to the first ever Double Wicket World
Championship.
Today marks a new beginning in the history of sports tourism in St. Lucia and
indeed in the Caribbean. The Double Wicket World Championship is St. Lucia’s
first concerted attempt at merging sports and tourism and it is our aim to
continue to bring this event to St. Lucia over the next ten years.
Over the next three days of competition, you will see some of the best
cricketers in the world from eight of the world’s test playing countries. Be
prepared for fantastic sports entertainment and fierce competition from some of
the world’s most flamboyant players in the cricketing world.
I want to thank the St. Lucia Tourist Board for their innovation and for taking
the lead in developing this new event in collaboration with the Ministry of
Youth and Sports and the National Cricket Association.
I also wish to thank all of those great West Indies Cricketers who have lent
their names and support to the Double Wicket World Championship ... our Patrons
of the Event. We hope to continue with your support for years to come.
As I stand here this morning, I cannot help but recall another event in the
history of St. Lucia initiated by the St. Lucia Tourist Board. This event
started off small, was considered a failure in terms of ticket sales and
attendance in its first years, and now 12 years later it has grown into one of
the world’s most acclaimed music event. I am of course referring to St. Lucia
Jazz.
From all indications, the future of the Double Wicket World Championship looks
bright and like the evolution of St. Lucia Jazz, it is clear that Double Wicket
World Championship has the potential to grow into a major international cricket
event.
Not only will this inaugural event help to bring a new focus to St. Lucia in the
world of sports tourism, but it will also better position us to be considered as
a major venue in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in
the Caribbean.
In conclusion it gives me great pleasure to declare open the first annual Double
Wicket Cricket Championship at Beauséjour, St. Lucia.
Let the games begin.
