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Contact:
Primus Hutchinson
Wednesday, April 21, 2004 - Prime Minister and Minister for Finance,
International Financial Services, Economic Affairs and Information, Honourable
Dr. Kenny Anthony says, he cannot give an unconditional YES to Saint Lucia
hosting matches as part of the upcoming 2007 Cricket World Cup. Dr. Anthony made
that assertion during his 2004/05 budget presentation on Tuesday, April 20,
2004.
Prime Minister Anthony indicated that while the ICC Cricket World Cup will
undoubtedly be the biggest and greatest event ever to be held in the region, if
Saint Lucia is to be chosen as a venue, it will be the most challenging and
demanding enterprise ever to be undertaken.
According to Dr. Anthony, he is totally committed to Saint Lucia successfully
bidding for the prestigious cricketing event. However, he is also equally
responsible for ensuring that Saint Lucia’s best interest is protected.
Dr. Anthony is also of the opinion, that as part of the negotiating process, the
West Indies Cricket Board must offer a profit distribution that is more
favourable than the one being proposed. It is unacceptable, Prime Minister
Anthony said, that governments are expected to provide millions of dollars to
meet the requirements of the Cricket World Cup without adequate financial
compensation. He also added that while the local cricket authorities and the
West Indies Cricket Board are not financing or guaranteeing any financial
expenditure, they will gain millions of dollars in profit.
Among the many requirements for hosting of the Cricket World Cup in St. Lucia,
are improved accessibility to the Beausejour Cricket Ground, enhanced amenities
at the stadium to provide for an additional 8,000 seats, temporary facilities
for a large media and TV/Radio broadcast contingent, and VIP hospitality. Dr.
Anthony said particular attention will also have to be paid to security,
disaster preparedness and the organisation of a national volunteer programme. “I
want to be able to assure the Saint Lucian public that we can meet all of our
obligations, that we can raise the financing required without adversely
affecting our country’s fiscal rating, and very importantly, that we can recover
the expenses to our satisfaction,” Dr. Anthony said.
Prime Minister Anthony is also advocating for the World Cup to be a national
exercise, whereby every Saint Lucian can benefit from the event. If successful
in staging the matches, an estimated 1.4 billion television viewers will be
focused on Saint Lucia, while 15 thousand visitors are expected to be here in
2007. Hotel room capacity will have to be increased significantly from 4,500
currently, to approximately 7,500, along with seating capacity at the Beausejour
Cricket Ground, which is expected to grow to 21,000 by 2007.
The Cricket World Cup is the third largest sporting event in the world, and the
Prime Minister is appealing to all St. Lucians to embrace the opportunity to
reap as much rewards as possible from such a mammoth international event.
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