Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
Robert Bryan (left), executive director of Jamaica Cricket 2007, the Local Organising Committee for the ICC WI CWC 2007, answers questions during the International Cricket Council Venue Summit VIII press conference at the Hilton Kingston hotel yesterday. Seated to Bryan's right are Don Lockerbie ICC CWC 2007 Venue Development director and Chris Dehring, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 managing director. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
RECENT SCARES that the International Cricket Council could take away the Cricket World Cup (CWC) from the Caribbean were laid to rest yesterday.
In a press conference to announce the finding of the Venue Summit held in Jamaica over the past week, ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 Venue Development manager Don Lockerbie explained that the Caribbean would not lose the contract because its developments were off schedule.
"We were told by professor Eugene Van Vuuren of the ICC during our Summit that (with) the development of our stadiums in its current condition there is no way that the ICC would move the matches to South Africa," Lockerbie explained.
Lockerbie went on to tell the small gathering that there were also contingency plans that would facilitate the moving of games from one country to another within the Caribbean.
"We are in the middle of our contingency planning that is due at our ICC board meeting on May 11," said Lockerbie.
He further explained that they had acquired the service of Subhan Ahmad from the Pakistani cricket board, who did the South African contingency plan in 2003 for the last cricket World Cup.
"His report is to explain how we retain the World Cup in the West Indies," Lockerbie explained.
REGION ON TARGET
With 365 days to go before the ICC CWC 2007 here in the Caribbean, Lockerbie said the region was on target for meeting the deadlines.
"I want to thank the LOC (Local Organising Committee) for a great week," he said.
He also said there was greater pressure on the West Indies because of the upcoming Indian tour.
According to Lockerbie, the World Cup will in effect start in 69 days rather than next year.
"It's great sport for media around the world to judge venues a year or so out. We saw it with Athens, we've seen it even with FIFA's World Cup in Germany 2006, where there have been attacks on their venues," he said.
"So I'm letting everybody know that the Cricket World Cup will be ready. It will be the finest assembling of stadiums ever put together for a World Cup," he promised.
So as to stop a situation of panic from starting when things seem to go down to the wire, Lockerbie indicated that there would be construction that would go on until very close to the actual tournament, simply because there would be equipment that would be used for the World Cup only and therefore would be rented.
"We won't be late. If we are seen painting or building late that is by design. Jamaica is where they need to be," he said, reassuring the small gathering in relation to developments taking place at Sabina Park and the Greenfield site in Trelawny.
