Dehring: ICC CWC 2007 Matches will Remain as Allocated
Speaking from Grenada earlier today, he noted that the nine Host Venues are all currently focussed on ensuring that the stadia are ready for an October deadline. He went on to dispel any rumours that this was not the case.
“It is full steam ahead across the region, everyone is moving forward as planned. Of course we have a back-up plan in place and it is currently being reviewed by the ICC. That plan will only be implemented if absolutely necessary,” he said, addressing the relocation issue.
“At present, there is no one country that is being earmarked to ‘take’ matches currently assigned to another Host Venue. If a decision were to be taken to relocate matches from one Host Venue to another, it could only be taken by ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc. This is not a decision that can be made by anyone outside of CWC.”
A number of countries in the region have indicated that they are on standby and willing to take on matches should other Host Venues not be ready. Dehring added that while “this spirit of cooperation” was “critical to the overall success of the tournament, at this time every country is expected to meet its obligation to host matches”.
“Each Host Venue is working not only on the completion of their stadia but on all the other infrastructural elements required to support the hosting of the tournament. We have just over 300 days to go, including weekends and public holidays, and everyone concerned is working assiduously to ensure that no time is lost.”
Given that 300-plus days remain until the first ball of ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 is bowled, the spotlight is fixed on all 12 venues being upgraded or constructed for the tournament and their respective states of readiness.
Dehring elaborated on the situation stating that: “At this point in time, we at ICC CWC 2007 Inc. have a clear understanding of where each country is in their stadium development and I expect that each one of them will indeed be complete within the timeframe set.”
While Jamaica recently confirmed that it had encountered some delays based on cement shortages on the island, a revised critical path of completion has now been submitted by the contractors and is under review by the Local Organising Committee (LOC).
Warner Park in St. Kitts is on the verge of completion and will shortly be formally handed over to the St. Kitts & Nevis LOC. In Antigua, the most recent phase of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium has just been completed – 22 days ahead of schedule. The contractors aim to build on that momentum to ensure that the stadium is completed well within the prescribed deadline.
Guyana’s Providence Stadium is also progressing at a pace and is scheduled for completion by the October 2006 deadline.
Editors note:
The official name of the tournament is the "ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007". The following versions of the Event name are also acceptable:
ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 (preferred use)
ICC Cricket World Cup
ICC CWC 2007 (in prose or paragraph context only)
CWC 2007 (in prose or paragraph context only)
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