Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Cricket World Cup experts bemoan structure, race to finish work

Friday, November 24, 2006

by: Sam Sheringham

LONDON, England (Bloomberg): Sports event experts hired to work on next year's cricket World Cup in the West Indies are bemoaning the complex structure of the event and expressing concern that there won't be enough time to test new facilities.

Six new stadiums are being built for the sport's biggest tournament, which will take place across nine Caribbean countries in March and April. Event managers, insurers, hospitality organisers and lawyers called it the biggest challenge of their careers and predicted preparations will run to the "last minute."

"It's the most complex and challenging thing I've ever run because of the logistics of organising an event in nine different countries," event director Nigel Rushman, who has worked on more than 500 tournaments in 30 countries, said in an interview. "There is very restricted time for testing. We're in show business and we have to get it right on the night."

The concerns were raised as the International Cricket Council completes its final inspection of the venues for the March 10-April 28 tournament. The four-yearly event, featuring 16 of the world's top teams, anticipates a global television audience of 2.2 billion with about 100,000 people traveling to the region just for the cricket.

Organizers' attempts to impress the inspectors were undermined last week when an airline lost luggage belonging to members of the ICC team. The bags, containing equipment needed for the inspection, had to be sent to Grenada on a later flight, the Cricket World Cup Web site said.

"The ICC are making their final and crucial assessment of whether the Caribbean is capable of and ready to host the Cricket World Cup to world-class standards," said Chris Dehring, chief executive of Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007. "This is not what we want them to remember about the Caribbean."

While Dehring's Kingston, Jamaica-based organisation administers the event, each host island has a local organising committee, which is responsible for matches in its territory.

According to Jonathan Ticehurst, who has set up insurance policies for the competition, the structure slows down decision-making and increases bureaucracy.

"There are nine different people making decisions," Ticehurst, chairman of Long Reach International, said in an interview. "Trying to get people to agree to a common purpose and give you an instruction to proceed within an acceptable budget is the most complicated thing I've ever experienced."

Local governments have contributed about $250 million toward the event. The governments of China, India and Taiwan have all helped finance new stadiums for the tournament, while the six existing venues are undergoing major renovation work.

According to Rushman, construction workers are working "day and night" to get the stadiums ready on time.

"There's an expression in our business - thank God for the last minute," he said.

Grant Gordon, the lawyer for the West Indies Cricket Board, said it took three years to get the parliaments of the nine countries to agree to a legal framework for the tournament. The Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Bill seeks to standardise laws across the nations for the duration of the tournament and crack down on illegal practices like "ambush" marketing by unofficial sponsors.

"I don't think there's ever been a sports event quite like it," Gordon told delegates at a sports event management conference in London on Wednesday. "The legal systems in the Caribbean are not very developed. It's been a huge effort."

Chris Bruton, managing director of Hospitality in Partnership, has set up match packages ranging from $269 for a basic deal to $449 for three meals, unlimited drinks and a Caribbean party. Bruton, who worked on the last two rugby World Cups, said his job had been made harder by the five different currencies in operation across the islands and varying tax regimes.

One aspect of the tournament organisation proving less of a headache is recruiting volunteers. The cricket-mad region has produced some of the game's legendary figures like Garry Sobers, Viv Richards and current West Indies captain Brian Lara, Test cricket's all-time leading run-scorer.

"They have got a passion for cricket and a significant desire to make this a success for their own countries," Peter McIntosh, who is running volunteer programs for 4,500 locals at the tournament, said. "People want to add value and contribute to the success of their nation."

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