Cranes pivot above the modest
Bridgetown skyline as they transform one of the Caribbean's oldest cricket
grounds into a sleek, modern stadium, the premier venue for the region's first
Cricket World Cup, to be held here March 11-April 28.
Local fans will be rooting for the West Indies team to reach the championship
match at the expanded Kensington Oval in April. But with more than 100,000
visitors expected for the largest sporting event ever in the region, Barbados
and the eight other host countries have much more at stake.
To convert the spotlight into new investment and tourism, they are racing to
finish construction on 12 stadiums, bridge a massive housing gap and fine-tune
coordination across sovereign islands. In one all-purpose solution, more than a
dozen cruise ships have been enlisted to sleep visitors and ferry them to
matches in other countries.
If the 2006 World Cup of soccer highlighted the friendliness of the German
hosts, tournament organizers in the Caribbean,a region already known for its
parties,aim to show they can be efficient too.
"I think what would be nice is to continue that friendly, inviting
hospitality image we have but to show people that things do work very well in
the Caribbean," said Chris deCaires, chairman of the Barbados organizing
committee.
The tiny host countries, spread across the Caribbean, faced doubts they would
have facilities ready by the opening ceremony on March 11. With six months to
go, organizers say venues for tournament matches are on schedule in Barbados and
the seven other countries,Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua, Grenada,
Trinidad and Guyana.
"We still of course have the entire hurricane season ahead of us, and every
time I wake up I go to the weather channel to see what hardball is coming at
us," said Don Lockerbie, venue development director for the International
Cricket Council.
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