Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
THE NEXT cricket World Cup is four years away, it is scheduled to be staged in the West Indies and West Indians are looking forward to it with great expectations.
As an event, the World Cup is a big occasion, it is one of the biggest in the world - probably behind only the Olympic Games and the World Cup of football.
EXPOSURE
It is watched live on television by millions upon millions of viewers, as such it is a wonderful exposure for a tourist region like the Caribbean, the potential, the spinoff for the economy of the region, is tremendous, and because of that, every West Indian, including heads of governments, is excited about it.
The World Cup of cricket is so big and can do so much for the region that if it is a success it is almost a safe bet that when it is all over, one like Pat Rousseau - the man mainly responsible for convincing the International Cricket Council to stage it in the West Indies, and one like Chris Dehring - the man who will be running the show - will be the toast of the region and will be richly rewarded as far as national honours are concerned.
The truth is that if it is a success, those who would have made it so would deserve more than accolades and decorations.
VENUES FOR MATCHES
Right now, most of the talk regarding the World Cup has been centred around venues for matches and stadiums with the territories all wanting not only a few matches but also a big one. They have built or are planning to renovate existing ones or to build new ones at enormous costs.
While there is no question that stadiums with a large capacity and proper facilities are important for hosting World Cup matches, there is much more, much, much more, to hosting a World Cup than that, and those territories that are planning to bid for matches should know what they are taking on.
LOT OF HARD WORK
To host a World Cup match will take a lot of planning, a lot of hard work, a lot of expertise and it will cost a lot of money - not only to build or renovate stadiums, but to put in place the things that are necessary to make it a success.
Apart from catering for the thousands of fans who will pack into them, the stadiums will need adequate space and proper facilities to accommodate the players, officials, sponsors, VIPs, the media - print and electronic, and the first-aid staff.
Security at the stadiums will have to be first-class, there will have to be adequate parking, because of the security at the stadiums, parking, adequate parking, will have to be outside and away from the ground, even then, every single vehicle will have to be security-checked, and there will have to be shuttle service from the parking areas to the stadiums.
Apart from transporting them, 14 or 16 teams with their luggage, officials, sponsors and VIPs around the islands to the various matches, there will be the problem of accommodation for the thousands upon thousands of visitors.
NOT ENOUGH ROOMS
With the number of hotel rooms around the islands estimated at some 4,000, with the World Cup being staged in the normal tourist season, there will not be enough rooms available, and although there is talk of using cruise ships in the ports, that will also be a costly venture.
Cruise ships don't come cheap; and on top of that, there will be other problems - problems such as water for the ships, health control to protect both the visitors and the local population, and moving vast amounts of people to and from the ships, mornings and evenings.
The World Cup in the West Indies must be good for the image of West Indies cricket, and there can be no question about its possibility as far as the economy of the region is concerned.
All that, however, will depend on its success, and looking at what it will take for it to be a success, the governments of those territories which will be bidding to host matches had better be prepared to spend some money and the people to get involved, to do a whole lot of work, and when the time comes to be hosts, to make some sacrifices.
