FRIDAY Nov 18 - Managing Director and CEO of ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc., Chris Dehring, has pleaded with Caribbean airlines to ensure their operations are “world-class standard” in order for next year’s Event to be a success.
This statement comes in the wake of several members of the ICC Venue Tour arriving in Grenada this morning without their luggage.
The team landed in the Spice Isle on Caribbean Star early this morning from Trinidad, where they were in-transit overnight after completing the Guyana leg of the tour yesterday, only to discover that a significant portion of their baggage was missing.
Among the items left behind was key equipment used to test pitches and outfields and other important equipment belonging to the Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), which was needed to conduct the venue assessment.
However, with the assistance of the Government of Grenada Protocol Office, the luggage was sent to Grenada on a flight later in the morning and quickly despatched to the Venue Tour party.
Still, Dehring stressed the crux of the matter should not be overlooked.
“Here we are, on the third day of the tour, with this most embarrassing example of one of the pivotal concerns which has been repeatedly expressed – and CWC and, more importantly the entire Caribbean, has been let down. It's extremely disappointing since it caused the team to lose valuable time in Grenada,” he added.
“The ICC and its partners 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. This is not what we want them – or for that matter anyone attending Cricket World Cup next year – to remember about the Caribbean."
“The airline authorities have been on notice for a long time that this very important tour would be taking place and have been told how much depends on all of us raising our game and showing that the region can deliver in all areas, not just in building fantastic stadia.”
The CWC Managing Director said “such occurrences exemplify the challenges and why we need everyone in every service to focus individually and collectively on what we have to deliver”.
“The Governments and people of the Caribbean have sacrificed a lot for the opportunity to host this tournament and for anyone to operate in a manner that would put this project at risk is reckless. I have said before – and I say it again now – failure is not an option.
“The success of this Event will depend on everyone, including regional service providers playing their part in a diligent, meticulous and timely fashion,” noted Dehring, who has been in the vanguard of the region’s Cricket World Cup quest for the past decade.
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