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A truly great show for the world
published: Thursday | March 15, 2007 <DIV class=KonaBody BdUr0="true">
</DIV>JAMAICANS GOT a real sense of satisfaction for putting on a fantastic opening ceremony for the ICC WI Cricket World Cup on Sunday at the Multi-purpose Stadium in Trelawny.
It was a well-choreographed event, from the speeches at the start right through to the finish where a number of superstars, many icons of reggae in their own right, performed in the backdrop of the music's king, Bob Marley, in an atmosphere lit-up with fireworks.
And there were the dancers too, all shapes and forms, including the ones on stilts who, designed or coincidentally, added a funnyside to the proceedings.
Two fell, one could never get back up on both stilts and had to be hauled off the park real quickly as their time had expired and another group of dancers were sprinting on to the field.
Wow.
The country had been preparing this spectacle to welcome the world for some time and have done so in such a successful manner, spending much time, effort and finances in the construction of that new stadium, roads and other support services.
Amid everything, there was much concern and criticism, on one hand, that the work would have been completed in time and two, due to the amount of inconveniences that accompanied the process.
It may appear odd but regardless of the nation or creed, just about every time there's a world event, you get this situation where the organisers get into an almighty race against time to complete their venues and support services. And the stories are always the same. Those assessments generally extend as the tournament unfold and run through to the climaxing moments, like the finals and shortly after the closing ceremony. Yeah, we really put on a great show for the world.
Then, as the days wear on and the joys of the Cricket World Cup wear off, be warned, the criticisms will return, with fresh ones too.
You want to know how I know this, I've heard them all before.
There will be criticisms again about the wisdom of spending so much money to build a completely new facility in Trelawny, for upgrading Sabina Park, for building new roads and upgrading existing ones, for doing just about everything connected to hosting the World Cup because it created a cost that the country was not in a position to bear.
Bigger benefits
One of the many colourful acts that thrilled the audience during the opening ceremony at the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium on Sunday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
My mind is ticking, I'm beginning to wonder about the day when Tom, who can barelyfoot his household bills, somehow convinces the bank manager to finance a loan to further educate his son John John because of his nine children, all were dropouts and John John got eight distinctions and needs the money to service his university expenses.
I figure Tom is willing to make that investment because in the scheme of life, somewhere down the line there are bigger benefits to be accrued.
Then I look at the National Stadium and wonder about the concerns and criticisms that must have been raised at the time when it was being constructed to host the Commonwealth Games in 1962. What I know is that a number of world-class events, including World Cup qualifiers and other FIFA-approved matches and again in track and field athletics, the 2002 World Junior Championships, among others, have been held there since.
There is the National Indoor Sports Centre that was built to host the World Netba
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