World Cup may become a burden

[Lazie]

published: Monday | November 27, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>

Tony Becca, Contributing Editor


Rousseau

Pat <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 700; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">Rousseau</SPAN>, the former president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the man who won the region's bid to host next year's World Cup tournament, is a worried man.

According to the distinguished <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">attorney</SPAN>, the West Indies have gone overboard in preparing for the World Cup, in building for the <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">World </SPAN><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">Cup</SPAN>, that he wonders if the tournament, as far as its legacy is concerned, will be a burden or a benefit.

Speaking at the Melbourne <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: orange 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Cricket </SPAN><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: orange 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">Club's</SPAN> annual awards dinner at Courtney Walsh Drive on Saturday night, Rousseau made reference to a statement made by Chris Dehring earlier this week when the head of the ICC CWC World Cup 2007 committee stated at the end of an inspection tour of the venues that when "we unveil these

[Assasin]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

ah Pat das why dem fire you. you deal wid too much reality.

[Karl]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

Assasin (11/27/2006)ah Pat das why dem fire you. you deal wid too much reality.

Let us say Pat is right to bring his thoughts into the open! The absolute reality is, 'we are where we are'! Where is Pat's idea on how to turn what he sees as an error into a 'winning situation'?

I really hope he now turns his attention that way! I frankly have more respect for thosewho on problems being forseen'head it off at the pass'...provide solutions!

Do not get me wrong, we need those who point out problems...but, once the problems are seen it must be on to solutions. If it were not so 'dawg nyam wi suppa'! both in personal family lives, in the national contextandin the wider world context.

Solutions? ...pleeeease?

[Islandman]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

Definately something that should and will be debated in the years to come, but I wouldn't be too quick to jump to the conclusion that it was not worth it.

From what I have been reading, when theydecided to build the National Stadium in Kingston, they was an outcry that is was a waste of money on and unnecessary. I would like someone to defendthat today, 40 years later. We have got more than our moneys worth out of that stadium.

More recently, when PJ went ahead with Emancipation Park, it was pure outcry and "waste of money" argument. I was intown earlier this year and that park is FULL every morning with joggers, walkers, etc, not to mention regularly scheduled events. Nowis a moveto construct a similar one in Mobay and the talk is that we need more of these across the island. So much for the "waste of money" argument. I am willing to bet that Highway 2000 will also be looked on as an EXCELLENT investment in the decades to come.

Some of his arguments make sense, like the large expansion of Sabina. I'd like to hear from Dehring as to what was his thinking there. He is clearly not an idiot so there must have been some reason for it initially, wether it turned out to be a good idea or not is another story.

I don't know if I am ready to say the Trelawny stadium is a waste. Lets seehow much itgets usedit after the World Cup.of course by then the critics will have moved on to something else.

[Karl]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

Islandman (11/27/2006)Definately something that should and will be debated in the years to come, but I wouldn't be too quick to jump to the conclusion that it was not worth it.

From what I have been reading, when theydecided to build the National Stadium in Kingston, they was an outcry that is was a waste of money on and unnecessary. I would like someone to defendthat today, 40 years later. We have got more than our moneys worth out of that stadium.

More recently, when PJ went ahead with Emancipation Park, it was pure outcry and "waste of money" argument. I was intown earlier this year and that park is FULL every morning with joggers, walkers, etc, not to mention regularly scheduled events. Nowis a moveto construct a similar one in Mobay and the talk is that we need more of these across the island. So much for the "waste of money" argument. I am willing to bet that Highway 2000 will also be looked on as an EXCELLENT investment in the decades to come.

Some of his arguments make sense, like the large expansion of Sabina. I'd like to hear from Dehring as to what was his thinking there. He is clearly not an idiot so there must have been some reason for it initially, wether it turned out to be a good idea or not is another story.

I don't know if I am ready to say the Trelawny stadium is a waste. Lets seehow much itgets usedit after the World Cup.of course by then the critics will have moved on to something else.

I noticed he also critisized in passing the shaping of the arena to also accommodate football. I wonder why he did that? I would thinkmaking the arenassuitableas multiple surpose arenas would be sensible.

[Assasin]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

my problem too many times we spend without thinking where upkeep is coming from, the final cost or income generation. We don't use studies and worst of all it is not communicate to the taxpayers

The questions Pat put forward is to be asked and there should be solid answers from people involved.

Hiway 2000 maybe a good investment but I wish they had use that money for the Eastern leg of the North Coast hiway and build us a Airport. That would provide easy access and more tourist to earn some money.

[Islandman]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

I guess he thinks they should have been exclusively cricket venues. Not very practical if you want them to be self-sustaining or as close to it as possible in the Caribbean. Kind of contradicts his main argument about being a burden on the region.

[Assasin]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

how many closed buildings and half finish and run down parks we have in Jamaica?

it is time we start talking value for money and nothing less. We can't continue waste taxpayers money just because somebody want to build something grand.

We have to talk about how much it cost and how we going generate income from it.

Too many unprofitable entity is on government books.

[Mosiah]

RE: World Cup may become a burden

Someone told me that the Greenfield Stadium is supposed to become Village's home ground when the World Cup is over. Sickko, heard anything about that?