Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 13, 2010 Sports
– after successful negotiations
By Edison Jefford
With just 17 days before the start of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World Cup T20 competition, 245 schools across Guyana were given the opportunity to ‘Bring It’ when 4,800 tickets were yesterday handed over to them.
Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, who successfully negotiated for more schools to benefit from tickets after the ICC and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had only allocated tickets to 150 schools, explained that the distribution of the tickets was one of the ways enacted to get the attention of young people.
“The vision we had for this ICC Twenty/20 was to see how we can get more young people involved. We approached the West Indies Cricket Board and asked them how we can get the schools that play cricket involved,” Anthony said.
He stated that the regional authority for cricket had intimated that they had already made provisions for such chivalry, and had taken a policy decision against giving more tickets to the schools, which he successfully reversed after negotiations.
“They said it would have been very difficult to facilitate the schools involvement but we were very persistent, eventually they agreed. We have about 150 secondary schools alone playing cricket. We thought that having the ICC Twenty/20 here was a good initiative to get them involved,” Anthony indicated.
In the allocation, 145 secondary schools are to receive tickets while 100 primary schools will also benefit. “We hope by this gesture, we will have more and more young people involved in cricket,” Anthony continued.
He said that it serves as an inspiration for them to see the level of international cricket so that they can be motivated. The minister pointed out that his ministry will sponsor a schools Twenty/20 competition later this year.
Director of WICB and Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President, Chetram Singh revealed that they decided at the WICB level to give away tickets as compensation for the high ticket prices Cricket World Cup in 2007 attracted.
He said the schools were among those that tickets were allocated to as part of that “make-up” process. Singh said both St. Lucia and Barbados have adopted a similar allocation process after Minister Anthony’s successful negotiation.
“We at the WICB felt that some of the tickets should be given free to children the age of 16 years. That was the principle of the whole thing at that time. The WICB went further to give away tickets as a make-up for 2007,” Singh said.
Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Education, Pulander Khandai accepted the tickets on behalf of his ministry and offered his gratitude. He reminded those present of the cooperation that exists between the two ministries.
“We enjoy a very fruitful relationship… this (the allocation of the tickets) is one further example. It is not the first time that we are the beneficiaries of the good will of the Cricket Board and Ministry of Sport,” Khandai stated.
He recognised the importance of having children exposed to international events such as the World Cup. He said that the schools were well chosen from the regions to ensure that there is “geographical balance” with the allocation.
Khandai, who represented Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, informed that cricket is part of the wider strategic plan of the ministry. He said they have a strategic vision to get children involved in a wide range of activities.
(Additional reporting by Michael Benjamin)
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