ICC W/Cup 2007 bids close in May

KINGSTON: Countries wishing to host matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 have until May next year to submit bids.

The company organising and managing the event, ICC CWC WI 2007 Inc., has just released the final Host Venue Selection schedule to its directors as well as regional Heads of Government, regional cricket associations, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) directors and the bid committees that have registered so far. Managing Director, Chris Dehring said the detailed schedule “is intended to assist our countries in producing the best bids possible to satisfy the challenging requirements of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Host Agreement.” On December 6, the committees will receive a “Bid Book Outline” which according to Dehring “will identify the topics or themes to be answered and guaranteed by national bids. This is done to assist each bid committee in forming and selecting their required expertise”.

Other key timings in the master schedule in addition to the deadline for submission of bid books on May 6 2004, include the distribution of bid books to Heads of Government and bid committees on February 19 2004 and the deadline for committees to submit letters of intent to formally bid for matches on March 10 2004. Also in July 2004, it is expected that after ratification by CARICOM Heads, the award of matches to Host Venues will be announced during a live televised press conference. Dehring noted that the official deadline to register a nationally endorsed bid committee is December 1. Eight countries have officially registered since the process began early last month. They are St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Cayman Islands, Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Barbados and Guyana. He also anticipates that as many as five more bid committees will register by next Monday’s deadline.