R35-million to be spent on World Cup grounds

Some R35-million is expected to be spent on South African grounds over the next two years to bring them up to standard for Cricket World Cup 2003, the executive director of the tournament Ali Bacher said on Wednesday.

Briefing the media on World Cup developments, Bacher said that the tournament finance committee had approved a sum of R35-million for the upgrading of venues. The largest amount to be spent on any one ground will be R11-million at St George's Park which will host one of the semi-finals.

Not all of the R11-million will come from the budgeted R35-million and it least some of the improvements will be financed by anticipated revenue from the tournament. For most of the other grounds, the major expense is likely to come from improving existing media facilities.

Bacher also said that the tendering process for a number of World Cup official suppliers was nearing completion. Tenders were invited last year for 11 suppliers, ranging from official publications to advertising agencies and recommendations for probably at least six of these suppliers are likely to be made to the World Cup policy committee on Friday. Bacher has not been involved in these recommendations.

A logistics director for the tournament is likely to be appointed from May after 116 applications for the position were received, while applications for a communications manager, a PR manager and an event management company are to be invited from Sunday.

Bacher and his CWC 2003 team, which will eventually number around 23-24 people, will move into new offices at Summer Place in Sandton at the end of March while work is in progess with regard to a World Cup mascot and the ticketing system to be used for the tournament.