A multitude of problems forced the cancellation of the Mayor’s All Star tour of Cuba, organizer Lennox Arthur has said.
Arthur, in a press release, stated that following the completion of the Mayor’s Cup tournament, arrangements were finalised with the Cuban sporting authorities for the All Stars team to participate in a peace tournament there.
An advance party departed Guyana on February 28 and played against the Havana `2′ team on March 3 at the La Polar Sports Facility, Arthur stated.
But Arthur said the organisers, who had received financial assistance from the Universal Peace Federation and a number of well-wishers, encountered a number of problems while attempting to get the remainder of the squad to Cuba.
They were subsequently forced to call off the tour. Arthur said that the organisers encountered “severe and unanticipated airline connection contortions and difficulty obtaining concessionary air fares.” He suggested that the latter was probably because of the demand for airline seats following the conclusion of Carnival and Mashramani activities in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana respectively.
Additionally, the closure of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri at certain times during the recently held Rio Summit and the public holiday (Phagwah) were all contributory factors which hampered the remainder of the team from getting to Cuba in time, Arthur said.
He said that the advance squad, which departed Guyana on February 28 for Kingston via Barbados, also encountered problems on their way to and from Cuba.
However, Arthur said, he is grateful to the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), Banks DIH, the Town Clerk of the Mayor and City Council (MCC) and the people of Cuba “for their ready co-operation during a difficult episode.”
