While government believes that the three years hosting of the Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) finals here will generate economic activity for locals as it showcases this country to the world, President Irfaan Ali on Friday said that a dollar amount on state subsidy has not yet been determined.
He is calling for an integrated approach in planning for the event he believes will help to unify not only Guyana’s populace but the entire region as it creates needed revenue to help boost the economy.
“On the issue of funding, this is an integrated effort. The private sector would have to be involved, corporations, organisations, the government would have to be involved; every stakeholder. It is not only about cricket. It is about building a calendar of events around cricket. We are talking about carnival, regional artistes’ night, local artistes’ night… a regional carnival, a Hall of Fame dinner… and the process will start from now,” the President yesterday responded when asked by the Stabroek News about the initiative he announced last week.
“CPL itself would be investing a lot of resources, the private sector and of course the state would also have to invest. We have not decided as yet; at the end of it [planning] we will know exactly what investment. But for now, we are providing that support, that institutional support, providing the planning support and all of that,” he added.
As he continues to push his inclusionary brainchild ‘One Guyana’, the Presi-dent last week announced that this country will be hosting the CPL finals for the next three years, beginning this year.
“Cricket is much more than a game for us in Guyana, it is a passion, part of our culture and a unifying force. As we celebrate “One Guyana”, the hosting of the CPL final will be an energising force. We are building a product that will be spectator-focused [and] integrated with our Regional partners for a global market,” he had said at the launch held at the Providence Stadium. This is where the matches will be played.
“Cricket carnival is a fusion of entertainment and celebration that will be mind-blowing and unbelievably different from any other global cricketing event. We welcome all to the greatest celebration of music, pageantry, and Caribbean vibes with a South American touch and of course cricket played loudest,” he added.
Simultaneously, in the packed schedule of the two weeks of events will be seven group cricket games and three knockout matches, in addition to the finals.
According to the CPL, over the previous nine seasons of its games, there has been massive support for the tournament from Guyanese fans and the tournament is expecting significant excitement at the prospect of these hugely important matches taking place in the country.
“Guyana’s economy is growing rapidly, and the country has a fantastic reputation as a destination for tourists looking for unspoiled nature. The Hero CPL finals will further showcase this wonderful country to a massive global audience – the total viewership for Hero CPL passed 500 million in both 2020 and 2021,” CPL said in a statement.
Guyana’s president noted that the investment decision juxtaposed against the tourism and other forms of income generation along with social cohesiveness shows that it is a “no-brainer” on the side of investing.
“The CPL initiative really is a no-brainer, in the sense that it is a powerful regional product. It is a powerful product to drive our tourism, it is a powerful product to attract our diaspora… and to understand the power of that product, from the time we launched it to now, one should talk to the airlines and the hotels and you will hear the [response] of what is happening for the month of September,” Ali remarked.
