Dennie Quill, Contributor
ONCE AGAIN Jamaican athletes stood tall crossing the finishing line at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. As they shattered records and earned medals, the awesome team left us at home savouring precious Commonwealth Games moments. Many of us, hungry for positive news, will remain dazed for days.
High and warranted praise are due for the athletes and their coaches. Yet after all the excitement, the interesting thing for so many who attended the games was the superb level of organisation which they witnessed and that made the event even the more memorable.
One person described the sea of easily identified volunteers who were strategically placed at the venues offering directions and providing answers to visitors' queries. There were 15,000 volunteers who signed up for these games. I know that a volunteers' programme was formally launched in Jamaica and I hope it is gaining momentum.
PREPARATIONS
This brings me to preparations for World Cup Cricket in 2007 - a mere 11 months away. Recently Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur was quoted as saying he would move 'heaven and earth' to see that Kensington Oval is completed. Sarcastic comments are mostly what I get when I mention World Cup Cricket to my friends. But this is the greatest event to come to the Caribbean, as close to 100,000 visitors are expected to spend 47 days between March 11 and April 28, 2007 viewing cricket in eight countries. I trust that our local cricket organisers took the opportunity to send observers to see what lessons could be learnt from the Melbourne games. The Jamaica Olympic Association has a fine record of performance, and one would hope that the cricket administrators will not be too proud to draw on the expertise of some of these seasoned personnel as they plan for next year's events.
POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS IMPORTANT
It is important that the visitors leave Jamaica with positive impressions because these will lead to a lifetime of benefit for the country. Every Jamaican, even those who do not follow cricket, has a part to play in making the visitors feel welcome. But who is going to stir that excitement in the people? Not enough is being said publicly about the plans, preparations and needs from the community for World Cup cricket. For example, is there a programme to have locals open their homes to visitors, and how does one get to participate? For many of us, cricket is not just another sport, it is part of the fabric of Jamaican society. Yet for the young, the pace is too slow and they much prefer to watch football or basketball. So I ask again, who is going to get them all fired up for World Cup Cricket?
The more I think about the mammoth task ahead the more I fear that we will not be ready. For example, what is being done to put our hospital and emergency services in a state of preparedness? Many of our run-down hospitals are already stretched and can't cope with the general demands from the population; what happens when we have an influx of visitors? God forbid, but it only takes a tour bus spill to test the limits of these services.
What about our ramshackle fire service? Will it get up to speed by 2007? How will we ensure that our gunmen don't prey on the visitors? These are some hefty questions that need to be addressed urgently if we are to fulfil our mandate. It is a huge challenge for the region and there are hints that long after the last ball has been bowled, the region will still be trying to pay off the debts from this event. But the die is cast and we cannot go back so let us put our best foot forward.
Dennie Quill is a veteran journalist who may be reached at denniequill@hotmail.com
