Gordon hails success of 2007 World Cup

Ken Gordon, chairman of the World Cup 2007 organising committee, has hailed a legacy of success and achievement as he signed off on his duties related to the tournament.

Gordon, the former West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president, disclosed that audited financial statements, approved by the CWC 2007 board of directors, of the World Cup showed a profit of US$ 53,900,000, an amount "significantly higher than any previous World Cup".

Gordon called the 2007 World Cup a "challenge" that was enormous. But he added that his board was "most appreciative for the confidence and support of Caribbean governments which made this event possible". He gave a summary of the highlights of the undertaking "which took the Caribbean collaboration to unprecedented levels".

Firstly, he praised the on-time delivery of 12 world-class fully-functional stadiums and 22 "impressive" grounds and facilities which he claimed was achieved "in the face of much international skepticism and negative commentary about our (Caribbean's) ability to deliver".

He added there was effective co-ordination in working with nine Caribbean governments to achieve tight and successful security throughout the period of the tournament, as well as the management of 9000 people across nine countries which included the recruitment and training of 4300 volunteers, whose performance he described as outstanding. According to Gordon , another milestone was the on-time and incident-free movement of 16 teams throughout the region "without losing one item of baggage".

Other landmarks were the acquisition of management skills which have been developed as a consequence of this event; the positive commercial results from licensing merchandising and catering; and the "successful execution of the largest ticketing operation in Caribbean history", with 672,000 tickets sold and distributed around the world and the attendance by 436,000 persons from a host population of six million. That ensured the highest revenue from ticket sales in the history of the World Cup - US$ 31.4 million.

In addition, Gordon stated the CWC "fully achieved" five of their eight stated objectives cited in the master plan for the event.

These were high-quality event management, infrastructure improvement; unique Caribbean promotion; advancing regional integration and high profitability. The remaining three-brand legacy - widespread economic opportunity and the enhancement of the international popularity of cricket - were only moderately achieved, according to Gordon.

Gordon stated further that this was "but a brief overview of the most ambitious Caribbean project ever undertaken", emphasising a more comprehensive end-of-tournament report, prepared by CWC chief executive Chris Dehring, would be made public within a few days.

Gordon was effusive in his gratitude for Dehring , Don Lockerbie, the venue development director, and legal counsel Derek Jones for their contribution.

He also underlined that no claims have been made against the CWC 2007 to date unlike what happened after World Cup in South Africa, where US$ 47 million in claims were made.