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| Minister of Sport Hon. Jacinth Henry-Martin |
Basseterre, St. Kitts (September 30, 2004): The turning of the sod at Warner Park on Thursday, signaled the official start of the construction phase to redevelop the sporting facility.
Governor General His Excellency Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Minister of Sport Hon. Jacinth Henry-Martin, cabinet colleagues and other senior government officials attended a ceremony to mark the occasion. Members of the diplomatic corps, local Cricket World Cup (CWC) organising committee officials and representatives of the West Indies Cricket Board and International Cricket Council and other related bodies also participated in the event.
Minister of Sport Hon. Jacinth Henry-Martin revealed that the activity is part of a dream which is quickly becoming a reality.
"This simple but significant ground breaking ceremony brings to fruition the aspirations, not just of the government but of the entire Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis," she said.
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| Governor General with several members of Cabinet |
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| Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas |
The minister paid tribute to the Government of the Republic on China, which was represented at the ceremony by Resident Ambassador Her Excellency Marietta Liau, for funding the project. The ambassador graciously accepted the tribute and indicated that her government is pleased to contribute.
"My government feels very honoured to be able to further assist with the development of sport and human resources in the Federation," the Ambassador stressed. "I am sure that both the R.O.C. and St. Kitts-Nevis will continue to work closely together in the years to come."
Developer Valmiki Kempadoo of Terra Forma Developments Ltd promised that the world-class stadium which will accommodate cricket, football and track and field activities will live up to expectations and be completed on time and within budget.
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Turning of sod by (left to right) Val Kempadoo, Her Excellency Marietta Liau, Hon. Jacinth Henry-Martin and Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas |
Those expectations were addressed by Prime Minister Douglas as he stressed the mind set must be developed to complement the offerings of the facility.
"There is much work to be done. Not just in relation to the construction of this facility but in the preparation of our own people, to take on this enormous challenge and to gain maximum economic benefits from it," he stated.
"I wish that this project (will see) complete success, not only in its safe construction period but in carrying through the services that we expect it to perform in the years to come." The ceremony also included addresses by Chairman of the ICC West Indies Cricket World Cup 2007 Inc. Rawle Brancker and Chairman of St. Kitts and Nevis World 2007 Cup Ltd. Charles Wilkin.
A special highlight featured a poem dedicated to the local bid committee for capturing the orange package of CWC 2007, which entitles the country to host defending champion (Australia) first round matches. The poem written by Cecil Edwards was presented by Akeem Saunders and Latanya Gumbs of the Sandy Point Primary School.
