Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony yesterday said government is pleased with the results of the volunteer programme, speaking during the third press briefing hosted at the office of the Local Organising Committee (LOC).
Anthony said a two-day training workshop for 350 volunteers was recently completed and they are now being selected for specific jobs. He said that this is an ongoing process and another workshop for supervisors and assessors is planned for January 20. The minister said the LOC had also embarked on recruiting an additional 1,000 volunteers and so far 600 candidates have been interviewed and there are another 200 applications to be reviewed.
Anthony said he is optimistic that the 200 persons required to fill the quota would be found with ease based on the response the LOC has been getting. He also encouraged more persons to get involved. The minister also spoke briefly about safety and security. He said, “We have been working with private security and the Guyana Police Force and now have 350 names being submitted for accreditation.” Anthony emphasized that although there will be experienced security professionals, all the venues have contracted Oriel, a UK-based provider of security management solutions, to train the local security staff. Training is scheduled for February 26 to March 2.
An integration workshop simulating match day conditions was also conducted at the stadium on Monday and Tuesday to evaluate staff readiness. Anthony said he was pleased to report that the staff performed well. Also, in brief remarks about the cricket operations, he said that the practice pitches were grassed as well as the run-up. He also said Sri Lankan coach Tom Moody was at the stadium and told one of the staffers the practice facility will be A1.
LOC Marketing Officer Richard Hannif opened the press briefing and introduced Anthony.
