SOUTH AFRICA: CRICKET - International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat says the sport needs more promotion and responsible financing
Record ID:
1530502
SOUTH AFRICA: CRICKET - International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat says the sport needs more promotion and responsible financing
- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: CRICKET - International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat says the sport needs more promotion and responsible financing
- Date: 25th February 2009
- Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FEBRUARY 24, 2009) (REUTERS) INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL (ICC) OFFICIALS LEAVING ROOM AFTER CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S COMMITTEE (CEC) MEETING SIGN FOR CEC MEETING ICC CHIEF EXECUTIVE HAROON LORGAT AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ICC CHIEF EXECUTIVE HAROON LORGAT SAYING: "So, we are getting a bit more creative in terms of promoting the game, particularly Test cricket. So, yeah overall, we are not pleased by the drop in attendance and it is something that we want to try and be proactive about it and trying to get people to understand that Test cricket is a fabulous sport to watch, there is a lot of intrigue in it, there is a lot of skill in it, takes a lot of courage, a lot of endurance. So we want to build on those things that we believe make Test cricket very attractive." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ICC CHIEF EXECUTIVE HAROON LORGAT SAYING (STARTS OVERLAID): "But what we have been kind of mindful of in the last couple of meetings is the issues around economics across the globe, you know, the impact on the sport, the impact on our commercial partners and the fact that we need to be responsible in the way we managing in tough times because we certainly do not regard ourselves as immune to the economic challenges in spite of the fact that we have got some pretty good contracts in place that last for an extended period of time. But we recognise that all of us will in one form or another be impacted by the economics that are a big challenge at the moment." NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ICC CHIEF EXECUTIVE HAROON LORGAT SAYING (STARTS OVERLAID): "Yeah, I think that, specifically on the Test championship, there is probably India and England, in particular, not very keen on the idea. They think the existing structure can work and they want to work with that first and if we can then overlay some sort of a Test championship, we'll try that -- as opposed to doing it the other way round, setting up a Test championship and then trying to fit the bilateral arrangements into place. Because we are also seeing at the moment on the existing Reliance Test championship table, if you want to call it that, a lot of interest over this number one spot, so, perhaps there is already a table that we have got into place that we could enhance in some form or another." LORGAT AT NEWS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 12th March 2009 01:49
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Sport
- Reuters ID: LVAC2X8QSPRJP4ERXP33574ZT8W3
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat says the organisation needs to promote the sport more and handle its finances responsibly.
International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said on Tuesday (February 24) that the organisation needs to promote the sport more and handle its finances responsibly.
He was speaking in the wake of the Allen Stanford saga. The Texan banker, a benefactor of cricket in the West Indies and organiser of a lucrative series of twenty20 competitions, has been charged with fraud and had all his assets frozen in the United States. The move has left the West Indies and England and Wales cricket boards and some of their players out of pocket and lead to cancellations of some fixtures.
After a meeting in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Lorgat told journalists: "...we are getting a bit more creative in terms of promoting the game, particularly Test cricket. So, yeah overall, we are not pleased by the drop in attendance and it is something that we want to try and be proactive about it and trying to get people to understand that Test cricket is a fabulous sport to watch, there is a lot of intrigue in it, there is a lot of skill in it, takes a lot of courage, a lot of endurance. So we want to build on those things that we believe make Test cricket very attractive."
Referring to finances, Lorgat said: "...what we have been kind of mindful of in the last couple of meetings is the issues around economics across the globe, you know, the impact on the sport, the impact on our commercial partners and the fact that we need to be responsible in the way we managing in tough times because we certainly do not regard ourselves as immune to the economic challenges in spite of the fact that we have got some pretty good contracts in place that last for an extended period of time. But we recognise that all of us will in one form or another be impacted by the economics that are a big challenge at the moment."
There will be another meeting on Wednesday, to discuss the abandonment of the second Test between the West Indies and England in Antigua on February 13 because of ground conditions. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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