PM, KOMI chairman declare readiness of cricket stadium for T20 World Cup

he work to refurbish the iconic Kensington Oval has received high praise and a passing grade from Damien Gaskin, the chairman of the state-owned Kensington Oval Management Inc. (KOMI), and Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

And while those attending a town hall meeting after a day of tours of the upgraded facility generally agreed it was money well spent, they urged authorities to not only focus on maintenance but ensure that nearby residents, taxi operators and vendors get a fair piece of the benefits that will roll in.

With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup now just three days away, the 142-year-old ground which saw its first international match in 1895, is just about ready for the tournament’s first group stage match here on Sunday.

The venue will host nine matches, including the June 29 final.

Gaskin pointed to the infrastructural improvements, including upgrades to the bathroom facilities, the inclusion of a three-tier hospitality suite, upgrades to the media centre and the erection of a temporary stand with 2 500 seats.

But “the single biggest upgrade”, said Gaskin, was the installation of 468 LED lights, making Kensington Oval “one of the brightest stadiums in the world”.

The playing field has also received a makeover, with Gaskin describing it as looking “immaculate, like a carpet” thanks to the efforts of the Barbados Cricket Association ground staff.

The cricketing stadium was already eyeing non-cricket events in the Oval’s future phases, including a retractable field cover to host non-cricket events without damaging the grass, and the implementation of drop-in pitches for tennis and even WWE wrestling matches.

The future also holds plans for an indoor facility.

“We want to have a world-class indoor facility to ensure that our teams, from youth to adults, can train effectively using the latest technology,” Gaskin explained.

Kensington Oval has taken steps towards energy efficiency by installing solar panels on every roof, creating an 800-kilowatt system expected to save “hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in electricity”. The goal is to make the venue as carbon-neutral as possible.

Next month’s tournament is expected to provide a significant boost to tourism. The National Organising Committee’s Chairman Ambassador Noel Lynch revealed that flights to the island are fully booked, with hotel occupancy projected to reach 100 per cent throughout June.

“We have more visitors in Barbados than we’ve ever had,” he said. “All the planes coming into Barbados in June are full. The hotels, which were only 50 per cent full a month ago, are now 85 per cent full and expected to be fully booked throughout June.”

He also highlighted the global exposure: “Imagine 900 million people watching the World Cup, all focused on the home of the finals—Barbados.”

For Prime Minister Mottley, the refurbished Oval holds deep significance for national pride. She recounted her first act as prime minister in 2018 was to ensure the West Indies could play England at the venue in 2019.

“Despite the hurdles of debt and the pandemic, we set out to achieve this,” she declared. “We received confirmation of hosting the World Cup media centre quietly in August, and seeing all that has been done now is truly a moment of great pride.

“We want to show our pride in things uniquely Barbadian. Kensington Oval is more than just a stadium; it’s a symbol of our heritage and our future. Let’s continue to build on this legacy.”

Despite the optimism by Gaskin and Mottley and many attendees, there were some concerns raised that taxi operators could be shut out of potential business because of traffic restrictions, including no parking in the environs of the Oval.

Questioned about whether accommodations would be made for those individuals, the prime minister responded: “I will ask the deputy prime minister to meet with the taxi body as a whole…. Part of the difficulty that we have where Kensington is located, is that you would know that there is not a lot of parking here, and therefore the government is seeking to create park-and-ride. So I would ask you to meet, make your representations to the deputy prime minister who is minister of transport, and we can factor that into what we are doing.”

The prime minister was met by West Indies Women’s captain, Barbadian Hayley Matthews as they escorted the championship trophy into the ground.

Matthews told Barbados TODAY: “I think it’s great to see what has been done at Kensington. Obviously, a lot of work has been put in over the last few months to get [it] over to where it’s at now, so it’s just beautiful to see.So many new features, and I think there’s going to be a really big atmosphere in here when the World Cup does start.”

Also taking in the atmosphere during the open day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works Santia Bradshaw highlighted the infrastructural improvements around the venue and the collaborative efforts across ministries to prepare for the global event.

She told Barbados TODAY: “We’ve been able to play a significant part in not only getting the roads ready, preparing the areas and the facilities, the infrastructure in and around Kensington, but it has helped us in terms of accelerating our other programmes as well,” she said. “We’ve been able to work collaboratively with a lot of ministries to be able to get the cities cleaned up across the country.

“And I’m excited that we are able to host not only locals from cricket, but also to invite the rest of the world to Kensington, and to show what Barbados certainly has to offer, and to display a lot of our talents and our creativity, and our athletes and stuff, to the rest of the world.” (RG)