Kensington to become “global event hub”

If Ambassador Noel Lynch has his way, Kensington Oval’s reputation as a global event hub will be fully established by the end of the T20 World Cup.

Ambassador Lynch, the chairman of the National Organising Committee (NOC) for the T20 finals that run from June 1 to 29, declared ‘The Mecca’ has the potential to be seen in the same light as the world-acclaimed Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden venues.

“Once we create this major event hub, we’re sure that Barbados can host major events. We are going to actively engage in terms of . . . seeking to bring major events to Barbados,” he told journalists at a teleconference press briefing on Thursday.

“One of the things that we really want to come out of this World Cup is that Barbados and Kensington Oval become a major global event hub.

“My vision is that we should have a major event every quarter of the year, so three, four times a year, we should have a major event in Barbados. There are lots of global events that go a-begging and Barbados as a tourism-led economy, tourism-led jurisdiction, should be encouraging people to come to us and to have those events.”

Kensington Oval will host nine matches, including the final, with thousands of visitors expected to converge on the island.

Lynch, Barbados’ outgoing ambassador to the United States, maintained that Kensington Oval was much more than a cricket ground.

“It’s not just for cricket, it’s not even just for sports. Kensington Oval is an iconic venue. It’s the same way in which people know this is at Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden and that type of thing. As a total entertainment hub, [a] total major event hub is what we are seeking as one of the legacies of this World Cup,” he said.

Ambassador Lynch said technological advancements were coming to Kensington, which would allow it to transition to an entertainment hub seamlessly.

He explained that these improvements would help in reducing the possibility of damaging the cricket turf.

“The Prime Minister has raised the issue of dropping pitches at… Kensington Oval. That’s not going to happen for this World Cup, but it is our intention to really focus on dropping pitches in the very near future in the next year or two.

“And what will happen after that, is that if you have a dropping pitch, it means that you’ll be able to host a cricket match… and then be able to convert that to play soccer the next day. Those are the things that we can’t do now that we intend to do in the future. One of the legacies of this World Cup must be that Kensington Oval becomes this major event hub and that Barbados becomes a place where people believe and people are sure and people have seen that you can host major global events. That must be one of the legacy stories coming out of this work,” Ambassador Lynch added.

randybennett@barbadostoday.bb