Indian Sponsors are happy with matches in Trinidad: Ministers

Port of Spain, Mar 17 (UNI) Indian team's presence here to play their group league matches in the Cricket World Cup has given a tremendous boost to the sponsors and also has helped the tourism industry in this island.

The "brown package" of 2007 World Cup games awarded to Trinidad involving three teams from the sub-continent -- India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh -- has come as a huge boost, not just this capital city, but also to the sponsors of this mega-event.

"This has turned out well for the country because of the presence of the India team," sports minister Roger Boynes has said.

With a bulk of the World Cup sponsors being from the sub-continent, they were happy that all of the preliminary Group B games were being played here in Port of Spain, the minister felt. "A lot of the Indian sponsors are the ones that carry the World Cup and world cricket and they are very pleased with the way their team is being treated here." Mr Boynes said that Trinidad and Tobago was a little disappointed not to host a single game involving the West Indies, captained by national icon Brian Lara, but since the decision had been taken by the International Cricket Council, they had no issues.

"In terms of sponsorship, the ICC needed to make sure that the Indian team were based in a country where they had supporters and felt comfortable. It is important for the sponsors, that the countries involved feel they are getting the best support and in this regard Trinidad and Tobago has done an excellent job so far." Meanwhile, Mr Boynes' cabinet colleague and national security minister Martin Joseph has stressed on the need to increase security measures for the World Cup.

"Security arrangements in place in the country for the World Cup are minimal and need to be increased. We are responsible to conduct the tournament peacefully and successfully and we will not lower our guard as long as the tournament is on here," he said.

Mr Joseph said the teargas incident last week at a local five star hotel, on the floor where the Pakistan team was staying, was still under investigation.

He said security had been beefed up at and around the hotels where teams and officials were staying in Trinidad. "We have heightened security across the board," he added.

UNI