Head-of-State Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali says that they have begun the process for naming sports facilities after sporting legends.
The President was speaking to Guyana Chronicle on the sidelines of the opening of the Anna Regina stadium.
“I believe we must celebrate our legends, and eventually we are going to get there. I know the minister of sports is going through a process; we have to identify a lot of people who contributed, and we have to have the criteria clearly laid out as to what level you contribute, and then we will move on from there.”
The country has for years shied away from naming sporting venues after Guyanese sporting heroes the likes of Clive Lloyd, Roger Harper, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul among others.
However, the President says plans are being made to have this change.
Meanwhile the Head-of-State said that there are numerous plans for the venue in the works for the Anna Regina National Stadium on the Essequibo coast.
“This is going to be amazing for Essequibo. I think it is the first opportunity for regional cricket and then an international tournament. Next year we are hoping that the CPL can bring the women’s tournament here; we are hoping that the Masters World Cup and a lot of the matches will be played here.”
Dr Ali noted the widespread interest that the stadium development has generated.
“Almost 40-50 people told us they came in for this game; people came in for this game. They came into this country, came into Essequibo for this game, from the USA and Canada. That tells you there is a market, a captive market in the diaspora market. It is there; we just have to optimize the use of the stadium and create the ecosystem to support it.”
This, the President says, suggests the presence of a diaspora market for local cricket, a market they will try to exploit to grow the game.
The facility has two stands, with two more set to be built, and a cricket pitch.
The government inaugurated the cricket stadium with a T20 Legends Match, featuring West Indian cricket royalty Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.