GEORGETOWN, Guyana-
Guyana's capital will not be sufficiently prepared to host cricket's biggest event next year unless the municipal budget is boosted and local laws beefed up, the city's mayor said Thursday.
Mayor Hamilton Green said the capital of Georgetown needs money to deal with matters ranging from police overtime to garbage pickup. He also said fines must be increased to deter visitors from littering and obstructing sidewalks and roadways during the tournament, which is expected to draw 25,000 fans to the South American country.
"We are unprepared," said Green, a former prime minister. "The state needs to give us millions more to prepare for the cricket."
The comments come following reports earlier this year that some of the nine nations designated to host cricket World Cup matches would not be prepared in time.
Green said Georgetown, which is home to nearly a third of the nation's population, could be ready "in a matter of months if only … the state sees it fit to work more with us in increasing our budget significantly."
Guyana is slated to host six Super Eight preliminary matches at its new cricket stadium beginning in late March. Sixteen teams will compete in the World Cup, which runs from March 11 to April 28.
Local cricket officials say that new hotels are springing up and roads are getting fixed to cope with the expected influx of visitors.
Organizers are completing negotiations with an amusement water park and the boy scouts to set up tents and camps to house some cricket fans. Guyana has also asked citizens to convert their homes to bed and breakfast accommodations.
It's the first time the cricket World Cup is being held in the Caribbean. Several host countries are scrambling to finish renovations or construction of new stadiums, while also trying to find innovative ways to house the 100,000 fans expected to attend matches.
