Newly-announced chairman of the local organising committee for the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 Men’s World Cup final, Noel Lynch, is of the belief the event can accrue benefits for Barbados and Barbadians.
Furthermore, Lynch has no qualms with demiting office as Barbados ambassador to the United States for his new post.
A former minister of tourism from 1999 to 2008, Lynch’s ambassadorship comes to an end this month after four years since taking up the post in January 2019.
Lynch told Weekend Nation that he would not go into great detail on World Cup plans until he officially assumes the chairmanship, but he did give some early insight on what he hopes to see from the showpiece event.
“This particular role, I think, is a critically important role for Barbados at this time in our development. We’ve hosted two other World Cup [finals] 2007 and 2010, and I think, particularly in 2007, I know that some people were left still questioning what the value of that cricket World Cup was to Barbados. At that time, I served as minister of tourism and international transport, and I am one to tell you that I thought the cricket World Cup in 2007 did a lot more for Barbados and for Barbadians than people give it credit for,” said Lynch, who identified his role as deriving benefits for the country and its citizens from the big finale.
“We intend to utilise this particular World Cup to ensure that Barbadians garner benefits pre, during, and post the event, and that, I think, is my assignment. What is important is this – that we ensure that benefits accrue to Barbadians before, during, and after that World Cup. In 2007 they did accrue, not maybe as much as we would have estimated, but let me say this, the best years Barbados has ever had in terms of ‘dollar spend’ in tourism were in 2008 and in 2009.
“That was, in my opinion, substantially attributed to the World Cup of cricket and the World Cup of golf which were both held in 2007. The most money Barbados ever earned in tourism, it earned in 2008 and 2009, not just arrival figures, but dollars spent. The most we have ever earned in foreign direct investment came in 2008 and that is attributed, in my opinion, in great measure to those two World Cups,” he said.
The former minister of tourism and former Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) chief executive officer told Weekend Sport he was pleased to serve the country as ambassador and was looking forward to the new undertaking.
“I’ve been here in the United States for five and a half years. Nobody stays in a diplomatic posting that long . . . that long in a diplomatic posting is a pretty long period of time. It has been my pleasure to serve the people of Barbados in this capacity, but you always need to move on. My contract comes to an end in 2024 so I was coming home anyhow,” said Lynch, who served as minister of tourism when Kensington Oval hosted the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup.
He was appointed by former Prime Minister, the late Owen Arthur in a cabinet reshuffle in February 2006.
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