 USA can Celebrate the ICC are Coming IslandStats.com
In a media release, the ICC attributed the decision to a strong strategic desire for the ICC to see cricket develop more rapidly in the USA and the temporary nature of the Toronto Blue Jays location.
The release noted that the ICC Executive Committee and Board had agreed to the move in October 2015. In December 2015, the organization announced its first Youth Participation seminar in Colorado Springs. The seminar, which was held in February 2016, gave many in the cricket community a first glimpse of the city's massive sports infrastructure.
Tim Anderson, Head of Global Development for the ICC, wrote that several potential cities were assessed as part of ICC's due diligence process. Colorado Springs is home to the US Olympic Committee and to the governing bodies for a variety of sports including bobsled, fencing, skating, basketball, boxing, cycling, judo, field hockey, hockey, swimming, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling.
"The Colorado Springs Sports Corp has demonstrated a strong desire to host the ICC Americas office, and as part of their support package, we are in discussions about the possibility of developing a new cricket facility in Colorado Springs," Tim Anderson wrote, adding that he expected the office to commence operations in the next 3-4 months. A recruitment process to appoint new staff in the Colorado Springs office will commence shortly, Anderson noted.
This is not the first time the ICC has had a local presence in the USA. In 2004, the ICC launched its Project USA and appointed Gary Hopkins as its Chief Executive for the project. The goal of that project was to bring one-day international cricket in the United States and to use the revenue from the events to invest in professional staffing, coach education and facility development. The project was suspended in February of 2005 following a period of acrimony and suspension of USACA elections.
Announcing the suspension, Malcolm Speed, then CEO of the ICC said, "At this stage we are not able to recommend to the ICC Full Members that they participate in Project USA given the unsatisfactory state of governance in the USA." The ICC appears to be on firmer grounds this time around.
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