Cup planners hail insurance coup

The international insurance market is saying they believe the event is going to take place Chris Dehring

World Cup organisers are celebrating after securing an insurance package worth £53 million for the 2007 event to be staged in the Caribbean.

Chris Dehring, managing director of the tournament, said all eight host nations were involved in the single policy.

He went on: "Some of the countries now realise that they could do everything their contract tells them.

"But if another country doesn't deliver, this event could be taken away and we would have all fallen down."

Dehring, speaking at a new conference in Kingston, Jamaica, added: "The good news is that our plan has allowed us to replace the entire event insurance internationally.

"At least the international insurance market is saying that [they] believe the event is going to take place.

"The progress that is being made against these plans gives [them] confidence to accept the risk that this event is not going to be moved from the Caribbean."

Some people in the region remain sceptical about the organisers' ability to pull off the World Cup in 22 months time.

Saturday's announcement was intended to silence those doubters.