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JOHANNESBURG, Thursday, (AFP) - The supremo of the 2003 Cricket World Cup to be staged in South Africa on Wednesday promised spectacular opening and closing ceremonies that will celebrate and significantly empower black people.

Dr Ali Bacher, executive director of the ICC Cricket World Cup organising committee, said he had been inspired by what he experienced during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Bacher told a news conference here cricket's World Cup would stage the biggest opening ceremony, in the history of any South African and African sporting event, with about 5,000 volunteer peformers.

"I promise something bigger than anything that cricket has experienced before and on a scale that all South Africans should and will be proud of," Bacher said.

"We want to embrace all South Africans and for them to take pride in the fact our country is able to produce an opening ceremony of such splendour.

"We have confidence that the company running the show 'Ceremonies for Africa' has the skills and expertise to produce an event of this magnitude.

"It is envisaged about 5,000 volunteer performers will take part in the ceremony in front of an estimated 25,000 crowd."

"In winning the tender to organise the event, the company gave assurances black people will be significantly empowered by this event," he said.

This keeps in line with the policy that South African companies given commercial opportunities through the World Cup must have a black empowerment element.

The two-hour opening ceremony, which will be held at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on Saturday, February 8, will be broadcast live on television.

"It is our expressed hope that the television viewership worldwide will impact positively on our country because, among other things, we want tourism to benefit significantly from the opening ceremony and the World Cup."

The opening match, between South Africa and the West Indies, of the 54-match tournament will be played at Newlands on February 9.

The closing ceremony will take place at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg immediately after the final on March 13. 

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