The Kumasi Venue Organizing Committee (KVOC) for the CAN 2008 tournament on Friday launched the local version of the tournament at a grand ceremony in Kumasi. The ceremony was attended by a cross section of the Metropolis including heads of departments, agencies and organizations as well as members of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC). Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah, Ashanti Regional Minister, said it behoved on the residents to be supportive and actively engage in the programmes of KVOC and Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to ensure a successful tournament. "Kumasi has since time immemorial been noted for its hospitality and we expect residents and football fans to continue with this attitude when the tournament kick-starts to retain the good image of the city", he noted. Mr Owusu-Ansah said the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) in collaboration with the KVOC and KMA had stepped up efforts in making sure that work on all the designated training pitches, hotels, restaurants and the Baba Yara Sports Stadium were completed on time to ensure a successful commencement of the tournament. "We are leaving nothing to chance but would endeavour to meet the deadline of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) so as to forestall any disappointment". Mr Owusu-Ansah said the RCC has also stepped up efforts to upgrade all tourist attractions and historical sites and are committed to the beautification of Kumasi city in order to attract the needed patronage and its economic benefits. The Regional Minister said the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) was also working around the clock to ensure maximum security for all the sporting loving public who would come to Kumasi to watch the tournament. Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Chairman of KVOC, said work on all designated projects earmarked for the tournament were in progress and expressed satisfaction with the work done so far. He said to ensure a successful tournament, the local organizing committee was currently conferring with management of Metro Mass Transport (MMT) to provide free buses that would commute football fans to and from various areas to the stadium to ensure good patronage. Nana Adusei Poku, Akyempimhene of Kumasi, who chaired the ceremony, commended the KVOC for their dedication to duty and urged residents of the metropolis to be law-abiding during the tournament. Source: GNA