Moreover, crucial figures in organizing the games had almost no experience in staging international events and were products of an insular Indian political culture where cronyism and nepotism often trump competence.
Pat McQuaid, the president of the cycling union, known as U.C.I., said Friday that he would suspend and fine cyclists and teams that enter the race and also bar Amaury and members of the French Cycling Federation from staging international competitions.
The stadium is dominated by a 16th-century Dutch fortress and, having been damaged in the devastating tsunami in 2004, it became a symbol of Sri Lanka's reconstruction efforts when it was restored to be once more capable of staging international cricket.
The protesters also redirected their complaints to a wide range of issues, from corruption and poor public services to the cost of staging international football tournaments.
A spokesman for Mowden Park RFC said talks were already taking place with the Rugby Football Union about the possibility of staging international fixtures at The Arena.
ECB chief executive David Collier said the governing body recognised that Glamorgan had made "considerable investment into developing and upgrading the Swalec Stadium" and that it wanted to help them develop "a sustainable long-term business plan for staging international cricket".
