Putting Profits Over Paddlers?

As organisers consider changes to the long-standing route of the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge, questions are growing over whose interests are being served.

Elvin Penner, vice president of the Belize Canoe Association, says the association plays no role in planning the Ruta Maya. “We are simply spectators,” he explained, adding that the group should be included since its priority has always been the paddlers.

Penner argues that the race is no longer centred on athletes and sponsors. “It has become very much a personal business, a money-type of thing,” he said.

When it comes to a possible change to the finish line, Penner says he remains unconvinced. “Personally, I cannot speak a whole lot on it because I have yet to hear the real reasons why they wanted to move that finishing line,” he said.

He also believes the change could come with costs for fans. “I believe, and I’m almost sure of this, there will be a pretty hefty charge to enter the grounds where the race is not going to be finishing, which will cut back participation by a lot,” he said.

For him, the biggest concern is losing the excitement that has defined the race for decades. Since it began in 1998, the final stretch through the Belize City channel has often decided the winner. Penner explained that the heavy water makes it tougher, and that’s where “you separate the men from the boys.”

He believes the way forward is to put paddlers and sponsors back at the heart of the race. Organisers, he says, should focus on the athletes who sacrifice on the river and the sponsors who make competition possible. Without sponsors, teams could never afford the ten to fifteen thousand dollars it takes to compete.

Meanwhile, organisers say security concerns at the Civic Center have prompted the review. Roberto Harrison, Vice Chair of the Committee, told News Five, “The Civic Center is too open, and we need to have better control of what happens.”

A final decision on the finish line is still pending.