Belizean Youth Shine at Super Nationals Showcase in Belize City

Today, Belize kicked off day one of Super Nationals, a showcase designed to attract university scouts and create pathways to international opportunities. This premier nationwide youth sports tournament was launched elevate the level of school in Belize and highlight the nation’s top athletes. Day one of the event took place at the Belize Civic Center, where dozens of young volleyball players showed off their skills. We spoke with Sports Minister Anthony Mahler today, who explained that resources are being directed toward creating an environment where athletes can thrive and compete at higher levels.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Sports

“We want to start to have programs geared towards development. More programs for development, honing your skills. And the only way we can do that is to see the best athletes across the country, and then we bring them in and to be trained properly at a high level. We have had to do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of organizing the National Sports Council and the Ministry of Youth and Sports. And so that process goes on. Right now we’re working on a national sports policy, a policy strategy as well, strategies for both. And we’re operating much better now. I think more things are organized. We still have a ways to go but it doesn’t happen overnight. And so we’re working with the federations, we’re working with the associations, we’re working with the organizations that focus on youth to ensure that we have the necessary programs to help them develop, whether it’s sports or youth.” 

 

Isani Cayetano

“When you look at the annual budget allotted for sports, for instance, some people would say it’s woefully low or small compared to other ministries that actually deal with either human development or any other form of social programs. How does this particular budget stack up in terms of what you need it to do for the development of these young athletes in this country?”

 

Anthony Mahler
“It’s improving. It’s not where we want it to be. It’s improving. And but you have to prove yourself in what you’re investing the resources in. And so we’re fixing up the facilities. We’re having these types of programs. We’re working with the federations. We’re working with the Olympic Committee to ensure that we can compete rather than just participate in international meets or regional meets, and especially here at home, providing an environment where these young people can engage in something positive.”

 

The event is split into two phases with primary schools taking place on June twenty- second and twenty-third, while the high school level spans from June twenty-ninth to July third.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

Watch the full newscast here: