Belize Host First Ever Sports Summit
Good evening Belize, I’m Shane Williams bringing you another exciting edition of Sports Monday brought to you by the National Sports Council of Belize. Stakeholders from across the sporting landscape are being brought around one table with one objective: building Belize through sport.
The first National Sports Summit takes place Wednesday and Thursday at the Belize City Civic Centre, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Youth, Sports and Diaspora Relations and the National Sports Council. And organizers say this is intended to be more than talk. The summit will examine the state of Belizean sport from governance and facilities to participation barriers and athlete support before developing priorities, responsibilities and measurable targets for follow-through. Eight areas will drive the discussion, including stronger governance and accountability, youth and community sport, athlete welfare and safeguarding, coaching and high performance, facilities, health and active living, financing, and sports tourism.
And adding international star power to the conversation is Marion Jones, former Olympian, NCAA basketball champion and WNBA player who is scheduled to speak on “From Small Countries to Global Greatness.” By the end of the two days, organizers expect a Sports Summit Declaration, a proposed 2026-to-2031 Sports Action Agenda, practical recommendations and a partnership and investment pipeline. Most importantly, there will be a follow-through mechanism designed to ensure the summit produces implementation not simply another list of recommendations.
In cycling, Belize was well represented in Clasica Azuero UCI America Tour in Panama. Derrick Chavarriah placed third in Sunday’s race, while young phenom Jaylen Briceno won the bronze medal in the U-23 category.
This weekend there were a series of exciting games in the Mundialito U-13 and U-15 categories over the weekend. This tournament is once again providing opportunities for the football stars of tomorrow to shine and hone their skills. We say a huge big up to the coaches, parents and organizers involved.
Well, that’s all we have for you tonight folks. Before we close let me remind you to attend Belize’s first ever sports summit starting Wednesday at the Belize Civic center. Once again this edition of Sports Monday is brought to you by the National Sports Council of Belize. Remember, friendly competition unites and balling is life so Keep balling Belize!
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.
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