Canoe Association Complying with Race but Boycotting Organizers

Paddlers in this year’s Belikin La Ruta Maya are gearing up to race, but they’re also gearing up to protest. Members of the Belize Canoe Association have agreed to follow every race rule this weekend, including the official finish line, but they’re making it clear that they’re not happy with the organizers. In a rare show of unity, teams say they’ll skip the after party events and refuse interviews with Love FM, the main broadcast partner, to send a message. Their decision came after Saturday’s Boom to Belize City race, when paddlers went straight from the river to a closed door meeting at Riverside Tavern. News Five was inside as association executives, sponsors, and paddlers weighed their options ahead of La Ruta Maya’s big kickoff.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

The Belize Canoe Association isn’t pleased with the last‑minute change to the finish line for this year’s Ruta Maya Race. But with the event just days away and so much already invested, the association says it can’t realistically take a hard stand against the organizers right now. Vice President of the Belize Canoe Association Elvin Penner presided over the spirited meeting.

 

Elvin Penner, Vice-President, Belize Canoe Association

“We have been disrespected as much as anybody could disrespect us on the Love FM morning show. The question is why the hell the Belize Canoe Association noh just shut up because they have nothing fi do with this race. They have no say in this race. Which is true but when they told us that they told you the paddlers and the fans and the sponsors that you also have no take in the race.”

 

The paddlers and sponsors shared their displeasure with organizers about route change and other concerns.

 

Carlos Linares, Paddler

“None of the paddlers they happy with the decision weh Love FM and Belikin they do noh. I mean da wa tradition. For thirty years, almost thirty years this da the ending ya and just fi mek them come up last minute and try change it and left the paddlers them out. We try reach out to them to give them our opinion and like they just ignore we. I mean without us the paddlers there wouldn’t be any race. They should take that into consideration. That’s why like every year they have less teams and less teams because they’re killing the sports.”

 

Team Sponsor

“Not everybody has money. We understand that you have to pay something right. But if da two dollars, three dollars they still going to make the money but come on when we have five, six kids, four five adults, where we going to get that money from? After we already spend that money on gas going to Cayo – same via-versa with Cayo people coming down to the River Valley area. Hotel? Come on! Now even to find sponsors, it’s very hard to find sponsors and supporters. This is crazy so back to the beginning, the main point is I want somebody to answer me and tell me who are the VIP’s because it seems the paddlers are slaves and not VIPs.”

 

Avis Guydis, Paddler

“Yes we know people donate cash prizes to the race. They pick whatever category they want to put it in. All I have been seeing is five hundred first female, five hundred male. That is not the only two categories in La Ruta Maya. What about intramural? What about mixed? What about C-Two? Pleasure? What about masters?”

 

Tensions are running high, and some fans and paddlers are even calling for a full boycott. But Canoe Association President Jesus Linarez says that’s just not realistic this year, teams have already invested too much to walk away now.

 

Jesus Linarez, President, Belize Canoe Association

“Everybody noh happy with how Love FM the move right, with the moving of the finish line and lot of other things right. However, the only way we could change this is if we come together right. However, we cant change it for this year because you know the race da Friday. So whoever still, we noh the boycott the race, so whoever still go out there the race has to respect them and respect the race. Because end of the day you have to work with them because you the race out deh. So I believe we can either make a change, of course together but ih noh wa be this year.”

 

By the end of the meeting, the group agreed that even though everyone has already invested too much to pull back from La Ruta Maya 2026, they still need to register their displeasure, especially as they brace for major changes next year.

 

Elvin Penner

“The first suggestion was accepted that we do not boycott the race. The second one was accepted that we boycott the coverage of Love FM’s race. We have already discussed that we want to properly obey all the rules to finish every day of the race so you are not robbed of the prize that you will be getting. The other question will be and I think we already got acceptation that we will finish every day the way they want us to finish it. Now the question becomes, do we also want to join their party everyday and become part of the beer drinking competition at the end of the race. I would rather a family atmosphere. Like I said before, if we get sponsorship for what we want to do, we will make things more comfortable for paddlers in any which way we can.”

 

Shane Williams for News Five.

 

MIDH Can’t Vouch for Safety of Haulover Riverbank

 

Ahead of La Ruta Maya, the ministry had already started clearing debris from Haulover Creek to keep paddlers safe. But once organizers shifted the finish line, those plans changed. Chief Engineer Evondale Moody says the ministry does this cleanup every year, but with the new route, they redirected the funds to other priority river projects in the Belize District. He also addressed safety concerns near Haulover Bridge.

 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer

“Every year the MIDH is asked for us to clear the channel along the Haulover Creek because during the years you have trees falling, you have debris that has accumulated within the channel. And so every year, MIDH go in and do a routine maintenance of that entire Haulover Creek to accommodate the race. It is something that I had signed off already on earlier this this year. I think I signed off on it in February. However, because of the change in location for the ending of the race we backed off a little bit because we didn’t see the need for us to expand funds where it’s not really necessary. And so those funds that we were going to use to clear that section, we’re using it to clear another creek within the city. So that’s what we’re going to do. But normally we are the one that, that go in and clear the area for them to pass through with the canoes.”

 

Shane Williams

“And is under a new Haulover Bridge and leading up to the old area, is that safe for people to gather?”

 

Evondale Moody

“As far as I’m aware, if you’re standing on the bridge, yes. The structure is a new structure, so the bridge is safe. I’m not sure about the banks. I can’t speak on that honestly. But from the bridge structure itself, yes. That is safe for them to be on top of the bridge structure.”

 

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: