Paddlers Received at Belcan Bridge with Drums and Roaring Cheers

The protest by paddlers in this year’s La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge reached an emotional moment when more than 20 canoes arrived at the Belcan Bridge to the sound of drums, music and loud cheers from hundreds of supporters.

The paddlers approached the bridge in a powerful show of unity. Canoes moved in a single straight line. No team raced ahead of another; they simply paddled together as one.

As they drew closer to the Belcan Bridge, teams raised their paddles and Belize flags in the air and waved.

Many paddlers said the protest was about defending the spirit of the race.

One paddler told News 5 Belize their decision to join the protest was simple. “The people are the ones that support us and motivate us and give us the strength to paddle.”

Another said, “This is about love; it’s about Belize. We don’t want the race to die out.”

Jesus Linares, president of the Belize Canoe Association, also paddled to Belcan in protest. He had been an active part of this movement by paddlers in organising their arrival at the traditional finish line. “A lot of people thought this was talking, but this was not all talking,” he said.

Raynard Humphreys, a former paddler, was present at the Civic Center, where paddlers made their way out of the river. “I am glad to have been part of this; it’s very historic,” he said. Despite being a spectator this year, he is in full support of the paddlers’ protest. “I am extremely impressed and proud to see that our Belizeans, for once, we stand up to something.”