As we told you earlier in the newscast, Belize's basketballers and footballers are doing their thing regionally, but tomorrow will witness another send off to a group of athletes scheduled to participate in the 2011 World Summer games to be held in Athens, Greece.
The country has competed before in Track and field, but this year is fielding a team of Special Olympics athletes that will compete in ' 5 a side football' for the first time.
National Director of Belize's Special Olympics, Piero Marin says financial constraints have made it difficult for Belize to participate in more than one sports discipline. Marin says choosing football was easy because of its worldwide popularity and the wide appeal the sport has amongst the youth of Belize.
Piero Marin, National Director of Belize's Special Olympics
"The fact that football is so popular and we could get more people involve in Special Olympics. That was the main reason why we choose to have football and the reason why we are only participating in football is primarily due to finances. Because sending off a delegation to Athens, Greece - a 12 member delegation is costing us $29,380.00 and so if we wanted other athletes to take a long to participate in other disciplines it would have cost us a lot more and so primarily its financial reasons."
Jim McFadzean
"How were the athletes chosen?"
Piero Marin
"Mr. Andy Aspinal and 3 coaches sat together namely Mr. Andy Aspinal, Mr. Charles Gutierrez and Mr. Raymond Sanchez and they observe the athletes because we had first 100 athletes' football players and we narrow it down to 50 and then to 20 people and then they started eliminating and it was based on their performance on the field. So it was the 3 coaches who determine who was going to represent Belize."
Jim McFadzean
"How confident are you that this team is going to perform well?"
Piero Marin
"I am very confident."
And the delegation got a much needed financial boost today when British High Commissioner, Pat Ashworth stopped by with a check worth Three Thousand and fifty dollars, proceeds from a fundraiser held at this year's Agriculture show.
Pat Ashworth, British High Commissioner
"We had the national agricultural and trade show coming up and we approach Supreme Foods who supplied BATSUB with food - ask if they could donate some material that we could sell, so send sends us loads of British style sausages, bacon that we sold on the two days of the trade show and we raise #3,050.00 and so we are really happy to be able to do this and at the same time of course the Olympics are in London next year and the Special Olympics is part of the Olympics family and so we ask London if they would send is some Olympic material and we manage to get everybody these sweat shirts and hats so that they look a good team. We are pleased to help."
The World Summer Games will be held from June 25th thru the 4th of July.
Email
Print