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”Bruk” Belize Banned From CODICADER For Two Years
posted (July 5, 2017)

Every year, Belize’s best young athletes look forward to the CODICADER - which is where Central America’s elite student athletes in all disciplines meet to compete under their national flags.  But this year, scores of young Belizean athletes will be disappointed because Belize is being sanctioned, basically, we won't be able to participate.  And the reason?  Well, the usual, “no money noh dehâ€￾.  Except it’s not that there isn't enough money to send a contingent; the problem is CODICADER is asking the Government to host the CODICADER special athletes competition.  That's what Government doesn't have the money for.  And because of that event organizers are expected to ban Belizean athletes from the games for two whole years!  Today we asked the Minister of Sports to explain

Hon. Patrick Faber- Minister of Education, Youths and Sports
“Yes that is a decision that we made because we are not able to, financially, host the games. If you recall it was just last year that we hosted the regular games and that came at a pretty penny for us. And within a one year period for the request to be made then that we must host the special games, was a bit too much for us. It is unfortunate that because we are unable to host the games this will cause us to be black-listed.â€￾

Jules Vasquez
“Scores of children will be denied an opportunity to participate in these regional games, I believe it’s in October, for two years it appears. The sanction has not been made official but I understand that that’s what the sanction will be.â€￾

Hon. Patrick Faber- Minister of Education, Youths and Sports
“Yes, but we don’t have the money to do it. We are still recovering, in fact, from the last CODICADER games that were held last year. That’s why I’m saying that it’s a bit unfair that we were asked to then host the special games. So to sanction a country and then have them not participate and, as you put it, deny scores of Belizeans, in this instance, the opportunity to participate is not ideally; there must be another way of working it out. We really feel, like you, that it’s unfair to our athletes. But that’s what it is we simply do not have the funds to host those games at this time.â€￾ 

The official letter from CODICADER specifying the sanction has not come to Belize;s ports council yet, but it is expected next week.  Faber says he will make an appeal to reverse this at the next Meeting of SICA Sports Ministers…

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