Deon Sutherland Returned as President of Athletics Association

In other sports news, elections for the Belize Athletics Association were held on Saturday and Deon Sutherland was returned as its president. Sutherland has been at the helm of the association since 2014 and was given another four-year team to lead. For those who may not know, the B.A.A. is the only association that executes and organizes track and field events in the country. They work on tightening loose ends and working on logistics for national, regional and international meets. The three-term president speaks to News Five about the accomplishments over the years.

Deon Sutherland

Deon Sutherland, President, Belize Athletics Association

“It has been a heavy burden. It’s a voluntary position and you know when you have these voluntary position it takes a lot of out you, but when it is something that you love and you enjoy and you have that passion for, it’s not like work anymore. It is just fun and part of you. As much as it has a lot of building and developing the sport and our athletes, it has a lot to give you personally to ensure that what you are doing is in the right path for the country because when an athlete steps out there, they are stepping in the name of the country and you want to make the country proud every time. It is a task that is enduring. While we can say that we have done a lot, as a matter of fact, it has been about almost fifteen to twenty years that we had not received Olympic scholarships for our athletes. 2018, prior to the 2020 Olympics which were held in 2021, we actually got four scholarships in athletics. So that was a great feat for us.”