Category: Sports

The Belize Chess Federation is excited to send two talented chess players to Tegucigalpa, Honduras next week for a regional tournament. The stakes are high, as the winner will earn a spot at the Chess World Cup 2025. Nathaniel Reyes, a proud member of the Belize National Chess Team, shares more about this thrilling competition.

 

Nathaniel Reyes, Chess Player, Belize National Chess Team

“So the tournament is being hosted in Honduras, in Tegucigalpa and it’s a pretty big one. Many countries will be participating such as Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and more.  The tournament is going to consist of nine rounds, a Swiss system, with every match being ninety minutes with thirty seconds increment.  The tournament includes many prizes.  First place wins the person a coveted spot in the Chess World Cup, and second, third, fourth, fifth, and below come with cash prizes, trophies and more.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“Let’s talk a bit about your love for chess and your involvement with the sport at the federation level.”

 

Nathaniel Reyes

“Chess has always been a sport that I love dearly.  I learned how to play chess when I was eight years old.  My father taught me.  Chess has always been something that I play from time to time, over the years.  But as of a year ago, I started taking it a lot more seriously.  Last year was the first time that I represented Belize internationally in September, for the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.  I’d say that was the one event that really made me, really inspired me to pursue chess more seriously and professionally.”

 

Isani Cayetano

“How are you guys preparing, either individually or as a team at the federation level for the tournament on May thirteenth?”

 

Nathaniel Reyes

“So, as of right now the Belize Chess Federation is sending two players.  My teammate, Charlton Roches, and myself.  Me and my teammate, we’ve been getting together for practice games, studying together for the past few weeks and we feel like we’re well prepared for this tournament coming up.”

This morning, five primary schools in Belize City received a donation of baseball equipment. The schools include Saint Luke Methodist, Unity Presbyterian, Saint John Vianney, Saint Ignatius, and Saint Martin’s de Porres. The Baseball Federation of Belize provided the gear to help develop the sport at the primary level, as baseball is making a comeback across the country.

 

Carlyon Flores, President, Baseball Federation of Belize

“Belize has now become a member of the Babe Ruth Baseball family.  We are part of their charter, we have fostered very significant and meaningful relationships with the great Gary Matthews Sr., whom I had the privilege to call twice. He gave me access to his number so I could call him directly into his home which I have done and we spoke extensively.  He wants to come to Belize.  It’s something that we’re gonna work on.  Mr. Greg Burrowes who is the regional director of Babe Ruth Baseball, Caribbean Region, he is a very good friend of mine as well.  I give him many thanks because it is because of him that we have become a member of the Babe Ruth team.  Mr. Greg Burrowes also expressed his interest in coming to Belize and help with the development of baseball, him and his team.”

 

Lucien Dawson, Marketing Strategist, Baseball Federation of Belize

“Today is a day that baseball is moving forward.  Today is a day that we begin to plant a seed that we will be able too see something.  Just to give some context, sports has the potential to increase our economy.  One of the things that I have been researching is that sports doesn’t just affect sports.  Once we get this right, it affects also industries such as the food industry, such as the hospitality industry, such as the building industry as well, because the more attractions we bring to Belize, we need more stadiums, we need more staffing for those stadiums.  And one of the long-term goals of the Baseball Federation of Belize is that we have acquired ten acres of land in Biscayne Village.  That was the land available to us, but we want to thank the Ministry of Natural Resources for that aid for us, and one of that is for us to build a professional grade baseball system in Belize.”

 

A nineteen-year-old fisherman from Belize City is about to embark on the opportunity of a lifetime in Japan. Delbert Hinds has been fishing with his father since he was just two years old, a trade he’s known all his life. But in 2021, Hinds tried out for a national baseball team and discovered a new passion. Since then, he’s been balancing his time between fishing and baseball training. Now, his hard work has paid off. A minor league development team in Japan has noticed his talent and offered him a three-month contract. This could be the start of an exciting career in baseball for Delbert Hinds. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more on this inspiring story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

A Belize City fisherman is making waves in the world of baseball and has earned a contract to play in a minor league in Japan. Its commitment to baseball at all levels, from youth leagues to professional teams, and its cultural significance make Japan an important player in the global baseball scene. Nineteen-year-old Delbert Hinds has spent his entire life at sea with his father, catching and selling marine products at the Conch Shell Bay Fish Market. Hinds first tried baseball in 2021 when a U.S. national came to Belize to form a national team. As he recalls, he was supposed to go fishing with his father on the day of the tryouts.

Delbert Hinds, Baseball Athlete

“My coach Mr. Rene Habet came and said let us go to the tryouts. I came, I liked it and after that I came everyday to workout. I didn’t expect nothing from it. But for a while people started to say good job, good job and that kind of built up my self esteem and I continued to grow my level. I use to come out here on the field and they would call me big  for nothing, although they say that I take it as a positive reinforcement to try to prove them wrong, now I am good, up there with everyone and surpassing some of them. I don’t say I say I am better than anyone but hard work pays off. It beats talent every time.”

 

But Hinds’ stellar work ethics on the field is not the only reason why he has been excelling in baseball. He also has a strong support system. Jermaine Crawford, the organizer of the Belize Baseball League, has taken Hinds under his wing.

 

Jermaine Crawford, Organizer, Belize Baseball League

“I think we all know about the Cubs and Gary Mathews and all that lines up with that. In the late eighties, eighty-seven, Gary Mathews came to Belize and that started the little league baseball in Belize. But it only lasted until about ninety-two, ninety-three. Since then, we have been playing softball. Softball was before, it is still now, baseball is then, but we are back here in Belize. Not brining baseball back to Belize, but reviving the sport.”

 

One of Delbert’s coaches, Kazuhiro Shiiba, hails from Japan. Known as Kazu, he volunteers with the Belize Baseball League through a partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Thanks to Kazu’s guidance, Hinds has honed his pitching skills, reaching speeds of up to ninety miles an hour.

 

Kazuhiro Shiiba, Baseball Coach

“Specially I teach pitching mechanics for Delbert. He has good physical skills but not enough pitching skills, so I teach pitching skills. There is a team in Japan. They support players from foreign countries. So, they have a system to accept them to play baseball in better fields with better baseball staff. So he can go to Japan and play.”

 

Jermaine Crawford

“Delbert’s skills have reached the eyes of persons in other countries, primarily in Japan and through our JICA volunteer, Kazu he has gotten an opportunity with a minor league development team in Japan. So Delbert has been awarded a ninety-day contract, May one to July thirty to play in a minor league development program to play in Japan.”

 

Kazu hopes that Delbert will sign with another team in Japan once his current contract ends. For Delbert, this opportunity is a dream come true and a chance to support his parents in the long run.

 

Delbert Hinds

“My personal mission is to get somewhere to a higher level, to get signed and support my family. I have family here. I live with my mom only. So, to support her is my goal.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What do you think it will take to do that?”

Delbert Hinds

“Give it my best, a hundred percent, maybe a hundred and ten percent. I am going all out this time. I am going all out this time. I thought Mexico was my limit, like literally. I thought of it as fun, recreational sport. But people told me I could make it somewhere. So I took it upon myself to give it my all.”

 

Hinds is set to travel later in April. From fishing in the Caribbean Sea to playing baseball overseas, all his travel expenses and three-month stay have been covered by a generous donor in Belize. Now, all Hinds needs to do is showcase his determination and talent for Japan and the world to see.

 

Delbert Hinds

“I am relieved right now. I know I am going officially. So right now I am trying to stay injury free. But I give it my all here. We don’t have a baseball field to practice, so I practice softball. It is the same mechanically, then I have some of my friends that catch baseball for me.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

Ever heard of Pickleball? It’s one of the newest sports to hit the courts in Belize, and it’s quickly gaining popularity among tourists and expats. Players say it’s a game for everyone. Imagine tennis, but with paddles like those in ping-pong, played on a smaller court. In tonight’s edition of Belize on Reel, News Five’s Britney Gordon chats with some of the players who are working hard to bring Belizeans and foreigners together for a friendly game of pickleball. Here’s the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Anyone can play pickleball. It’s a two-to-four-player sport very similar to tennis, that has recently risen to popularity among racquet sport enthusiasts. The difference? A lower net, a smaller court, and racquets have been replaced with ping-pong-like paddles. These differences make for a low-intensity game, easy for children, elders and everyone in between to pick up. Over the past few years, the sport has exploded in popularity in the United States and has now hit the Belizean sporting scene. Recently, a group of pickleball enthusiasts hosted a national tournament in Placencia. One of the organizers, Linda Hayes, tells us why she believes pickleball has become so popular.

 

Linda Hayes, Tournament Organizer

“I think it’s because everybody can play. So we have people, sometimes we see families with kids here that come play, so we get to meet tourists that way. We also have a lot of retired people here that are older and they can still play. So even if you are maybe not in really good shape, you could still play. You’re not gonna play at the same level as some of the other people, but everybody can do it. I was terrible at racquet sports, so for me, it was sort of an adjustment, but it was the easiest one to learn. And again, it’s good exercise as well. So that’s really the reason I wanted something besides running because running’s a bit boring.”

 

While pickleball is easy to learn, finding a place to play can be a bit tricky. The court is relatively small, measuring just twenty by forty-four feet, which is crucial for the game’s rhythm and low intensity. Luckily, Sirenian Bay Resort in Placencia is encouraging both tourists and locals to dive into the sport. They offer their courts for tournaments, and you can reserve them any day for a small fee. John Binet, one of the tournament champions, has only been playing for about two years. He shared how they managed to bring players from all over the country together for some friendly competition.

 

John Binet, Pickleball Player

”We want to include as many people in Belize to come out. We have really good players in Placencia, really great players in Hopkins, and that’s who we play with. Our group here of twenty to thirty people. There are really great players in San Pedro and in other parts of the country, so we really wanted to get everybody to come together. It’s such a great time when you get a pile of people together. So that was our motivation. We had sixteen teams turn out, thirty-two people. We had a knockout and a round robin, played the whole tournament in about five hours. Had lots of prizes at the end and a really great time.”

 

Although Pickleball is a hit among expats and tourists, Belizeans haven’t quite caught on yet. But Hayes isn’t discouraged. Through her Facebook page, Placencia Pickleballers, she keeps promoting the sport and inviting the public to join in on the fun events.

 

Linda Hayes

“I would say that’s harder. So in our tournament, we had one local that played, David, and he comes here and plays a lot. So that’s great that we had him. We used to have a guy who worked at the resort that played all the time. He’s not here anymore. So that’s, that’s it. And so trying to get them, even though we have a Facebook page, it’s a bit harder. So I’m really hoping we can get more people to come out and play. And I think the problem is they don’t know about it.”

 

Sports such as basketball, volleyball, and football are among the most popular in Belize, but Binet is confident that athletes looking to branch out and try something new will quickly take a liking to pickleball.

 

John Binet

”My main sport was badminton growing up, and I find that in badminton, you play a lot of risks. There’s a lot of wrist action, whereas in tennis, there’s a lot of full-arm motion. Pickleball is right in between the two. So when you’re playing at the net, you can play with your wrist and when you’re back at the court, you can play with your arm. But the main difference is the court is smaller than a tennis court, and when you play doubles, you’re only playing in a small area with a partner. So it’s not like you’re running all over this big huge court and you have to have a cardio workout to play, depending on how you can control your shots, you don’t necessarily need to move a whole lot. So that’s why I think one of the main attractions between young people and old people is that it’s a lot less motion, easier to play from that perspective.”

 

Today, Hayes is at the forefront of encouraging people to play pickleball, but just four years ago, she was a newbie herself, learning the ropes in San Pedro. She credits the warm and welcoming community in Belize for making her feel comfortable enough to try something new and get into the sport.

 

Linda Hayes

“The people that play pickleball are extremely nice and don’t be afraid to come in and say, I don’t know what I’m doing. Can you help me? So a lot of us are intimidated to do something new, including me, I wouldn’t have just came out here and played by myself because I even know I’m. Not really shy at all. I still feel intimidated if I don’t know how to do something. But here I would say everybody, it’s the nicest place I’ve ever been. So if you come here and say, I don’t know who can kind of help me with it, you’ll find people all the time and they’ll tell you who you should be playing with and they will teach you the rules.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.

The past five days have been a whirlwind for the Belize Senior Men’s National Football team and the Football Federation of Belize. Belize suffered a crushing defeat, losing thirteen to one in aggregate goals against Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Prelims, which means they won’t be advancing to the Gold Cup. Adding to the turmoil, several team members sat out the first match in protest over what they consider unfair compensation from the federation. A regional sports journalist, who was in Belize for the initial match, went viral after calling Belize one of the most disorganized teams in the region. This has fueled demands for the resignation of FFB President Sergio Chuc and his executive team. Meanwhile, the newly appointed Minister of Sports, Anthony Mahler, has pledged to transform sports in Belize. News Five’s Paul Lopez has more on this story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Football fans across the country are demanding the resignation of the entire Football Federation of Belize (FFB) management. These calls have grown louder following Belize’s crushing defeat by Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Prelims. The FFB operates under FIFA regulations and is independent of the Government of Belize, so these demands might be futile, unless FIFA steps in. When we spoke with FFB President Sergio Chuc on Monday, he insisted that there were no major issues within the national team.

 

On the Phone: Sergio Chuc, President, F.F.B.

“The fact is that there are no major issues. There are errors that come up along the way and as soon as they come me always do our best to address them. The truth is we were not expecting to beat Costa Rica; it was almost impossible. But at the same time we were not expecting to get the seven trashing, we were hoping the results would have been two or three max.”

 

Chuc is talking about the first leg of the match on Friday night at the FFB Stadium. After the game, Head Coach Charles Slusher shared that key players had abandoned the team in protest over what they believe to be unfair compensation.

 

Charles Slusher, Head Coach, Belize National Selection

“If you guys know the history, this has been happening. Before every game there is a controversy over money and everything else. I will always fight for my players to get their rewards and just.”

Players receive a daily stipend of one hundred dollars, but only if they attend both training sessions. When traveling, this amount doubles to two hundred dollars. Regional Sports Journalist Yashin Quesada, who was in Belize covering the match, claimed that Belize has the most disorganized team in the region.

 

Yashin Quesada, Sports Journalist

“I’ll just give you two anecdotes about this to see the difference. You saw the photo of the bus. Costa Rica has a luxury bus.  Belize national team had a little bus for like the local line, not a luxury bus. They were demanding fifty Belize dollars, which is twenty-five American dollars, for travel expenses. Listen, that is why two players resigned. I was waiting for the Belizean federation for a taxi because not like here where I ask for a taxi practically anywhere. There are no private platform. One young man appeared and said that he is a taxi and will take me. He was one of the midfielders for the Belize National Team. We played against possibly the most disorganized team in the entire area with the least resources.”

 

Belize’s performance in the second leg of the match has sparked heavy criticism from the public. The game, played on Tuesday night at Costa Rica’s National Stadium, saw Team Belize fall six goals to one. Costa Rica scored three goals within the first seven minutes. Belize’s Carlos Bernardez managed to score the team’s only goal. After the defeat, newly appointed Minister of Sports, Anthony Mahler, took to Facebook to reassure Belizeans that sports in the country will be restructured, reset, and reimagined, reinforcing his commitment from last week.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Sports (File: Mar 19, 2025)

“Minister Devin Daly and I have the will and the urgency and the drive to get it done. You will see marked improvement within the first hundred days, I assure you and the nation of that. We nuh come fuh play, we come to work serious.”

However, it’s still unclear what Minister Mahler and his Minister of State, Devin Daly, can do to get involved in the affairs of the FFB, given that the organization primarily answers to FIFA. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

March is International Women’s Month, and the women of the Belize Coast Guard, Belize Defense Force, and Belize Police Department have started their celebrations with a bang. This morning, they kicked off day one of the Wonder Woman Competition 2025. This exciting three-day event is designed to test their endurance and strength through various challenges and boost team morale. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Who will emerge victorious in the Wonder Woman Competition 2025? That’s the question on everyone’s mind as the women of the Belize Coast Guard, Belize Defense Force, and Belize Police Department compete. For nearly a decade, these women have come together to foster camaraderie and test their strengths. Lieutenant Commander Jasmine Bellini of the Belize Coast Guard is coordinating the event, and she shares her hopes for the competition’s outcome.

 

Lt. Cdr. Jasmine Bellini, Coordinator

“The objective of this is just, especially during Women’s Month, to just have an outlet when it comes to expressing your being as a woman working together, the competitive nature, competing, representing your organization, and something outside of just the normal day-to-day routine. And it’s mostly to build morale and represent your unit and represent your organization and represent yourself as a woman in Belize.”

 

Day one kicked off with a series of five grueling challenges under the sweltering heat. First up was the Annual Personal Fitness Test (APFT), where participants tackled sets of sit-ups, pushups, pullups, and ran laps around the compound. Later, the women returned for a two-mile run and a mile swim. We caught up with Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo of the Belize Coast Guard Alphas after she completed the first round of the event.

 

 

Lt. Cdr. Alma Pinelo, Competitor, Belize Coast Guard

“Right now we’re feeling good. You never know what the teams will do in terms of the pushups and situps. I know for Iran we did really good. We pushed ourselves really hard, so it’s a team effort. So it doesn’t matter that if I did it in fifteen minutes and my team does it in twenty, the overall time will be twenty minutes. But we’re feeling good. I think that we’re pretty much close neck and neck would be there for this point.”

 

The three-day event began as an internal competition for the women of the Belize Coast Guard but was later extended to other participants. The Belize Defense Force team, Phoenix, are the reigning champions and are back to defend their title. Lance Corporal Suliany Paquil says her team is ready for the challenges ahead.

 

Lance Corporal Suliany Paquil, Competitor, Belize Defense Force

“The energy is very active. At first I was nervous and I believe everybody is nervous, but I think we went there and did a great job. We are very energetic. We have a lot of strength. And then this first APFT is, of course I know it in my head and in my teammates head that we did better.”

 

Back for the third time is the Belize Police Department’s team, Police Bravehearts. Assistant Superintendent Jane Usher explains that while the team remains the underdogs, they are excited for the opportunity to build connections with other women and push beyond their limitations.

 

 

Jane Usher, Competitor, Belize Police Department

“ We lose every year, but the third year is a charm, so this year we’re going for it. But like I said, we’re new to it. We’re learning, we’re fielding our girls even while they’re working. We are just giving it our best for the department and for the  love of the competition and the effort the Coast Guard is putting in. And to give that rivalry between our departments, build a comradery and go for it as best as we can to show the girls, to show the department that we have what it takes to compete and to do well.”

 

Training for the event commenced in December last year, with participants working hard to build their endurance and speed. While the event certainly challenges their physical capabilities, Bellini emphasizes its success in boosting team morale and fostering teamwork.

 

Lieutenant Commander Jasmine Bellini

“It also brought out a sense of competitiveness and pride, so apart from that use. See a different energy when it comes to the women that are competing. Even for the supporters that are here supporting the women, they all want to see their teams do good. And a part from that, you see them interacting with each other. It’s cause most of it is the females coming to support other females. So even though we have our own respective teams that we’re cheering on. We’re also making connections and talking to the women from the other service, which is also part of the competition to get to know other women in your force, your organization, and uplift each other whether we’re winning or not.”

 

The challenge concludes on Friday with a shooting competition at the Hattieville Gallery Range, after which scores will be tallied and a winner declared. Britney Gordon for News Five.