Minister Mahler Sets Bold Vision for Youth and Sports  

After years of complaints about neglected facilities and limited opportunities for young athletes, Minister of Youth and Sports Anthony Mahler says it’s time for a major reset. Mahler is stepping in with a bold plan to revamp the ministry and restore confidence in its mission. He acknowledges that the road ahead won’t be easy, describing the task as “heavy lifting”—but one he’s ready to take on. We caught up with the minister to get his thoughts on the national budget recently presented by Prime Minister John Briceño, and whether it includes enough funding to support his ambitious goals for youth and sports development.

 

Anthony Mahler, Minister of Youth & Sports 

“ My original slogan was change agent. And I believe that I have shown the nation that I’m capable of leading these changes. When we got in, tourism was nothing. We were built it to record levels now and we’re putting in better fundamentals in it and for sustainability and for this organic growth that we need instead of exponential growth and youth transports are going to be the same thing, we come with a level of discipline. We come with a level of focus, we come with a plan to ensure that we meet the needs of this country. And like I said, youth and sports are too important for us not to get it right.”

 

Reporter

“Do you believe the ministry was given sufficient funds in this year’s budget to complete these goals that you want to accomplish?”

 

Anthony Mahler

“I believe it’s a start and I believe it’s a good start. And like I said, we will continue restructure, we’ll continue to become more efficient and we will continue to partner, like for example, sports. We should be partnering federations like the Golf Federation to ensure that they have developmental programs and that they have the adequate facilities, that they have the means of, of improving. In the game, just like basketball, just like volleyball, just like cricket. All of these things play a crucial role in the development of Belize.”