Will Belize Send More Athletes to the Olympics in 2028?  

This weekend, the 2024 Paris Olympics came to an end and the athletes hailing from all over world returned to their home countries. Hundred-meter sprinter, Shaun Gill carried the title of Belize’s sole Olympian this year, garnering international support. The next summer Olympics games are to be held in Los Angeles, California in 2028 and with four years to prepare many are wondering if Belize will be able to send a larger team to the event. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the answers.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

From swimming to golfing, from canoeing to tennis, whatever your favorite sport may be, there is a chance that it is one of the forty events held at the Olympics. Every four years, athletes from across the globe gather to compete while viewers at home eagerly watch to see who will take home the gold medals and make their country proud. This year, hundred-meter sprinter Shaun Gill was the only athlete from Belize. We spoke with Giovanni Alamilla, Vice President of the Belize Olympic Commonwealth Games Association, to get the answers to the one question on the minds of many Belizeans, why just one?

 

Giovanni Alamilla, VP, Olympics Association

“It’s it’s a long process. So, it’s not something that just happens overnight besides him being recommended by the National Federation here. He also needs to be approved by the International Federation World Athletics and by the organizing committee of Paris and the IOC. So it’s not just submit a name and you go online in Shaun’s case, he didn’t qualify, so we had a we had an invitational slot that was awarded to him in the one hundred. So we did have opportunity to maybe send people in other athletes in the one hundred or the eight hundred, male or female But the results for the eight hundred and the kayaking and the sailing didn’t meet the minimum standards that the, as mentioned, committees needed. So they weren’t, we weren’t awarded slots for them.”

 

The lack of representation at the Olympics does not reflect a lack of talent in Belize. In recent months, athletes such as Amorette Banman and Gareth Bruce inspired hope in Belizeans for their prowess in their respective disciplines. According to Alamilla, the gap is in the policies.

 

 

 

 

Giovanni Alamilla

“So when it comes to the ones that just won the medals, there’s a difference between weightlifting and powerlifting, right? So one is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the other isn’t, right? So they don’t have a recognized national federation or an international federation that’s recognized by the IOC So we weren’t able to submit to them Their names for that. So again, there’s a lot of little things that that the general public needs to understand. It’s not just, oh, send someone. There are procedures and policies in place that it goes down. It’s from the International Olympic Committee to the International Federation and then to the Belize Olympic Committee.”

 

It is no secret that sports are severely underfunded in Belize. From a lack of resources to the degradation of training facilities. Returning Olympian, Shaun Gill says that more effort needs to be invested in assisting athletes if Belize is to have better representation at the games.

 

Shaun Gill, Belizean Olympian

“It takes a lot. It’s going to take heavy investment from the sporting bodies here in Belize. Obviously, heavy investment from the government. We do need the fan support from our Belizeans.  And aside from that, especially with track and field, we don’t necessarily have the facilities. So most people, not even just the Caribbean countries, but most people leave their country to find better environments for training. I mean, even some of the great world class athletes, they leave their country and go to Jamaica because they know that Jamaica is the Mecca for sprinting. So we kind of have to look at it and start doing the same, but  it takes a lot. I mentioned in one, one interview and it kind of went viral, but all I said was the resources here are not as great. That’s literally what I said. And it’s the truth, you know? So I don’t know who’s responsible for it, but we need to start working on it because sports is a big deal and sports Unite all athletes.”

 

There is much work to be done before the 2028 Olympics, but Belizeans remain hopeful for the future of sports in the country.

 

Giovanni Alamilla

“It’s a matter of getting the national federations recognized. And it’s not just recognized. Start the Inter National Federation and do it. Again, there’s so many policies and procedures in place. And it’s, it is a lot of little things that come into play. For instance, I received a message yesterday that, Oh cricket will be in L.A. 2028. We’re going to send a team. Yes, we can, if they qualify. A lot of things need to be done in the next four years, or three years, to be able to get to L.A. 2028.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.