Sports in Belize – A Nation of Sports Lovers!

Sports in Belize – A Nation of Sports Lovers!

Road to London 2012!

Belize

Did you know- After its independence, on September 21, 1981, British Honduras became Belize and has competed in the international events -for example Olympics, World Championships, World University Games, Pan American Games and Central American and Caribbean Games- under that name. Like many countries and dependencies of the world, this English-speaking nation, located in Central America, has not won an Olympic medal.

Boxing

Did you know- By 1983, Belize’s Olympic Committee sent three boxers to the Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. These athletes were Norman Gabourel, Ashley Rivers, and Clarence Slusher. However, none of them won Pan American medals.

Munich 1972

Did you know- By the early 1970s, British Honduras -modern-day Belize-sent a team of two athletes to Munich (West Germany) to compete in the Summer Olympic Games. The Olympic delegation compete in athletics and shooting.

Olympic Games

Did you know- Between July 28 and August 12, 1984, Belize, Britain’s last colony in Latin America, sent a team of 11 athletes, none of them women, to the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles (California, USA). The athletes competed in boxing (1), cycling (6), and tack & field (4). Like many Latin American nations, Belize did not win medals in Los Angeles.

Panama 1970

Did you know- For the first time, British Honduras, together with Dutch Guiana (now Suriname), sent athletes to the Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama City in 1970.

Softball

Did you know- Like in the United States of America and Canada, softball is one of the most popular sports in Belize, a democratic society since 1981. The national team won the gold medal in women’s softball at the 1974 Central American & Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). This English-speaking nation earned the gold medal at the expense of Puerto Rico and the Netherlands Antilles. Subsequently, the nation won the bronze medal at the VIII Pan American Games in San Juan de Puerto Rico -the first medal in the history of Belizean sport– and the silver medal in the 1982 Central American & Caribbean Games in Havana (Cuba). In Puerto Rico, Belize defeated the United States, one of the world’s most respected teams. In the following year, in 1983, in Caracas (Venezuela), Belize also won a Pan American bronze medal. However, the national team did not qualify to the Olympics Summer.

Winnipeg 1967

Did you know- Between July 24 and August 6, 1967British Honduras made its continental debut in the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.