BEL sponsors Krem Cycling Classic
Belize Electricity Limited dished out fifteen thousand dollars to Krem Radio’s management as a contribution to the station’s New Year’s cycling race. With hopes that Belize may someday produce a corps of world-class athletes, the need has been seen for more investment in sporting activities. While we wait for that to happen, the generous donation by the power company will certainly keep the lights on in the Krem Cycling Classic.
Neville Samuels, Corporate Communications Manager, BEL
“It was a nice way to start off our year by partnering with Krem for Krem/BEL Cycle Classic. Instead of sponsoring our prize we realize we would be doing much more than that. Partnering with Krem, they’ve been doing this race for the past ten years and they did a good job of it they needed the help and we pinched in. This is part of our attempt at involving ourselves, the company, more in community initiatives.”
Evan Hyde Jr., Production Manager, Krem Radio
“Well with this support from BEL the prizes become extremely lucrative. Financial incentives are a major motivation to have an exciting race and for people to be very competitive.”
Jose Sanchez
“What kind of prizes will you have?”
Evan Hyde Jr.
“The first prize is five thousand dollars for the first male rider to finish the race. When we tabulated it, we have some prizes ranging about twenty-one to twenty-two thousand dollars worth of prizes, prizes all the way from Corozal to here. We need to mention that we have a lot of sub-sponsors who have been with us from 1990 and have made this race what it is today.”
Samuels says that the power company’s sponsorship is not a one-time event and next year BEL will make another substantial donation.
But while the race is on, both Krem management and the president of the cycling association expressed the need for fair competition in the sport. In recent competitions the calibre of foreign cyclists was significantly higher than local riders, leaving little chance for Belizeans to win trophies or station prizes.
Stansmore Bowman, President, Belize Cycling Association
“One of the things we will address quickly is the importation or the participation of foreign competition in the classics that we have. I think over the last few years it has been a free for all and the playing field has not been leveled at all, especially in this year’s Cross Country where we had some extremely talented foreign cyclists that are above the standards of our cyclists.”
“As much as I support the foreign competition to allow us to reach the other level, I do believe we should keep the playing field level. We should not allow sponsors to take advantage just because
they want to win.”
Evan Hyde Jr.
“I’m not all that enthusiastic about having to do all the leg work, to raise the type of prizes we have and then to have it hit a Boeing 737 the day after. I would want the local boys to reap the benefits of our efforts in collaboration with our co-sponsor BEL and all the other sponsors whoa re making the race possible. But as you might have heard a lot of people in the cycling community as well as the community at large, endorse the idea of having foreign competition; they think it drives up the level. We just want it to be fair and we want to know that the riders are coming in are to the standard we have and not exceeding our level.”
