CARICOM Basketball players still not announced
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and welcome to this CARICOM serving of Sports Monday.
The fourteenth CARICOM Basketball Championships gets off at the City Centre on Friday night June nineteenth with six Caribbean nations participating. Here at the sports desk we felt there were a number of questions that needed answered before opening night so we spoke to the public relations specialist for the Games, Paul Flowers.
Q: “The media, the fans, the entire country is a bit dissatisfied with the length of the selection process for the National Male Basketball Team of Belize. One day before the opening of the event is when the names will be released and as we understand that will happen tomorrow. Why is this so?”
Paul Flowers, P.R. Officer, B.N.B.A.
“First of all James, the opening of the CARICOM Basketball Tournament is Friday night so the release of the team tomorrow constitutes more like three days before the event. Certainly we would have liked for better circumstances. As a matter of fact it was in our plans to release the names as early as the fourth but there have been some changes in the players, in their availability and in their arrival. And certainly in as much as we want the Belize people to see the team and meet with the team the selection process has to go on. The media is here to report on what takes place; it is a bit irresponsible to make things take place.”
J.A.
“Going into the World Cup all the nations that were competing were dictated to that they must submit the names, I think it was, some month and a half before the actual competition. I think it’s standard for people to expect at least a couple of weeks before to know who are going to represent your country at the highest level.”
Paul Flowers
“I totally agree; as a matter of fact the FIFA rules constitute that all teams coming in to play the CARICOM Tournament should submit a fully completed roster with names and everything. To date Mr. Clarke has been calling the other countries almost on a daily basis and they themselves haven’t been able to hand us an actual list of the names. So it is a situation that exists across the board, James, and it just, it’s just a situation that we all hope could have been easier but we must consider the players and the team as a priority because really the goal is on the twenty sixth and not before.”
Q: “But was the need for a closed workout absolutely necessary?”
Paul Flowers
“Well if you’re going to consider a totally a professional scenario then there’s precedent for this James. Precedent has been set throughout the world whenever a national team is under scrutiny. There are many, many reasons why you’d close the workouts for example plain safety, plain physical safety. These are world class athletes; you can’t just have any who walking in and out.”
Q: “To counter the effect of having not been able to produce the team earlier, what moves have the organizers, your committee to speak, done to have the Belizean fan become a part of the team they are cheering for?”
Paul Flowers
“What we are planning is a big unveiling of the male national selection on Wednesday night and they will be unveiled to the national public in two ways: both as individuals but as athletes also. Because on Wednesday night at 7:30 we are bringing in a group of NBA players to play against the male selection so that Belize can see them, get to know their names, get to know their numbers, you know, learn to cheer for them.”
Q: “Opening night is Friday, again I appeal to you, could you give us a clue as to what opening night’s show is going to look like?”
Paul Flowers
“I must say at this time that we have an opening ceremonies planned and the opening ceremonies certainly is going to be very Belizean. It is going to enhance what we are and it is going to be geared mainly to the foreigners who are coming to give them a taste of Belizean culture. For us Belizeans it is going to be, you know, to get a taste of sharing what we have always known to be the everyday life. When we share it with these foreigners and we see their appreciation of the people that we haven’t appreciated, probably, enough hopefully it’s going to bring a welcome change. We are hoping that the CARICOM Basketball Games is going to do a lot for Belize and for our attitudes across the board in sports, in athletes, in professionalism, in the way we treat our artists…”
J.A.
“…and the way we plan our future events.”
Paul Flowers
“…and the way we plan our future events.”
Well folks let’s all get ready for opening night, Friday night, and of course win, lose or draw, I’m a Belizean and I know you are too.
Turning to football news, the semi-final round of the B.F.L. Knock-Out Tournament kicked off yesterday. At the People’s Stadium defending champion Juventus of Orange Walk jolted Yabra Sporting Club of Belize City 4-1. While out west Real Verdes and Juventud Benqueña battled to a 2 all draw. Sunday brings up Game 2 in this home and away series and the winners move on to the championship round of the B.F.L. Knock-Out Tournament.
Hey folks, that’s our show for today. We certainly want you to support the Belize teams inside the CARICOM Basketball games. Hey that’s it for now. Jah over all. I’m James Adderley.
