BBBFF Takes Control of Local Gym
George Myvett
The dust has settled at least for now, between bodybuilder Cricel Castillo and the Belize Body Building and Fitness Federation. In a very public spat last week, there was a back and forth over monies that Castillo claims were not paid to her to cover costs for her participation at Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Tournament. But there is some good news that follows that nasty row. On Monday night, with the assistance of police officers, the federation took control of the Weight Lifting and Fitness Gym located at the corner of Saint Thomas and Saint Joseph Streets. Vice president of the BBBFF, George Myvett, says that the gym was under dispute because for some time, there was no accountability of its finances. But now that it is in their hands, the gym will serve to give an edge in competitiveness among its current athletes as well as the recruitment of new members.
George Myvett, Vice President, BBBFF
“The equipment in the gym has been contributed by a very noted businessman, but the gym has always been a part of the property of the Belize Body Building and Fitness Federation. There has been an intervention at some point where the gym fell into the hands of a very noted bodybuilder who had contributed greatly to the sport. I want to make clear that the federation has no fight with this individual, but we have an obligation to reassert our management on this facility because at the end of the day, we want to make sure that we offer our members a facility where they can train. We sent out a press release earlier in which we thanked copiously the Minister of Education and Sports and our gratitude to the minister is based on the fact that there seemed to have been some misunderstanding with the previous manager that the facilities were under his control, but it never was. So what we have done over the past couple weeks was to seek some clarification that indeed the facilities, including the building and all equipment therein is part and parcel of the property of the federation. That is all that has happened. One may be led to assume that there is some conflict between the federation and that particular individual. But really there is no animus from our standpoint. The situation with the gym and it is really gyms plural because the equipment and the gymnasium was formerly housed at the…Mister Rogers was in charge of the gym at one point. And after Mister Rogers passed, the facilities were effectively passed over to the association through another individual and that individual has actually as far as we know been collecting dues. We have been trying to get records of what it is that he has been collecting over the years. And that has a context and the context is that the federation actually owes monies for work that has been done on the facilities and it is substantial amount of monies. We know the quantum of funds that the federation owes to the particular businessman who had the commitment to actually refurbish the facilities. He donated the equipment but actually charged for the refurbishment. And we have been trying to establish what it is that he has been paid over time. There has been very little paid over time.”
The debt amounts to twenty-five thousand dollars, which will now have to be paid by the BBBFF.
