“Concerned Belizean Athletes” calls for Resignation of BAA President

Concerned Belizean Athletes, a group reportedly made up of local athletes, is calling the leadership of Deon Sutherland, the President of the Belize Athletic Association, into question.  On May fifth, 2022, the group wrote to World Athletics, the Central American Isthmus Athletic Confederation, and the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association accusing Sutherland of victimizing and oppressing athletes. In the letter, the group of unnamed individuals, referred to the April second Belize Athletics Association’s elections as, “rigged and riddled with conflicts of interest”. They accused Sutherland of, “using his power to handpick the voters for any election that he himself is contesting”. The group is calling on the international track and field community for assistance. We asked Sutherland for a response when we caught up with him on Saturday at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex.

Deon Sutherland

Deon Sutherland, President, Belize Athletic Association

“I will say yes there are concerns out there. But, I am confid3ent in the process that was followed and I am confident in the election itself. We went by the constitution and prior we had two legal challenges to the membership, prior to the election, and those were diffused. So, I have no doubt that whatever comes up will be the same. No position is for life. It is what the people want. If that is what the people want then the people decide. As far as I know, on April second the people decided.”