Honduras closed border prevents athletes from returning home
Over seventy-five Belizean students in Costa Rica may find themselves in a peculiar situation if the Honduran border with Nicaragua remains closed as the political conflict in that country continues. The students are part of a bigger group that travelled by road to represent Belize in the fourteenth Annual Central American Scholar Games which began last week in Costa Rica and are to return home on Sunday. A first group of students who were returning home was temporarily inconvenienced but eventually flew in. Efforts are underway to bring the bigger group home by Monday. Marion Ali reports.
Marion Ali Reporting
The group was excited on their departure for the games but little did they know that the political instability in Honduras would affect their travel by road.
Since ousted Honduran President, Manuel Zelaya, returned home on Monday, the Honduran borders have been closed. All traffic by road in and out of the country ceased, but with some effort, the students were safely flown back to Belize.
Anthony Michael, Director, National Sports Council
“On the Nicaraguan border along with the Nicaragua and Honduras, they couldn’t go into Honduras. Some of the kids were concerned and they called their parents. We got in touch with our ministry who got in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see what we could do from a diplomatic standpoint. I must say I am very proud, it was a collective effort—it is no one individual that made that happen. Foreign Affairs took the ball, they spoke with our ministry, our ministry communicated with myself and Misses Tillett and through the collective effort, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid the airfare on Taca Airlines for those students to have flew back from Nicaragua.”
President of the NSSSA (N triple S A), Deon Sutherland, says the athletes number well over a hundred.
Deon Sutherland, President, Nat’l Secondary School Sports Assn.
“We have approximately one hundred and eight athletes representing Belize in this event in five different disciplines male and female category: Basketball, volleyball, football track and field and karate. Actually, the N triple S A, who is the organizer of secondary school sports—we organize five disciplines for the year. And then the national champions from those disciplines get to represent Belize at this what they call the CODICADER games.”
The games are organized by the Central American Council for Sports and Recreation, CODICADER and the national champions have been taking part in volleyball, football, basketball, karate and track and field. Reporting for News Five, Marion Ali.
There is one report that the government has offered to fly back the remaining students from Costa Rica if the problem in Honduras persists at the close of the games.
