Help Under-18 3X3 ballers get to Spain

Earlier this year, the Belize Basketball Federation teamed up with Bowen and Bowen to hold a national Three by Three basketball tournament after Belize was selected to participate in the under eighteen three by three World Championships in Spain. That event takes place from the twenty-seventh to the thirtieth of September and the Jewel is to be represented by the winning team from the national tournament. But the local athletes may not get their chance to shine in the international competition because B.B.F. is short on funds to cover the travelling expenses. According to the federation president, Paul Thompson, they have secured plane tickets for the players, but not for the coach and visas have not yet been dealt with. With just over a week before the tournament, Thompson says they need help and fast.

Paul Thompson, President, Belize Basketball Federation

Paul Thompson

“Over the past month or so we’ve been actively trying to raise funds to send this delegation to Spain but it has been a challenge. So far we have gotten commitment from the Belize Olympic Committee for four tickets for the players, however, we need to get visas and a ticket for someone to accompany them and that has been challenging. So at this point it’s uncertain if we’re going to make it. If we do, it’s going to be extremely tight because the Schengen visas take a while to get, there’s a process so you know, although we’re hopeful that there may be divine intervention in some way, we know it’s going to be a challenge.”

Delahnie Bain

“Is there a date or so by when you need to raise these funds?”

Paul Thompson

“Yes, now or yesterday we need to do that. We’ve been actively trying, we have sent off letters to a few private sector people but you know, Belize is small and you ask the same people over and over to assist and you can’t blame them for not trying to assist because we’ve worked well with the private sector in the past and that’s the situation that we face at this point. This is a wonderful opportunity for our young men. The draw has been published already of the thirty-two teams that are participating. Belize is in group A and we are scheduled to compete against countries like China, Poland, Canada, Iran France and Slovakia so the exposure would be a wonderful exposure but we’re faced with this challenge and hopefully, as I said, something can happen rather quickly.”

Delahnie Bain

“Do you know how much or have a ballpark figure of how much more you need to raise?”

Paul Thompson

“Basically, we need funding to send passports to get visas; that would come up to approximately three thousand Belize and a ticket for the coach would be approximately like three thousand four hundred Belize more so we’re talking about approximately eight thousand dollars.”

To support the Under-eighteen national three by three team, Thompson can be reached at telephone number 610-0717 or you can contact the Coach, Matthew Smiling, at 600-4480.