He grew up in Trelawny, Jamaica, the son of grocery story managers in a rural community. Preferring cricket and football, he only took up track and field in his late primary school years, winning the national meet for his parish. His high school coach noted his speed on the cricket pitch and encouraged him to focus on the track. That’s just what Usain Bolt did and now at the tender age of 22, he reigns as the world’s fastest man, establishing world record times in the 100 and 200 meter Olympic races and along with his teammates, setting a new record in the 4x100 relay.

For those fleeting seconds, 9.69 in the case of the 100 meter race, Usain captivated the imagination of hundreds of millions of people worldwide. His speed shattered the superiority complex of the richest nation on the planet while lifting to lofty heights the national spirit of Jamaicans.

Belize sent four athletes to Beijing for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. There were no medals for us. There was controversy when our 200 meter runner Jayson Jones complained publicly that the Belize Olympic Committee did not provide him with proper uniforms. Our athletes left Beijing, as they leave almost every international competition, empty handed.

For decades now, a small fraternity of sports managers and coaches has been telling Belizeans to be satisfied with “participating” in international competitions. They never tell us about winning. Our national teams are last minute concoctions served up as the sparring partners of regional and international champions. In many instances, the trips abroad are more about the sightseeing of the so-called managers and coordinators than about the performance of the athletes. Recent results in football, softball, volleyball and basketball attest to this tragic trend.

For sure there are Usain Bolts running around on a primary school playground somewhere in Belize today. But Bolt did not smash records by accident. His primary school had a sporting program, with trained coaches and regional and national competitions. His skills were nurtured in programs designed to bring out the best in an athlete and to meticulously manage talent. And along the way, hundreds and thousands of other young athletes competed in programs that ultimately propelled Usain to world champion status. Usain and his teammates like Veronica Campbell Brown who took gold in the women’s 200 meter event, are products of a process designed to instill discipline and foster achievement. For Usain, it’s about winning, NOT participating.

It is high time for Belize to get serious about sports. 27 years after achieving Independence, our country has neither a track nor an indoor arena. 44 years after self government and the chaperones still trump the athletes. 34 years since our softball girls secured gold in XX and the encore remains elusive. 5 change of governments since Independence and yet this summer, there was no semi-pro basketball and few sports camps.  

A culture of sports is not only about national pride. It is a potent weapon against crime. It stitches families and communities together. It generates businesses and commerce. It transcends ethnic, class, religious and political barriers. It instills an ethic of discipline and teamwork. From communist China to capitalist America, billions upon billions are invested in sporting programs, from kindergarten to the professional leagues, to discover and harness the awesome power of athletes.

The time is now for this UDP government to formulate and implement a National Sports Development Program to include schools from primary, to secondary, to UB. The UDP must complete the new Marion Jones Stadium for which the previous government had secured funding from Taiwan. They must spearhead a rebuilding of sporting facilities countrywide. They should seek support from friendly nations like Cuba, Mexico, Taiwan and the United States to bring qualified coaches to Belize to intern and establish a national system of training and competitions. The UDP should deploy our own cadre of coaches and managers so that evenings and weekends are frenzied with sporting activity.

There should be a moratorium on Belize’s participation in any international event until certain minimum performance standards are met. Let us cease and desist from shaming our athletes and our nation with more losses.

Evan X Hyde’s must-read sports tome, Sports, Sin and Subversion, released just before the opening of the Olympics, should jolt the national sports psyche. This lively chronicle of past sporting heroes, of talent wasted and unrecognized, ought to shame the nation into collective, urgent action. This UDP government must lead the way, supported by the private sector and the NGO community. You threw a tantrum to secure a Cabinet seat, Mr. Minister of Sports. The fate of the Belizean athlete is in your hands. Show us what you can do.