BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Sept. 15, 2016–At a press conference yesterday afternoon at Radisson Fort George Hotel lobby, Belize Volleyball Association (BVA) President, Allan Sharp presented the National Male Volleyball Team that will represent the Jewel in the upcoming FIVB Men’s World Championship Qualification Tournament, being hosted in Belize at the newly completed St. Catherine Academy (SCA) Multipurpose Centre.
Participating teams in the tournament are: Belize, Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. They will compete in a round-robin tournament – 3 matches per day for 7 days, with the top 2 teams qualifying to the Continental Round, from which the top 5 teams go on to the World Championship in Italy and Bulgaria.
Matches are at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily. Belize plays the final match at 7:30 p.m. each day, except on Thursday, September 29.
The final 12 players (and their hometown area) selected to represent Team Belize are: Elton Anderson (Belize City), Marlon Salazar (Camalote), Yserri Palacio (Punta Gorda), Francis Hauze (Belize City), Keith Castillo (Hopkins), Radin Santos (Belmopan), Gabriel Nunez (San Pedro), Karym Coleman (Belize City), Ean Galvez (Lucky Strike), Bryton Codd (Belize City), Edgar Martinez (Belmopan), and Ernan Caliz (Punta Gorda).
The coaching staff includes Delio Arruebarrena (Cuba), Albert Humes (Belize City) and Wallace Tillett (Belize City). Team manager is Ben Ramos (Orange Walk).
Ticket prices each day are $10.00 for adults, and $5.00 for children under 12 years.
Major sponsors: Bowen & Bowen Ltd., AM Construction, Central Cable & Internet, Radisson Fort George Hotel, FT Williams & Associates, BTL, Simon Quan Ltd., Belize Tourist Board.
Match schedule at SCA Multipurpose Center:
Saturday, September 24
3:00 p.m. – Panama vs Dominican Republic
5:00 p.m. – Nicaragua vs Honduras
6:45 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies
7:30 p.m. – El Salvador vs Belize
Sunday, September 25
3:00 p.m. – Honduras vs Dominican Republic
5:00 p.m. – El Salvador vs Panama
7:30 p.m. – Belize vs Guatemala
Monday, September 26
3:00 p.m. – Nicaragua vs El Salvador
5:00 p.m. – Guatemala vs Honduas
7:30 p.m. – Panama vs Belize
Tuesday, September 27
3:00 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs Guatemala
5:00 p.m. – Honduras vs Panama
7:30 p.m. – Belize vs Nicaragua
Wednesday, September 28
3:00 p.m. – Guatemala vs El Salvador
5:00 p.m. – Panama vs Nicaragua
7:30 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs Belize
Thursday, September 29
3:00 p.m. – Honduras vs El Salvador
5:00 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs Nicaragua
7:30 p.m. – Guatemala vs Panama
Friday, September 30
3:00 p.m. – Nicaragua vs Guatemala
5:00 p.m. – El Salvador vs Dominican Republic
7:30 p.m. – Belize vs Honduras
9:30 p.m. – AWARDS CEREMONY
(Ed. Note: Go, Belize!! Team Belize (Volleyball) gets a day off on Thursday, September 29; and it is fitting, because on that same day at 6:00 p.m. Belize will be represented in international football by Police United FC in the Scotiabank/CONCACAF Champions League match against Olimpia of Honduras at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan.)