by William Ysaguirre

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Jan. 27, 2025

The Belize Volleyball Association (BVA) hosted the 2025 General Assembly of AFECAVOL (Association of Central American Volleyball Federations) at the Olympic House (Ned Pitts Building) at Marion Jones Sports Complex on Saturday and Sunday, January 25-26.

_{Felix Ambrosio Sabio, AFECAVOL President}

NORCECA (The North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) president Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, who is also the First Vice President of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), led discussions along with NORCECA General Director Arateide Cáceres Hernández to finalize the calendar for this year’s upcoming tournaments, while ensuring coordination with NORCECA events.

_{Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, NORCECA President}

Minister of Sports, Hon. Rodwell Ferguson also attended the opening ceremony, along with the BVA’s Board of Administration and the Belize Olympic Committee.

The president of Honduras’ volleyball federation – Felix Ambrosio Sabio, who is also the current AFECAVOL president, and AFECAVOL Secretary General Enrique Santis Rangel led the review of AFECAVOL’s activities of the past year. President Maria Jose Corrales of Costa Rica’s volleyball federation and Berta Caudra of Nicaragua’s federation discussed strategies for growth and development. The president of Panama’s volleyball federation, Luis Maclao; El Salvador’s general manager, Jose Roberto Garcia Chacon; AFECAVOL press coordinator, Carolina Rivas Oliva of Guatemala; and Manuel Calderon of the NORCECA Commission also participated in the meeting, which served as a platform to collaborate and strengthen regional volleyball, and to advance the development of volleyball across Central America.

While in Belize, Marte Hoffiz met with Prime Minister Hon. John Briceño on Friday, to discuss how the Government of Belize could help to provide the infrastructure to promote the development of Belizean volleyball. He noted that NORCECA has provided Belize with the playing surface for three volleyball courts, such as was used when Belize hosted several international tournaments at the Belize City Civic Center last year and in 2023.

But Belize volleyball needs a home, in the form of a permanent structure, where these courts can be laid down, for the athletes to practice and prepare themselves for the highest levels of international competition. Encouraging young people to participate in sports will keep them away from drugs and crime, Marte Haffiz affirmed.

BVA president Allan Sharp suggested that a good starting point might be in the primary schools, which already have volleyball and basketball concrete courts, where the government could provide a roof structure over the courts, so that the young athletes could have an all-weather playing surface to practice and develop their talents.