Regional Pok-ta-pok Tournament to be Held in Belize in December 2023

Today, a press conference was held at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex to announce that a regional pok-ta-pok tournament will be hosted in Belize in December of this year. With the support from the Ministry of Sports, the National Sports Council and the Association of Pok-ta-pok of Central America and the Caribbean, the event will be held in Orange Walk. It’s an exciting time for stakeholders involved in the traditional Mayan sport because Belize currently holds the regional title as champion. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

The Associacion Centroamericana y del Caribe del Deporte Ancestral de la Pelota Maya is bringing its pok-ta-pok competition to Belize. Preparations have been underway and will be ramped up over the next ten months, as the regional competition will be staged at the Multipurpose Sports Complex in Orange Walk Town from December seventh to the tenth, 2023. During a press conference today, Felicita Tun brought greetings from the village of Yo Creek, which she says is the cradle of the traditional Maya sport, pok-ta-pok.

Felicita Tun, Member, ACCDAPM

“We have revived the ancient Maya ballgame poktapok after being dormant for more than four hundred and fifty years in Belize. We have played and won pok-ta-pok with Associacion Centroamericana y del Caribe del Deporte Ancestral de la Pelota Maya in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. Now is the time for Belizeans to share the glory and continue our winning ways on our home soil.”

Seven countries will be participating in the regional competition and will include two male teams each and three female teams from Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

Menalio Novelo, Member, ACCDAPM

“Each team is bringing two male teams so that’s a total of fourteen teams that are coming to the country, including female teams from Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. So we have three female teams that will be competing for the first ever. Like the president mentioned, we are making history. This is the first time that the Maya ballgame will be played in the female category in our country, Belize. Each team consists of six to eight players and so in total we will be hosting a good number of persons, athletes and all the officials coming out, around two hundred we are calculating that we will be hosting.”

Deputy Director of the National Sports Council Marvin Ottley says that it is a great day for sports in Belize. He zeroed in on the economic and tourism benefits associated with Belize hosting the regional event.

Marvin Ottley, Deputy Director, National Sports Council

“From the get-go we got onboard and we are trying to see how best we could not only provide facility space, but what we will do in regards to financial support to the games itself. You know sports have two components, it is not only the sporting aspect, but it is sports and tourism. Just from our recent symposium that was one of our main pillars that we said we were going to move sports forward in Belize and so this does bring a new light of sports and tourism into the country. So from the National Sports Council perspective we see it fit to give all the support we possibly can to make it possible here in Belize.”

The male team from Belize are the defending champions, having won the competition three consecutive times. They are going for a fourth win come December. Menalio Novelo speaks about the training routine that will continue through to game time.

Menalio Novelo

“It is going to be history and we are hoping that our teams will represent the country well.  My team, Ek-Balam, the champions, they are preparing to win the fourth world cup. I know it is not going to be easy, but we are training three times a week and we will try to bring the colours of Belize up again. We are very exciting and we are already starting working with youths and also with kids, working with them, so that when the time comes they will be able to represent our country.”

There will be trophies for first, second and third place teams. It is going to cost a minimum of about eighty-eight thousand dollars to put off the event and all assistance is welcomed.  Duane Moody for News Five.

Channel 5

Justice for Laddie! That's been the battle cry of the youth movements that rose up in the wake of the killing of Laddie Gillett. Laddie is the fourteen year old boy who became a martyr for police brutality when he was allegedly shot in the back on a beach in Placencia by Corporal Akeem Martinez in July of 2021.

And this morning as Martinez's trial began, Laddie Gillett's best friend Thomas Palacio, who was with Laddie when he died, was the trial's first witness.

He was examined and cross examined by the prosecution and defense but held strong to the story he's told for the last two years, that Laddie was killed by an officer in what they thought was an attack by criminals.

I traveled to Dangriga for the proceedings.

Corporal Kareem Martinez's trial in the Manslaughter of Laddie Gillett started in earnest this morning in Dangriga town. And no sooner had it started did the cops demonstrate that this is no ordinary trial, it's one where the cops expect a volatile environment.

But there's also Laddie's two families, the foster family who've built a foundation in his name.

And the biological mother who came to court to find out the fate of her son's alleged killer.

On a break from proceedings this morning we asked the Bradley-Fleming's for their initial reactions to what was happening inside the court.

Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"Well, at this point in time it's a big relief to know that it started after for such a long time.So far it's going good so far. We cannot say at this point in time if it will really favor us, I mean it's too young to say. It's too early to say but we will just wait for the outcome and see what happens."

But this morning biggest surprise was the appearance in court of attorney Richard "Dickie" Bradley. And no, he's not the defense attorney, he was instead hired by Laddie's foster family to review the case and advise the prosecution.

Lucy Fleming, Laddie's Foster Grandmother
"Well, I think he will be a guide actually for the attorney and for ourselves, he's you know, he is very experienced, and he's very wise, so we just we know him, we've know him with Richard Foster he assisted us with that case and so he actually said you know look I'm prepared to help you and he came to us and did offer his assistance to us and we agreed that he would be the best possible person to have on our side at this point in time so we are appreciative of him."

Also in court the accused Kareem Martinez plead not guilty to the charge of Manslaughter. Laddie's foster dad said he didn't expect anything less.

Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"Well, I was expecting it. I mean first of all like I said I mean if he had really cared about what he did, or if he was sorry about what he did he would have contacted the family by some means, his uncle did it. There were ways how he could have contacted us and at least said that he was sorry or something like that but so far nothing and then to come back and to plead not guilty it makes me think that you are not sorry of what you did, you are not sorry for what you did your actions I mean, so yeah let's just hope it favors us in the end."

That perception was only reinforced today but began in the early stages of the department's proceedings against Martinez.

Lucy Fleming, Laddie's Foster Grandmother
"So if he pleaded against his dismissal way back then when he was only on interdiction and we were saying why is he still walking around being paid and then he was actually told no, that's it you are now being let go. He decided to take that to court as well."

And today, on the first day of the long awaited trial we the public are forced to ask ourselves, what does Justice for Laddie really mean?

As far as the foundation is concerned, one thing it doesn't mean is a lesser charge for a fine.

Lucy Fleming, Laddie's Foster Grandmother
"That was what we wouldn't be surprised if we hear for a lesser plea bargain and that would not really be justice as far as we are concerned, that he can walk away with just a fine having been free these 18 months while Laddie lies cold in his grave. So, really the end of the day we would like to see him at least do some jail time, at least be tried and convicted for manslaughter that is our hope."

But despite that hope proceedings inside the court had already began to be concerning this morning as the defense questioned witnesses about the dark and windy whether on the night that Laddie was killed.

Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"Well, I wouldn't want to say early at this time but yes there are concerning questions that his attorney Mr. Selgado has brought up. I know exactly where he is trying to head and little things like these, these little technicalities are things that cause them to get off so I am a bit worried like I said, I see where he is going. It's young but I see what he is trying to get at. It's so hard so we just have to wait until the end."

"Sometimes you expect a conviction and when you see he walks off free, I hope that this is not the case, with Laddie's case because like I said after the trial, that will determine where we stand and the action we will take because like I said we want justice and a lesser charge to manslaughter we will not settle for it."

Paramilitary Presence Outside Court; Have Police Learnt Anything?

And in between court sessions this morning we asked Laddie's foster family what they thought of all the police activity that descended upon the court this morning.

It was notable because the victim was an innocent 14 year old boy, while the alleged perpetrator was a 27 year old Corporal. And today, the presence of more armed police - while it may have been necessary - seemed to some to hit an off note. After all, it's not just Martinez on trial, but an entire mode of policing young black men that led to this fatal shooting.

Here's what the family told us about the heavy police presence:

Emil Bradley, Laddie's Foster Dad
"Well, you know we are people, we don't believe in violence, we are trying to settle this as peaceful as possible but they know what they did and they know why they are expecting what they are expecting why they come out in such numbers but we, at this point in time. We noh den pain dat. We no den fi give trouble right now, men ah say it ina Kriol we noh di give trouble right now we just want to listen and allow the justice to take it's course."

Lucy Fleming, Laddie's Foster Grandmother
"We had called for, if there were going to be any demonstrations today, we put out a media release calling for peace because after all we've come here through violence. We are here because of violence. It's the last thing we want, I was quite shocked to tell you the truth I thought oh my goodness. Here is someone who took down a fourteen year old boy being protected by big police men with armaments, it did seem quite unfair to me, you know in the grand scheme of things."

Martinez's trial began today and resumes Monday. It is expected to continue up until Friday of next week.

Channel 7