Belize at the 2024 Summer Olympics
{{good article}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{infobox country at games
|NOC = BIZ
|NOCname = Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association
|games = Summer Olympics
|year = 2024
|start_date = {{start date|df=yes|2024|7|26}}
|end_date = {{end date|df=yes|2024|8|11}}
|flagcaption =
|oldcode =
|website = {{URL|https://www.belizeolympic.org/}}
|location = Paris, France
|competitors = 1
|competitors_men = 1
|sports = 1
|flagbearer_open = Shaun Gill
|flagbearer_close = Shaun Gill
|rank =
|gold = 0
|silver = 0
|bronze = 0
|officials = 4
|appearances = auto
|app_begin_year = 1968
|app_end_year =
|summerappearances =
|winterappearances =
|seealso =
}}
Belize competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, which were held from 26 July to 11 August 2024. The country's participation in Paris marked its fourteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1968, and after boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics.
The Belizean athlete delegation consisted of one competitor, sprinter Shaun Gill, which tied for the smallest athlete delegation of a country at these Games. Gill qualified through a universality place given by World Athletics. He was the flagbearer for the nation at the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony. He competed in the men's 100 metres event in athletics and did not advance further from the heats. Thus, Belize has yet to win an Olympic medal.
Background
File:2024 Summer Olympics Paris Montparnasse.jpg
The Games were held from 26 July to 11 August 2024, in the city of Paris, France.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.ph/olympics/story/_/id/40322251/2024-summer-olympics-paris-dates-locations-song-motto-opening-ceremony |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240731054734/https://www.espn.ph/olympics/story/_/id/40322251/2024-summer-olympics-paris-dates-locations-song-motto-opening-ceremony |archive-date=31 July 2024 |title=2024 Summer Olympics FAQ: Dates, locations, new sports, more |date=25 July 2024 |last1=Jenkins |first1=Keith |work=ESPN |access-date=1 August 2024}} This edition of the Games marked the nation's fourteenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1968 Summer Olympics, and after boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The nation had never won a medal at the Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/countries/BIZ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130182504/https://www.olympedia.org/countries/BIZ |archive-date=30 November 2024 |work=Olympedia |access-date=20 December 2024 |title=Belize Overview }}{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/482585230 |date=17 May 1980 |work=Calgary Herald |title=The boycott at-a-glance |agency=The Canadian Press |access-date=20 December 2024 |via=Newspapers.com }}
=Delegation=
The Belizean delegation was composed of five people. The officials present were Giovanni Alamilla, who served as the chef de mission, Hilberto "Hilly" Martinez, the president of the Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (BOCGA), Allan Sharp, the secretary general of the BOCGA, and Cojac Smith, the president of the Belize Athletic Association. A singular athlete qualified for the Games, 2020 Summer Olympian Shaun Gill, a sprinter who competed in the men's 100 metres.{{cite web|url=https://amandala.com.bz/news/one-athlete-to-represent-belize-at-paris-olympics-2024/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821063833/https://amandala.com.bz/news/one-athlete-to-represent-belize-at-paris-olympics-2024/ |archive-date=21 August 2024 |date=31 July 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |last1=Ku |first1=Kristen |work=Amandala |title=One athlete to represent Belize at Paris Olympics 2024 }} The nation's athlete delegation at the Games tied with Liechtenstein, Nauru, and Somalia, for the fewest athletes of a country at the Games.{{cite news|url=https://www.euronews.com/2024/07/23/paris-2024-medal-table-predictions-opening-day-schedule-and-records-that-could-be-broken |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726052652/https://www.euronews.com/2024/07/23/paris-2024-medal-table-predictions-opening-day-schedule-and-records-that-could-be-broken |archive-date=26 July 2024 |title=Paris 2024: Medal table predictions, facts, opening day schedule and records that could be broken |date=23 July 2024 |access-date=1 August 2024 |work=Euronews |last1=Dell'Anna |first1=Alessio |last2=Samar |first2=Kamuran |url-status=live }}
=Opening and closing ceremonies=
The Belizean delegation came in 22nd out of the 205 National Olympic Committees in the 2024 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations within the opening ceremony. Gill held the flag for the delegation in the ceremony and was accompanied by Alamilla and Smith.{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C95JLVYOnZH |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241221100423/https://www.instagram.com/p/C95JLVYOnZH/ |archive-date=21 December 2024 |title=Ready for the Opening Ceremony!🇧🇿 |work=Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association |via=Instagram |date=27 July 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 }}{{cite web|url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/News/2024/07/paris-2024-flagbearers.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240726143556/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/News/2024/07/paris-2024-flagbearers.pdf |archive-date=26 July 2024 |access-date=1 August 2024 |title=Paris 2024 Opening ceremony flagbearers information |work=International Olympic Committee }} At the closing ceremony, Gill also held the flag.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-flagbearer-paris-usa-teamgb-b2594760.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811213613/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-flagbearer-paris-usa-teamgb-b2594760.html |archive-date=11 August 2024 |work=The Independent |title=Every Olympic flagbearer for Paris 2024 closing ceremony including Alex Yee and Katie Ledecky |last1=Braidwood |first1=James |url-status=live }}
Competitors
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ List of Belizean competitors at the 2024 Summer Olympics | ||
| scope="col" width=120|Sport
! scope="col" width=55|Men ! scope="col" width=55|Women ! scope="col" width=55|Total | ||
|---|---|---|
| align=left|Athletics
|1 | 0 | 1 |
| scope="row" |Total ||1 ||0 ||1 |
Athletics
{{main|Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics|Athletics at the 2024 Summer Olympics – Qualification}}
File:Shaun Gill Paris 2024.jpg
The nation received a universality slot from World Athletics to send one male sprinter for the Games, which allows a National Olympic Committee to send athletes despite not meeting the standard qualification criteria. Gill was chosen by the BOCGA after being the highest ranked male sprinter in the 100 metres within the nation.{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/what-are-universality-places-and-who-can-obtain-one |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240619064135/https://olympics.com/en/news/what-are-universality-places-and-who-can-obtain-one |archive-date=19 June 2024 |date=10 May 2024 |access-date=19 June 2024 |title=What Are Universality Places And Who Can Obtain One? |publisher=International Olympic Committee |last1=Nelsen |first1=Matthew }}{{cite news|date=26 July 2024|title=Belize Sends A Single Athlete To The Olympic Games|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727093728/https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=71082 |archive-date=27 July 2024 |url=https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=71082|work=Tropical Vision Limited|access-date=29 July 2024}} With the help of athletic coach and Olympian Colin Thurton,{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/colin-evandale-thurton |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816213424/https://olympics.com/en/athletes/colin-evandale-thurton |archive-date=16 August 2024 |title=Colin Evandale Thurton |work=International Olympic Committee |access-date=21 December 2024 }} Gill acquired an Olympic scholarship in 2023 to help with financing his training. In the lead-up to the games, he trained in Houston, United States, with coach Ryan Dall then traveled to Belize for training with coach Frederick Evans but started having pain because of the conditions of the track there, yet he could not go back to Houston due to financial issues.{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/shaun-gill_1562077 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241221122620/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/shaun-gill_1562077 |archive-date=21 December 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |title=Gill, Shaun |work=International Olympic Committee }}{{cite web|url=https://edition.channel5belize.com/belizes-two-time-olympian-shaun-gills-legendary-run/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927215611/https://edition.channel5belize.com/belizes-two-time-olympian-shaun-gills-legendary-run/ |archive-date=27 September 2024 |date=12 September 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |last1=Gordon |first1=Britney |work=Great Belize Television |title=Belize’s Two-Time Olympian: Shaun Gill’s Legendary Run
}} On 27 July 2024, he went to a training camp organized by Panam Sports for his event.
Gill competed in the preliminaries of the men's 100 metres on 3 August.{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/athletics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324202545/https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/athletics |archive-date=24 March 2024 |work=International Olympic Committee |access-date=21 December 2024 |title=Olympics Athletics Schedule {{!}} Paris 2024 }} He ran in the fourth heat and placed sixth out of the eight people in the round, where he finished with a time of 11.17 seconds and did not advance further, citing jet lag for his performance.{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/ATH/OG2024_ATH_C73B1_ATHM100M--------------PREL000400--.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808220553/https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/ATH/OG2024_ATH_C73B1_ATHM100M--------------PREL000400--.pdf |archive-date=8 August 2024 |title=Men's 100m Preliminary Round Heat 4/6 |date=3 August 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=International Olympic Committee }}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxll21leryo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005222752/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxll21leryo |archive-date=5 October 2024 |title=What it's like to be your country's only Olympian |last1=FitzGerald |first1=James |work=BBC |access-date=21 December 2024 |date=7 August 2024 }} Noah Lyles of the United States eventually won the gold in a time of 9.784 seconds.{{cite web|url=https://time.com/7007698/noah-lyles-photo-finish-paris-olympics/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822212028/https://time.com/7007698/noah-lyles-photo-finish-paris-olympics/ |archive-date=22 August 2024 |date=4 August 2024 |work=Time |access-date=21 December 2024 |title=This Image of Noah Lyles Winning the 100 m is the Definition of a Photo Finish |last1=Burga |first1=Solcyré }} After Gill competed in his event, he announced his retirement and set up a GoFundMe page for funding to train younger Belizean runners, focus on his future job as an engineer, and take up a course for a master's degree in management studies at Texas A&M University–Kingsville.{{cite web|url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/shaun-gill-retires-sprinting-launches-fundraiser-grad-school |archive-url=https://archive.today/tzXBV= |archive-date=21 December 2024 |work=Loop Caribbean |date=11 August 2024 |access-date=21 December 2024 |title=Shaun Gill retires from sprinting, launches fundraiser for grad school }}
{{smalldiv|1=
Key
- Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only}}
Track & road events
| class=wikitable style="font-size:90%"
|+ Athletics summary |
| scope="col" rowspan=2|Athlete
!scope="col" rowspan=2|Event !scope="col" colspan=2|Preliminary !scope="col" colspan=2|Round 1 !scope="col" colspan=2|Semifinals !scope="col" colspan=2|Final |
|---|
| scope="col"| Result
!scope="col"| Rank !scope="col"| Result !scope="col"| Rank !scope="col"| Result !scope="col"| Rank !scope="col"| Result !scope="col"| Rank |
| align=center
|align=left|Shaun Gill |align=left|Men's 100 m |11.17 |6 |colspan="6" |Did not advance |
See also
References
{{reflist}}{{Primary sources references section}}
{{Nations at the 2024 Summer Olympics}}
{{Country at games navbox|Belize|Summer Olympics}}