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Before their season opener, the Belize Elite Basketball League complained about the prohibitive cost of renting the civic for training. Today we asked the minister about it:
Reporter:
"Are you able to offer any better rates to the Belizean elite basketball league which is complaining that the CIVIC is too expensive to use both for training and playing."
Julius Espat, MIDH Minister
"I don't see how. The situation is that every home team pays $5,000 for the use of the CIVIC on the night that they are the home team. What do they get for that? We provide security. If you go to the CIVIC and compare it to any other arena that the country has, it is one of the area that is maintained to the highest level, it is clean, no bathroom is leaking, no bathroom is broken all the chairs are properly placed, they are clean, the environment is healthy, the air conditioning works. That's what we provide even security for them, for the games. For that $5,000. What does the home team gain? Well, they have access to the ticketing and they have access to the bar. So if they want to reduce the rates? No problem. Then give us the ticketing and give us the bar and then there's no charge."
"If the government of billions to a host does not maintain the civic won't even have an auditorium to be able to work or practice in. And so I think it's a balanced approach. And they all signed the contract before they made interviews. And all those contracts I have on my desk signed by them. They had agreed. Because they know it's fair. It's extremely fair."
