Broadcast as part of the National Sports Council of Belize-backed weekly Sports Monday segment hosted by anchor Paul Lopez on November 9, 2026, the newscast opens with a landmark national achievement in motorsport: 18-year-old Alex Bowen has cemented his place as Belize’s first ever professional race car driver, after competing in the high-stakes 2026 Italian GT Endurance Championship Season Finale held at the end of October.
In an exclusive interview with the broadcast, Bowen traced his unlikely journey to international GT3 racing as a Lamborghini-affiliated driver: a self-described multi-sport enthusiast who played football, baseball, golf, tennis and even tried competitive swimming as a child, his path to racing opened by chance in 2020 at age 12, when COVID-19 lockdowns suspended all local youth sports programs. A casual trip to a local go-kart track with his father, paired with their longstanding shared pastime of watching Formula 1 races, sparked an immediate, passionate dedication to motorsport. After two and a half years of competitive karting, he moved up to formula car racing at 14, and spent 18 months competing before a gap in racing funding forced him to step away from the track for eight months to weigh his next steps. The career turning point arrived when his long-time coach connected him with the TPC Lamborghini team, securing the full budget and spot to compete in European GT racing in Italy when he was 15, launching the three-year professional tenure that culminated in his history-making season finale appearance. Belize’s Minister of Sports Anthony Mahler and Deputy Minister Devin Daly traveled to Italy to attend and cheer on Bowen at the landmark race. Bowen shared that his long-term goal is to bring motorsport opportunities back to Belize, to show local young people with similar racing dreams that their ambitions are within reach. The Belize Tourism Board celebrated his historic run, noting that his international podium appearance has put Belize in the global sporting spotlight and driven unprecedented positive international visibility for the small nation.
The newscast also covered two other high-profile recent Belizean sporting updates: first, the country’s men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams competed in the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualifier held in Puerto Rico over the prior weekend. The women’s pairing of Nelissa Ramirez and Clara Sabal posted a 2-1 record in Pool B, advanced to the quarterfinals, and ultimately secured 5th place overall after a hard-fought match against host nation Puerto Rico. The men’s team of Francis Hauze and Ernest Broaster faced off against top regional competitors Costa Rica, the USA, and El Salvador across the bracket, finishing 9th overall in the competitive qualifier. The broadcast extended official congratulations to both teams for their resilient, strong showings on the international stage.
Wrapping up the segment, the newscast shared full results from the Belize Table Tennis Association’s 3rd 2026 Ranking Tournament, hosted the prior Saturday at Swift Hall: Sariah Marting took first place in the female junior division, Kaiden Acietuno claimed gold in the open junior category, and Taye Parkinson won the top prize in the senior division. The broadcast signed off, inviting viewers to tune in to the next weekly Sports Monday installment.