Belize has won gold at the FIRST Global Challenge robotics competition in Geneva, Switzerland.
This is the first time that a team from the Caribbean has won or medaled at the competition. The previous best performance was Jamaica’s 15th place in 2018.
Belize partnered with Switzerland, Botswana, and Lithuania in the playoff and final round to be undefeated and win the prestigious event.
By nurturing cross-cultural communication and cooperation among high-school students around the world through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the FIRST Global competition empowers them to collectively tackle the world’s most pressing challenges and come up with solutions that improve the quality of life for all.
The FIRST Global Challenge brings these future STEM leaders together in an engaging and collaborative competition that drives home the importance, excitement, and applicability of STEM education, FIRST Global uses robots to build kids that have the self-confidence, skill sets, imagination, courage, and vision to do important things.
FIRST Global also strives to convince the various national governments and organizations of the world to embrace STEM education and to support it by investing in young adults who will soon begin to make their marks in the world.
Caribbean nations were well represented at the competition this year as Puerto Rico partnered with Senegal, Macedonia, and Hungary to take the bronze medal.
Mexico, South Korea, Tonga, and Tanzania were the silver medalists.
The Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba, Suriname, Bermuda, and Grenada were among the other teams representing the Caribbean.
This year’s FIRST Global Challenge saw 180 teams from across the world attending.
