Sport - Haiti Observer Blog

Charles Vorbe began life in Port-au-Prince in 1954, son and brother of soccer players. His older brother played for the Haitian National Team, and his father served as Haitian Soccer Federation President. Charles showed early promise as a soccer player. Just 17, he played first-string for Violette as a forward center, but could switch off to other positions also.

He finished his studies at Columbia University in the U.S. and played at the legendary finals between Haiti and Cuba. Many sports observers considered that event his crowning achievement as a professional soccer player. But Charles feels his performance with Violette in the game against the New York Cosmos was his personal best.

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Haitian Football Federation (HFF) is not satisfied with a sponsorship contract it signed with South American sporting goods manufacturer, SAETA, recently. HFF Vice President, Robert Jean-Bart, spoke with an online Haitian radio station about the $1 million, five-year contract running from 2013 through 2018. He said the annual payout was for $200,000 USD for HFF to equip and outfit its national teams. But he added SAETA has not paid HFF a dime.

In a breach of contract, SAETA has made excuses their inventory dried up and therefore it was unable to outfit Les Grenadiers for the two exposition games they played against Spain and Italy. But where is the money SAETA contracted to give HFF?

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There is no stopping the men's national football team from going up the FIFA World Rankings. According to the latest rankings, Haiti jumped a spot to 38th place, the highest position it has held in history. This improvement marked another feat for the national squad as it also rose by 18 places in the December rankings. It is now ahead of Zambia and one place behind Serbia.

FIFA attributed Haiti's improving record to its stellar performance at the Caribbean Cup. Though it did not take home the title, Haiti still qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Cuba won the Caribbean Cup but Les Grenadiers will continue to launch its campaign at the CONCACAF, which will kick off in July in the United States. Other teams that will figure in the tournament include Mexico, Martinique, Trinidad and Tobago and Canada.

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The Haiti Ministry of Tourism is jumping on every opportunity to promote the island to a wider public. As such, it will host its first international biking race in June. To be televised in the U.S., it will show racing pros winding through high-mountain terrain, and resting in secreted, virgin forestlands, to promote eco-tourism. In another approach to promote Haiti as the place to visit for international sporting events, it is holding the first figure-skating show "Haiti on Ice" at Sylvio Cator Stadium this spring.

Minister of Tourism, Stephanie Villedrouin, and Acting Minister of Culture, Josette Darguste, have contracted with Super Canal Productions to televise the event in the U.S. In alliance with the Ministries of Tourism and Culture, the government of Haiti (GOH) has made it policy to fund these international events, aware Haiti needs to project a positive image to the world. President Martelly and Prime Minister Lamothe also understand showing Haiti as having the capacity to hold these highly-publicized sporting events will attract convention business as well.

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Elvis Dumervil is one of the players born of Haitian parents who had immigrated to the states during one of those moments of high political instability and had to escape to safety settling in the US in Miami best known as little Haiti. He grew up with 10 other children that his parents raised and became one of the best football players that the country has.

Elvis Dumervil was drafted into the football national teams by NFL in 2006 on the 4th round while he played college football in Louisville. He attended college at University of Louisville where his playing began with a very low turnout. He was about to be redshirt by the coach but due to injuries to other players he just continued playing until the year 2005 when everything changed. He rose with a sudden uprising that everyone was astonished.

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Wyn Belotte is a promising Canadian footballer who was a standout at the Nantes youth academy. The academy club is recognised for its rigid but effective youth system, as well as the national teams at 17. Belotte scored four goals in World Under-17 Championship qualifying tournament. Then he decided he wanted first-team football and bolted to Norkopping in the Swedish Premier where he couldn't play until turning 18.

Though Belotte's parents were from Haiti, he was born in Canada in 1984. He is not the first footballer of his family as his uncle André played for the Haiti national soccer team of under-16. Belotte was called for the youth national team for the World Youth Cup competition in 2001.

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Haitian-Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA) Yves Jabouin, born on May 30, 1979, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, fights in the bantamweight category in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events. He began his MMA career in 2001, traveling on its circuit. During a fight he strikes like tiger, and fans have nicked-named him Tiger.

In October 2009, Yves Jabouin fought his introductory match at the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) event, taking on Rafael Assuncao, but losing by a split decision. Set to challenge opponent Mark Hominick at the January 2010 WEC event, Jabouin suffered a disappointment, when he sustained an injury during practice, and had to cancel. The fight was re-scheduled for June 2010, and in a second disappointment for Jabouin, Hominick won with a round two TKO. But in November 2010, at the WEC, Jabouin rebounded, beating Brandon Visher in a unanimous decision.

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American football linebacker Steve Octavien was born in 1984 in Naples, Fla though his parents are from Haiti.

Octavien joined Illinois instead of his own Naples Lely High School and played for three seasons. He could only manage to play 4 matches for William Rainey Harper College in the year of 2004 because of soulder injury. Still he earned his rank at No. 4 linebacker in junior college in that year. Besides, he was a track standout of the college. He earned a position in Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Academic Honor Roll in 2005.

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Vernand Morency is a famous former American Footballer who used to play as running back in National Football League. He was born on February 4 in 1990 in Miami Florida. His parents were Haitian natives.

Morency's childhood was quite disciplined as he started working as early as five years of age in their family business of real estate. This made him strong both physically and mentally and resulted to his success in his baseball and football career.

Vernand Morency won the honors of All-America in both baseball and football. He was a letterman in both the sports during his days in Northwestern High School in Miami.

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Vladimir Ducasse is a Haitian-American football player. He was born and raised in Haiti where his family lived until 2002 when he moved to the US and attended school at Stamford High School in Stamford, Connecticut. There he joined the school's team and became one of the best players in the school. He therefore continued with the sport until he got to college where his talent grew and nurtured to the point that he got better at it.

Vladimir Ducasse is one of the few players lucky enough to have been selected by the NFL association in 2010 in the second round of the drafting where he was ranked 62nd. It was a great chance he got since it is one of the hardest things for an immigrant to make it to the national teams and as such he got it in a very notable manner.

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