Aiding sports stars

It's very testing to run a sports club in Namibia or to be an athlete with aspirations of making it big professionally.

It's very difficult especially if you are just starting out and struggling with funds to keep programmes running and to send athletes for mayor tournaments and championships.

Many athletes with the potential to soar at the end of the day quit sports because they do not receive the necessary funding to expose them to various competitions.

I say this because I see it a lot. Club managers and individual athletes approach the paper seeking publicity to raise funds from the sports loving nation.

Sometimes calls come in from good Samaritans who wish to help the clubs or the athlete. Most times calls never come, leaving the athlete in a desperate situation.

It's so disheartening to tell an athlete that no one called in to help fund their dreams or that they cannot travel to compete for an event they qualified for because of lack of funds.

I see it a lot with cyclists who are always looking for someone to help with equipment and so forth as it is an expensive sport. Tennis players also suffer a lot because tournament fees are costly, just like the equipment.

We have a lot of businesses in Namibia but very few athletes who are endorsed by these businesses. Some supermarkets will not even part with N$50 just to give a few balls to a football academy, companies always shy away leaving the responsibility to a selected few who have taken up the challenge.

There are a lot of petrol stations, but few sports kits are spotted with their brand name. Is it because people do not approach them or are we all hit by the economic crisis?

I was very pleased to attend a press conference where football loving individuals were pledging money out of their own pockets to enable a Women Football Cup to take place in the capital. They were doing it out of their hearts to enable activities to take place. That truly is the spirit of sport.

I don't want to call out companies but we see a blue coloured company always committing money to boxers in the country. These boxers are excelling because they receive the support. Even if there might be an unsatisfied few, we see the step they are making towards development.This brand is associated with winners; I can't seem to understand how local businesses fail to recognise the opportunity to be associated with winners.

Every company has a social corporate responsibility, so in that spirit can we make it a priority to aid sporting stars amongst others.

The Namibia Sports Commission cannot fight this battle alone, hence the fact that the ministry of sport doesn't really hand out a large sum to the federation to help every club and athlete to excel.

Can our business owners step in and adopt deserving clubs? Let's help with equipment and see how far we can push these athletes to do better.

Let's not wait for someone to make the step towards helping sports stars and then only step in with complains and finger pointing.

Also, there are a lot of children who play street football and those who play football on underdeveloped fields with no grass. Can we not offer to put together money towards the development and renovation of sports facilities around the country?

I know it's too much to ask but let's start small.

Also, it should be mandatory for all schools across the country to have different sports codes. Expose the young learners to variety of sports and let's find out what they are good at. Let's not wait for them to grow up only to realise that the particular child could have been a great swimmer if exposed at a young age. Let's help each other in order to make development in sports possible.



It begins with you.



[email protected]