Awarding of sports legends produces unhappy few
MTC has come out in defence of MTC Sport Legends Awards amid ongoing criticism of the recently launched initiative.
LIMBA MUPETAMI
The initiative was launched at the MTC/NSC Sports Awards with the aim to pay homage to sporting heroes of yesterday in the field of football, professional boxing, athletics, swimming, golf and rugby.
However, some local sports fans felt that initiative awarding 17 sporting legends with N$10 000 each and free entrance to all MTC-sponsored events did not honour and represent all sporting legends who truly represented the country.
One sports fan who did not want to be named asked why active sports stars were awarded and not retired ones. “The people who were awarded are still writing their history and we have a lot who are retired. Why not award those first?”
John Ekongo, corporate communications officer of MTC, said the MTC Sports Legends is a uniquely MTC initiative and not a national initiative.
“Before this, there was none whatsoever and it is strange that nobody asked why nobody was doing anything to recognise our sports heroes. MTC has now taken this initiative on its own and instead of appreciating the initiative we question the criteria used.
“Our criteria were simple: we looked at sports personalities that delivered legendary performances, historical performances, performances that made us unite and smile and proud to be Namibian, performances that we will always remember and exceptional performances.
“We are well aware that this list of legends is not complete, and we hope that this initiative provokes the Namibian Sports Commission to start a hall of fame for sports in Namibia. The criteria and selection of the legends were based on our own discretion,” Ekongo said.
MTC chief human capital and corporate affairs officer Tim Ekandjo said they are not only MTC’s legends but Namibian legends that belong to all of us. “So we encourage others to come on board and show appreciation, whether it is a street name or whatever.
We are all aware that there are so many more pre-independence era sporting heroes, and we hope that this initiative will provoke the sport commission to establish a hall of fame for sport in Namibia,” concluded Ekandjo.
Inductees included the likes of Frankie Frederick, Luketz Swartbooi and Monica Dahl, who formed part of the first class of Namibian Olympians at the 92 Barcelona Games.
On the football side of things, former Brave Warriors striker Elifas Shivute, Ronnie Kanalelo, arguably the best goal minder ever to grace Namibian shores, Congo Hindjou, Ricardo Mannetti, now the second home-grown coach to charge the Brave Warriors successfully to a continental championship and 2015 Cosafa Champion.
As well as Collin Benjamin and Razundara Tjikuzu, the latter two being the only Namibians to have ever played in the tough German Bundesliga for over a decade.
Also inducted were professional boxers and world champions in their own right, undefeated boxing legend Harry Simon, Paulus ‘Hitman’ Moses, Paulus ‘Rock’ Ambunda and Julius ‘Blue Machine’ Indongo who ended up walking away with the Sportsman of the Year as well as Sports Achiever of the Year Award.
Swimming legend Monica Dahl, a two-time Olympian who was the youngest to represent Namibian at the Barcelona Olympics, first Namibian golf pro Trevor Dodds and acclaimed boxing promoter Nestor Tobias, who gained his first ever Springbok colours in 1982 and after retiring from professional boxing, ventured into promotion, coaching, mentoring and developing boxers.
He has managed to produce three world champions since 2009 and is also a four-time WBO Africa greatest boxing promoter recipient.
The initiative was launched at the MTC/NSC Sports Awards with the aim to pay homage to sporting heroes of yesterday in the field of football, professional boxing, athletics, swimming, golf and rugby.
However, some local sports fans felt that initiative awarding 17 sporting legends with N$10 000 each and free entrance to all MTC-sponsored events did not honour and represent all sporting legends who truly represented the country.
One sports fan who did not want to be named asked why active sports stars were awarded and not retired ones. “The people who were awarded are still writing their history and we have a lot who are retired. Why not award those first?”
John Ekongo, corporate communications officer of MTC, said the MTC Sports Legends is a uniquely MTC initiative and not a national initiative.
“Before this, there was none whatsoever and it is strange that nobody asked why nobody was doing anything to recognise our sports heroes. MTC has now taken this initiative on its own and instead of appreciating the initiative we question the criteria used.
“Our criteria were simple: we looked at sports personalities that delivered legendary performances, historical performances, performances that made us unite and smile and proud to be Namibian, performances that we will always remember and exceptional performances.
“We are well aware that this list of legends is not complete, and we hope that this initiative provokes the Namibian Sports Commission to start a hall of fame for sports in Namibia. The criteria and selection of the legends were based on our own discretion,” Ekongo said.
MTC chief human capital and corporate affairs officer Tim Ekandjo said they are not only MTC’s legends but Namibian legends that belong to all of us. “So we encourage others to come on board and show appreciation, whether it is a street name or whatever.
We are all aware that there are so many more pre-independence era sporting heroes, and we hope that this initiative will provoke the sport commission to establish a hall of fame for sport in Namibia,” concluded Ekandjo.
Inductees included the likes of Frankie Frederick, Luketz Swartbooi and Monica Dahl, who formed part of the first class of Namibian Olympians at the 92 Barcelona Games.
On the football side of things, former Brave Warriors striker Elifas Shivute, Ronnie Kanalelo, arguably the best goal minder ever to grace Namibian shores, Congo Hindjou, Ricardo Mannetti, now the second home-grown coach to charge the Brave Warriors successfully to a continental championship and 2015 Cosafa Champion.
As well as Collin Benjamin and Razundara Tjikuzu, the latter two being the only Namibians to have ever played in the tough German Bundesliga for over a decade.
Also inducted were professional boxers and world champions in their own right, undefeated boxing legend Harry Simon, Paulus ‘Hitman’ Moses, Paulus ‘Rock’ Ambunda and Julius ‘Blue Machine’ Indongo who ended up walking away with the Sportsman of the Year as well as Sports Achiever of the Year Award.
Swimming legend Monica Dahl, a two-time Olympian who was the youngest to represent Namibian at the Barcelona Olympics, first Namibian golf pro Trevor Dodds and acclaimed boxing promoter Nestor Tobias, who gained his first ever Springbok colours in 1982 and after retiring from professional boxing, ventured into promotion, coaching, mentoring and developing boxers.
He has managed to produce three world champions since 2009 and is also a four-time WBO Africa greatest boxing promoter recipient.
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