Let me first and foremost start off by heaping praise on cabinet members who approved the long-awaited Athletes Reward Policy, which was crafted by the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC) in collaboration with the line ministry.
Their approval goes a million miles to demonstrate that political will is finally prevailing and equally goes to show that our lawmakers are finally beginning to view the sports fraternity as a potential industry and not just another recreational arena.
The figures contained in the latest reward policy speaks of: genuine recognition, empowerment/upliftment of athletes through sport and it again goes on to remind the Namibian boy and girl child they too can now dream of a future beyond the confines of boardrooms and conference halls.
They say motivation is the force that makes us to act and behave the way we do, and it includes internal and external elements that stimulate our desire and ambition and that drive us to achieve our goals.
This latest incentives are definitely a gush of fresh air as far as the recognition and appreciation of athletes’ performance are concerned, and also show that there is finally movement at the sports ministry.
For starters, sport is, and always has been, a microcosm of where we find ourselves as a country and perhaps as a world. And that goes back to what I earlier mentioned about our lawmakers finally showing political will and seriousness towards sports.
When you really think about it, the division between sports and politics has long been eroded. The separation is what takes effort to uphold and it’s mostly done by people whose right to exist in this space isn’t questioned.
It is now up to the athletes to reciprocate this well-deserved gesture from government by bringing home medals and hoisting the Namibian flag even much higher on the international arena.
Sport is often the common denominator in regions that are otherwise seriously divided by cultural, racial, or geographic conflict, and that’s something that sporting advocates tend to try and use to their advantage – that’s why this investment is very important.