Obrein Simasiku
Omuthiya-The gloomy financial cloud that continues to hang over the Namibian sports sector has not spared Omuthiya BMX Club, which is in dire financial straits.
The club is struggling to set up its own training grounds although it has already been allocated a small piece of land by the town council to set up home.
Until recently the club was using the town council’s recreational park but has since moved to its new piece of land. However, it remains a problem as the allocated portion of land is still not serviced and makes it hard for riders to train properly.
Head coach of the Omuthiya BMX Club Salomo Ndeshimona is however pleased with the piece of land donated to them by the council but admits securing financial assistance to turn the land into a well-equipped training venue continues to be a challenge.
“Once we secure funds and manage to fully set up our venue, I can promise you that this ground will be one of the best here in the northern regions. We initially envisaged it to be completed in the next few months before the inter-regional games but it appears difficult at the moment,” stressed Ndeshimona during the club’s training session over the weekend. “We are trying bit by bit to put up things like humps for riders but we still need gravel to level the area and also smoothen the surface at various spots. We therefore call upon business people to at least assist us with whatever they can – we will appreciate it a lot,” appealed Ndeshimona.
He added that the area’s youngsters are very passionate about cycling and possess a high morale to learn and even perhaps become champions in future. But to realise this, Ndeshimona says, can only be attained through support from the community and various stakeholders.
“We only train on Sundays and the kids are always first to arrive at the training grounds, even before I wake up at times, which is a clear sign of the passion and desire they have for cycling. This is the best time to nurture them. We want to produce champions from here, cyclists that will one day represent this town and the nation at the international games,” vowed Ndeshimona, who himself is a former cyclist who used to compete nationally.