Kat Steenkamp and Diana Viljoen were the biggest winners on Friday at the Namibia Bowling Association (NBA) awards, winning the men’s and women’s player of the year titles.
The awards took place at the Eros Bowling Club in Windhoek, where about seven individuals were recognised for their hard work.
It also served as the opening ceremony to the national bowling tournament that is currently ongoing at various venues around the city.
The awards, initiated in 2014, have been held annually, except in 2020 due to Covid-19.
Apart from Viljoen and Steenkamp, Hailey van Wyk was awarded the Most Promising Player of the Year, while Waylon Wentzel received the Contributor to Sport of the Year accolade. Meanwhile, Johan Jacobs won the Sportsmanship Award of the Year, and Namibia’s U/30 team were named Team of the Year at the ceremony.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Director of Sport Jo-Ann Manuel applauded the federation for organising a successful event, stating that they have shown growth.
She added that she was impressed with how the federation managed to have their own facilities.
“Normally, one can only host an awards ceremony if they have worked throughout the year, and tonight is a testimony that the NBA was active in the last year or season that we are rewarding athletes tonight. I would like to congratulate the association; this shows how formidable the leadership is.
“It’s important to reward athletes, and it’s time for every federation to start rewarding athletes as this will motivate them to excel. I would like to point out that as a federation, you have done extremely well by having your own facilities, which are crucial for the development of the sport,” she said.
Meanwhile, Michelle Crawford, the secretary general of NBA, thanked the players and all relevant stakeholders for making the event possible. She added that the awards ceremony went well, and encouraged those who did not win not to lose morale, but to work hard.
“It was good to see athletes being recognised, and this is a huge motivation for each athlete. I would like to thank all the stakeholders who made this possible, and we hope to have a great national championship this week, and see a lot of talented athletes battle it out for top honour,s” she said.
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na