Windhoek
The Frank Fredericks Foundation (FFF) yesterday once again reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the empowerment of young athletes through sport and education.
For the second year running the foundation once again came to the aid of one of Namibia’s most promising young golfers Gabriel Shikodi, when it handed over a golf and education scholarship worth N$20 000 during a media briefing in the capital yesterday.
The timely N$20 000 sponsorship is a product of proceeds from the FFF’s fundraising golf day held in Windhoek late last year.
“We are glad to support Gabriel Shikodi for the second year running with an academic and sports scholarship to the value of N$20 000,” said FFF trustee Anibal Rego during the media briefing.
“Gabriel’s hard work, not only on the greens, but also at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (formerly Polytechnic of Namibia) has shown a good return on the investment made in him last year. So, this year we decided to come on board again and assist this young talented man. We are very proud of him,” added Rego.
Last year, Shikodi represented Namibia at the Zone-6 Games in Kampala, Uganda and also won both the Gobabis and Windhoek opens. He finished top 2 in the Tsumeb Open, top 3 in the Rossmund Open and lost the Omeya Open to former professional golfer Francois Hanekom after being tied for first place.
Shikodi, who is currently ranked second by the Namibian Golf Union (NGU) on the Namibian order of merit, has been selected to play at the South African Amateur Open taking place on February 28 until March 4th at the George Golf Club.
He has also been selected for the Region 5 (formerly Zone 6) team, which will play in April. “I would like to thank the Frank Fredericks Foundation for the generous sponsorship towards my golf and academic career. Through the sponsorship, I can fully focus on what matters most – my classes and my golf,” said an elated Shikodi.
At the same platform, the foundation also used the opportunity to urge all active athletes to urgently apply for academic and sports scholarships for the 2016 season, which has already been extended until February 12. Interested applicants can contact the foundation’s offices at fff2@afol.com.na for further information.