By Kuvee Kangueehi WINDHOEK Bank Windhoek yesterday injected N$320 000 into the Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) for the preparation programme of the 2010 Commonwealth Games set to take place in India. The amount will be used for preparations in a number of codes – identified as athletics, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, shooting and table tennis. Receiving the money on behalf of the NNOC, its president Agnes Tjongarero said the NNOC would for the first time embark on a long-term preparation programme which is being followed by developing countries. On behalf of Bank Windhoek, Marlize Horn, the Senior Manager of Marketing and Corporate Communication Services said through the sponsorship Bank Windhoek is reaffirming its commitment towards the development of various sport codes. “We are indeed honoured that the NNOC has chosen Bank Windhoek as its partner for their development programme and I am pleased that our support will contribute to adequately prepare Namibian athletes for the 2010 Commonwealth Games set for Delhi, India.” She added that the objective of the sponsorship also coincides with the goals of the NNOC, which are to win medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China in 2010, the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India and the 2012 Olympic games in London, England. Horn said the NNOC is a member of the International Olympic Committee and therefore is responsible for all the Namibian national teams that are participating in the Youth Games, All Africa Games, the Afro-Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games. She further noted that Bank Windhoek has a very long history in supporting and developing athletics in Namibia, and athletes from various sport codes will benefit from the development programme offered by the NNOC. “Bank Windhoek is confident in the leadership of this body to effectively manage the development of our Namibian athletes,” concluded Horn. In addition to the cash amount of N$320 000, Bank Windhoek will also provide promotional items such as water bottles, tog bags, caps and T-shirts to the teams that will fly the country’s flag across the world. The Commonwealth Games were first proposed by Englishman Astley Cooper in 1891 as a festival. Cooper was responsible for the concept of a sporting contest amongst the countries of the British Commonwealth. The programme consisted of track and field athletics, boxing, wrestling and swimming events, and a trophy in the form of silver cup was presented to the winning country, which was Canada. Namibia started participating in the Commonwealth Games after independence at the games in Canada, Malaysia, England and Australia. During the last games held, the host Australia won 84 gold medals, England 36, Canada 26 and India 22 while South Africa managed 12. Namibia won only a single gold medal and one bronze. Namibia at the last games sent 44 athletes, 16 team officials and three management members.