WINDHOEK – New Era’s veteran sports editor and reigning holder of the annual MTC/NSC golden pen award, Carlos Kambaekwa, has been bestowed with yet another honour.
The veteran Namibian sports guru has been appointed to the Judging Panel for the annual MTC Sports Awards under the auspices of the National Sports Commission.
The NSC Board at its meeting held earlier this month and upon recommendations and careful consideration by the Awards Committee endorsed the nomination of Kambaekwa as a member of the Judging Panel. Kambaekwa has been a critic of the fashion and often skewed criteria used to nominate and select deserving sports candidates.
Quizzed about the challenges lying ahead and what changes he plans to introduce, Kambaekwa said he is looking forward to the challenge, adding that it will take a collective effort from all stakeholders to create a more transparent system of fairness.
“ First of all, I want to extend my sincere gratitude towards the Commission for acknowledging the qualities I possess and my contribution to Namibian sports over the years that probably led to my appointment on the panel. It has been long overdue for indigenous Namibians to be given the full mandate to map out their own destiny if one takes a number of sensitive issues into consideration,” charged the sharp-tongued sports scribe.
He said there are a few unresolved issues pertaining to the usual criteria applied while the burning issue of transparency needs to be jacked up as a matter of urgency to avoid inviting unnecessary criticism.
“The entire nomination process needs to be overhauled because as it stands – judges are entirely left at the mercy of the various sports codes and associations, which is very dangerous and a fragility in terms of fairness.
“The judges must be given a free hand to nominate wildcards in the case associations miss the boat while the volume of participation must be carefully assessed and be married with what logic suggests.”
By Otniel Hembapu