Staff Reporter
Windhoek-Bank Windhoek has undertaken to sponsor the annual Hennie de Waal Sports Festival, which gets underway this morning at the Technical High School sports grounds in Olympia, Windhoek.
The four-day festival, now in its 22nd year, is named after a former teacher, who initially started the festival as a celebration of the country’s independence in 1990.
Teams in the Under 15 and 19 age groups from 23 different schools are to grill each other in netball, football and rugby. Apart from hosts THS, several other schools from across the country and beyond Namibian borders will also be in action fighting for supremacy for bragging rights.
Participating schools are MK Gertze, Prince Edward Tigers (Zimbabwe), Academia, Dawid Bezuidenhout, Dr Lemmer, Jan Möhr, PK de Villiers, Mariental, Mariental Academy, HTS, Windhoek High School, Windhoek Gymnasium, Noordgrens, Delta, Combretum, Highlands Christian School, St Pauls College, Highline, Centaurus, DHPS, Rehoboth and Ella du Plessis.
The rugby and netball matches will be contested at the HTS fields, while all football matches will be played at the Academia Secondary School sports fields.
“We expect about 800 athletes to compete in the various sports codes and expect to attract 4,000 to 5,000 spectators,” said the event organizer Claus Schmidt.
“Most of the schools that entered are government-owned schools. It is very important for us to develop netball, rugby and football at school level – thus allowing athletes the ideal platform to improve their god-given talent and skills.”
Many of the participating schools are using the competition to measure their level of preparedness for the season. “As a school, we would like to thank Bank Windhoek for making this year’s event a reality,” Schmidt said.
“For Bank Windhoek it is an honour to be part of this sports event. Since our identity and ethos are so closely linked to the well-being of our country, we share the responsibility to bring positive change, thereby creating an environment of empowerment and prosperity.
“Continuing development of these sporting codes at school level helps athletes hone their skills for the future,” added Bank Windhoek’s Executive Officer for Marketing and Corporate Communication Services, Jacqui Pack. Entrance is N$10 per person and N$20 per motor vehicle. Learners who attend in their school uniforms will be allowed to enter free of charge.