WINDHOEK – Speaker of the National Assembly, Professor Peter Katjavivi has pledged to support the upcoming first-ever Namibia Annual Sports Expo (Nase) slated for later this year.
The expo, a first of its kind in Namibia, is intended to reorganize the local sport fraternity by making it more professional and therefore serve as a source of livelihood for the many athletes that remain underprivileged, even when they have excelled in their various disciplines.
It is organized by Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) and will take place from 4-7 September this year. The expo that would entirely depend on the benevolence of benefactors, would be preceded by a fundraising event that will take place on the 14th of March.
Katjavivi pledged his support when the Minister of Sports, Youth and National Service, Erastus Uutoni, accompanied by NSC officials, including its chief administrator Freddy Mwiya, visited the Speaker’s office to canvass for support.
The Speaker, a former athlete himself, commended the initiative and underscored the importance of sports, noting that Parliament was in full support of the initiative. “We are in full support and will make sure that MPs are mobilized so that they attend in big numbers,” said Katjavivi.
Katjavivi further suggested that there was a need to have a sports museum that would showcase the legacy of various sports personalities, both alive and posthumously.
“Our young people need to be reminded about some of the talented people that are alive and those that have passed on. It is very important for them to be inspired and to promote sports development in the country,” implored the Speaker.
Uutoni reiterated the importance of the expo noting that it would further empower the youth. “We have many young people that are sitting idle. This initiative is intended to empower young people. It will brand our country and create jobs for thousands of our young people,” said Uutoni.
Mwiya, a seasoned Karateka who now runs the Sports Commission, echoed similar sentiments noting that sport has helped to brand countries such as Jamaica and normally attracts investment.
He further revealed that as part of efforts to attract the youth at the envisaged four-day event, the NSC was in consultation with their Jamaican counterparts to bring in that country’s retired sprinter and Olympic world record holder Usain Bolt as a guest of honour. The expo will comprise of a conference and an exhibition.